MakeRwys and MSFS

[DeaconBlue]

I know you have many more important things to be seeing to right now but I was just wondering if you guys were contemplating making a version of MakeRwys for MSFS at some time?

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, DeaconBlue said:

I know you have many more important things to be seeing to right now but I was just wondering if you guys were contemplating making a version of MakeRwys for MSFS at some time?

I've had a quick look to see if I can find the files to scan, and figure out the order to scan them. Looks like a lot of work as it's nothing like FS9, FSX or P3D, which were all so similar, just with additional bits added to the BGLs.

I think it is feasible, but I also believe the data in the BGLs may have changed too, so that's a double whammy.

I'll need those database files when I finally install MSFS on my cockpit -- but that needs scenery-only views and multiple views, to span my 210 degree curved screen. I'd also need ProSim to be converted. I'd need to have it done by then, but finding the time to go further at present is just not possible. And I'm not promising anything.

Pete

 

[DeaconBlue]

Thank you for your reply, I appreciate you looking.

 

[luis-fernandez]

Hello Pete.
Thank you very much.

In our virtual airline (AirHispania) we are looking forward to seeing a new version of MakeRwys.
Without MakeRwys we won't be able to assess our flights and record them in our database.

We hope you can find some time to make MakeRwys compatible with MSFS.

Again, thank you and best regards.
AHS8553 Luis Fernández LEVD

[pellelil]

Pete I'm glad to hear you plan to update it. Let me know if/when you need a beta-tester, as I have the software to visualize the data it extracts 😉

 

[Pete Dowson]

3 hours ago, pellelil said:

Pete I'm glad to hear you plan to update it

No, I plan to TRY. I've been looking at the task, and even just finding all the scenery files is a complete nightmare, let alone then processing them in a sensible priority order and decoding the changes.

I'm rather inclined to wait till ASOBO publish proper documentation on both the file structure and the BGL formatting.  At my age i cannot easily deal with such complexity and i think i need to assistance. Fathoming it all out with no information is a nightmare.

Pete

 

 

[pellelil]

I stand corrected 🙂 and I am not surprised about the nightmare'ish complexity of finding heads and tail in this new (un-/not proper documented) Eco-system. Anyhow I hope you will succeed at some point in time, as I am sure many 3rd party software would like access to this info. Hopefully ASOBO will do more on the documentation-side of things, when they hopefully gets more time after having ironed out the most serious bugs, and have added the most requested features ... so probably not in a short while.

[JoeFremont]

Glad to hear you are looking into it,  it is frustrating that Asobo is being so tight with there documentation, but then they have probably bitten off a little more than they can chew.  I am very much looking forward to the MakeRwys update.

[pellelil]

Pete I don't know if it can kick-start the process, but I have just installed Little Navnap and it is able to scan the installed MSFS scenery (incl. RWY, TWY and Gates). Little Navmap is (C++) free open source !?

https://albar965.github.io/

EDIT: Guessing this is the project for the scanner alone
https://github.com/albar965/navdatareader

 

[Pete Dowson]

18 hours ago, pellelil said:

I don't know if it can kick-start the process, but I have just installed Little Navnap and it is able to scan the installed MSFS scenery (incl. RWY, TWY and Gates). Little Navmap is (C++) free open source !?

Thanks Pelle, but I'm not sure I'd understand other folks code any better than decoding the files for myself. Anyway, i don't see how to get any source.

I'm progressing quite well, thanks to help from Matt on FSDeveloper, who has written a BGL to XML decoder. I've one remaining problem for the data -- getting the ILS data which is now separated from the Runway data (in "NAX" files in fs-base-nav instead of with the runways in the APX files in fsBase). 

What i've got working at present is working for MS-Store installations, but it appears I have to do more work to make it work correctly for Steam installs. Than, possibly, DVD installs are different again. 😞

Of course nothing i'm doing will work for add-ons using DRM protection techniques for their scenery.

It's all a bit of a mess, if you ask me!

Pete

 

[pellelil]

Hi Pete

The source source should be easy to access. Just follow the last link I added for the navdatareader and press the green "Code" button (with the arrow pointing down) and choose "Download ZIP" in order to download a zip containing the source. Likewise for Little Navmap simply use this link, and same procedure: https://github.com/albar965/littlenavmap to get the source.

I understand about others source vs. your own. I prefer my own also - probably why I am currently writing my own .Net FSUIPC connector 🙂 I am glad to hear you are making progress, but I hope that I will not be as complicated with Steam and DVD installs. I got my MSFS from the Microsoft store and while running Little Navmap it both detected my default scenery, the Fly Tampa EKCH addon bought throgh the marketplace, and the free Meigs Fields I have manually installed into my Community folder on my G-Drive.

[Pete Dowson]

4 hours ago, pellelil said:

he source source should be easy to access. Just follow the last link I added for the navdatareader and press the green "Code" button (with the arrow pointing down) and choose "Download ZIP" in order to download a zip containing the source.

Well, from curiosity I did this and tool a quick look. Unfortunately, apart from it being in some C or C++ or C# variant I don't understand (with lots of library calls to non-included libraries), it is also very lean and has headers referencing all sorts of other packages.

I assume those other packages could be from the same or other authors also on the Free GNU system and GitHub, but quite honestly for the amount I got left to do it will be much quicker for me to press home.

Thanks anyway,
Pete

 

[roa]

If you would like someone to beta test your new "MakeRwys", I volunteer for the task.

[pellelil]

You are welcome Pete. It appears to be written using Qt (https://www.qt.io/). Anyhow I am glad to hear you are making progress despite the lack of proper (or any) documentation, and I don't envy any bit trying to find heads-and-tail is the mess 🙂

[Pete Dowson]

A BETA version of MakeRunways version 5.00, with MSFS support added, is now released for wider user testing and feedback. Please see

MakeRunways Beta version 5.00 for MSFS

Pete