Alpha 5 map tools: user guide

Create and revise SID/STAR display geometry in Aurora Sector Studio: draw arcs, holds and procedure turns, calculate turns, edit points, and compare procedures. This guide covers the systems included in the initial Alpha 5 release.

The map shows the current open source document, including unsaved edits. The tools write ordinary coordinate rows to .sid and .str files, so the resulting geometry can be saved and exported through the normal sector workflow. Reopened shapes are edited as coordinate rows; their original calculator inputs are not stored as editable shape objects.

Start here: make your first arc

Work on a copy of a sector that contains a SID or STAR you can change. For a ready-made practice sector, repository users can open Docs/examples/alpha5/root.isc. Its EKRN procedures are demonstration shapes; the accompanying README explains each example.

1. Open the project and its Map tab. Show Airports panel, select an airport, select SID or STAR, then choose a procedure and runway variant.
2. Choose Fit selection, then Draw procedure… on the toolbar. Select Arc in Shape. The centre initially uses the selected airport.
3. Keep that centre, or use Pick centre to choose a nearby map position. Enter radius 3 NM, start radial 0, end radial 90, reference True, and direction Clockwise (right). Leave the endpoint option off.
4. Use maximum chord error 0.01 NM and minimum segments 12. Confirm Replace rows is 0. The default insertion line appends to this procedure.
5. Choose Preview. The new arc runs from north of its centre around to the east. Inspect the Before and After panes and both joins to any existing route. The centre itself is not a point on the arc.
6. Choose Apply to document. Open the source tab to inspect the inserted coordinates. Use Undo and Redo there to try the single edit.
7. Use Save or Save All when satisfied. Apply alone does not save to disk.

Close the drawing window before opening another geometry tool. To replace an existing curve instead, select its literal source rows and follow Replace selected geometry.

Find and select the geometry

Drag the map to pan and use the wheel to zoom. Fit project shows the loaded project; Fit selection shows the selected feature. Previous view and Next view return to recorded map views. Turn Measure on to click two locations and read their distance and initial true bearing; turn it off again before selecting procedure points.

Orange rings and lines mark the selected rows. Repeated coordinates keep their own source rows; clicking coincident points prefers an already selected row. For an unambiguous longer selection, use the editor rather than trying to drag a selection box on the map. Dragging normally pans.

An unresolved reference creates a gap. The map will not let you select an imaginary segment across it. Selecting geometry does not modify the document.

Multiple paths in one procedure

Append <br> to the extra fields of the first point of a new path:

FIXA;FIXA;
FIXB;FIXB;

FIXA;FIXA;<br>;
FIXC;FIXC;

This draws FIXA → FIXB and FIXA → FIXC separately, with no connection from FIXB back to the second FIXA. The marker starts the path at its own row; it does not break the segment after that row. Blank lines are formatting and do not end the procedure or create a path break. Another procedure header or section ends the block.

Select one connected path for reversal, resampling or drawing replacement. These tools reject selections crossing a <br> boundary. Reversing a marked path keeps the marker at its new first point; deleting that first point preserves the break on the next row. Move, copy and named-point conversion also preserve path breaks.

Use the right-click menu

Right-click a point, a segment or a selected range. The menu offers actions that suit the target. A click inside your current range keeps that range; a click elsewhere selects the new target first. When the map has focus, Shift+F10 or the menu key opens the menu for its current selection.

The drawing submenu contains radius/radial arcs, endpoint arcs, holding patterns, procedure turns and both turn calculators. If procedures overlap, choose which one you mean. An existing selected range can disambiguate a click within it.

Right-clicking empty map space uses that location for drawing or copying; it does not reuse a previously selected replacement range. Tools also remain available on the toolbar. A disabled action may have an explanatory tooltip.

Preview, Apply and Save

Every source edit follows the same sequence:

1. Enter or change the tool inputs.
2. Generate a preview. Some point-editing tools open with an initial preview.
3. Inspect the whole procedure in the map and source panes, including the joins immediately before and after the edited range.
4. Apply the reviewed edit to the open document.
5. Save the document when ready to write it to disk.

