Making custom ground textures

This is the Forum to discuss the use of SBuilderX (version 3.10 and above). For previous versions of SBuilder please use the "SBuilder for Flight Simulator FS2004" forum.
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luisfeliztirado
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Location: Santo Domingo

Post by luisfeliztirado » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:50 pm

A warning concerning the use of a Blend Mask at the same time as a Null Value when creating custom ground.

The source image has areas painted pure white as a Null Value. This means that they would be transparent and display the underlying default ground textures:

Image



And here is the associated Blend Mask that gradually fades the custom ground out to the default textures:

Image



In the Blend Mask, of course, pure white is completely opaque and pure black is completely transparent.

When compiled, this is the result:

Image


The transparent part of the Blend Mask over the Null Value in the source image has created a black border in the custom texture.

What happens with other colors? For example, making the transparent (pure black) part of the Blend Mask opaque (pure white) on the crazy theory that then the Null Value in the source image would dominate:

Image



This gives an even stranger result in the custom ground:

Image



By changing the area in the source file that is painted pure white to some other color:

Image



the Null Value is no longer active and the resulting ground textures appear normally:

Image


As expected, the source image is gradually blended out to pure transparency by the Blend Mask.

Conclusion: a Blend Mask and a Null Value do not go together very well. If using a Blend Mask, we should avoid Null Values in the source image, that is, let the Blend Mask handle the transparency instead of the Null Value.

ronshani
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:49 am

Post by ronshani » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:50 am

Hi, I found that making a photo real scenery can make a problem with FSX. Here is my problem:

=============================
I am using FSX + Photo scenery update + SP1 +SDK(SP1)

I published a photo real scenery I made about the area of the Dead Sea in Israel. You may see photos at http://www.nici.net/fsx

I encountered problems with this scenery using it on my FSX:

The area looks very good when flying fast (Airbus 321). But when flying slow, the lowest tiles (when approaching the area) disappear and the desert scenery of FSX appears instead of my scenery.

What could be the problem?
===========================

and here is the answer from Microsoft:

==================================

FSX is programmed to use the default land class textures if it doesn't find photoscenery at LOD13 or higher (5 meters per pixel). It looks like the highest LOD in your scenery is LOD11 (20 meters per pixel). Therefore, in the area covered by your scenery, FSX is using the default desert textures when it tries to render any LOD higher than LOD11. To work around this limitation, use LOD=Auto,13 in the [Destination] section of your Resample .INF files. That will force Resample to add imagery for LOD12 and LOD13 and will prevent the default desert textures from appearing.

==========================================

The question is, if I will make the change in resample.inf and will make the scenery from the beginning, will SBuilderX take theses settings from now?

Best regards,
Ron Shani

ronshani
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:49 am

Post by ronshani » Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:40 am

Hi,

I understand now that there is no resample.inf file...

How can I make the change microsoft recomend,

when i use SBUilderX?

Ron Shani
Israel

boleyd
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Location: USA

Post by boleyd » Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:08 am

The TOOLS/WORK folder should have a BMP and a TXT file for your image. Use a program on AVSIM called FS RESAMPLE by Elrond Elvish to create an INF that can be used with FSX Resample (SDK). Or convert to TIFF and use Millennium SDK INF with Resample.


Dick Boley near 5G8

ronshani
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Post by ronshani » Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:11 am

but I do all the work directly from SBuilderX.

I dont have BMP files...

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luisfeliztirado
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Post by luisfeliztirado » Sun Sep 02, 2007 12:43 pm

Hello Ron,

When you compiled the image, SBuilderX made an inf file - it is in the Work folder along with the image.

So:

1. make the change to the LOD parameter in that inf file;

2. make sure that a copy of Resample.exe is in the Work folder;

3. drag the inf file over Resample and drop it.


Resample will compile your image with the new LOD parameter.

In the future, you may want to consider avoiding such low resolution images for your custom ground. The default textures are much better, although they may not be realistic for your area.


Best regards.

Luis

ronshani
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:49 am

Post by ronshani » Sun Sep 02, 2007 12:54 pm

many thanks Luis,

I made a test, it is ok.

The default texture for this are is just yellow desert, so even with LOD11 I get much more realistic results.

ronshani
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:49 am

Post by ronshani » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:01 am

Hello Luis,

The images for my scenery are at LOD12. This is the maximum I can get from free sat images. I tried the methos you and microsoft recommended, changing the Inf FILE TO lod=aUTO,13. iT WORKS AND THE SCENERY IS PERFECT.

However, using default LOD=Auto got tiles (BGL) at about 4MB in size. Using the change to LOD=Auto,13 I get each tile at 50MB. I can not publish such big scenery, the area will be about 1GB in size.

Is there a better way to do that?

Best regards,
Ron Shani

ronshani
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:49 am

Post by ronshani » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:42 am

Hi Luis,

I found the problem. It is the compression settings. I reduced compression quality to 70 and now file size is possible.

Ron Shani

Holdenslx
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Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:01 am

Re: Making custom ground textures

Post by Holdenslx » Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:08 am

Hi There

This topic refers to selecting background image doing the the following:

Right click in the workspace area and select background image: I have done this the menu that activates does not contain the option background image?

Does this program refer back to a default directory to look for applicable images before it activates?

Cheers
Peter
Attachments
BG Image.jpg
Example of my menu option
BG Image.jpg (9.12 KiB) Viewed 68463 times

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luisfeliztirado
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Location: Santo Domingo

Re: Making custom ground textures

Post by luisfeliztirado » Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:24 am

Hello Peter,

In order to get the Background image item in the menu, you must be displaying a.... background image! This does not seem to be the case in your screenshot.

Please select the Show Background item in the View menu, then when the ground tiles are displayed, try the procedure again.

Best regards.
Luis

Holdenslx
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:01 am

Re: Making custom ground textures

Post by Holdenslx » Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:36 am

Hi Luis

The background menu option from the view menu is not available for selection. Do I require an image to be stored in a default location before it is made available for selection from the menu options?

Regards
Peter
Attachments
BG2.jpg
Background selection not available from View Menu

meshman
Posts: 219
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:54 pm

Re: Making custom ground textures

Post by meshman » Sun Jan 03, 2010 1:30 am

Under Edit | Preferences have you selected a tile server and ticked the box to use that server?
Lance

Nemo6
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Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 2:35 am

Re: Making custom ground textures

Post by Nemo6 » Wed Mar 31, 2010 2:51 am

Hello , everyone , i am new to this forum and getting addicted in making scenery,i dont know if it is the right place to post this message , so please , excuse me.My problem , is that i want to make a photoscenery , covering an existing island in FSX , and i am disturbed by the wave effects that remain , and are not in the proper place anymore.How to remove them , while keeping the original terrain elevation/topography(no flattening).I f i create polygons , exclude,ocean,and hole , the terrain will be flattened...BTW , SBX is great , Thanks to Mr.Luis.

meshman
Posts: 219
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:54 pm

Re: Making custom ground textures

Post by meshman » Fri Apr 02, 2010 2:48 am

Wave actions are part of the shorelines, so don't exclude the water, exclude the shorelines.
Lance

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