Traffic X - Traffic Generator

Freddy,

that does sound like a fair bit of effort!

When I want to add some VFR to any of my airports, I ALWAYS use AIFP to ensure that the traffic will appear (always put a % value at 1%). I have loads of different BGL files created by AIFP that are specific i.e. I put all TNG schedules in one AIFP BGL, some airports have their own BGL files, GB military in one file, some countries have their own AIFP BGL, etc.

It is easy enough to add a new airport into AIFP.

I use TX as the basic 'background' AI provider but supplement this with AIFP files - after all these years, I am still working my way thru the TX airline schedules, weeding out flights in the wrong place, flights that exceed the aircraft range, wrongly allocated/coded aircraft, etc. I have found many aircraft, allocated an airline code, that were actually a similarly named airline from a different part of the world; this meant code changes and re-routeing were necessary.

Each to our own methods I guess.   

Just to 'finish' the story.
Used TX to compile the TX_Biz.tcc file. This creates an "aircrafttypes.csv" file containing my pre-selected business aircraft. Using the "airport.dat" file dumped from FSX, I created a sub-file containing the 2 airports plus a selection of 10 airports that I considered could 'supply' flights to my 2 airports.
TDBB then created a BGL that contained about 60-70 schedules. Then, using AIFP, I was able to reduce that number to about 10 for each of my 2 airfields and thus I got my 'Business Traffic'.   

It is interesting that, when TX produces the TX_Biz.tcc schedule, EVERY flight is a 'ONE WEEK' schedule i.e. it covers a 7 day period, with some days not containing a flight, whereas, using TDBB, all the flights are generated containing 4-hour, 6-hour, 8-hour, 12-hour or 24-hour type schedules (dependant upon the flight times, I presume. If an out-and-return will fit into a 4 hour period then it will be a "4-hour" schedule repeating 6 times a day). Possibly some extra trial-and-error work could be done on this, using some more-distant airfields in the list?
TX must have a specific way that it generates the TX_Biz.tcc schedules before it gets compiled using TDBB within TX.

So, although I still do not know why TX wouldn't supply business AI to my airports, there is a work-around if you are desperate!

But you do have to be willing to put in some effort at manipulating files.

and some Easter Egg chocolate has fuelled this work.

Guys,

found the problem   

The aircrafttypes.csv file output by Traffic X contains a column of data that is set to "no".
By looking at the sample file in the SDK, this column is headed "Autoschedule?".
So, by changing the "no" to "yes" means that I can now proceed to generate random schedules.   
Now I need to look into the traffic BGL to see if they are any use to me. I will probably create 'reduced' airport data files to create 'mini-random-biz' BGL files and see how I get on.

"compile-TX.bat
TrafficDataBaseBuilder /output=traffic-x.bgl /airports=airports.dat /aircraft=aircrafttypes.csv /countries=countries_regions.csv /log=log.txt /quiet=no
pause"

Thanks for helping me keep going - if you want any further info, just ask.

Dan,
yes I had already found that post - it is a pity that PJK did not tell us how far he got with using the TrafficDataBaseBuilder program on any successful basis. I am going to post in the same Forum to see if anyone else has had any success. PJK is no longer listed in the members list so not sure if anyone will respond.

I would simply blindly follow the SDK documentation and start here:

----------------------

To Build a Traffic Database using the Default Aircraft and Default Airports

Type the following command:

TrafficDatabaseBuilder /Airports=fs10.Airports.dat /AircraftTypes=fs10.AircraftTypes.csv /Output=traffic.bgl

----------------------

Notice that nowhere does this mention /autoschedule

I would take a backup copy of your current AI traffic files, and then simply run the exact command as shown above. See what it does.

If you want logs, then add the /log=log.txt parameter. In fact, I'd probably recommend you do a log because it will give clues as to what happened when you ran the command.

Doing this might yield some clues. Start with this, and then add parameters to see what each one does.

I have done some 'digging' into how TrafficX functions in my efforts to find out why the 'Random Traffic Business' seems not to work in the way I expect.
In the \compile folder the file _compile.bat is a version of the FSX SDK command used for creating and compiling AI traffic data files.

