ground textures

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jyarddog
Posts: 67
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 3:19 am

ground textures

Post by jyarddog » Sun Jul 24, 2011 3:37 am

Followed instructions and made a nice background for my airport. Instructions say there are two ways. I did the easiest for now.

I saved this file as well as compile. This gave me an extremely long file name with numbers. No matter- it worked very well. I realize I can rename this after I compiled. However, How do I now add blending to it?

Instructions say to add _B to the file name and change it to a tiff file. ok- questions-
1. How do I change this file to a tiff file? Do I do this in S BuilderX, or do I do this in another program which can change formats?
2. How do I control the size of what I see? In other words... How can I make the file reach just past my airport.... not miles and miles across the immediate region?

3. Is this bgl I compiled considered a photo-real scenery? If so I thought the file had to start with the word 'photo'.

4. Is the clarity of this photo controlled by how closely I zoom in with SBuilder or does that primarily rest with the initial photo from the tile download? Bob

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luisfeliztirado
Posts: 436
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Location: Santo Domingo

Re: ground textures

Post by luisfeliztirado » Mon Jul 25, 2011 1:18 pm

Hello Bob,

Congratulations on making your first custom (a.k.a. photo-real) ground textures. Good job.

So:

1. You cannot add a Blend Mask if you are using the first simple method for creating the ground textures. You must use the second method, which is to:
- add a Map
- once the Map is added (it should be in the Tools\Work folder), open it with an image editing program (many of us use the GIMP, but you can use Photoshop or anything you like) and make a Blend Mask using the Map as the base.
- save the new Blend Mask with the "_B" suffix in the same folder as the Map.
- then, compile the Map. SBuilderX will find the Blend Mask and automatically incorporate it into the compilation.

2. When you use the second method for creating custom ground textures, you use the Add a Map option and that will allow you to define the area you want more or less precisely.

3. Only the name of the Map has to start with "Photo" in order for SBuilderX to recognize it as a Map for photo-real (a.k.a. custom) ground textures. You can give the final bgl any name that you want.

4. Yes and yes, although you can also manually control that aspect by making changes to the inf file. But, since you are using SBuilderX, just get the level of zoom that you want when downloading the images and that will be your maximum resolution for the final ground textures.

Good luck. Best regards.
Luis
Last edited by luisfeliztirado on Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

jyarddog
Posts: 67
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 3:19 am

Re: ground textures

Post by jyarddog » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:45 pm

Luis- Thank you for the wonderful help. Now.... let's see what trouble I can get myself into. :) Bob

jyarddog
Posts: 67
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 3:19 am

Re: ground textures

Post by jyarddog » Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:52 pm

OK- I guess I am going to need to be directed somewhere to find out how to do a blend mask. Gimp, Corel psp, Adobe most likely have different names for the same process. I basic use Corel paint shop pro X. IT's help file leads me around in circles. Each step of the circles tells me what to do but not how to do it.

Example- your file is the background. It has to be promoted to raster. No further article to tell HOW to promote to raster. Blend mask- no such help file. I assume blend mask is something about making the edges more and more transparent at the edges of the photo.

If and when I find this, I save it with _B. thusly- mypic_B.bmp

This file is now under this name in tools\work.

Do I now rename this to photo_mypic_B.bmp?

Back at the main screen of SBuilderX I assume is where I now go.

Select- choose all maps- then compile the bgl?

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luisfeliztirado
Posts: 436
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Location: Santo Domingo

Re: ground textures

Post by luisfeliztirado » Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:14 pm

Hello Bob,

For further information and instructions on making a Blend Mask, please see:

Make photo-real ground textures in Flight Simulator X

available in the Avsim library
http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?Ca ... LID=140539


Essentially, just take the Map, paint over it
- in shades of gray for more or less transparency,
- in white where it should be opaque, and
- in black where it should be completely transparent.

Then, save the image with the same name as the original, but adding the "-B" suffix. Oh, and the Blend Mask (as well as Water Masks) should be a TIFF file.

That is all you have to do. When you compile the Map within SBuilderX, it will find the Blend Mask and integrate it into the compilation.

More information in the above mentioned tutorial.

Best regards.
Luis
Last edited by luisfeliztirado on Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

jyarddog
Posts: 67
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 3:19 am

Re: ground textures

Post by jyarddog » Wed Jul 27, 2011 1:42 am

Wonderful!! I'm off to make trouble! hahaha~! Bob

jyarddog
Posts: 67
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Re: ground textures

Post by jyarddog » Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:51 am

I load photo_molalla.tiff from disk then select. I try to compile "There is nothing to compile. Go back and choose..."

Is this because I have not done a blend yet, and I should choose tiff format ONLY if I have done a blend?

i.e. if no blend is performed then stay with bmp format? Bob

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luisfeliztirado
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Location: Santo Domingo

Re: ground textures

Post by luisfeliztirado » Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:56 am

Hello Bob,

Perhaps there is some confusion. All you need do is:

1. add your Map in SBuilderX. This image ( in BMP format) will be created in the Tools\Work folder.

2. Don't bother exiting SBuilder, simply minimize the window.

3. In your favorite image editing program, open the Map.

4. Use it to create a Blend Mask by painting over it as has been indicated.

5. Save this new image as a TIFF file with a "_B" suffix to the name. DO NOT change the original Map in any way.

6. Go back to SBuilderX, select the Map and compile as usual. SBuilderX will find the Blend Mask and add it to the compilation.

Best regards.
Luis

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