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Can't get SBuilderX 64 bit to work

jgarnold

jgarnold

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australia
Firstly disregard the title of this thread.
When I first installed the 64 bit version it would not work so I uninstalled all of SBuilderX and then reinstalled 313 to a NON C: drive (I use Windows 7 and remembered reading that some applications aren't "happy" being installed on the C: drive using Windows 7 - pity the readme doesn't point this out).

The only other original text in my thread is as follows -

Lastly I had been trying to use background satellite imagery earlier but I could not get the satellite map to scroll across the page so that I could zoom in on an area of the west coast of USA (which is on the left of the world map initially displayed). When I zoom in it zooms in on Spain which is in the middle. How do I get it to zoom in on West USA?
 
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You can Pan the display with your mouse by holding down the scroll wheel.

Also, you can go to View > Go to Position... and enter your desired lat/lon. Do this before hitting F1.

Another method is to link SBuilderX to FSX via FSUIPC. You can then go to your desired location in the sim, start SBuilderX, then View > Show Aircraft.

This is all covered, by the way, in the SBuilderX Help.

cheers,
Lane
 
Thanks Lane.

I did look at the help file but did not see that (scrolling) and I just looked again and still could not see it.
A strange method to use (hold scroll wheel down). I had been trying holding the right mouse key down which obviously doesn't work.

I have a couple of issues with SBuilderX.
When I attempted to look at a particular page in the help file my PC ended up freezing, just showing the hour glass and I had to kill the process. Not sure if this is associated with the 64 bit version which I am now using.

Also even though I have created an 'association' between an old project I have and SBuilderX it all seems to work but after double clicking on my project file SBuilderX opens but my project is not displayed and I have to load it manually.

Thanks for the other tips. Much appreciated.
 
Hmmm, no problems with the Help here.

As for the file association, SBuilderX has to be coded properly for that to work and it may not be.

Glad those other tips helped.

cheers,
Lane
 
Hello:

SBuilder's "start location" defaults to Portugal where the author, Luís Vieira de Sá, resides, and for which he developed "SceneryBuilder" (aka "SBuilder") to assist with making his own Portugal FS scenery years ago.

http://www.ptsim.com/

http://www.co.it.pt/~luis/


BTW: The author of SBuilder is to be distinguished from Luis Feliz-Tirado, noted creator of numerous tutorials for SBuilder, co-creator of the "Modified Terrain.Cfg" file with Richard Ludowise, as well as having been moderator of the AVSIM scenery design forum for many years, and now of SBuilder support forum at PTSIM (to mention only few of his many outstanding and very generous contributions to the FS Community).


FYI: Although manually entering the "Go To Position" coordinates and/or using SBuilder when 'connected' to a live FS flight session via FSUIPC can certainly help in many cases, IMHO, it is preferable to also change the Geographic coordinates of that default "start location" in the SBuilder "initialization" file, as that helps SBuilder to 'manually' zoom / pan / scroll properly when working with displayed scenery content within its work-space.

Otherwise, the Geographic extent to which one is able to successfully 'manually' zoom / pan / scroll is limited when working with displayed scenery content within SBuilder's work-space, and the requested area one attempts to visualize may not stay in view, as the work-space "background" keeps shifting back to a position closer to the default Geographic coordinates for a "central start location" specified within the SBuilder.Ini file. ;)


To do this, one must edit the pertinent lines in the SBuilder.Ini file to set the center of the Map background at the Geographic center of your own project area rather than the default one in Portugal via: :idea:

SBuilder Menu > Edit > Preferences > click [INI File] button < file opens in Windows NotePad >

[Main]
LonIniCenter=-9.136076 <-- Your project's central Longitude goes here
LatIniCenter= 38.7813203 <-- Your project's central Latitude goes here
DecimalDegrees=True
MeasuringMeters=True
BGLFolder=C:\MyPrograms\SBuilderX314\Scenery <-- Your project's compiled BGL 'active' \Scenery folder path goes here
OriginalTerrainCFG=False


1.) When configuration of your SBuilderX project is completed via editing "SBuilder.ini" in Windows NotePad:

.....a.) In Windows NotePad Menu > File > Save As... > "Save as type" field, set to "All Files (*.*)" (do not click OK yet)

.....b.) In NotePad Menu > File > Save As... > "Save In" field, browse to [SBuilderX install path] folder; double-click to select it


2.) Back in NotePad Menu > File > Save As... browse dialog, click "OK"

.....a.) When prompted to over-write Sbuilder.ini, click "YES" to save your edits to that file.


3.) Exit and re-start SBuilderX (...or the above changes will not yet take effect)


PS: Regarding the Help file freezes, be certain that FS, FS SDK, and SBuilder are all installed properly with Windows Administrative permission levels for the current Windows User account profile to the physical local computer in sub-folder locations below the root of (any) physical hard drive letter (not "copied" or 'linked' from another User Account folder chain or computer on a LAN).

Also, the SBuilderX shortcut must be edited to "Run as Administrator" on either the Compatibility or Security tab to elevate the intended /required User permission level.


NOTE: 'Some' images and sections on pages in the Help CHM file are not local to that file, and are instead linked to remote content on web pages at the PTSIM site, portions of which may now be offline; thus it is possible a search may be taking place for a 'dead' URL before the Help engine internal browser fails or (rarely, if ever) ...reports missing content.


