d-laser-fgtools

various tools for Flightgear development

some of the tools might not be compatible with Python 3

managing apt.dat (the airports database)

pg2aptdat

Read an airport from Postgres DB, write in apt.dat format to STDOUT

a single airport:

./pg2aptdat.py -i ICAO

all airports:

./pg2aptdat.py 

gateway_pull

Download from gateway.x-plane, write to ICAO.dat file:

./gateway_pull.py -i <ICAO>

or ./gateway_pull.py -s

##aptdat2pg insert/update one of more airports into Postgres DB:

./aptdat2pg.py -f INPUTFILE

Generating many groundnet files

parking/startup locations for ~15000 airports + groundnet including pushBackRoutes Taxinodes and Taxiway Segments by using the latest apt.dat from X-Plane. Read more details in the comment at the beginning of the 2 python files

• Step 1: aptdat2sqlite.py

• Step 2: sqlite2xml.py

make_parkings.py is an older version of that tool. still ok, but it cannot handle 30000 airports and it does only parking, no other ground network.

from OpenStreetMap to .stg file:

gpx2stg.py

with josm or other tools you can mark many locations and export them as .gpx file. I used it for fuel storage tanks. the script writes to stdout.

gpx2stg.py -i <inputfile.gpx> -m <path to shared model> -e <elevation>

osm-center2stg

I used this to generate stg lines for hundreds of churches and castles. The input.osm file is downloaded from http://overpass-turbo.eu It will be good for churches, chimneys, wind-power generators, fuel tanks, ... because the heading does not matter. It is not good for soccer fields of fuel stations which need correct heading/alignment.

here is an exampele query for overpass-turbo.eu

[out:xml][timeout:25];
// gather results
(
  // query part for: "amenity=place_of_worship"
  node["amenity"="place_of_worship"]({{bbox}});
  way["amenity"="place_of_worship"]({{bbox}});
);
// print results
out center;
>;
out skel qt;

SYNOPSIS:

osm-center2stg.py -i <inputfile> -m <path to shared model> -e <elevation>'

taxisigns2stg

reads X-plane/WED/Flightgear apt.dat lines with taxi-sign information (lines that begin with "20") and writes stg lines for Flightgear scenery to stdout

known limitation :

• elevation is the same for all signs

SYNOPSIS:

taxisigns2stg.py -f <input apt.dat file> -i <ICAO> -e <elevation in meters above MSL>    >nnnnnn.stg

taxisigns2aptdat

reads .stg lines with OBJECT_SIGN and merges them with apt.dat (of ONE airport) into output.dat output.dat can then be imported and edited in WED and uploaded to the gateway

SYNOPSIS:

taxisigns2aptdat.py -s <input .stg file> -a <input apt.dat file>

parkingxml2aptdat

convert from Flightgear/TaxiDraw parking.xml or ICAO.groundnet.xml to "1300" type lines in apt.dat format

SYNOPSIS:

parkingxml2aptdat.py -i inputfile.xml

working with AC3D models

rename-textures.py

If you have many models with freely chosen names for the texture files, then you cannot upload them to http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/ This script renames the texture files and also rewrites the "texture..." lines inside the .ac file. The result can be found int the "output" folder The original .ac-file is saved as .ac.bak

SYNOPSIS:

rename-textures.py -i <inputfile>

fix_xml_header.sh

replaces the first line of all XML files of the currrent folder recursively with this header:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

so that they can get accepted at http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/

make_thumbnails.sh

requirements: fgviewer, Image Magick

For all .ac files in the current folder the script starts the tool "fgviewer" Move & Zoom and try different light(l) in fgviewer. Capture a picture with "c"
and press "esc" to leave.

This is a very fast way to generate thumbnail images of many models with the correct size & filename.

remove-empty-lines.sh

The script removes empty lines from every .ac File in the current folder. Some versions of the Blender import script crash on empty lines in .ac files.

remove-textures.sh

The scrit removes every "texture" line from every .ac File in the current folder. This way you can contribute models without their textures. Why ? Maybe the License of the textures is not ok, or the file type or the size.

using X-Plane's World Editor for precise object placement

Placing scenery objects with the UFO is easy but not always the best choice. If you want to place objects or group of objects with precise position and heading you can also use the WorldEditor(WED) and use it's features like: top-down view, enter exact values for lat,lon,heading, rubberband-select, copy & paste,...

In order to do that, you need the object in X-Plane's .obj format. Blender can export that (but not import) Here are a few flightgear shared models in .obj format: https://github.com/mherweg/objects

For WED you need a "fake" scenery folder, please read the wiki article about WED

Put jour objects into:

Custom Scenery/Your-Project/objects

Example:

objects/Models/Airport/Jetway/jetway-movable.xml.obj
objects/Models/Airport/Jetway/jetway-20.xml.obj
objects/Models/Boundaries/Fence-20m-green.xml.obj
objects/Models/Boundaries/Fence-20m-green.ac.obj
objects/Models/Boundaries/Fence-50m-green.xml.obj
objects/Models/Boundaries/Fence-10m-green.xml.obj

After placing your objects with WED, click "Save" You will find the file:

Custom Scenery/Your-Project/earth.wed.xml

earth.wed.xml is the input file for the converter script

wed2stg.py

SYNOPSIS:

wed2stg.py -i <inputfile> -e <elevation>   > out.stg

Project3000: How to use (as an airport scenery creator)

    git clone https://github.com/mherweg/d-laser-fgtools.git

or Download zip

make sure that you have downloaded terrain of the airports that you want to make, otherwise elevation probing will fail and all objects will be at sea level.

Test if fgelev is working on your computer: (be patient, fgelev is slow )

    export FG_ROOT= YOUR FG_ROOT PATH
    export FG_SCENERY= YOUR TERRASYNC PATH
    time echo "foo 8.56256161 50.04758962 " | fgelev

a good result example: 107m above MSL

    foo: 107.910

a bad result example: approx 0m MSL

    foo: -0.34

prepare a custom scenery folder:

    mkdir -p /home/YOURUSERNAME/scenery/test/Objects
    cp -r Models /home/YOURUSERNAME/scenery/test/

write your paths into parameters.py:

    PATH_TO_SCENERY = "/home/YOURUSERNAME/.fgfs/TerraSync"
    PATH_TO_OUTPUT = "/home/YOURUSERNAME/scenery/test"

you might also have to change the fg_root in fgelev.py:

    fg_root = "/usr/share/games/flightgear"

data found at dsf_txt_collection

or download your own collection of ICAO.txt files; see below

populate one airport:

    ./dsf2stg.py -i dsf_txt_collection/EDDF.txt

populate all (14500+) airports (It takes a few hours and only makes sense if you have terrain for most of them). Before you do that it is a good idea to download the latest 3D scenery packages from the gateway:

    cd dsf_txt_collection
    wget -O airports http://gateway.x-plane.com/apiv1/airports
    ../find3d.py

Finally,

    ./populate.sh > populate.log

getting a new airport:

   cd dsf_txt_collection
   ../gateway_pull.py -i ICAO

testing the result (of running dsf2stg.py):

   fgfs --aircraft=ufo --airport=EDDF --fg-scenery=/home/YOURUSERNAME/scenery/test