On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 11:12:11 +0100 "David Luff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 10/19/04 at 11:57 AM Chris Metzler wrote: > > Well, I guess we'll find out eventually. Converters are easy to write, > if somewhat tedious. The current X-Plane format contains a flag > indicating whether to include runway distance remaining signs or not, so > the change to it should be good for you in that respect.
Yeah, I'd read his specification before, and I don't know how I didn't
notice that in there before you pointed it out. I can be pretty oblivious
sometimes. It'd be really nice if info was provided on the *method* used
to place the signs (there are three FAA standards for how to lay them out;
I presume things are similar to one or more of them elsewhere than the
U.S., but really have no idea).
> I think that your idea to put a taxiway designator in the 'xxx' (bet
> this message gets flagged as spam now!)
HA.
> part of the record is an
> excellent one. The downside of course is that it would require X-Plane
> itself to understand it before it could be applied to the master
> dataset.
Well, yes and no. We could collect this data, but not include it
in the upstream updates until they do have the ability either to
understand it or to at least ignore it when it's present (that is,
they could consider anything other than "xxx" as "xxx").
> On the other hand, genapts could be made to understand it as
> an extension to the default format.
And in the short term, similar to above, genapts could be made to
simply ignore that field -- it shouldn't need it now anyway since
the "T" identifier in the first column of the record in runways.dat
identifies the record as referring to a taxiway. The "xxx" isn't
used for anything, is it? So it should be harmless to put info
there; if genapts really does care about what's in that field, I'd
naively think it wouldn't be too hard to just have it ignore that
field for now. Then we could collect this data as we get it.
> And if as you say the X-Plane
> format is likely to contain it soon then that's excellent.
Well, I dunno what "soon" is; you know how this can go. Robin Peel says:
} Enhancements to the X-Plane airport and nav-aid data that are currently } under
development (and to be available in X-Plane 7.x or 8.x) include:
}
[ snip ]
}
} * Completely revised airport data file (apt.dat) that will allow many
} new features, such as smoothly-curved taxiways, polygonal aprons,
} airport boundary fences, enhanced taxiway markings (centre lines and
} lights, edge lines), taxiway signs, and many other goodies.
. . .which suggests the taxiway idenfication info will be in there in
some form, either as labels on the records or as fixed signs (like the
beacons or windsocks). In the latter case, it'd be possible to infer
taxiway identifiers, albeit with some work.
> What I suggest is that the TaxiDraw project file be allowed to keep
> extra information such as this, perhaps in xml format. Then, when
> exporting one can simply export the information relevant at the time for
> the format exported to. One could possible generate the airport signage
> directly from the TaxiDraw project files, or maybe by exporting the
> extra data into the X-Plane data as an extension that genapts
> understands. Once X-Plane format officially includes it, it can be
> exported from the TaxiDraw project files into whatever format it uses to
> understand it.
I think this all sounds really good.
> Some of the other issues you bring up in the archived post you mention
> are similar to those that Paul Surgeon brings up in this thread - I'll
> think about it and reply again.
Cool.
I have one other request that's specifically TaxiDraw related; I'll
put it in another thread just to keep things straight.
-c
--
Chris Metzler [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(remove "snip-me." to email)
"As a child I understood how to give; I have forgotten this grace since I
have become civilized." - Chief Luther Standing Bear
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