The Unofficial XCSoar Manual
Download/Data
From XCSoar
This is by far the big important section of any application like this. It is also the hardest for the user and the developers. As such a new system is being developed to help with the creation, in the mean time please use what is available here or contact one of the developers.
Contents |
Existing Data
Demonstration Data
The easiest way to get started is to install one of the existing created packages in the form of a CAB or EXE. These files are not only the easiest to install, but contain all the necessary components, and setup your XCSoar in the correct way. Unfortunately only a small number of these are yet available.
- From sourceforge Download InstallXCSoar-Data.exe from Sample Data, Benalla Australia - to get an automatic windows installer of all data files for Benalla.
The EXE code above can be installed from Windows by simply running it (double click). You can also download the CAB file and install it in the same way as for Linux, Mac, Windows, Flash, Internet on the Install page. It is the intention to have all download data in this easy to use format in the future.
Existing ZIP Files (other areas)
Known entries:
- Adelaide
- Alps West
- Alps
- Bayreuth
- Brazil
- California
- Columbia
- Colorado
- Condor (Soaring Simulator)
- Czechoslovakia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Michiga
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Eastern USA
- North Italy
- Poland
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- Southern California
- Southern Norway
- Spain
- Sweeden South Central
- Sweeden Central
- Sweeden Denmark
- Sweeden South
- Sydney
- Texas
- UK
- Western Quebec
What to down once downloaded:
- Unzip the package with your favourite zip tool
- Connect to your organiser (usually with Active Sync, but you can also mount your SD Card etc)
- Copy the data into the XCSoarData directory inside your "My Documents" directory in main memory or SD Card (or other flash).
Selecting Data
All XCSoar data files are selected in the main setup (See Download/Manual). You must select each of the Terrain, Topology, Waypoint, Airspace, Airfield and Polar files individually after installing them.
- Click on System Setup (see Download/Manual for further instructions on setup)
- Click through pages until you see the entry you wish to change - e.g. Airspace
- Click on the Airspace File
- Click Right/Left to select the appropriate file.
- If you can't see any, then your data is probably not installed correctly, or you have no Airspace file (or selected item).
Other Data
So which files are which? You can find out more information on file types, extensions, and internal formats at Reference:Filetype and in the FAQ.
Way points
- Waypoints: Cambridge .dat format. The Worldwide Soaring Turnpoint Exchange is a good source of waypoint files.
IGC Files - for fun and replay
Tasks
Airspace
- Airspace: OpenAir .txt format. The Worldwide Soaring Turnpoint Exchange has a section on Special Use Airspace.
Air fields
Glide Polars
- Glide polars: WinPilot .plr format. These can be obtained from the WinPilot site.
Satellite Images of Turn points and Airfields
General Configuration
- Input Events - these control the menus and buttons used on the system
- Status - this file controls the output, messages and sounds generated
- Dialogue Boxes - these control each of the dialogue boxes generated
- Pilot Profiles
Generating your own Content
Tools
CVS contains a number of tools to help you generate the data files.
Future - Web service
We have great plans and great code here for generating data from free sources for any area in the world. However it is by no means a trivial task. As such we are building a set of tools to generate the data. To do so we will need about 3 GB of disk storage for the original files. This is not a problem for us long term, but we are not ready for that. Work has progressed in this area, and the system now generates CAB files with Terrain and Waypoints - topology, airfields, satellite images are all being worked on.
