Exporting Scenery
When you have finished customizing the airport, open the File menu and select Validate. This command will check the WED file for errors based on the current export target. You can change the export target by selecting Target X‑Plane Version from under the File menu. The Scenery Gateway validation target is a much more stringent validation process. This is intended to make sure the scenery is useable with low end or older computers, and to ensure no 3rd party add on libraries are required. Remember that selecting an older version will disable newer features, such as moving jetways, which do not exist in versions prior to X‑Plane 12.00.
If there any scenery errors when you validate or export your scenery, WED will show you a window of all issues, which can range from warnings to major errors that prevent an export. Clicking on one of the lines in this pop up box will allow you to go directly to that issue, or you may select multiple issues at once to fix them all in one action. A “validation_report.txt” file will also be placed in the scenery folder. Use either of these resources to correct the errors before completing the export.
If no errors are present, select Export Scenery Pack from the File menu. If orthophotos were used, the .dsf and .pol file will be automatically created and placed in the scenery folder. The new scenery will be visible the next time you load the area in X-Plane.
All the files that the scenery package depends on are should be its folder (or referenced in the X‑Plane library). To share the scenery pack with a friend (or with the world via the Internet), just zip up your package folder (located in X-Plane’s Custom Scenery folder). Instruct the other user(s) to unzip the folder into their Custom Scenery folder, after which the scenery will appear in X‑Plane on their computer as it does on yours. Beware, however, that external resources will not appear for other users unless they have those same resources installed. Thus, if you use a third party product such as OpenSceneryX in your scenery, be sure to tell your users to install it as well.
Exporting for Gateway
You also have the option to upload your files directly to the Airport Scenery Gateway. This is a community-driven effort to collect airport data into a global airport database and will be a collection of all airport layouts authored by the X‑Plane community over the years. Future releases of X‑Plane will periodically share Gateway submissions with all X‑Plane users.
Note: Scenery elements or library items from 3rd party addons such as OpenSceneryX, or any draped orthophotos, are not compatible with the Airport Scenery Gateway.
To upload a scenery package to the Gateway:
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Register for free as a new artist on the Gateway to establish your Gateway login credentials.
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Ensure that all buildings and other 3D objects are inside the folder in the WED hierarchy that represents the airport (just like runways must be). It’s also a good idea to view your scenery in X‑Plane first, with object settings at max to catch any problems.
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Set the “Target X‑Plane Version” in the File menu to “Airport Scenery Gateway.”
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Select File->Validate to run a validation pass on your airport. Any errors that would prevent Gateway upload will be located.
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Select the airport you want to upload in the hierarchy. (Note that you can only upload one airport at a time.)
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Select File -> Export to Airport Scenery Gateway.
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Input your username, password, and text description.
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Click “Upload.”
To track your airport’s progress on the Gateway:
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Log in to the Gateway. Artists must be logged in to see submissions until they have been accepted or approved by a moderator.
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Click on the “Airport Scenery” menu option.
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Search for your airport using the ICAO code.
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Select the airport from the search results grid to view all submissions that exist for this airport.
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Confirm that your submission currently has a status of “Uploaded.” This means the airport has been received by the Gateway but has not yet been acknowledged by the moderator. The moderator’s primary responsibility is to ensure the airport looks sensible, and no objects block the taxi routes, ramps, or runways. As multiple submissions appear for a given airport, the moderator will gradually raise the bar to determine the “Recommended” submission.
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Check back periodically to follow the progress of your airport submission on the Gateway. Airports may have the following status:
- Uploaded (Not yet acknowledged by the moderator.)
- Accepted (This airport submission has been acknowledged by the moderator, but not yet evaluated.)
- Approved (This airport submission has been approved as suitable for inclusion in a future release of X‑Plane. “Approved” submissions may be downloaded from the Gateway by X‑Plane users. However, if there are multiple approved submissions for the same airport, only the “Recommended” submission is a candidate to appear in a future release of X-Plane.)
- Recommended (This airport submission has been recommended for inclusion in a future release of X‑Plane. Airport submissions that are “Recommended” at the moment of capture into the next release of X‑Plane will appear.)
- See Comments (This airport submission could not be approved by the moderator. The reason for this can be viewed by clicking the moderator comment button that applies to this submission.)