Hi Durk,
Durk Talsma wrote:
Hi Greg,
First of all, in case you haven't found it yet: Please check out the
http://wiki.flightgear.org/flightgear_wiki/index.php?title=Interactive_Traffic
Sure have; that was the first place I looked. I followed the
instructions there to create my AI traffic and ground network files, and
to download and install the AI aircraft models.
The file looks correct to me. I've never written one where all the data fields
are specified on the same line, so that could be revealing a bug, but I
suspect that that is not the case.
I'm surprised (and a bit concerned) that the format of the XML file
should have any effect on the behaviour of FlightGear. XML should be
reasonably free-format. If there are constraints on the layout of
elements (that is, on the white space characters between elements,
including tabs, spaces, and CR/LFs) then the data files will be much
harder to get right.
I modified the parking.xml to remove tabs and spaces, and to put all
elements on their own line. No effect.
They should be UTC.
Yes, as specified in the Wiki page, above. If only I'd read that bit
more carefully :-)
Which introduces another question: What if the flight spans a day
boundary? Can I specify a departure time of 2300hrs, and an arrival time
of 0100hrs? This is very important in Australia, because we have some
very long flight times. For example, Melbourne to Los Angeles is 16
hours; to Singapore is 11 hours; Perth is five hours. (Time zones make
this even more complex: the 16-hour Melbourne-to-Los Angeles flight
arrives two hours before it leaves Melbourne /on the same day/! UTC
eliminates this issue, but it still messes with your head.)
A particular aircraft will often fly a complete circuit. For example,
one Qantas 747 flies Melbourne - Phuket - Bangkok - Sydney - Melbourne
every 24 hours. I would like to model it in FlightGear.
I noticed (thanks to Melchior's strace idea) that Flightgear looks for
the file /usr/share/games/FlightGear/AI/FlightPlans/YMML-YSSY.xml.
No, those are not actually needed.
Okay.
It also looks for the file
/usr/share/games/FlightGear/Airports/AI//YMML/rwyuse.xml.
This file is not necessary.
Okay.
Does one of the node need to correspond to the takeoff point on the
runway, so that the AI aircraft knows how to travel from the gate to the
runway? If so, where do I find that takeoff point? I checked the
parking file for KSFO, and none of the nodes there corresponds to the
start of a runway.
No that is currently not yet necessary. FlightGear determines which node is
closest to the runway and generates a route from the gate to that node. This
will very likely change soon in the current development version though...
I re-checked the KSFO parking.xml file, and realised that the gates are
counted as nodes. The taxiway segments connect the gates with other
nodes. I had missed that in my first attempt. I have modified my
simple ground network file so that it now has one gate, one node, and
two taxiway segments. The node is at the start point for the runway
(that is, it's the point at which the UFO appears when you fly from
YMML). The two segments connect the gate with the node in each
direction. The AI aircraft still doesn't fly, though...
I tried removing the parking.xml file, but the AI aircraft is simply
drawn at the airport's origin and still doesn't move.
That sounds correct. When the parking file is removed, a default parking
position is created at the airport's center points. Admittedly, this can be a
rather rediculous place, but the system is designed to continue running in
such cases, not to look pretty. :-)
Fair enough.
My first guess would be the fact that you need to use UTC instead of local
time. If that doesn't work, please let me know, and I'll try to give your
sample file a closer inspection.
I have updated the flights to use UTC, with no success.
I have increased FlightGear's log level to "bulk" but the logs contain
only one reference to the Traffic Manager, and don't contain any
diagnostics for it.
I've tried everything I can think of ; I just cannot get the AI aircraft
to fly. I think I need you to take a closer look at my configuration
files. I have attached those configuration files to this post. Could
you please let me know what I'm doing wrong?
You will need the scenery for tile e140s40.
Many thanks in advance,
Greg Hawkes
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<trafficlist>
<!--traffic include="KLM/KLM.xml" /-->
<!--traffic include="UAL/UAL.xml" /-->
<traffic include="QAN/737/737.xml" />
<!--traffic include="general/KSFO/c172.xml" /-->
<!--traffic include="traffic.xml"/-->
</trafficlist>
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<trafficlist>
<traffic include="QAN/737/QAN01.xml" />
<!--traffic include="QAN/737/N377UA.xml" /-->
<!--traffic include="QAN/737/N388UA.xml" /-->
<!--traffic include="QAN/737/N390UA.xml" /-->
</trafficlist>
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<trafficlist>
<aircraft>
<model>Aircraft/AI/737/737-Qantas.xml</model>
<livery>QAN</livery>
<airline>QAN</airline>
<actype>737-300</actype>
<offset>10</offset>
<radius>23</radius>
<flighttype>gate</flighttype>
<performance-class>jet_transport</performance-class>
<registration>QAN01</registration>
<heavy>false</heavy>
<flight>
<callsign>Qantas0001</callsign>
<fltrules>IFR</fltrules>
<departure>
<port>YMML</port>
<time>02:30:00</time>
</departure>
<cruise-alt>300</cruise-alt>
<arrival>
<port>YSSY</port>
<time>04:00:00</time>
</arrival>
<repeat>24Hr</repeat>
</flight>
<flight>
<callsign>Qantas0002</callsign>
<fltrules>IFR</fltrules>
<departure>
<port>YSSY</port>
<time>04:30:00</time>
</departure>
<cruise-alt>310</cruise-alt>
<arrival>
<port>YMML</port>
<time>06:00:00</time>
</arrival>
<repeat>24Hr</repeat>
</flight>
</aircraft>
</trafficlist>
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<groundnet>
<parkinglist>
<Parking index="0" type="gate" name="A" number="1" lat="S37 40.000" lon="E144 51.000" heading="180" radius="60" airlineCodes="NONE" pushBack="left" />
</parkinglist>
<TaxiNodes>
<node index="1" lat="S37 39.736" lon="E144 50.880" name="AI waypoint node" />
</TaxiNodes>
<TaxiWaySegments>
<arc begin="0" end="1" name="Route" />
<arc begin="1" end="0" name="Route" />
</TaxiWaySegments>
</groundnet>
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