no longer save inaccessible bindings copies, but only pointer to the
bindings in the property tree (which was desirable to get accurate
error messages for Nasal bindings).
I have introduced the posibility to start directly on the carrier.
With that patch you will have a --carrrier=id argument where id can either be
the pennant number configured in the nimitz scenario or the carriers name
also configured in the carriers scenario.
Additionaly you can use --parkpos=id to select different positions on the
carrier. They are also configured in the scenario file.
That includes the switch of the whole FGInterface class to make use of the
groundcache.
That means that an aircraft no longer uses the current elevation value from
the scenery class. It rather has its own local cache of the aircrafts
environment which is setup in the common_init method of FGInterface and
updated either manually by calling
FGInterface::get_groundlevel_m(lat, lon, alt_m);
or implicitly by calling the above method in the
FGInterface::_updateGeo*Position(lat, lon, alt);
methods.
A call get_groundlevel_m rebuilds the groundcache if the request is outside
the range of the cache.
Note that for the real usage of the groundcache including the correct
information about the movement of objects and the velocity information, you
still need to set up the groundcache in the usual way like YASim and JSBSim
currently does.
If you use the native interface, you will get only static objects correctly.
But for FDM's only using one single ground level for a whole step this is IMO
sufficient.
The AIManager gets a way to return the location of a object which is placed
wrt an AI Object. At the moment it only honours AICarriers for that.
That method is a static one, which loads the scenario file for that reason and
throws it away afterwards. This looked like the aprioriate way, because the
AIManager is initialized much later in flightgears bootstrap, and I did not
find an easy way to reorder that for my needs. Since this additional load is
very small and does only happen if such a relative location is required, I
think that this is ok.
Note that moving on the carrier will only work correctly for JSBSim and YASim,
but you should now be able to start and move on every not itself moving
object with any FDM.
- add <vrule>
- allow elements to default to foreground color (black)
- remove redundant if (foo) delete foo;
The rules do currently need a dummy child for the layouter to work correctly,
(<hrule><foo/></hrule>). The goal is to make a simple <hrule/> work.
on RPM via a model developed by Vivian Meazza. Add a "boost" output
to the property tree. Fix a bug where MP would be reported "before"
the wastegate clamping.
- use new removeChildren() to remove the named js nodes that we don't
need any more (they are now *really* removed, not just detached), and
- move it into postinit(). (getChildren() returns a SGPropertyNode_ptr,
so all nodes are refcounted and, thus, after the last sg/props change
no longer removable in that scope ;-) Maybe we'll need an alternative
getChildren() that returns SGPropertyNode* ...
- This doesn't do what the author though it would do:
if (modifiers&KEYMOD_RELEASED == 0) ... (see below)
- MSVC and type fixes
mf:
fixing this uncovered an old bug: the "key pressed" branch was
actually never executed -- always only "released". And that is why
the <repeatable> property didn't work. And *that* was the reason
why the Spitfire's starter didn't work with freeglut, and Vivian
had to write a nasty workaround for it.
Changes
=======
New volumetric shadows for FlightGear.
There is now two new checkboxes in the rendering dialog to enable/disable shadows
for the user aircraft and for static scenery objects (ie those defined in the .stg files).
AI and random objects are not handled for the moment.
known bugs
==========
- ghost objects
Annexed an IVSI (instantaneous ertical speed indicator), which bypasses a
limitation with Concorde :
- the cruise at Mach 2 must be with a slow climb rate of 50/60 ft/min
(2h from 50000 ft).
- with /velocities/vertical-speed-fpm, the real climb rate (altimeter) varies :
One must constantly (every 5-10 minutes) change the vertical speed hold of
the autopilot between 10 ft/min and 200 ft/min.
This is very annoying because not a constant offset : that could be a lack of
sensitivity of /velocities/vertical-speed-fpm (FDM ?).
This new IVSI :
- Is an emulation with works with environment pressure : a real IVSI works with
static pressure (with lag) + accelerometers.
It is not forbidden to later upgrade to the real model.
- Doesn't require a tuning of the autopilot made with
/velocities/vertical-speed-fpm (also tested with 737, 747) :
Concorde's autoland works without update.
block (this required to move most of init() into postinit())
- undo the "which" pseudo-namespace workaround, and do it proper:
- let all nasal code in a joystick config file be executed in its own
namespace. This allows to define functions in the init block that
can be used throughout the driver file, and to write state variables
in one binding, while reading them in other bindings, all without
having to make sure that the values aren't lost in between, or collide
with another joystick driver's code.
For this the input subsystem creates a namespace for each joystick:
"__js0" for joystick 0, etc. The two leading underscores are there to
avoid collisions with user defined modules (similar to internal compiler
variables). The namespace shouldn't be used explicitly, at least not in
releases, and not from outside code, except for testing purposes, for
which it can be useful. (If using the Cyborg joystick as js[0], you
can read the modifier level as "__js0.modifier" from any nasal context.)
