• Which the release of FS2020 we see an explosition of activity on the forun and of course we are very happy to see this. But having all questions about FS2020 in one forum becomes a bit messy. So therefore we would like to ask you all to use the following guidelines when posting your questions:

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    By following these guidelines we make sure that the forums remain easy to read for everybody and also that the right people can find your post to answer it.

Creating free 1/3 arc-second mesh for US and need some guidance

Right-click the layer.
Select export and left-click Save As.

On the Save As popup, choose your folder and name. On CRS, left-click on the globe and search for WGS 84, then click OK at the bottom of the popup. Done
 
Hi Chris:

To supplement what Dick posted above... ;)


You may wish to review the QGIS User Guide:

https://docs.qgis.org/testing/en/docs/user_manual/



A QGIS documentation query for topics involving the word "Reproject" is here:

https://docs.qgis.org/testing/en/search.html?q=reproject&check_keywords=yes&area=default



Of particular initial interest may be:

7.1. Lesson: Reprojecting and Transforming Data

https://docs.qgis.org/testing/en/do...project#ls-reprojecting-and-transforming-data


...and:


18.6. CRSs. Reprojecting

https://docs.qgis.org/testing/en/do...rs.html?highlight=reproject#crss-reprojecting




You may also find this useful when you begin working with multiple source data sets for this project:

18. The QGIS processing guide

https://docs.qgis.org/testing/en/do...highlight=reproject#the-qgis-processing-guide



QGIS Documentation "SEARCH" queries may be conducted here:

https://docs.qgis.org/testing/en/search.html?q=reproject&check_keywords=yes&area=default



QGIS documentation regarding 'External' Plugins is here:

https://docs.qgis.org/testing/en/docs/user_manual/plugins/plugins.html#managing-plugins


Hope this helps a bit a more with understanding QGIS. :)

GaryGB
 
Last edited:
Oh my gosh... two-plus weeks of searching forums, videos, manuals... it can't be that simple, can it?

Thank you gentlemen!!! Will post results (or the next roadblock I run into) shortly. One more obstacle out of the way and will hopefully have some lovely scenery bits to share soon!

Chris
 
One more thing, although the data should be NAD83, QGIS is interpreting them as an unknown CRS. I do get a nice black-and-white raster which disappears when I reproject to WGS84. Metadata does survive the process but won't go through the GeoTIF to INF conversion.

Below is the USGS TIF file's data found in QGIS layer properties; maybe someone else can make more sense out of this than I can. Additionally, I switched from a relatively flat terrain in Missouri to Lake Tahoe, California. That way I can more easily see the difference between original mesh and my high-definition scenery.

Thanks,
Chris

CRSUnknown CRS: BOUNDCRS[SOURCECRS[GEOGCRS["NAD83",DATUM["North American Datum 1983",ELLIPSOID["GRS 1980",6378137,298.257222101004,LENGTHUNIT["metre",1]]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0,ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],CS[ellipsoidal,2],AXIS["geodetic latitude (Lat)",north,ORDER[1],ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],AXIS["geodetic longitude (Lon)",east,ORDER[2],ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],ID["EPSG",4269]]],TARGETCRS[GEOGCRS["WGS 84",DATUM["World Geodetic System 1984",ELLIPSOID["WGS 84",6378137,298.257223563,LENGTHUNIT["metre",1]]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0,ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],CS[ellipsoidal,2],AXIS["geodetic latitude (Lat)",north,ORDER[1],ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],AXIS["geodetic longitude (Lon)",east,ORDER[2],ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],USAGE[SCOPE["unknown"],AREA["World"],BBOX[-90,-180,90,180]],ID["EPSG",4326]]],ABRIDGEDTRANSFORMATION["Transformation to WGS84",METHOD["Position Vector transformation (geog2D domain)",ID["EPSG",9606]],PARAMETER["X-axis translation",0,ID["EPSG",8605]],PARAMETER["Y-axis translation",0,ID["EPSG",8606]],PARAMETER["Z-axis translation",0,ID["EPSG",8607]],PARAMETER["X-axis rotation",0,ID["EPSG",8608]],PARAMETER["Y-axis rotation",0,ID["EPSG",8609]],PARAMETER["Z-axis rotation",0,ID["EPSG",8610]],PARAMETER["Scale difference",1,ID["EPSG",8611]]]] - Projected
Extent-121.0005555561930066,37.9994444435072012 : -119.9994444440049932,39.0005555565945983
Unitdegrees
Width10812
Height10812
Data typeFloat32 - Thirty two bit floating point
GDAL Driver DescriptionGTiff
GDAL Driver MetadataGeoTIFF
 
crushnik said:
One more thing, although the data should be NAD83, QGIS is interpreting them as an unknown CRS.

