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Airfield Generation
Version 3.5.0 has a brand new feature - airfield generation based on OSM data
Decorative stuff like building facades, objects, roads, forests, railways, etc. are stored in so-called DSF files. Besides that X-Plane of course needs "essential" stuff, which directly interacts with planes, gliders or helicopters in sim. Such stuff, like runways, helipads, taxiways, and aprons are specified in special files, called apt.dat, usually - one file per airport. apt.dat is a text file consisting of commands - each command defining some stuff like runway or helipad.
Before 3.5, OSM2XP was capable to generate only "decorative" stuff in DSF files. Now it can generate airfield stuff also if you'll choose this option.
Currently, generation supports
- Runways
- Helipads
- Taxiways/apron areas
- Taxiway marking - only yellow centerline for now
Launch OSM2XP, switch to newly introduced "Airfields" tab and enable airfield generation using the corresponding checkbox
Generated airfields wouldn't be auto-installed together with generated scenery (besides the case when you have only one airfield covered in given PBF and the corresponding checkbox to use it as "main" airfield is checked). If input file has more than one airfield, sceneries for them will be placed in the same folder with the input file and generated scenery (starting from 4.3.0) or inside a folder {Generated scenery folder}/airports (4.2.1 and lower). Airport scenery folders will have preffix 'osm2xp_', like
osm2xp_UNBG osm2xp_UNBI osm2xp_UNBO
You'll need to move/copy these folders to {X-Plane}/Custom Scenery folder for generated airfields you want to see.
The airfield can be specified either as a point or as an area on OSM, and its runways or helipads wouldn't have any logical connection with it. OSM2XP tries to bind runways, helipads and taxiways to one of the airfields specified - in case of airfield specified as a poly, just a runway/helipad centerpoint should be within airfield poly to match. For point-based airfield, anything in a radius of 2000 m is considered it's part, and for heliport - anything in radius 500m.
X-Pane needs an ICAO code specified for Airfield to display it in the airfield list, and for some airfields, it's not specified. Also, sometimes it's confused with airfield name or runway ref. In cause ICAO is not set, OSM2XP will check Airfield name and runway refs to look like ICAO code and use them, if they look like ICAO. In case it's unable to get an ICAO, it's try to use generated one starting from 'xx', e.g. 'xx01', 'xx02', 'xx03' etc., up to 'xx99'.
If no ref is specified for the runway, OSM2XP will try to calculate it by calculating runway line true bearing.
If the runway is 'orphan' and can't be assigned to any airfield - apt.dat will be generated for this single runway. If no runway name is specified - ref (with '/' replaced by '_') will be used as airfield name. 'Orphan' helipads are ignored for now.
OSM2XP will try to use the most suitable runway surface type if it's not specified in OSM data. For apron and taxiway concrete will be used if a runway is considered hard-surfaced (surface is one of 'asphalt', 'concrete' or 'paved') and grass - otherwise. Default surface type is grass, taxiway/apron surface code isn't analyzed, because the taxiway/apron area is calculated as a union of all taxiway lines and apron areas specified, no separate generation for now.
If taxiway is specified just as a line - OSM2XP tries to read it's width attribute, if no such attribute present - default width is taken. After that, offset polygon/buffer with given width is taken for each line and all of resulting polygons, as well as polygon-defined apron/taxiway areas, are being added to each other to get resulting apron area.
Default widths for runways and taxiways can be changed on 'Airfields' settings tab.
Flattening will work only if correct airfield elevation in meters above Mean Seal Level is specified (otherwise this level is considered 0 and airfield becomes a giant pit). OSM2XP will try to get airfield elevation online using the REST call to https://elevation-api.io/ , if the network is available and you've not switched this off in settings
If no name is specified for airfield/orphan runway - OSM2XP will try to get the nearest geoname online, using REST call to http://api.geonames.org , if the network is available and you've not switched this off in settings. If you want to get the nearest geoname offline - you can download offline geoindex file geo.zip from here and unpack its context into the OSM2XP folder.