KMEM preview video links

[fsx100]

This means we are getting closer to starting work on KLAS V2 

[FLYFROMUTAH]

I watched the jetway  SODE video and the wheels do rotate on my video, don't know if this is an update. I'm guessing you mean roll as to rotate, they do turn in the direction of movement.

[Bruce Hamilton]

When the jetway is extending out, watch the treads on the tires... they do not turn.

[virtuali]

When the jetway is extending out, watch the treads on the tires... they do not turn.

That's how every SODE jetway works. Nothing we can do about it. Or, more precisely, we could do something about it, but it would be easier if SODE could be updated to support this, because would be very cumbersome fixing it from our side.

[Bruce Hamilton]

Interesting, I thought SODE was just an engine moving a standard jetway model. Thanks, Umberto.

[12bpilot]

That's right, the SODE jetway animation system does not control the spinning of the wheels. There is a technical background to it why I didn't support them (number of writeable SimVars) and also I didn't consider spinning wheels to be a deal-breaker, I thought they'd be just eye-candy.
But maybe I can find a way to use some bits from a already used variable, but the rotation speed will be an approximation and not the exact calculated speed.
However, that would require all existing sceneries using SODE jetways to update their jetway model to make use of spinning wheels.

SODE comes with its own "modelling SDK" to build jetways. Using these specially built models, SODE is able to calculate and animate the movement of the jetway in the simulator.

Thanks for pointing out that users will squawk about it, I expected it but was surprised how long it actually took that someone noticed that the wheels are not spinning, given that there are already a couple of SODE jetways around That's just because FSDT managed to do such very good looking jetway wheels

-Jeffrey
SODE Developer

[Bruce Hamilton]

That's just because FSDT managed to do such very good looking jetway wheels

Exactly, they're so good that something non functional sticks out.   

[Orion]

There is a technical background to it why I didn't support them (number of writeable SimVars) and also I didn't consider spinning wheels to be a deal-breaker, I thought they'd be just eye-candy.

Do you know which variables are available/writable for a given SimObject category?  The only thing I could find was a post from Tim Gregson saying "you might want to consider using the ground vehicle category instead of aircraft though, much lower overhead (although also fewer variables predefined)."

[12bpilot]

Do you know which variables are available/writable for a given SimObject category?  The only thing I could find was a post from Tim Gregson saying "you might want to consider using the ground vehicle category instead of aircraft though, much lower overhead (although also fewer variables predefined)."

No, unfortunately not. I also stumbled upon that post you mentioned, but there is no list or table. Trial and error, my friend...

[virtuali]

No, unfortunately not. I also stumbled upon that post you mentioned, but there is no list or table. Trial and error, my friend...

Yes, that's how it works with Simconnect. The documentation is not always correct, and they don't specify which variables becomes writable or not, *depending* on the Simobject kind.

We wrote a very simple testing utility, so we came up with our table. Check your email, if I can read the SODE SDK correctly, it seems you still have one variable available, which might be used to rotate the wheels.

[Al Boulianne]

Look great. Remember that the king was from Memphis. Hope to have Graceland build to the scenery which is very close by. Maybe event put Elvis private jet at the private terminal would be great. Will buy the scenery for sure. Al 

[Hnla]

The "Busy apron" looks great... however I always thought the reason why payware airports are so barren is because if you add vehicles it kills the FPS... what is different here?

Make the gates have more clutter if there is something different about it...

[virtuali]

The "Busy apron" looks great... however I always thought the reason why payware airports are so barren is because if you add vehicles it kills the FPS... what is different here?

It's *totally* different, because other developers (except Flightbeam, and it shows...) don't have the flexibility of our scripting engine, where we can write a scenery as if it was a full blown program.

For KMEM, we used the same basic (NEW) technology that allows to precisely detect collisions with buildings (an entirely custom system written in fast c++, which runs externally from the sim in Couatl, not taking any fps), to define logic areas around all parking spots, that will be automatically populated by an animated scene when the user is inside that area, and the areas are tuned in a way that you will only see the zones very close to you. And when the scene is not needed, it will be removed from memory, not taking either fps or VAS anymore.

This is far more precise, powerful and flexible of the inflexible "don't load this if you are outside this range" system, which is always based on a circular radius, so you cannot control overlaps very well, and end up wasting VAS.

There was NO WAY we could ever fit everything in memory on an airport so large, without our flexible scripting engine.

[markmasterson]

Having purchased everyone of your sceneries since Cloud9...I have to say that you have outdone yourself with the integration of Avatar, SODE and the level of detail of Memphis.  Thank you for your dedication to our hobby. 

[virtuali]

Thanks a lot for your comments, they are much appreciated.