I do get a nice black-and-white raster which disappears when I reproject to WGS84. Metadata does survive the process but won't go through the GeoTIF to INF conversion.

Below is the USGS TIF file's data found in QGIS layer properties; maybe someone else can make more sense out of this than I can. Additionally, I switched from a relatively flat terrain in Missouri to Lake Tahoe, California. That way I can more easily see the difference between original mesh and my high-definition scenery.

Thanks,
Chris

< Table not included in quote >
Click to expand...

Hi Chris:

You are merely seeing the internal Metadata for the GIS data file in the format that it is distributed by ex: USGS; change it to EPSG:4326.


Blank workspace task sessions of most GIS applications open a data file in the GIS projection format (CRS / SRS) specified by its Metadata.

Normally, all subsequent GIS data files opened into that work-space configuration display in the same CRS as the first such data file opened.


If you follow Dick's steps specified above you will re-project the source data to EPSG:4326 when it is written out to disk by QGIS. :pushpin:


FYI: These (2) source files were exported by QGIS as Dick specified above; note they are now properly formatted for use with SDK Resample

FILENAME=[path]\USGS_13_n38w090_EPSG-4326.tif
DESCRIPTION=USGS_13_n38w090_EPSG-4326.tif
UPPER LEFT X=-90.0005092597
UPPER LEFT Y=38.0005092597
LOWER RIGHT X=-88.9994907413
LOWER RIGHT Y=36.9994907413
WEST LONGITUDE=90° 00' 01.8333" W
NORTH LATITUDE=38° 00' 01.8333" N
EAST LONGITUDE=88° 59' 58.1667" W
SOUTH LATITUDE=36° 59' 58.1667" N
UL CORNER LONGITUDE=90° 00' 01.8333" W
UL CORNER LATITUDE=38° 00' 01.8333" N
UR CORNER LONGITUDE=88° 59' 58.1667" W
UR CORNER LATITUDE=38° 00' 01.8333" N
LR CORNER LONGITUDE=88° 59' 58.1667" W
LR CORNER LATITUDE=36° 59' 58.1667" N
LL CORNER LONGITUDE=90° 00' 01.8333" W
LL CORNER LATITUDE=36° 59' 58.1667" N
PROJ_DESC=Geographic (Latitude/Longitude) / WGS84 / arc degrees
PROJ_DATUM=WGS84
PROJ_UNITS=arc degrees
EPSG_CODE=EPSG:4326
COVERED AREA=9837.7 sq km
GDAL_NO_DATA_VALUE=-999999
NUM COLUMNS=10812
NUM ROWS=10812
NUM BANDS=1
PIXEL WIDTH=0.0000926 arc degrees
PIXEL HEIGHT=0.0000926 arc degrees
MIN ELEVATION=-2.5 meters
MAX ELEVATION=313.873 meters
ELEVATION UNITS=meters
BIT DEPTH=32
SAMPLE TYPE=32-bit Floating Point
GEOG_CITATION=WGS 84
PHOTOMETRIC=Greyscale (Min is Black)
BIT_DEPTH=32
SAMPLE_FORMAT=Floating Point
ROWS_PER_STRIP=1
COMPRESSION=None
PIXEL_SCALE=( 0.00009259259258, 0.00009259259258, 1 )
TIEPOINTS=( 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 ) --> ( -90.0005555560, 38.0005555560, 0.0000000000 )
MODEL_TYPE=Geographic lat-long system
RASTER_TYPE=Pixel is Area
VERT_DATUM=None Specified


