Step by Step Tutorial: How to Make SODE Jetway

By Jirayu Tanabodee
31 Jan 2020

Actually, I am writing this tutorial for my own sake. The process is quite complicated, I always forget
here and there. It makes me waste my time to search and correct what is wrong. So, writing a tutorial
will help myself to do SODE jetway systematically and save time. This will be a Step-by-Step Tutorial
without computer technical terms and focus only on jetway. If there is a well-explained tutorial
elsewhere, I will not repeat it. I will direct you to the document and read from there.

These are steps:

A. Download the file and set up your system to SODE and prepare folders for mdl to be exported
to.
B. Making a jetway according to SODE requirements.
C. Export to MDL and obtain the related files. Modify the radius of MDL.
D. Placement via SODE placer or edit XML manually.
E. Problem solving if things do not get right.

A. Download the file and set up your system to SODE and prepare folders for mdl to be exported to.

Once you have downloaded, install to your computer. Windows XP is not supported. If you have made
jetway in Gmax or 3dsMax, you can convert it to SODE by the script. You need to download the file you
need from https://sode.12bpilot.ch/?page_id=9

 SODE v1.6.5 (the most update for January 2020) to work with your FSX/P3D.
 SODE jetway SDK v1.6
 SODE demo file

Then you need to prepare things to be use with SODE

1. Edit ModelDef.xml by unzip SODE jetway SDK and open the file SODE_modeldef.xml then copy
the text BETWEEN <ModelInfo> to </ModelInfo>. Go to either FSX sdk (Microsoft Flight
Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit|modeling SDK\bin) or P3D sdk (C:\Program
Files\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4 SDK x.x.x\Modeling\3ds Max\bin). You will see
modeldef.xml and please make a copy of original one before you edit it. Then open
modeldef.xml and put the text that you copy from SODE_modeldef.xml AFTER <ModelInfo>.
Then you are done. Your Gmax and 3dsmax will know the animation of SODE. If you use FSX
Gmax game pack, you need to edit modeldef.xml in FSX sdk. If you do the model in 3dsmax,
you need to edit this file in P3D sdk. It depends on the program you are using for modelling.
2. Copy SODE folder in SODE_jetwaySDK-v1.6/script to the FSX Gmax game pack/script or 3dsmax
script folder in P3D sdk, depends on the version of 3dsmax you are using.
 3. Make folders to your mdl You need to set up your Windows to show hidden files and folders.
The go to C:\ProgramData\12bPilot\SODE\SimObjects. Make a folder to host all your files in
there. I usually set up the name of the airport then follow with your company name. So when
other people do the same airport, it will not get mixed up. I set up VTSP_2020_AA folder to
host my file. Get into this folder and then you need to set up the folders as this example:

o Model.xxxxxx_SODE_jetway (xxxxxx is the name of you mdl you are going to export
form Gmax or 3dsmax. If you have more than one model, add number behind jetway
will make your life easier).
o Texture to host all the textures your models needs. Do not forget any textures such as
Fresnel ramp. If you miss one texture, your model will disappear.
o Sound Just put the sound file into this folder, if you need.
o Sim.cfg file (not folder) It is a text file but change .txt to .cfg . This file will tell how many
models you have and which texture to be use. Type this to the text file:

[General]
Category=Viewer
Module=SODE

[fltsim.0]
title=Your MDL name
model=Your MDL name
texture=
(if you have more than one mdl, just add [fltsim.1, fltsim.2 …..the same way)

Now you have folders for your MDL file to export to!

B. Making a jetway as SODE requirements

1. Now you can open your Gmax or 3dsMax and model you jetway the way you normally do for
standard jetway for FSX/p3d. You need to look at tutorial provided by SDK. There is a video
from Adrian Woods. Please visit fsdeveloper.com and search there. I will call it CTRL-j jetway.
2. There are some slightly different from SODE to CTRL-j jetway.
a. The jetway has to be a simple box. If you have 3 parts of jetway, you need 3 boxes.
Other objects such as the interior or air condition box need to be separated and link to
the boxes. Rotunda, leg caps need to be separated. The base of the stair needs to be
separated and link to the last box of jetway.
b. Name the boxes and the static as required by SODE. For the convenient, I usually merge
HOOD from the provided model example from SODE jetway SDK and copy the texture to
my own texture sheet. You can put to the same position of the texture sheet and
reapply to the model by your own texture sheet. Or you can apply the texture of your
own and unwrap to the new texture. Just do not change its shape. When you merge it
from the example, the default texture will come together. Please do not forget to use
your own texture by applying the new one of yours. You need to follow exactly the
name in all capital letters and make LOD 400 as default. You do not need LOD at all but
for the convenient of the script to work. All the parts listed below DO NOT link to
anything. They must be on their own. Otherwise the script will not work. You need to
locate the centers of the components as the CTRL- jetway but not the link.
i. BRIDGE_A_400
ii. BRIDGE_B_400
iii. BRIDGE_C_400
iv. HEAD_400
v. HOOD_400
vi. LEG_EXT_400
vii. LEG_STATIC_400
viii. ROOT_400
ix. STATIC_400
x. WHEEL_1_400
xi. WHEEL_2_400
 xii. WHEEL_AXIS_400

Now you need to make 4 dummies. DUMMY_MAIN_LOD_400 at 0,0 coordinate.

