Howto:Install aircraft: Difference between revisions

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(Shifted the 7-Zip link into the MS Windows section where it belongs.)
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{{installing}}
{{installing}}
The latest official [[aircraft]] can be downloaded and installed with a single click through the aircraft tab in the [[FlightGear Qt launcher|built-in launcher]] see [[FlightGear Qt launcher]]. This article describes the manual process, only to be performed when not using the launcher.


The latest official [[aircraft]] can be downloaded at [http://www.flightgear.org/download/ FlightGear.org Aircraft], which then usually require unzipping software to extract from a compressed file format. Then these must be manually installed in a FlightGear software installation to use. The details depend on the method of download, operating system, and user setup.
== Installation process ==
Aircraft packages are available on [http://www.flightgear.org/download/ FlightGear.org Aircraft]. These require unzipping software to extract from a compressed file format. Then these must be manually installed in a FlightGear software installation to use. The details depend on the method of download, operating system, and user setup.
 
Alternatively if you are using the [[FlightGear Build Server|nightly builds]] or a [[Building FlightGear|version controlled copy of FlightGear]], or you wish to manage your aircraft collection using version control tools, the aircraft can be obtained directly from the [[FGAddon|official FlightGear aircraft repository - FGAddon]].


== Installation process ==
=== Linux ===
=== Linux ===
(Ubuntu 12.04)  
(Ubuntu 12.04)  
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# Extract your aircraft file into the folder (the one you created above)
# Extract your aircraft file into the folder (the one you created above)
#: unzip XXXXX.zip
#: unzip XXXXX.zip
# Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder (<tt>/home/{YourUserName}/FlightGear/Aircraft</tt> in our example) to the $FG_AIRCRAFT list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.
# Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder (<tt>/home/{YourUserName}/FlightGear/Aircraft</tt> in our example) to the [[$FG_AIRCRAFT]] list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.


=== Macintosh OS X ===
=== Macintosh OS X ===
{{out of date}}
First, We need to make sure that the FG application is in the application folder which can be done by simply dragging it into the applications folder from wherever it is currently located.
Now let's get down to actually adding aircraft:


# Open GUI Launcher for FlightGear Mac
# Go to applications in folder
# Click on "Others" tab at middle right of launcher
# Control+Click FlightGear
# Click "Install Add-On Data" link at bottom of launcher
# Click the second option which reads "Show Package Contents"
# Select aircraft folder from menu, and click "Open"
# Then click on the following folders: "Contents >> Resources >> data >> Aircraft"
# Click OK on pop-up box.
# Now just click and drag the aircraft data downloaded from the FG website in the Aircraft folder


Please note: For Mac users, the above will not work if you have not installed FG to the applications folder. If you do not want to put your version of FG in your applications folder, you can place it in a separate folder of your own creation. That will allow the above aircraft (& scenery) installation method to work correctly/
(Works on MacOS Sierra)


=== Windows ===
=== Windows ===
# Download an aircraft and save it on your desktop.
# Download an aircraft and save it on your desktop.
# Unzip the file using a file archiver, for example the open source file archiver [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-Zip].
# Unzip the file using a file archiver, for example the open source file archiver [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-Zip].
# Create a directory to store your aircraft if you have not already done so. Make sure this directory is outside your <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]</tt> directory. For example, use <tt>C:/Users/{YourUserName}/Documents/FlightGear/Aircraft</tt>.
# Create a directory to store your aircraft if you have not already done so. Make sure this directory is outside your <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]</tt> directory. For example, use <tt>C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Documents\FlightGear\Aircraft</tt>.
# Move the unzipped folder (usually the aircraft's name) to your that aircraft directory.
# Move the unzipped folder (usually the aircraft's name) to your that aircraft directory.
# Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder  (<tt>C:/Users/{YourUserName}/Documents/FlightGear/Aircraft</tt> in our example) to the [[$FG_AIRCRAFT]] list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.
# Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder  (<tt>C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Documents\FlightGear\Aircraft</tt> in our example) to the <tt>[[$FG_AIRCRAFT]]</tt> list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.


== When installing an aircraft fails ==
== When installing an aircraft fails ==
=== Rename Aircraft Folder ===
If FlightGear fails to start with the new aircraft you have installed, or if it starts but the aircraft is invisible you might have to rename the folder where the aircraft files are.
This issue is most often encountered when downloading a .zip file from some online git repository. In those cases you will most likely end up with a folder name of the following form MyZippedRepo-[branch]. In this case you should rename the folder to be just '''MyZippedRepo'''.
If the above doesn't work, or for other cases, check for a readme file and have a look there for instructions.
Otherwise open the aircraft-set.xml file and search in it for paths containing '''Aircraft/AircraftFolderName'''. The name of the folder should match '''AircraftFolderName'''.
For instance if in the imaginary-set.xml you would find an instance like this:
<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<splash-texture>Aircraft/MyCreation/splash1.png</splash-texture>
</syntaxhighlight>
that means that you should rename the folder where imaginary-set.xml is to '''MyCreation'''.
=== XML files with wrong encoding ===  
=== XML files with wrong encoding ===  
If you start FlightGear with the new plane you installed and there is no cockpit or exterior, this may be because the XML files are in the wrong encoding.
If you start FlightGear with the new plane you installed and there is no cockpit or exterior, this may be because the XML files are in the wrong encoding.
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  $ find . -name "*.xml" -print | xargs sed -i 's/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>/g'
  $ find . -name "*.xml" -print | xargs sed -i 's/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>/g'


=== The aircraft folder have to be renamed ===
If any of the methods above do not work, ask around on the [[Howto:Multiplayer#Multiplayer chat|multiplayer chat]], [[FlightGear IRC channel|IRC]] or on the {{forum link|f=11|text=forum}}.
If you start FlightGear with the aircraft you installed it is invisible or if FlightGear will not start with your newly installed aircraft, but will start with other aircraft you might need to rename the aircraft folder.
 
