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Answers
to your Frequently Asked Questions
Question: When I am run the Project Wizard, none
of the reference aircraft are listed. Why?
Answer: AF99 cannot locate the FS98 or CFS
configuration file.
After installation, you must
first run Aircraft Factory 99 - not the Aircraft Project Wizard.
Once registered, you will need to open the SETUP menu and choose
Flight Simulator. On the window that opens, you will need to
locate the configuration file (*.cfg) file for FS98 or CFS.
For FS98, locate the FLTSIM98.CFG
file.
For CFS, locate the COMBATFS.CFG
file.
These files will be located
in the main Flight Simulator folder.
After these steps, the reference
aircraft will appear when you run the Project Wizard.
Question: Can you tell me of any known problems
with the initial release of Aircraft Factory 99?
Answer: Thanks to Matt Garry and several designers
who are working with AF99 Project Manager Jim Rhoads and AF99
Creator Laemming Wheeler, we have compiled the following 'Official
AF99 Problem List'.
- While the specifications for
AF99 state that up to 15 textures may be used on any model, the
initial release of AF99 cannot handle more than 10.
Disposition:
This problem has now been corrected.
- While using the parts blueprint,
if the labeling is turned off, AF99 experiences a runtime error
and crashes.
Disposition:
This problem has now been corrected.
- While using the blueprint
view, if the grid is turned off, the snap-to-lines feature is
disabled.
Disposition:
this is AF99's normal method of operation. If the grid is turned
off, AF99 assumes that you want to work in a more refined manner
- they'll be inserted exactly where you place them instead of
where they are snapped. This is a bonus since it allows you to
add very fine detail without the visual interference of the grid.
- If the component limit is
exceeded, AF99 experiences a runtime error and crashes.
Disposition:
This problem has now been corrected.
- Occasionally, when I delete
or remove a single part, a large number of other parts in the
list disappear. The parts do not disappear from the actual model,
only from the parts list display.
Disposition:
This seems to be happening on systems at resolutions of 1024
x 768 or greater. This problem has now been corrected.
- AF99 generates code within
the mdl file which prevents certain utilities from creating static
scenery objects or editing the source file to produce a moving
parts model.
Disposition:
This additional code is fully FS98 compatible. We can provide
information to the developers of these utilities so that they
may make adjustments for the additional code
- During installation, AF99
searches for a file named FS5.exe Since FS5 is no longer used
by AF99, this confuses the user.
Disposition:
the cause of this problem has been identified and has now been
corrected.
- I'm confused about the function
of the AF99 Project Wizard. To open an AFX I have to go through
the following five steps:
- Click File | Open
- Set file types to *.afx
- Select and open the 'original'
afx file
- Run the Project Wizard to
create another unique file (you cannot overwrite the original
afx)
- Repeat the process for the
'new' afx file
Disposition:
the Project Wizard was added to insure safety and compatibility
with the original version of Aircraft Factory. Additional alerts
and dialogs have been added to help clarify the use of the Project
Wizard.
- Changes to the footprint template
information for any aircraft changes are not transferred to the
air file. This includes landing gear and scrape information.
This requires you to manually edit the landing gear and scrape
values in the air file.
Disposition:
AF99 now performs a vertical shift on gear and scrape values
during production.
- The manuals and the documentation
are incomplete with regard to the features that are new to AF99.
For example, while I can add transparent parts, it's not clear
how I can accomplish this.
Disposition:
the documentation will be updated to reflect the new features
- The 'HELP' file contains outdated
reference to the original FSFS and FS5.
Disposition:
the HELP files will be updated to remove the outdated references
- When a Production is run for
a model, a backup of the air file is created even though the
Flight Dynamics Editor is not run directly. While making a backup
is an excellent feature, it creates unnecessary duplicate air
files.
Disposition:
This problem has now been corrected.
- I can't add landing lights
using LLADD to an AF99 model.
Disposition:
Please see Item #8. We will provide information to the developers
of LLADD and other utilities to make the adjustments for this
code change in the mdl file.
- My aircraft that has fewer
parts or components that AF99 specified limits, yet I cannot
display the model. Some parts or components are missing from
the visual model.
Disposition:
while the incomplete visual model may be due to Flight Simulator
98 limitations, the current build is consistently stable while
remaining within the limitations of the program.
Question: How can I get the AF99 Service Release?
Service Release 1 for Aircraft
Factory 99 is now available for download. Please click below:
We especially wish to thank
Matt Garry, Bill Alderson, Tom Gibson, Dave McQueen, Kevin Trinkle
and Konstantin Kukushkin for their extensive help during the
beta testing of AF99 Service Release 1.
Question: Why do I get a warning message when
I try to create an aircraft with more than 800 parts? I thought
AF99 can create 1,200 parts!
Answer: AF99 can create an aircraft with up
to 1,200 parts. However, the MDL file of an aircraft (visual
model file) has a size limit. Depending on the complexity of
the design, the Flight Sim may not handle the design properly.
800 parts is a safety net. If you exceed it, the aircraft may
not function properly in FS.
Question: I am running Windows 95 and after installing
AF99 and restarting my computer, I am receiving an error message
that says "COMDLG32.DLL is linked to missing export SHELL32.DLL
- 645" and now most of my programs will not open. How do
I get my computer back to normal?
Answer: The AF99 installation updates certain
files in your C:\Windows\System folder in accommodation with
Microsoft and the Visual Basic 6 Runtime files. One file that
is updated is the COMDLG32.DLL. This file seems to be incompatible
with the Windows 95 version of SHELL32.DLL file.
To restore your system, you
can download the COMDLG32.DLL file and place it in your C:\Windows\System
folder and restart the computer. The can be saved on a 3 1/2-inch
floppy to transport from one computer to another if necessary.
Alternatively, if you have
WinZip 7.0, you can open the WIN95_16.CAB file on your Windows
95 CD_ROM and extract the COMDLG32.DLL file to C:\Windows\System.
To avoid this with future installs,
you can make a backup copy of your COMDLG32.DLL. For all Windows
95 users, be sure your version of COMDLG32.DLL is dated 8-24-96
(August 24, 1996).
To download the COMDLG32.DLL,
hold the SHIFT key down and click here: Download
COMDLG32.DLL
Certain users have experienced
a message after replacing the COMDLG32.DLL that says the file
MSVCIRT.DLL is missing. This file can be downloaded and
placed in the C:\Windows\System folder by holding the SHIFT key
down and clicking here: Download
MSVCIRT.DLL
If you have trouble starting
FS98 after replacing these files, you can download the latest
version DirectX® from Microsoft's® website at: www.microsoft.com/directx/
Question: Is Aircraft Factory 99 compatbile with
Flight Simulator 2000?
Answer: Yes, Aircraft Factory 99 can be used
to make aircraft for Flight Simulator 2000.
The Flight Dynamics Editor
that is included with AF99 recognizes FS2000 folders.
Question: How do I set up Aircraft Factory 99
to work with Flight Simulator 20000?
Answer: First open the Aircraft Factory 99
program, click the Setup menu and choose Flight Simulator.
Open your Flight Simulator 2000 folder and click on the file
named DEVICES.CFG and then click Open.
Now when you run the Project
Wizard, the Browse Flight Simulator Aircraft Folder displays
all of the available aircraft in Flight Simulator 2000.
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