Any idea how to add thermals to FS2004?

[AnySajmon]

I would like to soar around for a bit but there are no thermals. Clouds are there but no thermals. I tried switching to summer, tried changing preset but nothing works. Is there any other way to do it or are there any addons that add this feature ? I will be really glad for any help!

[PhrogPhlyer]

Search 'thermals" on the "Popular Downloads" tab then "Download Portal," There are several thermal downloads for various areas.

[Tom Gibson]

If you can't find thermals for your desired area, you can create them manually if you want to.  Here is the contents of an XML file from the FS2004 SDK that creates a thermal area in the Morton, WA area when compiled using the FS2004 BGLComp (in the BGLComp SDK).  First the description:

 

"MORTON RIDGE
=============
The Morton Ridge lift box is located ~2 miles to the SE (hdg 125 from the Strom airport) at the east end of Riffe Lake (lat: N46 28.94, W122 11.28).  For lift to be generated, there needs to be surface wind set up at ~20kts, from ~240 degrees."

 

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<FSData version="9.0" xmlns:xsi='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance' xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd" >

	<!-- RidgeLift Morton WA -->
	<SceneryObject lat="46 29.15" lon="-122 10.85" alt="50" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="240" altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" imageComplexity="SPARSE">
        <Trigger
            type="WEATHER" triggerHeight="3000.0">

            <Vertex biasX = "-1000.0" biasZ="-1000.0"/>
            <Vertex biasX = "-1000.0" biasZ="1000.0"/>
            <Vertex biasX = "1000.0" biasZ="1000.0"/>
            <Vertex biasX = "1000.0" biasZ="-1000.0"/>
            <TriggerWeatherData
                type="RIDGE_LIFT" heading="240.0" scalar="0.75"/>
        </Trigger>
	</SceneryObject>
</FSData>

Just change the lat and lon values for your area and compile.  If you want to change more than that, there is info in the BGLComp SDK doc file about that.

 

Here is a sample XML file that sets up 3 thermals.  Description:

 

"CHELAN THERMAL
===============
The Chelan thermal is located just SW of the Chelan Mun airport (S10). The exact location is a butte located at the following lat/lon: N47* 48.33’ W120* 1.64

Slew up at Chelan Mun and over to the lat/lon. Start thermaling just above the butte. Work your way up until the lift stops.  From there you can fly south to the Waterville airport and you will find another thermal that starts at about 6,500 feet. The exact location is N47* 39.22 W120* 3.35.

You can continue south toward Pangborn Meml (KEAT) and there is a thermal located directly over the airport that begins at or about 5,000 feet. The exact location is N47* 23.91 W120* 12.94’. that begins at or about 5,000 feet. The exact location is N47* 23.91 W120* 12.94’.  From there you should have enough altitude when the thermal tops out to cross the mountain range south of Pangborn Meml and land at Bowers (KELN).

It’s best to setup a flight plan and have the waypoints in the GPS. It’s a great flight that’s fun and challenging."

 

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<FSData version="9.0" xmlns:xsi='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance' xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd" >
	<!-- Thermal Chelan -->
	
	<SceneryObject lat="47 48.35" lon="-120 1.83" alt="200" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="0" altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" imageComplexity="SPARSE">
		<Trigger type="WEATHER" triggerHeight="3000">
			<Vertex biasX="-1500.0" biasZ="-1500.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="-1500.0" biasZ="1500.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="1500.0" biasZ="1500.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="1500.0" biasZ="-1500.0" />
			<TriggerWeatherData type="THERMAL"></TriggerWeatherData>
		</Trigger>
		</SceneryObject>
		
			<!-- Thermal Waterville-->
	
	<SceneryObject lat="47 39.24" lon="-120 3.32" alt="1000" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="0" altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" imageComplexity="SPARSE">
		<Trigger type="WEATHER" triggerHeight="3000">
			<Vertex biasX="-1500.0" biasZ="-1500.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="-1500.0" biasZ="1500.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="1500.0" biasZ="1500.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="1500.0" biasZ="-1500.0" />
			<TriggerWeatherData type="THERMAL"></TriggerWeatherData>
		</Trigger>
		</SceneryObject>
		
		<!-- Thermal KEAT-->
	
	<SceneryObject lat="47 23.91" lon="-120 12.40" alt="1000" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="0" altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" imageComplexity="SPARSE">
		<Trigger type="WEATHER" triggerHeight="4000">
			<Vertex biasX="-1800.0" biasZ="-1800.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="-1800.0" biasZ="1800.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="1800.0" biasZ="1800.0" />
			<Vertex biasX="1800.0" biasZ="-1800.0" />
			<TriggerWeatherData type="THERMAL"></TriggerWeatherData>
		</Trigger>
		</SceneryObject>
</FSData>

 

Note that both these files are already present in the default scenery and do not need to be added.

 

An explanation of the XML code from the SDK - you can ignore the Fuel Trigger stuff.

 

"Trigger

This element is used to add a trigger to the scene.  Triggers are used to define regions in the world that will cause an event when the user’s aircraft enters that region.  Triggers can presently be used to specify refueling stations and weather areas (like thermals or ridge lifts).  To aid in the construction of scenery using triggers, it is possible to make them visible in the game by setting ShowTriggers=1 in the [SCENERY] section of the Flight Simulator .CFG file.  Set ShowTriggers=0 to stop highlighting the triggers.    This element is allowed to contain other data and should not be terminated with ‘/>’.

