New Plymouth Photo Real Preview

[Riddlez]

Hi guys, sorry I haven't done any sort of update since forever! Life got in the way and so did a crashed Hard drive. But I have found all my source files and continued on with development in the last couple of weeks.
Here's a few screenshots of my progress so far. This Scenery will still be Freeware as I want my my Home Airport for everyone!
In the end I couldn't find any Satellite/Aerial photos that were recent and were High-Res enough. A place I got a quote from was gonna charge me $450 for medium Res pictures that were only gonna be used for reference images. So as you can see here from the screen of 3Ds Max, I used extensive ground poly's to re-create the Airport as it is in 2013 instead. I think this works better. I also used old modified Aerial photos as the bases for the scenery.

Some of the buildings are missing, and I haven't added in any of the Miscellaneous objects yet, like cars, trucks, some small plants etc. Which I guess I'm gonna have to make soon.

Its a work in progress and I hope to get it finished. I have been working on a New Plymouth Airport for 11 years now, and either the Flight Simulator version changes, or the airport changes so I have to start again haha.

If anyone has ANY photos of the airport I SOOOO need them as I'm in Canada and I can't exactly just drive down there haha, PLEASE!. I've got some but I have some gaps.
Your help will be so much appreciated!!

Ché (Riddlez)



I Decided to add gutters and kerbs to the roads and scenery as I have found the standard ground polys when they go from Asphalt to Grass looks so flat.








High Res texture Ground Polys. Created to show the dirt stains and cracks of the Apron and Runway.






I haven't added the Hangars in the far background yet as I have no Reference photos of them. Can anyone help me with this??

[Nzeddy]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[scaber]

Looking very good with a high degree of immersive realism. Can't wait for the completed project.

[IslandBoy77]

Looking very nice - well done. Sorry I can't help with any photos - I'm on the other side of the Island...

[ardypilot]

Bloody awesome- I spent three months based at NZNP in 2012 and everything looks bang on!

I'm doing a weeks worth of flying there from Saturday actually, so can get photos of anything you like. PM me if theres anything in particular you need!

[zkcav]

Wow that looks good. I'm about 2 hours drive from there so if you need further photos after Trollys sent you his let me know and I'll make a trip.

[Ian Warren]

Think ill stop at Airspresso for a coffee this morning ..... "I have been working on a New Plymouth Airport for 11 years now" seems that has payed off!

[Naki]

Looks great...I really look forward to this - despite my forum name I am some way from NP. Can this be made Orbx compatible?

[Riddlez]

Thanks everyone! Especially for the offers of reference photos too.

Trolly: That would be great! I'll PM you with a few locations of what I need and don't have any photos of.

I've made it compatible with VLC, though I can't seem to exclude the Airport Background in VLC, does anyone know how to do that? But Ill have to get myself a hold of ORBX and work it into it aswell.

[creator2003]

sbuilderX should help ,its a great tool

[Riddlez]

Cheers I'll give it a try (:

QUOTE (creator2003 @ Jan 9 2013,2:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

sbuilderX should help ,its a great tool

[Dean]

Looking quite nice indeed

[Adrian Brausch]

WOW !!,..that is looking OUTSTANDING !!!!

[AdrianPetford]

Absolutely stunning... keep up the good work!


Ade

[Timmo]

QUOTE (Riddlez @ Jan 10 2013,10:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks everyone! Especially for the offers of reference photos too.

Trolly: That would be great! I'll PM you with a few locations of what I need and don't have any photos of.

I've made it compatible with VLC, though I can't seem to exclude the Airport Background in VLC, does anyone know how to do that? But Ill have to get myself a hold of ORBX and work it into it aswell.

Which part exactly? The ground poly or the flatten? Are you talking about the poly in VLC itself or a VLC airport?

[Riddlez]

QUOTE (Timmo @ Jan 11 2013,3:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Which part exactly? The ground poly or the flatten? Are you talking about the poly in VLC itself or a VLC airport?

Its the airport background poly, I have disabled it with the default scenery but when VLC is in use it still appears under the airport. And I have the VLC airports disabled too.

[Scupper]

This looks like a great airport addition for us!

The problem I have with it is that the shrub in pic 1 doesn't exist: someone has taken the top off a nikau palm (which has a long trunk when it is mature like these ones). I don't know what actual shrubs are there, - a quick Google search suggests small cabbage trees (Cordyline australis), but NZ flax (Phormium tenax or Phormium cookianum) would work well as a typical shrub in such places. The large-leaved green one is ok, - it's a native puka.

Maybe another scenery designer could provide sprites of some NZ plants to this worthy cause?

The larger trees, at a distance, could be ones commonly seen in NZ landscapes: the light one could be variegated Pittosporum eugenioides and the green one could be pretty much anything.

This might seem like nitpicking but in my opinion, having incorrect plants detracts from the model's credibility and shouldn't be too hard to fix.

Thanks for your great efforts: it really is fantastic to have people with your skills and enthusiasm doing this kind of work for us.

[Riddlez]

Its possible a cabbage tree in its infancy, I wasn't sure as I don't know my trees that well so I guessed haha. But the tree is recently planted. This is the tree on the far left almost cut off which is in the garden;


I haven't added the Tussock grasses yet but Im welcome to any suggestion to what it is this palm (:

Also would loved a replacement picture if its wrong coz I'm in Canada an all I have for textures are Fur Trees and Polar Bears hahaha

QUOTE (Scupper @ Jan 15 2013,12:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This looks like a great airport addition for us!

The problem I have with it is that the shrub in pic 1 doesn't exist: someone has taken the top off a nikau palm (which has a long trunk when it is mature like these ones). I don't know what actual shrubs are there, - a quick Google search suggests small cabbage trees (Cordyline australis), but NZ flax (Phormium tenax or Phormium cookianum) would work well as a typical shrub in such places. The large-leaved green one is ok, - it's a native puka.

Maybe another scenery designer could provide sprites of some NZ plants to this worthy cause?

The larger trees, at a distance, could be ones commonly seen in NZ landscapes: the light one could be variegated Pittosporum eugenioides and the green one could be pretty much anything.

This might seem like nitpicking but in my opinion, having incorrect plants detracts from the model's credibility and shouldn't be too hard to fix.

Thanks for your great efforts: it really is fantastic to have people with your skills and enthusiasm doing this kind of work for us.

[Riddlez]

Oh forgot to mention too. The Lighter main Trees are the Pohutukawa with the yellow leaves and the other Darker trees are the the pohutukawa wih the darker normal green leaves which I too when in New Plymouth last. Does anyone know how to add season textures to scenery objects in FSX???? I would love to make the pohutukawa blossom red in the summer time (:

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (Riddlez @ Jan 15 2013,10:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does anyone know how to add season textures to scenery objects in FSX???? I would love to make the pohutukawa blossom red in the summer time (:

You need to create texture for each season , this possibly also be best to try and replicate the same for the airport photo layout to match the season as well then each is label last _lm for night or _su for the summer .