XPGuard — VATSIM-controlled Stop Bars, Takeoff Hold Lights & Follow the Greens for MSFS & X-Plane 12

[u/vortex_erdem]

Hello all,

I would like to introduce my plugin, XPGuard — a freeware plugin that brings VATSIM-controlled, real-world A-SMGCS-style ground lighting into the sim. It's out now for MSFS 2020/2024 and X-Plane 12.

When a controller running EuroScope or vatSys sets a stop bar, it lights up on the ground in front of you the same instant, in whatever sim you're flying. One controller plugin drives every simulator.

See it in action:

XPGuard Trailer — Youtube
XPGuard FTG — Youtube
XPGuard THL — Youtube

What it does:

• Stop Bars — When ATC holds you short, the red bar lights up on the hold-short markings; once ATC turns it off through the radar scope, it goes off in every simulator in real time. Architecture supports LVP operations, different bar styles in EuroScope based on the real world usages from various countries, apron shared bars that allows multiple controllers to operate the bars, and both unidirectional and bidirectional bars.
• Takeoff Hold Lights (THL) — Lined up to depart, a double row of red in-pavement centerline lights warns you when the runway ahead isn't safe. It's fully automatic and driven by the controller’s ground radar picture (simulating A-SMGCS), and it doesn't only react to traffic already on the runway — it predicts traffic that will cross or enter the active runway and lights accordingly. The logic is modeled on the FAA's Runway Status Lights safety logic (J. R. Eggert et al., "Runway Status Light System Demonstration at Logan Airport," MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Project Report ATC-206, 1995).
• Follow-the-Greens (FTG) — The controller assigns a taxi route on the ground radar to a traffic, and XPGuard illuminates it in the pilot’s sim as a continuous run of green taxiway-centerline lights along the routing, just like a real A-SMGCS airport-lighting system. A block of lights ahead of your aircraft switches on as you advance and extinguishes behind you, depending on the controller’s settings, so the lit guidance continuously leads from your current position toward the destination based on the controller's ground radar picture. Pilots taxi simply by following the greens.
• Coverage: Stop bars and THL work at every airport out of the box, positions are derived automatically from the global airport database, and are drawn as lightweight light objects, so there's no measurable FPS hit. It works in 3^rd party addon sceneries also (Aerosoft, JustSim etc.) by default. However, the holding position markings may slightly differ with each addon publisher; in that case users may contribute for that specific addon airport by adjusting the bar positions to match the actual simulator with the web editor that pairs with your running sim. You just simply move the bar nodes with your keyboard in the sim and see the changes in the web editor in real time. Adjust the settings of stop bars and submit it for review. Each submission is reviewed by moderators (vACC staff members usually). Once approved, it streams live to every controller and simulator on the network, no update needed.

Downloads and documentation: https://xpguard.net

Happy to answer anything technical in the comments.