 

<Trigger

type=”WEATHER”

triggerHeight=”3000”>

      <!-- Trigger data -->

</Trigger>

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
type	Type of trigger	REFUEL_REPAIR or WEATHER
triggerHeight	Height of trigger.  Primarily used for weather triggers.	Non-negative floating point number

 

The object types allowed within a Trigger are:

Fuel

Vertex

TriggerWeatherData

 

Fuel

This element is used to specify fuel availability for a Fuel Trigger.  This element is not allowed to contain other data and must be terminated with ‘/>’.

 

<Fuel

type=”100”

availability=”YES”/>

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
type	Type of fuel	73, 87, 100, 130, 145, MOGAS, JET, JETA, JETA1, JETAP, JETB, JET4, JET5
availability	Fuel availability	YES, NO, UNKNOWN, PRIOR_REQUEST

 

Vertex

This element is used to specify a point along a poly-line that is the outline of the base of a trigger.  This element is not allowed to contain other data and must be terminated with ‘/>’.

 

<Vertex

biasX=”33.44396446”

biasZ=”12.72089861”/>

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
biasX	Bias along latitudinal axis in meters	Floating point number
biasZ	Bias along longitudinal axis in meters	Floating point number

 

TriggerWeatherData

This element is used to specify a weather setting for a trigger.  Weather triggers can be used to create thermals and ridge lifts for gliders and areas of turbulence.  This element is not allowed to contain other data and must be terminated with ‘/>’.

 

<TriggerWeatherData

type=”THERMAL”

heading=”270.0”

scalar=”.70”/>

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
type	Type of weather data	THERMAL, UNIDIRECTIONAL_TURBULENCE, DIRECTIONAL_TURBULENCE, RIDGE_LIFT
heading	Heading vector applied to weather data	0-360 floating point
scalar	Scalar value applied to wind speed that is used to generate lift and turbulence.	Floating point number between 0 and 1.0.

[PhrogPhlyer]

Great info, is this similar for FSX?

[JSMR]

Hmm, interesting it mentions turbulence. So you can have permanent localised areas that have turbulence if you want? 

[Tom Gibson]

FSX appears to be pretty much identical.  From the FSX SDK:

 

Trigger

This element is used to add a trigger to the scene.  Triggers are used to define regions in the world that will cause an event when the user’s aircraft enters that region.  Triggers can presently be used to specify refueling stations and weather areas (like thermals or ridge lifts).  To aid in the construction of scenery using triggers, it is possible to make them visible in the simulation by setting ShowTriggers=1 in the [SCENERY] section of the FSX.cfg file.  Set ShowTriggers=0 to stop highlighting the triggers.    This element is allowed to contain Fuel, Vertex and TriggerWeatherData data, which must occur in that order, and should not be terminated with ‘/>’.

 

<Trigger
      type="WEATHER"
      triggerHeight="3000">
      <!-- Trigger data -->
</Trigger>

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
type	Type of trigger	REFUEL_REPAIR WEATHER
triggerHeight	Height of trigger in meters. Primarily used for weather triggers.	Non-negative floating point number

Fuel

This element is used to specify fuel availability for a fuel trigger.  This element is not allowed to contain other data and must be terminated with ‘/>’.

 

<Fuel
      type="100"
      availability="YES"/>

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
type	Type of fuel	73 87 100 130 145 MOGAS JET JETA JETA1 JETAP JETB JET4 JET5 UNKNOWN
availability	Fuel availability	YES NO UNKNOWN PRIOR_REQUEST

TriggerWeatherData

This element is used to specify a weather setting for a trigger.  Weather triggers can be used to create thermals and ridge lifts for gliders and areas of turbulence.  This element is not allowed to contain other data and must be terminated with ‘/>’.

 

<TriggerWeatherData
      type="THERMAL"
      heading="270.0"
      scalar=".70"/>

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
type	Type of weather data	THERMAL NONDIRECTIONAL_TURBULENCE DIRECTIONAL_TURBULENCE RIDGE_LIFT
heading	Heading vector applied to weather data	0.0 to 360.0 floating point value
scalar	Scalar value applied to wind speed that is used to generate lift and turbulence.	Floating point number between 0.0 and 1.0.

[Tom Gibson]

Vertex

This element is used to add a vertex to another element, either as a fixed point or as a bias.  In the case of an Apron, it is used to specify X and Z deltas (meters) from the airport reference point.  This element is not allowed to contain other data and must be terminated with ‘/>’.

<Vertex
      biasX="-552.966980"     
      biasZ="-775.700012"/>

 

<Vertex
      lon="10.234"
      lat="65.299"/>

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
biasX	Bias from airport reference point in meters	Floating point value
biasZ	Bias from airport reference point in meters	Floating point value

 

Attribute	Description	Acceptable Values
lat	Latitude	-90 to +90 degrees Format can be decimal or degrees-minutes-seconds
lon	Longitude	-180 to +180 degrees Format can be decimal or degrees-minutes-seconds

 

[JSMR]

Ooooh my head hurts....

I guess this is how to set up some permanent localised turbulence at the end of a runway for instance? 

[PhrogPhlyer]

7 minutes ago, JSMR said:

Ooooh my head hurts....

Not the only one!

[Tom Gibson]

If you just use the template XML files and edit them to fit your needs it shouldn't be too bad. 

[JSMR]

Ok, I’ll try.

 

And then you compile it as a bgl and add it to the scenery file? 

[Tom Gibson]

Yes, use BGLComp to compile it as usual and add it to any active scenery folder.