DUMMY_LEG_LIMITER, DUMMY_DOOR_CONTACT and DUMMY_HOOD-PIVOT.
Where to put them and what they are for is well written in the SODE jetway SDK
already. Please read in that document.

3. Check the file before doing any SODE script, please check that you check the box of the material
to SKINNED MESH. Sometimes you need more than one material. Glass jetway is the best
example. DO NOT forget to check this box to all the material you need for the model. Or else
you will end up with non-functioning jetway. Then SAVE your file. Beyond this point after script
NEVER, EVER SAVE YOUR FILE

C. Export to MDL and obtain the related files.

Click on MAXScript->Run Script select SODE-

>SODE_jetway_Creator.ms. Then it will show up
the menu how to set your jetway.

1. Select the type of jetway, Type A for this

tutorial
2. Root Sweep. I think it is much better to set
minimum sweep angle and maximum to the
same degree, just only – and +. Such as -75
and +75 degree. This will convenient to you
when set up the start location of the
jetway. This will be mention later in the
XML section.
3. Number of Elements set to 3 (if you have 2
bridges, set to 2.) and click on stairs if you
have.
4. Head Sweep, the same as Root sweep, set
up the degree you want but the same
number both minimum and maximum.
5. Hood weight parameter file selection:
select default Hood text.
6. Other boxes let them be default. LOD is
400
7. Then hit the button Create SODE jetway.
8. The script will run for a while. You need to
wait until it stops and show up MAXScript
Listerner then FSX animation Tool
Summaries with show up at the end.
9. Then click on export to MDL and choose the folder you just did from step 4,
model.xxxxx_SODE_jetway folder. It is just my advice to name your mdl to the same name of
 that folder. It will get you less headache. Make sure the name is long enough since there is no
GUID to identify the model. The name should be long enough and specific to your airport. I
name the folder as VTSP_SODE_jetway1. So I know that this mdl is the jetway in VTSP airport
and it is the model type 1. My folder is model.VTSP_SODE_jetway1. So, less confusion and
more convenient to do further step. While exporting, DO NOT FORGET to check on Export
Skin and Export Animation
10. Now go back to MaxScript Listener box and copy all the text. Then open a note pad and paste
all the text to it. Save it as jetway.cfg to the same folder you just export you MDL to.
11. Open MCX-> Special Tool-> MDLtweaker. Then load up your mdl and modify its radius to 2000
and save.

12. Make a new text file as model.cfg, then type this to it and save:

[models]

Nomal=xxxxx_SODE_jetway (you mdl file name without .mdl)

Now you finish making your mdl. DO NOT SAVE your Gmax/3dsMax file after export. You
will lose all the file to make static jetway and there is NO RETURN. Just close the program
without saving or reset the scene without saving.

13. Reopen Gmax/3ds if you have closed. Or open up the same jetway file after you have reset it.
Now it is the time to make static jetway. Click on Script and choose
SODE_StaticJetway_Creator. Click on Load jetway.cfg file and choose the jetway.cfg that you
just did in step No 10. The box will turn green and you can set up you static jetway now. The
numbers in the boxes indicate the PERCENTAGE of rotation from the left to the right. That is
why I said to you to set up – and + rotation to the same number. Since when you choose 50 it
will be the middle, straight position. If you didn’t do the same number, you will get a big
headache to figure out which percentage to be the degree you want. Normally, I would set
rotation around 60 and bridge extension to 0. The extension often makes jetway too long and
 hit the aircraft. Try to play with those numbers. If you use SODE placer, you have a better
chance to play with these numbers with SODE jetway and you will see through P3D. Then use
the same group of numbers to set up your static jetway here. If you edit XML by hand, you
need to write those numbers down and use them again when you edit XML for starting
position of SODE jetway.
14. Set up the folder for exporting Static jetway. I always use the same name of MDL for SODE
but change SODE to Static. I normally copy the whole folder of Model.xxxxxx_SODE_jetway.
And then rename it as Model.xxxxxx_Static_jetway. Don’t forget to edit the model.cfg inside,
delete jetway.cfg (because it is static). Rename the mdl inside to be xxxxxx_Static_jetway.
Then edit the Sim.cfg to add the new model to the list. After that you can export the static
model to this folder and overwrite the old xxxxxx_Static_jetway that you just rename. Do not
check on the Export Skin and Export Animation this time. After exporting DO NOT SAVE the
file. You can come back and do the static again as many times as you want. If you forget and
save it here, you will lose the original file and no way to come back.