The cyan direction arrow follows the proposed coordinate order. It does not change the route by itself. Use reversal tools to change that order.

Changing inputs, source text, selection or referenced coordinates can invalidate a preview. If Apply becomes unavailable, read the message and preview again. Each applied geometry edit is one source-editor Undo/Redo step. Closing a tool discards its unapplied proposal; changes you already applied remain in the editor.

Only one geometry tool is active at a time. Close it before starting a different tool or activating a comparison reference. If a picker hides the window, Escape on the map cancels picking and restores it. The right-click menu also provides Return to current tool and, while picking, Use this position.

Draw arcs

Radius and radials

Open Draw procedure…, select Arc, and leave Define arc with centre, start and end positions unchecked.

1. Enter the centre latitude/longitude, or choose Pick centre.
2. Enter radius in NM and the start/end radials in degrees.
3. Choose clockwise/right or counter-clockwise/left, and True or Magnetic.
4. For magnetic inputs, enter magnetic variation with east positive: 4 is 4 degrees east and -4 is 4 degrees west. Check the live course conversion.
5. Set sampling and the source insertion/replacement range, then Preview, Apply and Save.

Radials point out from the centre. They are not the aircraft's track along the arc. Turn side determines which way the arc travels between them.

Centre and endpoints

Right-click a selected segment/range and choose Endpoint arc…, or enable the endpoint option in the drawing window. The menu fills the first and last selected points as endpoints; enter or pick the centre yourself.

Use Pick start and Pick end if needed. Both endpoints must lie at compatible distances from the centre, within Endpoint radius tolerance (NM). An excessive radius discrepancy is reported; revise the centre/endpoints or enter a justified tolerance. Endpoint positions determine the bearings and radius, so the radial-reference controls are disabled.

Picking snaps to nearby loaded fixes, navaids, airports, runway thresholds and procedure points, including points on hidden layers. Check the returned numeric coordinate before previewing. Decimal degrees and supported sector DMS formats are accepted; use a decimal point for fractional numeric inputs.

Sampling and source placement

Maximum chord error controls how closely the straight output segments follow the calculated curve before coordinate rounding. A smaller value creates more points. Minimum segments sets a lower bound; holding/turn modes apply their minimum per turn. Preview the actual written points at a useful map scale.

Insert before line uses one-based source line numbers. Replace rows = 0 inserts new rows. A positive count replaces that many consecutive literal rows starting at the insertion line. Check the Before/After panes before applying.

Replace selected geometry

Select consecutive literal coordinate rows in one procedure, then right-click and choose Draw / replace geometry. Alternatively, open the drawing window and choose Use selected coordinate rows to fill the line and replacement count. Define the new shape, then preview the full route and its joins.

Named references, headers and standalone comments cannot form a drawing replacement range. Point-for-point replacement retains attached metadata; changing the number of points is rejected when it would discard constraints, fields or comments. Resolve the message rather than removing metadata just to make the operation pass.

Draw holding patterns

1. Open Draw procedure… and select Racetrack / holding pattern, or use Holding pattern… from the right-click drawing submenu.
2. Enter or Pick holding fix. Enter the inbound course and its reference. If your input is the outbound course, enable Enter outbound course instead of inbound.
3. Choose turn side and radius in NM. The holding width is twice the turn radius.
4. Enter the straight leg distance in NM. Alternatively, enable Define leg by time and speed, and enter minutes and knots. Leg distance is minutes × knots / 60; it excludes the turns.
5. Set sampling and placement, then Preview. Check the fix, orientation, closure, joins and cyan arrow before applying and saving.

The shape starts at the holding fix, follows two turns and two legs, and closes at the same fix. Timed-leg speed sets leg distance; it does not calculate turn radius. Use the TAS/bank calculator explicitly when you want its radius.

Draw procedure turns

Open Draw procedure…, select Procedure turn, then choose a layout. Enter/pick the initial point, set turn radius, direction and course reference.

