Generic buildings: large texture numbers

[JonPatch]

Folks,

I decompiled the ob9namw(n). bgls to recreate some airport buildings and found many textures numbers outside the range documented in the SDK:bottom textures of 88 and 110, and window textures of 86 and 89, for example. These in particular are useful for airport buildings.

Examining further it appears that bottom/top textures are available from 86-120 (even numbers only as usual) and window textures 85-102 are available. There are additional roof textures up to #37. In general they are intended to be used as bottom only, or bottom + window.

Bglcomp will flag as an error any numbers larger than these, but will accept and compile the rest. They display fine in FS9.

Are these documented somewhere? Arno, can we have ObPlacer access these? Is there any risk involved?

Jon

[arno]

Hi Jon,

Good find. It should certainly be possible to add them to ObPlacer XML as well. The only problem is that I need to know which texture belongs to which number (to generate the display correctly). So it looks like we would have to create that texture list by trying all combinations.

[JonPatch]

Hi Arno,

I have an XML file which displays buildings with all combinations. There are only 17 or so.

Jon

[arno]

OK, let see if I can find the texture names when I evaluate these objects. I guess that should be possible.

[arno]

Hi Jon,

I am bumping this old thread a bit. Today I finally found some time to look at these extra textures for the GenericBuildings again.

I have added the new roof textures to ObPlacer XML already, that was no problem. But for the windows, bottom and top textures I can't figure out what the mapping of them on the building is. I see rather strange things happening with them and it seems that each number has a given slide of the texture associated to itself. But I couldn't not really find the logic.

For example when applying number 85 as window texture, the mapping was different on different sides of the building. So for the moment I can't find the logic in that. Maybe if I examine the code of some of these buildings in the generic scenery that I can understand it better. Will keep you informed.

[JonPatch]

Alrighty, Arno, thanks for remembering this. The problem you are noting is quite curious. I created a full set of test airport buildings using all the undocumented textures without a problem that I can recall. I think I sent you that at some point, it was called texture_test.BGL.

Jon

[arno]

Yes, I do have your testfile here as well. But I just tried to make a few objects of my own as well and saw really strange things. I am thinking they are only supposed to be used in certain combinations or so. Hopefully I will understand the mapping logic someday .

[JonPatch]

Gotcha.

And it looks like I archived that test file. When you get a moment would you be willing to email it back?

Thx for being my offsite backup.

Jon

[Helli]

Sorry that I am reviving an old thread.

Lately I have not seen very many posts on this subject here.
I wonder, if Arno has continued his research of usable and meaningful combinations of generic buildings and their various parameters.

Of course I have tried them with the fantastic capability of "OBPlacer_XML".
But since there are so many variations - and beeing a fundamentally lazy person - I hesitate to untertake the immense task to list and fotograf them all for intelligent use in scenery design.

Is such a list or description available somewhere?

With kind regards

Helli

[arno]

Hi Helli,

Unfortunately this one is still on my todo list, finding out how the numbers correspond to texture mappings proved to take more time then I had at that moment. But if anybody has found out part of it, let me know and I will try to update the tool with it.

[Helli]

Thanks Arno.

well, as a "nothing doer" I have the time, but I am lazy, in particular when the sun is shining in the moutains.

I might have a crack at it, let' see.
If I got a list I'll paas it on to you

Helli

[lc0277]

I semi-automatically extracted a generic buildings texture list for FSX, see the attached text file.
If someone could confirm new or high texture numbers, then I will post it in a more fashionable format (xls or wiki)

[DougMatthews]

Originally Posted by arno

Hi Jon,

I am bumping this old thread a bit. Today I finally found some time to look at these extra textures for the GenericBuildings again.

I have added the new roof textures to ObPlacer XML already, that was no problem. But for the windows, bottom and top textures I can't figure out what the mapping of them on the building is. I see rather strange things happening with them and it seems that each number has a given slide of the texture associated to itself. But I couldn't not really find the logic.

For example when applying number 85 as window texture, the mapping was different on different sides of the building. So for the moment I can't find the logic in that. Maybe if I examine the code of some of these buildings in the generic scenery that I can understand it better. Will keep you informed.