If there is a readme file have a look there for instructions, otherwise try change to more obvious names like renaming for example "A320-master" to "A320" or "boeing-707" to "707".  If that does not work ask around on the [[Howto:Multiplayer#Multiplayer chat|multiplayer chat]], [[FlightGear IRC channel|IRC]] or on the [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewforum.php?f=11 forum].


== Choosing aircraft ==
== Choosing aircraft ==
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* [[Table of models]]
* [[Table of models]]
External links to third party aircraft can be found at [[FlightGear hangars]]. Remember that the latest aircraft may not load with previous versions. If you happen to use an older version of FlightGear, look for older aircraft in the links section.
External links to third party aircraft can be found at [[FlightGear hangars]]. Remember that the latest aircraft may not load with previous versions. If you happen to use an older version of FlightGear, look for older aircraft in the links section.
== For developers ==
Help develop the [[FlightGear Package Manager]] which is intended to support automatic aircraft and scenery installation, currently in alpha development and in need of testing.


== Related content ==
== Related content ==
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[[de:Howto:Flugzeuge Installieren]]
[[de:Howto:Flugzeuge Installieren]]
[[es:Cómo:Instalar_aviones]]
[[fr:Howto Installer un avion]]
[[fr:Howto Installer un avion]]

Revision as of 07:28, 7 June 2019

The latest official aircraft can be downloaded and installed with a single click through the aircraft tab in the built-in launcher see FlightGear Qt launcher. This article describes the manual process, only to be performed when not using the launcher.

Installation process

Aircraft packages are available on FlightGear.org Aircraft. These require unzipping software to extract from a compressed file format. Then these must be manually installed in a FlightGear software installation to use. The details depend on the method of download, operating system, and user setup.

Alternatively if you are using the nightly builds or a version controlled copy of FlightGear, or you wish to manage your aircraft collection using version control tools, the aircraft can be obtained directly from the official FlightGear aircraft repository - FGAddon.

Linux

(Ubuntu 12.04)

  1. Download the aircraft
  2. Create a directory to store your aircraft if you have not already done so. Make sure this directory is outside /usr/share/games/flightgear/. For example, use /home/{YourUserName}/FlightGear/Aircraft.
  3. Extract your aircraft file into the folder (the one you created above)
    unzip XXXXX.zip
  4. Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder (/home/{YourUserName}/FlightGear/Aircraft in our example) to the $FG_AIRCRAFT list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.

Macintosh OS X

First, We need to make sure that the FG application is in the application folder which can be done by simply dragging it into the applications folder from wherever it is currently located. Now let's get down to actually adding aircraft:

  1. Go to applications in folder
  2. Control+Click FlightGear
  3. Click the second option which reads "Show Package Contents"
  4. Then click on the following folders: "Contents >> Resources >> data >> Aircraft"
  5. Now just click and drag the aircraft data downloaded from the FG website in the Aircraft folder

(Works on MacOS Sierra)

Windows

  1. Download an aircraft and save it on your desktop.
  2. Unzip the file using a file archiver, for example the open source file archiver 7-Zip.
  3. Create a directory to store your aircraft if you have not already done so. Make sure this directory is outside your $FG_ROOT directory. For example, use C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Documents\FlightGear\Aircraft.
  4. Move the unzipped folder (usually the aircraft's name) to your that aircraft directory.
  5. Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder (C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Documents\FlightGear\Aircraft in our example) to the $FG_AIRCRAFT list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.

When installing an aircraft fails

Rename Aircraft Folder

If FlightGear fails to start with the new aircraft you have installed, or if it starts but the aircraft is invisible you might have to rename the folder where the aircraft files are. This issue is most often encountered when downloading a .zip file from some online git repository. In those cases you will most likely end up with a folder name of the following form MyZippedRepo-[branch]. In this case you should rename the folder to be just MyZippedRepo.

If the above doesn't work, or for other cases, check for a readme file and have a look there for instructions.

Otherwise open the aircraft-set.xml file and search in it for paths containing Aircraft/AircraftFolderName. The name of the folder should match AircraftFolderName.

For instance if in the imaginary-set.xml you would find an instance like this:

 <splash-texture>Aircraft/MyCreation/splash1.png</splash-texture>

that means that you should rename the folder where imaginary-set.xml is to MyCreation.

XML files with wrong encoding

If you start FlightGear with the new plane you installed and there is no cockpit or exterior, this may be because the XML files are in the wrong encoding.

To fix this on Linux try this:

$ cd path/to/aircraft/directory/
$ find . -name "*.xml" -print | xargs sed -i 's/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>/g'

If any of the methods above do not work, ask around on the multiplayer chat, IRC or on the forum This is a link to the FlightGear forum..

Choosing aircraft

If you are looking for information to decide what aircraft to download, try:

External links to third party aircraft can be found at FlightGear hangars. Remember that the latest aircraft may not load with previous versions. If you happen to use an older version of FlightGear, look for older aircraft in the links section.

Related content