- make it public
- enable handleCommand() to execute a binding (or other nasal code defined
in a property system subtree) in a particular namespace (-> "module" child)
These changes represent some attempts to bandaid and patch a hopelessly
flawed system to impliment basic battery charging/discharging as well as
provide the ability to model ammeter gauges and draw current from multiple
sources (like load balancing multiple alternators in a multi-engine aircraft.)
The system design forces all these things to be horrible hacks or depend
on extremely subtle system side effects and call ordering so they may or9
may not work to one degree or another.
As mentioned in the mailing list, my recommendation is to move away from
using this system and instead build a procedural electrical system using
nasal. Sometime in the future we hopefully can impliment a better conceived
data driven electrical system model.
to the joystick index (x in /input/joysticks/js[x]) both when initializing
nasal init blocks & whenever updating the joystick. That's the only way to
make these nasal contexts aware of the joytick for which they were called.
And that's useful if a js maintains common variables, such as modifiers or
state variables, that should be shared between the namespace-less bindings
and initialization code. And, yes, it's over-engineered ... :-)
its own data, and can distinguish itself from other instances of the
same js driver. This property is removed after script execution.
Example:
self = props.globals.getNode(getprop("/input/joysticks/this"));
(no need to list the paths explicitly in $FG_ROOT/joysticks.xml any more)
- move identified js nodes to /input/joysticks/js[0-9], but
- don't overwrite already set joystick data there
- remove all nodes when they aren't used any more
- add "id" node, which contains the js id that lead to the selection
of a "named js" config
- add "source" node containing the path of the used js config file
- execute all nasal script groups at initialization time
I added an AIStatic object to my OV-10 sim for use in putting city signs,
vehicles, or anything else that will be static, but that I don't want to put
in the scenery files. It's inexpensive. Before, I was making such things
from AIShip.
I also added the ability to set flight plans to repeat, so that when an
airplane reaches the end it just starts over at the beginning. This is
useful for my OV-10 sim. I have C-141 and KC-135 traffic flying approaches
to Ramstein, and I only have to define two AI objects to do this.
Also, I found an inefficiency in AIBase, where every AI object was calculating
Mach number at every dt. Now only AIBallistic objects do this.
this is basically the past patch I sent to the list and which should now
really (...!?!?) fix the no ground below aircraft problem.
Reasons:
I understood my remaining thinko I introduced with the prevous patch, and the
same thinko I made in my test cases.
The feedback from the list told me that it should help.
2.
I made YASim query the the ground cache at the wrong place. This one fixed
this, one can now land the bo105 on top of the oracle buildings :)
3.
Is a followup of the scenery center update code: Register the scenery center
transform at the time it is put into the scene graph not at creation time.
4.
I held that part back from the past hitlist patch, because I hoped that it
will be sufficient (and the last one was in fact the biggest part) without.
As some test cases from Melchior showed me, it is not. We have additionally
to the wrong computed transform from the prevous patch some roundoff
problems. This patch adds some small tolerance to for the point in triangle
test.
... may be one even needs to increase the eps value further if starting at
some tile boundaries still fails.
5.
That is a big chunk.
Tested now for two days while hunting the second patch :) .
That is a partial rewrite of the groundcache to use its own datastructures for
that flat scenegraph in the cache. The basic advantage is, what Erik
suggested, to precompute some often used values of these triangles. Also
allmost all computations are now in double precision which should decrease
(hopefully fix), together with a similar tolerance for some point in triangle
tests, the problems with 'no ground below aircraft'.
I am playing with octrees for the groundcache, that will finally solve the
performance problem when high triangular count models end up in the
groundcache. This patch is also some prework for those octrees ...
It happens regularly during normal operation (ufo!) and only informs about
unfortunate, but known and deliberate behavior. The user can't do anything
about it, anyway. And finally: flooding the console with this message does
only *add* to fgfs' sluggish performance and makes every other message
go unnoticed.
Changes
=======
- correct the transparency probleme when old 3d clouds were enabled
(rendering context with an alpha channel)
- changed rain cone orientation, it can now be viewed from helicopter or chase
view (still not tower view)
- clouds are a bit more yellow/red at dawn/dusk
- weather data is now correctly propagated to the interpolator, this correct
visibility, wind, etc
- the 'metar' weather scenario now immedialty reuse the real metar data
- real metar no more overwrite custom weather scenario
1) The AIStorm sets the properties:
/environment/turbulence/magnitude-norm
/environment/turbulence/rate-hz
The actual turbulence effects are handled by the FDM.
If the effects are deemed unrealistic, then that will
have to be fixed in the FDM(s).