Arno, All -

Be aware that the textures you are trying to figure out have some behavioural quirks. They are special textures in that the code looks for their presence to indicate that the building should be processed differently (i.e. texturing of "ends" and gables). I have not yet gotten my head fully around it.

Window 85-102 were from FS9 (terminals, t-hangars, office, hangars) and should be considered deprecated. Window 103-119 are FSX replacements for Hangar and T-Hangar and addition of parking garage (terminal and office are not treated special in FSX default buildings).

Bottom 86-120 (even) were from FS9 (terminals, t-hangars, office, hangars)and should be considered deprecated. Bottom 122-150 (even) are FSX replacements for Hangar and T-Hangar (terminal and office are not treated special in FSX default buildings).

-Doug

[arno]

Thanks Doug.

If you have seen my ObPlacer XML tool for Fs2004, you might have seen that I have sort of sorted out how to map the texture on the gables and those kind of special surfaces. Although I can not garantuee that it is exactly the same as the scenery engine will render it of course .

It only seems that the higher values Jon pointed us to, are mapped slightly different than the lower values that my tool already supports. So for that part I am still trying to fully understand the logic.

It is good to know which ranges are for Fs2004 and should not be used in FsX anymore. That kind of information will be handy when I finally have some time to update the tool .

[Helli]

Hello Doug,

I have followed this discussion with much interest, since the information available to me on the use of generic buildings is pretty thin.
I use Arno's "Obplacer_XML" (with the FS9), since he has the Generic Building placement integrated in this tool, but that works only for the "lower" texture numbers.

For the "higher" texture numbers, which yield attractive results, I have composed a picture book from which I can choose the numbers to be inserted manually into the XML-file.

Still my curiousity made me search for the relevant textures in FS9, but so far I have not found them.
I understand that these high-number textures are somewhat special, but still it would be nice to have them identified.

Could you indicate, in which folder(s)/directories of FS9 they are stored?

With kind regards

Helli

[DougMatthews]

Originally Posted by Helli

Hello Doug,

I have followed this discussion with much interest, since the information available to me on the use of generic buildings is pretty thin.
I use Arno's "Obplacer_XML" (with the FS9), since he has the Generic Building placement integrated in this tool, but that works only for the "lower" texture numbers.

For the "higher" texture numbers, which yield attractive results, I have composed a picture book from which I can choose the numbers to be inserted manually into the XML-file.

Still my curiousity made me search for the relevant textures in FS9, but so far I have not found them.
I understand that these high-number textures are somewhat special, but still it would be nice to have them identified.

Could you indicate, in which folder(s)/directories of FS9 they are stored?

With kind regards

Helli

I don't have an FS9 installation handy. I seem to recall the files being named smallairport.bmp, mediumairport.bmp and largeairport.bmp. Try searching for these names.

-Doug

[arno]

Hi Helli,

Jon already made a list of the textures ones, I'll try if I can find it back on my PC (but currently I am not at my development PC, so it will take a few days).

So I know which texture belongs to which number, but what I was still figuring out for a ObPlacer XML update was how to map these textures on the building based on the settings you enter. That is needed to make the proper preview picture as well of course.

[JonPatch]

The relevant textures are (in Flight Simulator 9\Texture)

LargeAirport.bmp
LargeAirport_lm.bmp
MediumAirport.bmp
MediumAirport_lm.bmp
SmallAirport.bmp
SmallAirport_lm.bmp

Jon

[Helli]

Hi, all of you!

Thanks for the information.
I started experimenting already and it looks interesting, to phrase it cautiously.
(My wife, when loosing a game of bridge - which does not happen very often -, always claims: "but it was an interesting hand").

I found out, that the texture numbers above 85 are repetitive i.e. 86=92=98=110=116 and so forth.
I'll report more of my results.

By the way, I cannot find the textures for Windows numbers 85 - 102 either.
The texture folders does in fact contain more "_w"-textures than are used for the numbers 4 - 84, but a first glance did not show any correspondence.

I'll keep trying.

Thanks again

Helli

[JonPatch]

Thanks for looking at this, Helli. And good memory, Doug!

Jon