News

BluePrint sceneries are uniquely designed, advanced add-ons for the Microsoft Flight Simulator. They are intended to satisfy the needs of experienced pilots and offered in two versions developed and sold separately, one for FS2004 (FS9) and another for FSX.

Our sceneries are designed following a few simple premises:

• We seek to achieve the highest level of aeronautical and geographical accuracy in order to provide the experienced pilot with the opportunity to apply real-life operational and navigational techniques during taxi, takeoff, departure, approach and landing procedures even during CAT III instrument flight (IFR) conditions.

• In addition, we seek to render the primary components of the airport environment at the highest level of detail possible for the corresponding version of the flight simulator. We employ unique design techniques that enable us to render each component, particularly passenger terminals, at an unprecedented level of accuracy that in most cases permits one-to-one comparison to the real structure down to the number of windows between two boarding gates. This level of detail is, however, limited to the visible portions of the structures by accessibility to detailed information, the most obvious exception being the ground-level airside facilities in most passenger terminals. As much as we dislike the idea, artistic liberties must be taken to fill gaps left by lack of information.

• The primary (or essential) components of the airport environment are, in our opinion, runways including the corresponding visual navigational aids, taxiways, signage, passenger and cargo terminals, and the air traffic control tower.

• We give priority to the accurate location and orientation of gates, including jetways and aircraft parking positions, at the passenger terminals over all other features including the complex animations required by moving jetways and vehicles as well as advanced parking alignment aids. Unfortunately, the use of default animated jetways and vehicles is simply impossible at this time as is the possibility of customizing the individual components for each gate.

• There are two significant, yet intended, deviations from ideal accuracy in "all" our sceneries. First, we add or modify some features of the airfield in order to enhance, and in some cases enable, the pilot's positional awareness that is inherently limited by the simulator environment. These items include countdown distance signs for all runways, flashing lights at all taxiway/runway interceptions, and oversized parking spot alignment aids. Second, we incorporate the latest airport features including those under development such as new runways and passenger/cargo terminals. Interestingly, the ability to peek into and experience the future is, second to their "accuracy", one of our sceneries' most popular features.

• BluePrint sceneries are purposefully designed to be highly customizable. Their modular design is intended to provide the user with the opportunity to add or remove features at will. Each module is contained in a separate file and every file is labeled is such a way as to allow easy identification of its contents. Features/components can be easily removed by disabling the corresponding file. This can be accomplished by moving the file to a scenery-inactive location or by changing the file label extension. Consequently, items such as terminals, concourses, jetways, GA areas, static vehicles, trees, etc. can be easily removed or added to fit individual needs. No secret codes and cryptic labels are used. While this approach makes our sceneries significantly more vulnerable to piracy and theft, we truly believe that our customers deserve nothing less. As long as the customer has the knowledge and skills necessary to add or modify scenery components, our sceneries are not only designed for but in fact expected to be customized to fit his or her needs.

BluePrint Simulations was born from the desire to share our vision of what a simulator airport scenery should be from a pilot's point of view. Contributions from groups like PMDG, FeelThere, PSS and LevelD have taken the flight experience to an unbelievable degree of realism and accuracy that any pilot can appreciate. Groups like SimFlyers, SimWings and Aerosoft, FlyTampa, Imagine and many others have taken the ground experience to a new level, providing increasingly realistic environments for the pilots to enjoy while on the ground. From the early days of SimFlyer's "Service Armada", their vision has diverged from our own as they have paid increasing attention to moving vehicles and animations that make the airport come alive. As a pilot, however, I felt the need for increased realism in the airport itself, from runway and taxiway location to the look and feel of terminals and other building.