FILENAME=[path]\USGS_13_n38w091_EPSG-4326.tif
DESCRIPTION=USGS_13_n38w091_EPSG-4326.tif
UPPER LEFT X=-91.0005092597
UPPER LEFT Y=38.0005092597
LOWER RIGHT X=-89.9994907363
LOWER RIGHT Y=36.9994907363
WEST LONGITUDE=91° 00' 01.8333" W
NORTH LATITUDE=38° 00' 01.8333" N
EAST LONGITUDE=89° 59' 58.1667" W
SOUTH LATITUDE=36° 59' 58.1667" N
UL CORNER LONGITUDE=91° 00' 01.8333" W
UL CORNER LATITUDE=38° 00' 01.8333" N
UR CORNER LONGITUDE=89° 59' 58.1667" W
UR CORNER LATITUDE=38° 00' 01.8333" N
LR CORNER LONGITUDE=89° 59' 58.1667" W
LR CORNER LATITUDE=36° 59' 58.1667" N
LL CORNER LONGITUDE=91° 00' 01.8333" W
LL CORNER LATITUDE=36° 59' 58.1667" N
PROJ_DESC=Geographic (Latitude/Longitude) / WGS84 / arc degrees
PROJ_DATUM=WGS84
PROJ_UNITS=arc degrees
EPSG_CODE=EPSG:4326
COVERED AREA=9837.7 sq km
GDAL_NO_DATA_VALUE=-999999
NUM COLUMNS=10812
NUM ROWS=10812
NUM BANDS=1
PIXEL WIDTH=0.0000926 arc degrees
PIXEL HEIGHT=0.0000926 arc degrees
MIN ELEVATION=92.463 meters
MAX ELEVATION=539.919 meters
ELEVATION UNITS=meters
BIT DEPTH=32
SAMPLE TYPE=32-bit Floating Point
GEOG_CITATION=WGS 84
PHOTOMETRIC=Greyscale (Min is Black)
BIT_DEPTH=32
SAMPLE_FORMAT=Floating Point
ROWS_PER_STRIP=1
COMPRESSION=None
PIXEL_SCALE=( 0.00009259259304, 0.00009259259304, 1 )
TIEPOINTS=( 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 ) --> ( -91.0005555560, 38.0005555560, 0.0000000000 )
MODEL_TYPE=Geographic lat-long system
RASTER_TYPE=Pixel is Area
VERT_DATUM=None Specified


Color Hill Shader View in Global Mapper:

0t3_marble_hill_30-meter_usgs_dems_gm-1-jpg.57682



Above cited 1/3 Arc Second USGS DEMs draped with ESRI ArcGIS World Imagery in Global Mapper - 3D Viewer: 0T3

0t3_marble_hill_30-meter_usgs_dems_world_imagery_gm-1-jpg.57703


Hope this helps. :)

GaryGB
 

Attachments

  • 0T3_Marble_Hill_30-Meter_USGS_DEMs_GM-1.jpg
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  • 0T3_Marble_Hill_30-Meter_USGS_DEMs_World_Imagery_GM-1.jpg
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Last edited:
I see what I did wrong when I tried Dick's simple steps above and I think I got it! Tweaked the generated INF file, did the resample, looks good in tmfviewer (what a relief to see that what looked like missing data was just white mountain peaks when I zoomed in)... Trying to add our new mesh to the sim now!
 
2020-5-10_9-44-39-89.jpg

Before, south of Lake Tahoe, Calif. Tesselation set to ultra, mesh detail set to 10 in P3Dv4
 
2020-5-10_9-43-40-246.jpg

After.

Putting in several weeks of scouring and learning into this project, it's hard to be objective and say it is a success... There is definitely more complexity in the scenery, but I don't know if:
a) I have my settings optimized to show the full potential of the new terrain;
b) why the terrain seems to pop up or down the closer you get to it;
and c) whether the massive amount of hard drive capacity required for something that doesn't make a terrific improvement over (what I seem to remember is) stock 38m mesh justifies the project. Thoughts?
 
I think the new terrain coupled with smoother highways and water shapefiles would make for a much happier simulator experience, but for the time being, I am going to stick with mass-producing 1-degree tiles until I have something I can release as freeware for the community.

