Making custom ground textures
- luisfeliztirado
- Posts: 436
- Joined: Sun May 15, 2005 9:15 am
- Location: Santo Domingo
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:
And here is the associated Blend Mask that gradually fades the custom ground out to the default textures:
In the Blend Mask, of course, pure white is completely opaque and pure black is completely transparent.
When compiled, this is the result:
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:
This gives an even stranger result in the custom ground:
By changing the area in the source file that is painted pure white to some other color:
the Null Value is no longer active and the resulting ground textures appear normally:
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.
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:
And here is the associated Blend Mask that gradually fades the custom ground out to the default textures:
In the Blend Mask, of course, pure white is completely opaque and pure black is completely transparent.
When compiled, this is the result:
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:
This gives an even stranger result in the custom ground:
By changing the area in the source file that is painted pure white to some other color:
the Null Value is no longer active and the resulting ground textures appear normally:
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.
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
=============================
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
- luisfeliztirado
- Posts: 436
- Joined: Sun May 15, 2005 9:15 am
- Location: Santo Domingo
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
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
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
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
Re: Making custom ground textures
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
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
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- Example of my menu option
- BG Image.jpg (9.12 KiB) Viewed 72502 times
- luisfeliztirado
- Posts: 436
- Joined: Sun May 15, 2005 9:15 am
- Location: Santo Domingo
Re: Making custom ground textures
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
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
Re: Making custom ground textures
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
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
Re: Making custom ground textures
Under Edit | Preferences have you selected a tile server and ticked the box to use that server?
Lance
Re: Making custom ground textures
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.
Re: Making custom ground textures
Wave actions are part of the shorelines, so don't exclude the water, exclude the shorelines.
Lance