Default NullValue of the .inf file

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angelo1122
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:10 am

Default NullValue of the .inf file

Post by angelo1122 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:15 pm

Hi guys

First I would like to thank the creators of SbuilderX for their program.
I am using it for some time now while creating photoscenery for the Athens Greece area.
Personaly, I don't fly the default scenery anymore. I am a photoscenery fanatic.

After compiling the Satelite image file, I have a bmp, a bgl and a inf file in my "work" folder.
Most of the times I have to work on the bmp, removing the dark blue color of the Satelite image, and then resample the .inf file. FINE.

However, I have discovered that editing the water color of the bmp with a different color than white, a light blue, (8,183,205) it is better, because there is a lot of white around the coastline in the Greek Islands. The new color works grate.
So, I have to edit the .inf file everytime before resampling changing the 255,255,255 to 8,183,205 which is laborius.

I am wondering if the DEFAULT NullValue of the .inf file could be edited so I don't have to do it again and again.
Is this a matter of SBuilderX or it has to do with the resample.exe?

Thanks again for the great program

Angelo Tassoglou
angelo1122@hotmail.com

rhumbaflappy
Posts: 420
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:11 pm

Re: Default NullValue of the .inf file

Post by rhumbaflappy » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:13 pm

Hi Angelo.

I don't think this is an easy fix. You could use a paint program to alter the bmp to change all whites to 255,255,254... that would work, but just changing the INF file might be just as easy.

Dick.
Dick

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luisfeliztirado
Posts: 436
Joined: Sun May 15, 2005 9:15 am
Location: Santo Domingo

Re: Default NullValue of the .inf file

Post by luisfeliztirado » Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:58 am

Hello Angelo,

That variable is just a default value for inf files - take a look at the SDK documents and you will see. It really does not seem to be so much work to just change that inf file every time, given all that SBuilderX does automate for you. You can try doing everything by hand, such as putting together all the tiles, creating the inf files manually, and compiling, and you will probably agree with most of us that SBuilderX is a great time saver.

In any case, as Dick mentions, you should probably be editing the source image first before compiling anyway. If you do, then be sure to select all pure white pixels and just slightly darken them - a single RGB value will suffice. This is important in order to avoid transparent areas on the ground where there may be pure white, and also because that pure white does not go well with Blend Masks, and you may get ugly orange spots on your ground textures. Also, instead of using the Null Value for water transparency, you might want to consider a Blend Mask and a Water Mask as more complete solutions.

Best regards.
Luis

angelo1122
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:10 am

Re: Default NullValue of the .inf file

Post by angelo1122 » Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:55 pm

Hi Luis

I would like to thank you for SbuilderX. It is a wonderful program that enhances FSX in a profound way.
It is a very usefull tool and I have created almost 4,5GB of scenery with it.
I am doing scenery for Greece, and there is a trementous amount of shoreline, and the bgl compiled from the Satelite image (without editing the bmp) shows the dark water color of the image and not the default FSX water.

However, I have to tell you the truth...I don't know how to make a water mask file.
I have read the instructions, I have asked in various forums...but nothing. :oops:
If you could help me to understand how to do it, I would appreciate it very much.

I did it the hard way, by trial and error, again and again but I did it,.. because I love SbuilderX and the scenery that creates.

I load the bmp to Gimp2 and I fill the water area with a color-White in the beginning, Light Blue later- and after a lot of editng around the shoreline, I save it.
Then I edit the inf file by deleting the first 3 lines, delete the 1 in the [Source1] line, delete the Channel_BlendMask line and save it. Run it through resample and I have a new bgl , which in FSX shows the default water.

However, I had problem sometimes with red spots in the scenery in some areas that supposed to be white, even when there was no need to edit the bmp since there is only land and not water. In other words I compiled the Satelite image straight to the scenery folder.
I solved this problem by compiling the image to the Tools/Work folder, editing the inf file as I mentioned before and also by editing the NullValue from 255,255,255 to 8,183,205 which the light blue color.
The red spots dissapear, and also I have noticed that the bgl file size is cut in half compared to the bgl with the red spots.

I apologize for my long letter, and I thank you again for your great tool.

Angelo Tassoglou

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luisfeliztirado
Posts: 436
Joined: Sun May 15, 2005 9:15 am
Location: Santo Domingo

Re: Default NullValue of the .inf file

Post by luisfeliztirado » Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:06 pm

Hello Angelo,

Perhaps you could make the workload simpler. Please see the following tutorial:
Make photo-real ground textures in Flight Simulator X
available in the Avsim library:
http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?Ca ... LID=140539

This explains the nature of Water and Blend Masks, how to make them, and how to integrate them in SBuilderX.

Best regards.
Luis

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