Preview the source and route before applying. The 45/180 layout does not automatically capture an existing inbound line; adjust its legs and check the connection. Reversal layouts show a nominal final reference and a calculated exit track, which can differ because of geographic convergence.

To reverse the coordinate order of newly generated geometry, enable Reverse generated sequence and preview again. The shape stays in place; its output order and arrow reverse. Turn side and course inputs still define the original shape. To reverse saved rows, use the direct reversal tool below.

Use the TAS / bank-angle calculator

Open Draw procedure… and expand TAS / bank-angle turn calculator, or choose it from the right-click drawing submenu.

1. Enter True airspeed (KTAS), bank magnitude above zero and below 90 degrees, and a turn angle above zero and up to 360 degrees.
2. Choose Calculate performance to read radius in NM, rate in degrees per second, duration in seconds and path length in NM.
3. Select a numeric arc, holding pattern or procedure turn. Choose Use radius in drawing to transfer the calculated radius.
4. Set the drawing's own courses, turn side, layout and sampling, then Preview, Apply and Save.

For a practice calculation, 200 KTAS, 25 degrees bank and 180 degrees turn angle give approximately 1.25 NM radius, 2.55 degrees/second rate, 70.7 seconds and 3.93 NM path length.

The calculator assumes a coordinated level turn with constant TAS and bank in still air. Enter TAS explicitly; IAS, altitude conversion and wind are not modelled. The calculation's turn angle affects duration and length only; it does not replace the drawing's courses or layout. Radius transfer is unavailable for endpoint arcs and chart base turns, which derive their own radius.

Editing calculator inputs clears the result. After using a calculated radius, recalculate and transfer it again before previewing, or enter a manual radius.

Fit a chart base turn

Use Chart base-turn calculator when you have an outbound VOR radial, a DME turn-start distance and an inbound VOR radial to join.

1. Select the calculator in Shape, or open it from the drawing submenu.
2. Enter/pick the VOR position, choose turn side and radial reference.
3. For magnetic radials, enter the published VOR station alignment, east positive. This is separate from the local magnetic variation used by other drawing modes.
4. If the DME station is elsewhere, enable DME station has a separate position from the VOR, then enter/pick it.
5. Enter the outbound radial, start DME distance and inbound radial. The inbound input is a radial from the VOR, even though the route travels toward it. For inbound R285, enter 285, not its reciprocal track of 105.
6. Choose Calculate fitted turn. If several solutions are listed, explicitly select the intended one. Review the fitted radius, positions, tracks and checks.
7. Set sampling and source placement, then Preview the written coordinates and joins. Apply and Save after reviewing the result.

An incompatible set of constraints may have no solution; revise the entered positions, reference, radials, distance or turn side. Editing constraints or sampling requires a fresh calculation and preview. DME is treated as horizontal surface distance in this display-geometry model; slant range and flight dynamics are outside it. Use current chart/station data for your project.

Edit existing points and ranges

Select the active procedure's geometry first. The toolbar and right-click menu open the same underlying tools.

Insert a point

Select one segment and choose Insert point…. The tool initially previews its midpoint. Keep it, enter a coordinate or Pick position, then choose Preview insertion after changes. Review both joins and Apply to document. The row is inserted before the second endpoint. An off-segment position changes the route deliberately. Comments between endpoints can be retained; additional coordinate rows or unresolved gaps cannot be crossed as one segment.

Move or drag a point

Select one literal point and choose Move point…. Enter a coordinate or use Pick position, then preview the displacement and both joins before Apply.

For direct dragging, choose Drag on map. Grab the gold ring/cross at the original point; it becomes green while grabbed. Release inside the map to return to the movement window with a preview. Review and apply there. Dragging itself does not edit source. Escape, release outside the map or lost mouse capture cancels the gesture and restores the inputs from before arming.

Delete a point

Select one literal point and choose Delete point…. Review the row and new join. If it has metadata, explicitly enable Delete this row’s attached constraints, fields, and inline comments only when that removal is intended. Choose Preview deletion, then Delete from document and Save. The tool rejects deletion of the last supported continuation position.