It comprises -
"trafficdatabasebuilder /output=traffic.bgl /airports=airports.dat /countries=countries_regions.csv /aircrafttypes=aircrafttypes.csv
/schedules=schedules.dat /log=log.txt /autoschedule=no /quiet=no"
To run this batch file in order to create a traffic.bgl file, the files airports.dat, countries_regions.csv, aircrafttypes.csv and
schedules.dat must already exist.
I have worked out that, when the "Compile Traffic X Flight Plans" button is selected, 4 of these files are created somehow (I do not know if it is done by internal Traffic X commands or done by a sub-version of the SDK command) -

"aircrafttypes.csv" - all aircraft types are extracted from whichever TCC files have been selected and a CSV file created using extra data from "aircrafttypes.tcc" in the \presets\data\aircraft folder,
"airports.dat" - all airport codes are extracted from whichever TCC files have been selected and a file created containing runway data for each code AND, for each type of aircraft that visits the code, adds 6 parking spots of the correct radius for that aircraft,
"schedules.dat" - all schedules listed in the selected TCC files are listed,
"log.txt" - not sure how this log gets created at this stage.
During the creation of these files, info is displayed in the TX window about which files are being processed. At the end of this process
there are brief messages "Writing aircraft" and "Writing airports".
When these have been created and the batch file runs, this is when the 'Command' DOS window appears. Whilst this is open, the
"traffic.bgl" file is being created.

"countries_regions.csv" is a fixed file which is required only when generating 'random' aircraft registrations whilst creating new TCC
files for VFR or Random Traffic Business.

Right, so having done that, I am actually no further into sorting out my original question re Random Traffic Business.

Freddy, as always, I welcome your input.

Some of the information above may explain some of the things you mentioned about the files being changed every time you 'TX compile'. I will look into using the compile command 'outside' of TX.

What I would like to achieve is the random generation of business traffic but 'outside' of TX as you are doing for your compilations.
I can get the "airports.dat" file from FSX and I can generate the "aircrafttypes.csv" (containing only >76% aircraft) using TX but I cannot 'see' how to set up the 'Options' in the SDK command that will produce a BGL of a type that TX can produce when you create a "TX_Biz.tcc" file and subsequently compile.
It will have something to do with the "/autoschedule=yes/no" option but, as yet, I cannot achieve any success. The official SDK notes on how to use this command is very poor on substance!

Will have a rest now - the 'headaches' are coming thick and fast. (If this causes any reader to get the same headaches then please don't spend too much time looking at this topic!)

Dan,

have you ever managed to get the SDK "TrafficDatabaseBuilder" program to work. Having now read the SDK notes several times and tried various combinations of the parameters, I cannot get it to create auto-generated schedules for a custom aircraft list together with the airports.dat dump from FSX.
Any ideas?

This is not a very serious attempt to create such a list and BGL but I hate to let something like this get the better of my small amount of computer intellect!

Dan,

from past experience, I suspect Freddy must be on holiday or otherwise busy as he normally gets involved in these types of discussions!

Yes, I am a stickler for using the ADE Fault Finder and yes, the parking list in ADE and the list shown in TX agree (apart from TX not listing Vehicle or Fuel spots).

In the absence of TX Random traffic, I have entered some 'business' traffic in TX using TX_VFR_USA.tcc but with "IFR" settings, as well as a few with AIFP, just to get some business traffic which was otherwise missing. After all, this is an airport that has quite a lot of modern industry around it and must surely have biz-jets coming and going?

No, I haven't deviated from setting of about 65% in my density slider - I find this to be a fair value that avoids an over-density of biz-traffic at airports where this does work. But I will try 100% and higher values just to test for the result.

This is really good brain-cell activity isn't it? Makes a change from the actual 'flying' - I find that I 'fly' for only about 10% of the time I spend in this activity, what with modifying airports, checking schedules, adjusting and creating callsigns, etc.

Well, after a load of testing / reading SDK / testing, etc., I am no clearer on why this airport is not generating any Random Business AI by TX - still a mystery when other airports I have modified have, generally been allocated some Random Business Traffic.

What I have discovered is that the files in the \compiler folder of TX are generated every time any TX compiling is carried out and are directly the RESULT of that compile action and are not the base files that are used when you use the Random Business Traffic generator. This process obviously uses a different version of the compiler (different OPTION_STRINGS) to create the 'random' traffic but I haven't fathomed out how it does it.
Using the "Import New" or "Update Existing" in the Airport Information page updates the file "Airports.tcc" but this file is 'compiled' and thereby not 'readable' except by using the Airport Information page. This page reflects the correct number of parking spots at my KMEV airport.

I suspect my lack of Random Business Traffic at KMEV is down to the fact that it is a relatively small airport - I will see what happens at further similar airports that I work on.

Dan, I thank you for taking an interest in my dilemma.