D. Placement via SODE placer or edit XML manually.

XML will tell SODE where to place the MDL to be seen in Flight Sim or to be seen by different
condition. It is beyond the scope of this tutorial. I will tell you how to do just for the jetway. If you
have a new project, you should use SODE placer instead of editing XML manually. There is a
detailed tutorial for SODE placer in sode.12bPilot.ch already. Please follow that tutorial. Before
you use SODE placer, you need to know that your ADE file is final, no modifications are need.

On the other hand, if you convert your existing project to the SODE, you already have the
coordinate of the jetway. You should edit XML by yourself which is not hard to do too.

1. Get to SODE demo file and open the SODE_sample.xml file

2. Begin with <SODE> and the last line end with </SODE>. Copy this last part from
SODE_sample.xml.
3. Edit XML to your project.

i. Put your ICAO code of your project to No.1 . I put VTSP.

ii. Put the type of the parking in AFcad (or ADE) file. Such as GATE, PARKING… make
sure that it is the same. Sometimes the name in AFCAD is GATE_A but you put in
XML only GATE, so the jetway disappear.
iii. Put your gate number here.
 iv. CustomDesignator is for the menu in the game. If you use GATE_A for the entire
terminal 1, you can put the name over here to be CustomDesignator=”Terminal 1;
02” for Gate 2. Or if I have all gate in old terminal design as GATE_A, I can put
CustomDesingator=”Phuket Old Terminal;02”. The menu in the game will show
Phuket Old Terminal first, then the gate number is on the sub menu. All the
GATE_A have to be assigned to one name, as “Phuket Old Terminal”. GATE_B need
to be another name like “Phuket New Terminal”.
v. You can name your jetway here. If you have two jetways, you can name it the
“Gate 02 Front Jetway” and the other one as “Gate 02 Rear Jetway”. So you can
pick the right jetway. (the xml for two jetways is different than this example). Put
your lat, long and headking from your previous project here. Just copy them from
your previous xml that you use to compile to bgl.
vi. Put your mdl file name for SODE jetway here.
vii. Put your mdl file name for Static Jetway here.
viii. Jetway initial stage is the position that Jetway, once be chosen, it will show its initial
position there. The number here is the same as you make Static jetway and export
it as mdl.
ix. If you have more than one jetway in one stand, there is an example of SODE xml at
the end of the text. Just put MultiIndex=”x” (x is the number of jetway) as this
example. The first jetway HAS to be the one that is near the terminal the most and
the next one is further away. The last one has to be the most remote jetway from
the terminal. Usually the third one is for A380, so you can figure out which one to
be the 3rd since the model will be different too.
<Stand AfcadICAO="LSZG" AfcadGateName="PARKING" AfcadParkingNumber="1" CustomDesignator="Terminal
A;01">
<!-- Jetways -->
<SimObject Name="Stand A01 Jetway Front">
<Placement Lat="47.18165" Lon="7.41165" Alt="0#AGL" Hdg="335.0"/>
<Model SimTitle="12bPilot_SODE_Custom_Jetway" StaticSimTitle="12bPilot_SODE_Custom_Jetway_Static">
<Jetway InitialState="30;50;15;0" MultiIndex="1"/>
</Model>
</SimObject>
<SimObject Name="Stand A01 Jetway Aft">
<Placement Lat="47.18155" Lon="7.41158" Alt="0#AGL" Hdg="335.0"/>
<Model SimTitle="12bPilot_SODE_Custom_Jetway" StaticSimTitle="12bPilot_SODE_Custom_Jetway_Static">
<Jetway InitialState="30;50;15;0" MultiIndex="2"/>
</Model>
</SimObject>
</Stand>
E. Problem solving if things do not get right.
1. The jetway does not show up. You need to check all the names in sim.cfg that are right. Just
one miss spell, all will disappear. So you had better copy the text from MDL file and paste it
to where ever you need.
2. The jetway does not show up but there is a red mark on the position of the jetway. The
problem might be from the model itself. You might forget some texture needed for the
model to show up.
3. When I choose the jetway, it turns all the way to the 0,0,0,0 position of the jetway. That
happened to me and cause a headache. You might forget to increase the radius to 2000.
You might forget to check the skinned mesh on the material of the SODE jetway. If you
have more than two materials (normally glass jetway), you need to make sure that all the
materials have been checked on SKINNED MESH.
4. The jetway red light keeps flashing all the time. It is supposed to have the effect attached
to the SODE jetway but not the static one. Since you use the same model, when you export
the static one, do not include the attached effect.

Hope you find this tutorial helps you with your work. The steps are too many and frequently loose on
the way. I collect those steps here to make myself follow. It might help you as well.