Reverse an existing sequence

Select at least two consecutive literal coordinate rows and choose Reverse selected…. Inspect the arrow and both connections to unselected rows, then Apply to document. Attached fields/comments move with their point rows. Standalone comments and named rows cannot be included in this reversal range.

Add or reduce points

Select at least two literal points in one connected range. Use the editor for a long range. Open Resample… on the toolbar or Resample selected… in the context menu.

Choose Preview resampling, review counts and the changed route, then Apply. Both endpoints and annotated rows are protected. Comments within a literal range are supported; unresolved and named rows are not. Reduction does not reconstruct an original analytic curve. If the settings make no change, there is no edit to apply.

Copy, paste and convert coordinates

For direct copying of a supported literal selection, use Copy selected coordinates in the menu. Copy location (decimal/sector format) copies one clicked location instead of a block.

For block tools, select procedure continuation rows and open Coordinates... on the toolbar or Coordinate clipboard… in the menu.

1. Use Copy selected rows to copy a normalized coordinate block, or Read clipboard / paste text into the input box.
2. Pasted rows use latitude;longitude;. Decimal coordinates and supported compact/dotted DMS are accepted. Blank input lines are ignored.
3. Choose Preview insertion. The block will be added after the last selected row. This differs from the drawing tool's Insert before line control.
4. Review the entire proposed route, then Apply to document and Save.

For a resolved named fix, choose Convert named points to coordinates… in the right-click menu. This opens an explicit conversion preview. Alternatively, enable Explicitly convert named fixes to literal coordinates in the clipboard tool and choose Preview selected conversion. Review, then Apply.

Conversion replaces the selected name with its current resolved location. Later changes to that named fix will no longer move the converted literal point. Unresolved or ambiguous names must be corrected before conversion. Named fixes are never silently converted by Move/Delete or drawing replacement.

Reverse pasted coordinate order reverses pasted rows with their attached metadata. Remove standalone comments from pasted input before using that option, because their association with reversed points is ambiguous.

Compare procedures with reference pins

Open Compare... on the toolbar. Search by airport, procedure, runway or source. Use Pin, or right-click the active procedure and choose Pin for comparison. You can keep up to six pins. Other pinned procedures appear as subdued dashed reference paths behind the active route.

To edit a reference, choose Activate in Compare or right-click its geometry and choose Activate for editing. This is explicit: right-clicking its path does not silently switch the edit target. Close an open geometry tool first. For overlapping paths, use the target chooser.

Use Unpin reference, Remove in Compare, or Clear pins to remove references. Closing Compare retains the pins for the current map session. Pins follow source/draft updates rather than freezing a screenshot of the route.

Use geometry warnings

Open Problems and double-click a warning to select its source row and focus its current map location. For a gap, the map focuses a resolved endpoint while the editor selects the unresolved row. Related locations identify neighbouring points where available.

Warnings help locate duplicates, long segments, unresolved gaps, dense sampling, points outside an airport area and coordinates outside a procedure block. Warnings do not edit source. Coordinates before a procedure header or after a section boundary can become orphan rows. Blank lines within a procedure are formatting; use <br> to start a separate path.

In Settings… → Procedure geometry warnings, adjust long-segment, airport-area, dense-spacing and point-count thresholds for your project. Run Validate after changing them. The airport-area circle is an advisory drawing area, not an airspace boundary. Review each warning in context before changing valid geometry.

Common problems

Before sharing your sector

1. Review the full procedure and joins against your intended chart linework.
2. Save the edited SID/STAR documents and run Validate; investigate relevant errors and geometry warnings.
3. Reopen the saved geometry to confirm the intended route and coordinate order.
4. Export through the normal project workflow and load the result in your target IVAO Aurora setup to check appearance and compatibility.

Alpha 5 produces segmented display geometry. Chart fitting and TAS/bank results describe their stated models; they do not add ARINC leg semantics or simulate wind and aircraft flight dynamics. The screenshots here use demonstration data.

Terms at a glance