RMIP-3 Large Airport Edition vol. 1

[Gwail]

A little update .

I've been playing last days with all kind of exit taxiways, finishing the lights, new skidmarks textures etc. Meanwhile I've got a new model to bring down - it's a brand new idea, called DeeDee (double-D):



The DeeDee (just as double-Daddy or double-Daughter, depending of the point of view) is in stable beta phase, but still requires a lot of crash tests to get the final version . Because of that, the OC-150 ETA may vary .

[Jack_wilds]

   

a real cutey 

Jack

[RippleJet]

 

Sounds like you'll be an excellent dad!
Congrats, Chris!

[GMT]

 

EDIT:
Seeing the revised ALS and currently reworking my airport, I came up with the following question:
Are there any yet missing installments of (airport) structures planned for an/the upcomming release?
I'm especially thinking of the lack of nav equipment like ILS components (localizer-, glideslope-, marker- antannas) meteorological equipment (rvr facility, weather stations, wind cones)
Unless already planned, I'll post a request in the related thread.

[simcity4ever]

I like the current developments!

However I've seen somewhere in this thread that there will also be wider asphalt runways. Is that true?

[Voltaire]

nav equipment

None of these items come as their own lots right now, but many have been made (as individual props):

Wind Socks: jzo_RMIP2_WindCone   0x6534284a-0x30a08cca-0x91370006    AC MEGA Props Vol02
                    jzo_RMIP2_WindCone   0x6534284a-0x30a08cca-0x31700792    AC MEGA Props Vol02

ILS Glideslope:  VLTprop_GSxmit    0x6534284a-0x55a91b22-0x55a91b61        AC MEGA Props Vol04

An ILS localizer prop is coming with the ALS systems underway now.


also, just for the sake of completeness:

VOR/DME is lotted in RMIP-2 SAE Volume 3, the prop itself is:
                        blp-wc-vor-dme    0x6534284a-0x3037bd88-0x51e15805    AC MEGA Props Vol02

VORTAC is lotted in RMIP-2 SAE Volume 3, the prop itself is:
                        blp-wc-vortac      0x6534284a-0x3037bd88-0x31e15823    AC MEGA Props Vol02


I've no visual references for modelling a weather station, or RVR facility -- but if you can provide some photos, and an idea of the overall size, I'd be happy to make them. Same goes for the marker antenna, although perhaps the red/white glideslope (with shed) could stand in?

wider asphalt runways

At least for now, no asphalt runway lots are in the pipeline. I dont see it happening in Volume 1 (since it's been over 2 years so far) but that doesn't rule it out later on.

[GMT]

wow thanks for the heads up on available parts. gotta check them and make some lots then.

as for the rvr and marker antennas, like with any equipment, there's several constructions available.
here's some pictures of rvr systems:





and here's an rvr receiver (I guess) with some meteorological equippment next to it (browse the page for some more pictures of available systems, including weather stations)

http://www.coastalenvironmental.com

and this is the setup of the rvr facility at frankfurt international airport, eddf:

there's on of these setups on either end of the runway and half of it (as in just one row of 3 ... thingys) around the middle of the runway. I guess the 2 rows and either end of the runway are for redundancy purposes as these are the most critical locations to know the rvr. at least this would explain how there's only half the setup in the middle of the runway.

in terms of size, since this system is made up of 2 individual constructions, I think 2 1x1 lots, one for the projector, one for the receiver, do the trick. If I recall it correctly here's no real guidline in icao annex 14 on how an rvr system has to be built, so there's much room for structural interpretation.

here's another picture of an awss system

Like this and above pictures suggest, the weather stations are sometimes physically linked with one of the 2 parts of the rvr system. as for the remaining parts of the station, barometric sensors, temperature, vertical visibility systems and so on, I guess another 1x1 lot would do the trick aswell... of course keeping in mind that such nifty structures ask for some upscaling as to scale creations would be too small for the game unless rendered in hd.

as for outer, middle, inner marker, it's actually nothing spectacular, just an areal antenna pole, often with a small shed where technical equipment is located in.
here's 2 pages with good pictures of several markers and other radio nav equipment.
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/AERO/navimages/cmanual_mm.html
http://members.chello.nl/vdleije/beacon2.html

1x1 lot would be more than sufficient here, as there's just a small shed (maybe 2x2 meters) and the antenna itself, sometimes separated on a pole of a few meters, sometimes on top of the building. I think the pictures allow for a fair enough guess on dimensions.


mod edit - changed first pic to smaller version (I did save the large one for later reference)

[Voltaire]

Very nice! Thanks GMT for all the reference material 

The ALS props and localizer are already in HD, so these will be as well. It does help quite a bit on thin parts, like antennas and structural latticework.