Additionally, IIUC, one must be certain that on the computer running SBuilder, that application has full access to the internet via the Windows Firewall rules for the Help CHM file to work when it is launched as a child process of SBuilder via the "Help" Menu system.


Ideally, FS, FS SDK, and SBuilder would each be installed (for "all" Windows Users) to the physical local computer in sub-folder locations below the root of (any) physical hard drive letter, rather than in the Windows Program Files (x86) sub-folder chain ...to minimize the number of "gotchas" incurred by Windows over-protective restriction on file reads / writes arising from separate security mechanisms above and beyond UAC (even when UAC is already disabled).


Hope this helps a bit more ! :)

GaryGB
 
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Thanks Gary,

I did create a project 3 years ago to exclude hydro polygons and add islands (where they didn't exist in stock FSX), water, and shorelines and I accidentally created my polygons etc about a mile south of where they should be and thought I should fix that.

I think that was before I upgraded to Windows 7 and things were easier then although not as safe.

Not sure if SBuilderX has a feature like ADE Pro does where you can move everything in a project to another location which would make it easy.

I seem to be having trouble getting background satellite images using GoogleEarth. I set my preferences to GoogleEarth and tick 'Use Google Satellite' then choose View>Background (or press F1 key)

I can see the backgound image of earth when the zoom level is 0, 1 or 2 but any higher and it disappears.

When I change the zoom level higher I see in the bottom left of the window (..tiles remaining) Downloading from Google Satellite with the number ... decreasing quickly down to 1 but nothing appears.
I have tried setting LOD and QMID grid to various settings (still trying to remember how these fit in) and still no background image.

I only have an ADSL+2 connection now and wonder if that is the problem?
 
jgarnold said:
Not sure if SBuilderX has a feature like ADE Pro does where you can move everything in a project to another location which would make it easy.?
Click to expand...

In SBuilder, one can select 1 or more vertices for poly-lines, entire poly-lines and/or entire polygons, and even "select all" poly-lines and polygons, then move them within the work-space (ex: on top of a 'viewed' aerial imagery background). :pushpin:


jgarnold said:
I seem to be having trouble getting background satellite images using GoogleEarth. I set my preferences to GoogleEarth and tick 'Use Google Satellite' then choose View>Background (or press F1 key)

I can see the backgound image of earth when the zoom level is 0, 1 or 2 but any higher and it disappears.

When I change the zoom level higher I see in the bottom left of the window (..tiles remaining) Downloading from Google Satellite with the number ... decreasing quickly down to 1 but nothing appears.

I have tried setting LOD and QMID grid to various settings (still trying to remember how these fit in) and still no background image.

I only have an ADSL+2 connection now and wonder if that is the problem?
Click to expand...

In SBuilder, when one gets delays and total failures to write aerial imagery tiles into the 'composite' image background at any Zoom level, it is very likely that portions of the aerial imagery tiles which make of that composite image ...have changed URLs within the massive network of servers used to serve those tiles otherwise downloaded by the "Get Tiles" utility functions in SBuilder.

These web tile server DLLs used by SBuilder to download aerial imagery tiles have thus far been very generously provided through the ongoing efforts of Richard Ludowise (aka "rhumbaflappy"), and the latest such files can be found here:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/new-googleserver-dll.19913/page-2


That latest DLL replaces a existing DLL by the same name ...within the SBuilder sub-folder chain at: ;)

[SBuilderX314 install path]\Tiles\GoogleServer.dll


Note also, that the optional display in SBuilder of on-screen LOD and QMID grids is only for visual 'reference' purposes, and does not directly impact any scenery content that one is working with in the SBuilder work-space, nor does it affect the SBuilder aerial imagery tile download mechanism.


PS: Your ADSL2+ broadband should be quite adequate, AFAIK, as most internet servers rarely provide time slice durations and/or file access for downloads ...at speeds that make use of more than a fraction of even slower broadband connections.


Hope this helps ! :)


GaryGB
 
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Thanks again Gary

Fabulous (select all to move).

Also I have downloaded the latest GoogleEarth dlls

I downloaded all available versions (at the linked site) and started installing (copying the dll for [SBuilderX_x86] as SBX is installed under [Program Files (x86)] and SBX crashed.

I then tried installed the dll from the [programs64] as I remembered that the [Program Files (x86) is for 32 bit OS.
It's a pity that the 64 bit version of SBX didn't do a fresh install into the correct [Program Files] folder.

Now that I have the correct (for my OS) version of the dll installed I can now zoom.


I now have a different problem.

I am trying to add points (vertices) to existing polygons and lines and try as I may I just cannot work out how to do it.

Tried holding down the Shift and then the Ctrl key while I clicked (left and right) on the edge after selecting it it just would not add a point (vertice).
I searched on this forum and found http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/adding-vertex-to-an-existing-polygon.89608/someone asking the same question and one reply stated Select the polygon and then select polygon mode then Hold down the I key and click in the edge. That worked. But why so difficult to find out!

SBuilderX is great especially creating islands and photorealistic backgrounds but not very intuitive and there is a lack of tutorials.
Another annoyance is that if you make changes and exit the program without saving the project there is NO WARNING.
Pity as it is an excellent tool.

Lastly is the default FSX scenery using LOD 9 and if my water polygon and shorelines extend onto the adjacent scenery 'TILE' should I draw two separate water polygons and shorelines of just extend the existing ones onto the adjacent tile/(LOD?) ?


Thanks


John
 
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