NEW: Convert real life IGC to FTR and replay in Condor

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BOD1
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NEW: Convert real life IGC to FTR and replay in Condor

Post by BOD1 » Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:22 pm

By converting your IGC file to Condor format, you can fly again your task in Condor and see the "ghost" of your real flight. You can then try to improve your performance, or, after a competition, get the IGC from the winner and try to beat him in Condor!

The converter is here: http://www.condor-club.eu/igc2ftr/180/

How does it work?

My program will extract flight track (or "fixes", the lines beginning with the letter B) from the IGC file then it will inject them in a Condor flight track file (.FTR). If your PDA saved position from time to time (ie. big delay between 2 fixes), the program will extrapolate data to complete the FTR. Of course, your GPS must be quite calibrated and your flight must fit in one of Condor's sceneries.

Here is 5 easy steps to proceed:
  1. :arrow: Create a flight plan in Condor planner (Free flight button), choose the correct scenery, set the correct start time in UTC (I suggest you to get the start time from your IGC minus 5 minutes),
    Select an airfield (the same airfield is better if you want to start at the same place with your ghost),
    Optionally, create a task by adding turn points,
    Try to set the same weather conditions,
    Other options can be set at your convenience.
  1. :arrow: Click Start flight, check if you are satisfied with weather condition then exit and immediately click on Save flight track (yes, no need to fly, we get just an empty flight track).
  • :arrow: Come on this page, give your IGC and this FTR (usually found in "C:\Program Files\ Condor\ FlightTracks"), click on Send: download of the converted flight track starts few seconds later.
  • :arrow: Save this flight track in the same directory, go back in Condor / Free Flight and click on Load button, go to Flight tracks tab and select the converted FTR and press OK. Then go to Notam tab and select the same FTR in Ghosts list (if you don't see it, you may have to uncheck some filters)
  • :arrow: Press Start flight and enjoy!
    (you could change almost every parameters if you wish before clicking start)


Known limitations:
:arrow: If your recorder saved fixes with too much delay between them, the ghost could have unrealistic behavior
:arrow: If the recorder (or the scenery) is not properly calibrated, the plane can fly through hills, trees, ground or mountains
:arrow: Weather, particularly over countryside, will be different, so expect to see the ghost climbing where there is no thermal.
:arrow: The converted FTR cannot be uploaded to CTDB.
:arrow: The plane turns on the yaw axis only, and not smoothly :(

Wish for the next version:
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Green dots = IGC fixes.
In this version, the glider will follow the blue line. At point "A", it will turn only around the yaw axis, and in one move (not really smooth). More over, wings stay flat.
For the next version, I would like to calculate the correct trajectory (red dots) with the correct inclination. Someone knows (or has a friend who know) how to compute the curve? We know the x,y,z positions of the plane, the 3 axis, the speed (horizontal and vertical) so we have to calculate the different turn angles (roll) while entering/maintaining/exiting the curve and the x&y positions.

Any help would be appreciated!
Last edited by BOD1 on Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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andreas.kippnick
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Post by andreas.kippnick » Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:01 pm

Wow.
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UrosM
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Post by UrosM » Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:48 pm

Looks great. Gonna try it tonight.
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UWE
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Wow

Post by UWE » Fri Aug 31, 2007 12:11 pm

deeply impressed - Great.

There grows a thought.... :roll:

I look for a RL-Championship in the same Landscape which exists in Condor (ex. JWM Rieti or GP Hanweide), load the IGCs from the 5 best RL-Pilots of a day - convert to FTR - and fly with them the task. :lol:
A little Problem is to choose nearly the same weather conditions.

Just a spontaneous idea..... :wink:

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Andy1248
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Post by Andy1248 » Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:47 pm

This is an excellant development. Thank you.
Condor CN = E20

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kaleu
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Post by kaleu » Fri Aug 31, 2007 3:55 pm

:lol: Great work!!!
I just followed my last DG100 flight with the ASG29 in Condor but the cloudstreet in RL was much better...I couldn't keep up.
With a logging intervall of 12seconds the thermalling looks quite strange bit I really love this tool, also Uwe's idea is very interesting :) .
Thx!!!

Tonyh
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Re: Wow

Post by Tonyh » Fri Aug 31, 2007 5:44 pm

UWE wrote:deeply impressed - Great.

There grows a thought.... :roll:

I look for a RL-Championship in the same Landscape which exists in Condor (ex. JWM Rieti or GP Hanweide), load the IGCs from the 5 best RL-Pilots of a day - convert to FTR - and fly with them the task. :lol:
A little Problem is to choose nearly the same weather conditions.

Just a spontaneous idea..... :wink:
The Rieti tasks are all here http://www.postfrontal.com/wgccondorcup/ , Tellurico tried to get the weather as close to the actual conditions as possible.
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BOD1
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Post by BOD1 » Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:28 pm

Thanks all :)
kaleu wrote:[...]With a logging intervall of 12seconds the thermalling looks quite strange[...]
That's why I would like to calculate the correct curve and plane angle, but when my teacher told us how, I was surely staring the sky through the window :)

I'll update my code tomorrow to copy the IGC pilot's name to FTR, so each ghost will have a different name.
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Hippie
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Time Zones

Post by Hippie » Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:53 am

I just converted Bruce Taylor's NZ GP day 4 winning flight and
found a time zone issue. The flight took place at UTC 00:29,
so you need to set the start time to 00:29 but that is after midnight,
it is very hard to fly in the pitch black :)

I worked around the problem by changing the time in all the B
records and converting the file, but Condor or the converter should
have a setting for UTC offset.

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BOD1
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Post by BOD1 » Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:56 pm

Feature added!
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pope
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Re: NEW: Convert real life IGC to FTR and replay in Condor

Post by pope » Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:29 pm

I´m trying to convert some flights of our last championship, using a scenery that´s not published, but it seems it doesn´t work.... is this converter for scenerys in condor club site only ???
Thanks !

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BOD1
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Re: NEW: Convert real life IGC to FTR and replay in Condor

Post by BOD1 » Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:04 pm

Yes, Condor club needs to know more about the scenery in order to convert correctly coordinates.

Why not share your scenery?
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pope
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Re: NEW: Convert real life IGC to FTR and replay in Condor

Post by pope » Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:45 pm

Because it's only a draft version to practice with some xcsoar features, it couldn't be called a "scenery" yet.....

Thanks

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BOD1
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Re: NEW: Convert real life IGC to FTR and replay in Condor

Post by BOD1 » Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:47 pm

You can send it to me if you wish, CC will then support it even if it's not released!
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pope
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Re: NEW: Convert real life IGC to FTR and replay in Condor

Post by pope » Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:16 pm

Yes !!! thank you very much !!!!
Its 34Mb ziped.... tell me how can i transfer it to you.

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