For the RVR system, I prefer the elevated platform style in the 3rd photo -- it will make them distictive vs. other 'antenna-things' like beacons and the ILS glideslope. The weather station has so many small parts that it may stretch the capability of an HD render to get all the details. But it looks like that more elaborate style in the last photo may fill a 1x1 lot nicely.

[lostsoul3193]

I'm new to this website, where can I download the runways and the lights?

[jdenm8]

They haven't been released to the public.

[Voltaire]

ALSF-2 inground version is complete!

They are installed on the right-hand runway (displaced threshold) in these pics:


   


This one took awhile because while making this lot, I couldn't see what I was doing! Each one of those inground lights is an individual prop, with its X,Y position programmed by hand, in hexadecimal, with the Reader. No visual editing with the Lot Editor.

Other news: the strobe lights I've made for this aren't going to work out. They work in the LE, but in-game the animation pauses unless you're looking straight at it. Specifically, in zoom 5 the screen center must be within 9 tiles of the home lot. In practical terms this often leaves the prop paused while still on-screen... thus un-usable.

Instead, I'll explore adding a pair REIL strobes at the threshold. The big sequenced strobe doesn't operate at (most) real airports except in poor weather anyway... so it's 'more realistic' to have them off.

[Jack_wilds]

...wow, the sims will have such neat airports, they'll forget to board the aircraft   

[allan_kuan1992]

(pops out of hiding)

holy mackerel... that's some stunning attention to detail! Surely gives me another reason to dust off SimCity 4 again. =)

BTW congrats Gwail! I wish that you and your family will do well. =)

[GMT]

very well done. must have been an quite some work to get the lights there via coding.
anyways got a question, is the ils antenna a prop of its own so one can make an individual lot of it or is it integrated into (parts of) the als system?

[Jack Bauer]

Great job. I am looking forward to making runways on water with the ALSF system like in SFO.

[Voltaire]

Thanks jack_wilds, sounds like a new sim-business opportunity: airfield tours! Perhaps it could be a functional CS$$ lot.

Hi allan, glad you liked it... and keep watching, because we're not out of surprises yet 

is the ils antenna a prop of its own so one can make an individual lot of it or is it integrated into (parts of) the als system?

Yes and yes. Both ALSF styles include the Localizer antenna, plus it comes as a separate prop on its own lot. A re-lotting note: it was designed with a 48m offset, because its 'home lots' are placed away from the runway centerline.


That sounds great Jack Bauer, the 28's in San Francisco (along with 22 at LaGuardia) were my inspiration for the ALSF towers.

=============

Lately, I've taken a break from the gmax work to get the aircraft requests running faster - but I'll be back soon with the weather/RVR items and (hopefully) runway end strobes. Nothing goes as fast as you think it will, when developing for this game 

[ShadeSlayer]

Well as always, the project is looking excellent but a recent airport I have been laying out to fit this project has led me to a question:

Will the 30 degree taxiways and other taxiway attachments also include the apron-on-the-outside textures or will they only be available in the green asphalt?

[Voltaire]

That's up to Gwail in the end; but at present all of the runway exits feature shoulders with turf only.

There are very few reasons IRL to pave within the runway OFZ, because everything but navaids is prohibited. No aircraft parking stands, for example. But I'd be interested to see what your situation is, in case I'm misuderstaning you?

[superchad]

will there be runways without the yellow diagonal slashes on the side? ive rarley ever seen them on runways and i think they look ugly

examples of runways without them
Indianapolis International
Chicago Ohare's longest Runway
Chicago Midway
New York's John F. Kennedy International
Los Angeles International
Atlanta International
Denver International Airport

since these are not on most runways at these airports, i think there should be additional runways without slashes.

[Voltaire]

The shoulders are separate lots, and therefore 100% optional. You can see this in my last pair of photos, at the very top -- I didn't build the shoulders next to the runway thresholds. In this case, the white side lines are the edge of the runway.