We did not embark in this adventure to improve or replace what other developers are already offering. We are doing it to offer an alternative that satisfies our vision of what we want to encounter once we start the engines and taxi to the runway or when we land and taxi to the gate. Our sceneries are for virtual pilots that spend 99% of their time flying and would like the few critical moments during departure and arrival to be experienced in "real" airports. Isn't it annoying to fly a great approach to find out that the runway has been "moved" to fit the custom-made ground layout? Isn't it frustrating to hunt for a taxiway while trying to keep the aircraft on the centerline during a heavy cross-wind landing because the taxiways do not actually match the airport's diagram? Isn't it annoying to try to find that gate that you know should be there where you left it the last time you visited the airport in real life? If your answer to any of these questions is "yes", you are likely to enjoy our sceneries. If you are instead annoyed when you arrive at the gate and the ground crews are not ready to unload the baggage, or when you are ready to push back and you cannot see the jetway undocking, or when you know that an American 757 should be on the next gate ready to push back on its way to Orange County, then our designs are just not for you.

The needs of "Airport Simulation" enthusiasts are unlikely to be met by our designs. There are no moving vehicles or animated jetways. There are no advanced AI traffic operations. What you will find is the most realistic rendering of the airfield available today including runway and taxiway locations, terminal buildings and other structures as well as ground features such as freeway interchanges and bodies of water that you know should be there as you approach. If you are an AI fan or airport simulation enthusiast, you are likely to be familiar with Lee Swordy's AFCAD2 software and/or Project AI to mention just two of many options available to customize the airport environment. If you are not interesting learning to use Gmax or 3DsMax to create your own terminals, perhaps you will appreciate our designs as great looking stages where you can create airport simulation masterpieces!

As we once again renew our commitment to press ahead, we do it with the firm conviction that our original motivation remains strong and true.

At BluePrint Simulations we are committed to producing scenery add-ons for the Microsoft® Flight Simulator of the highest-quality possible. We are also very proud to stand behind each and every one of our products because we truly believe that, at the time each scenery was released, it reflected our very best effort and its quality was limited by our design resources and not by our lack of dedication and passion for both aviation and the flight simulation hobby. We do, however, realize that no software developer's product is flawless, and that there is always a need for enhancements and upgrades

Consequently, we will continue to offer free fixes and upgrades with the sole intention of maintaining an even level of quality across all our product line regardless of the release date of each individual scenery. Currently we spend about 25% of our time working on scenery upgrades. Unlike most flight simulator add-on manufacturers, the release of our products does not mean the end of the design effort. With each new scenery, we introduce new features and we learn and discover new techniques. This effort has been particularly evident in the design of replacement ground textures, transparency effects and ground markings. Less evident are huge improvements in design and texturing efficiency and have enabled us to steadily increase the complexity of our sceneries.

While we continue to discourage destructive criticism and unfair or superfluous comparisons with other designers, it is no small measure thanks to our customer's constructive criticism and feedback that we have been able to identify areas in need of refinement or improvement. In most cases, feedback from a singe customer has sparked countless hours of development and the incorporation of new or improved features in the subsequent sceneries as well as in the upgrades for older ones.

The bottom line is that we will never be satisfied with the quality of our products. So we invite you to visit our web page frequently. You ever know what new improvements you will find. Please note that we now highlight the release of new upgrades along with the release of new sceneries at the very top of this page.

All our sceneries are sold directly from this web site by BMT Micro, Inc of Wilmington, NC on behalf of OnDuty Support Systems, LLC. OnDuty Support Systems, LLC of Camarillo, CA is the sole proprietor of the BluePrint Simulations brand and all of the rights associated with its authorship, sales and distribution.

BluePrint Simulations sceneries are also sold by other web-based retail stores. The internet stores authorized to sell BluePrint Simulation sceneries at this time are SimMarket, PC Aviator, Simulshop, SimNetwork and Alpha Flight. Sceneries purchased or downloaded from any other web site or software store, unless authorized in writing by Blueprint Simulations or OnDuty Support Systems, LLC, are considered pirated copies. Any individual possessing a copy of any of our sceneries that was obtained from any source other than the listed above after August 30th, 2008 is in violation of the product's license agreement and all applicable US copyright laws. Those individuals will be reported to the FBI to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Please read the Customer Support and Product Return policies before purchasing any BluePrint Simulations product from this web site or any other internet retailer. The return policies can be found in the support section of this web page or by clicking here.

Please read the End User License Agreement before installing any BluePrint Simulations product.