2) The zone of turbulence is cylindrical, and is centered
at the AIStorm's lat/lon. The diameter is set with
<diameter-ft>, the top with <height-msl>, the bottom is
assumed to be at <altitude> minus 1000 feet.
3) Note that the zone of turbulence may not match well with
the visual model of the storm. In this case I had to
x-offset the storm model by 4700 meters to match the zone
of turbulence. (i.e. the storm model is 4700m off center).
4) While I was in there I also increased the speed of the
lightning flashes to look more realistic.
This is another update for the cloud code, a lot of lines but this time I have started to add the doxygen doc.
Misc
====
- corrected a bug when RTT is not available, the current rendering context was
altered
- if RTT is not available then 3d clouds are not drawn at all
- impostors lighting is now recomputed when the sun changes position
- distant objects are no more seen in front of clouds
- blending of distant clouds is a bit better now
- litle optimization of code (uses a less cpu time)
- use layer wind speed and direction (no more hardcoded wind)
- fov is no more hardcoded
Changes
=======
- clouds (cu only) are dissipating/reforming (experimental)
- compute a turbulence factor that depends on surrounding clouds and type of
clouds (experimental)
- clouds shapes are defined in cloudlayers.xml
- type of clouds present in a layer is also defined in cloudlayers.xml
- cloud layers are generated from metar and other misc. data (in progress)
- added a rain effect around the viewer (enabled in the rendering dialog and
when the metar property says so)
- added a lightning effect (enabled in the rendering dialog) : cb clouds spawn
new lightnings
- added a dialog to select from different weather source : metar/property,
a 'fair weather' environment and a 'thunderstorm' environment.
/sim/startup/splash-progress)
- a string in /sim/startup/splash-title is displayed on top of the screen
and by default empty
- the splash image is scaled down if 512x512 is too big
- code cleanup
in terms of predictable packing and byte ordering. So rather than trying to
get fancy and shave a few bits off the structure sizes, just go with 32 bit
ints for everthing which saves a lot of potential headaches in the cross
platform and cross architecture arenas.
I have done a patch to eliminate the jitter of 3D-objects near the viewpoint
(for example 3D cockpit objects).
The problem is the roundoff accuracy of the float values used in the
scenegraph together with the transforms of the eyepoint relative to the
scenery center.
The solution will be to move the scenery center near the view point.
This way floats relative accuracy is enough to show a stable picture.
To get that right I have introduced a transform node for the scenegraph which
is responsible for that shift and uses double values as long as possible.
The scenery subsystem now has a list of all those transforms required to place
objects in the world and will tell all those transforms that the scenery
center has changed when the set_scenery_center() of the scenery subsystem is
called.
The problem was not solvable by SGModelPlacement and SGLocation, since not all
objects, especially the scenery, are placed using these classes.
The first approach was to have the scenery center exactly at the eyepoint.
This works well for the cockpit.
But then the ground jitters a bit below the aircraft. With our default views
you can't see that, but that F-18 has a camera view below the left engine
intake with the nose gear and the ground in its field of view, here I could
see that.
Having the scenery center constant will still have this roundoff problems, but
like it is now too, the roundoff error here is exactly the same in each
frame, so you will not notice any jitter.
The real solution is now to keep the scenery center constant as long as it is
in a ball of 30m radius around the view point. If the scenery center is
outside this ball, just put it at the view point.
As a sideeffect of now beeing able to switch the scenery center in the whole
scenegraph with one function call, I was able to remove a one half of a
problem when switching views, where the scenery center was far off for one or
two frames past switching from one view to the next. Also included is a fix
to the other half of this problem, where the view position was not yet copied
into a view when it is switched (at least under glut). This was responsible
for the 'Error: ...' messages of the cloud subsystem when views were
switched.
was probably my idea of a feature, but if the input buffer actually
does has a length of zero (as Melchior discovered for the case of a
zero-length .nas file) then there will be no null.
Changes
=======
- corrected some strange behavior when playing with the render dialog options
- the density slider is now working : if you are fps limited and still want to see clouds in
the distance you should play with that
- added the choice for texture resolution, its more comprehensible now (before it was
wrongly allways choosing 64x64 textures)
- changed the initial texture size : you now have 64 texture of 64x64, this uses 1Mo of
texture memory (before it was 20 texture of 256x256, that took more memory and there was
not enought impostors)
- sun vector is now right so the lighting is a bit better
- removed useless sort and light computations for impostors, this should save a lot of cpu
- blending of distant cloud is more accurate now
- clouds are now positioned correctly, they don't try to escape you anymore
- no more red/white boxes around cloud
- textures are now filtered (no more big pixels)
known bugs
==========
- distant objects are seen in front of clouds
- new and updated sources for the new volumetric clouds
- 2 new textures for the clouds
- an update to the render dialog to enable/disable and change a few parameters
for the new clouds