Thank you immensely for your help, and any input would be greatly appreciated!
Chris
 
Hi Chris:

FS terrain sliders to enable proper display of 10 Meter terrain mesh BGLs are:

TMVL / Terrain Mesh Complexity / Tessellation = 100 %

Terrain Mesh Resolution = 5 Meters (not 10-Meters) :alert:


If you post an example *.INF file I can comment further. ;)



<SDK Resample output = actually 9.6 Meters; one must enable at least (1) LOD / QMID level higher resolution to enable display> :pushpin:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/flattens.425495/post-633002


GaryGB
 
Last edited:
[Source]
Type=TIFF
Layer=Elevation
SourceDir="."
SourceFile="N39W121.tif"
PixelIsPoint=0
NullCellValue=-32767
[Destination]
DestDir="."
DesFileType=BGL
DestBaseFileName="N39W121"
LOD=Auto
 
crushnik said:
[Source]
Type=TIFF
Layer=Elevation
SourceDir="."
SourceFile="N39W121.tif"
PixelIsPoint=0
NullCellValue=-32767
[Destination]
DestDir="."
DesFileType=BGL
DestBaseFileName="N39W121"
LOD=Auto
Click to expand...

Hi Chris:

Please try this instead for your *.INF file: ;)

[Source]
Type=GeoTIFF
Layer=Elevation
SourceDir="."
SourceFile="N39W121.tif"
PixelIsPoint=0
NullValue=-32767

[Destination]
DestDir="."
DesFileType=BGL
DestBaseFileName="N39W121"
CompressionQuality=100
LOD= Auto
FractionBits= 3


NOTE: The SDK docs state: :pushpin:

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv4/sdk/world/terrain/terrain_overview.html#Source Parameters

Type=TIFFFor TIFF imagery that does not have GeoTIFF Geo-referencing tags


The files QGIS exports as described above, are 32-Bit Floating Point GeoTIFF elevation DEMs. :idea:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/t...-us-and-need-some-guidance.447467/post-843821


If the GeoTIFF parameter Type is used, SDK Resample will then read GIS projection data and coordinates from Geo-referencing tags. :wizard:


FYI: PixelIsPoint=0 is the same as PixelIsArea=1

RFC 33: GTiff - Fixing PixelIsPoint Interpretation — GDAL documentation

gdal.org gdal.org


IIUC, incorrect use of these parameters is what happened to terrain in FS2002 / FS2004 ...offset by 1/2 pixel at data resolution of source. :yikes:


[EDITED]

BTW: IIRC, NullCellValue "may" not still be honored by P3Dv4.x et seq. SDK Resample; I'll have to test that first, so use NullValue instead.

[END_EDIT]

GaryGB
 
Last edited:
GaryGB,
You have made my wildest dreams come true!!! Also a big thank you to Dick (rhumbaflappy).

Chris
 
When hosting the data on the website, should I include just the BGL, or do I also include the INF and TIF? I've got about half of California done so it's about time to start sharing.

Chris
 
Hi Chris:

Have you verified in SDK TMFViewer, that the SDK Resample BGL output yields a multi-LOD range from at least 2 or 3 ...up to LOD-12 ? :scratchch


https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/mesh-priority-and-qgis-advice-needed.440422/post-775373

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/mesh-priority-and-qgis-advice-needed.440422/post-775468


If so, you need not include the source GeoTiff and *.INF files.


I recommend naming each BGL for the Geographic extent of the USGS source file used by Resample ex: N38W090.bgl, N38W091.bgl etc. :pushpin:


GaryGB
 
Not including the TIF will make the file size much more manageable. And your suggestion is exactly the format I have - and the entire state of California is about finished. I use the Scenery Library to add my files, so I have control and can verify that the scenery did in fact load by checking against the stock scenery by pausing and disabling/re-enabling the layer. But is there a more user-friendly way for users to install the scenery, so users will be less likely to run into problems? I am making a fool-proof set of instructions to prevent people from having headaches and not getting to enjoy the product.

Chris
 
Hi Chris:

Although most FS users who use add-ons probably already can un-ZIP and follow a ReadMe to add folder Areas to the Scenery Library GUI, the future of P3D compels use of the 'Addon-XML' method; and I do not know whether L-M has fixed the bugs with that P3D sub-system yet.


AFAIK, most freeware / some payware ...is distributed with the free version of ClickTeam's Installer, which IIUC, does not raise security flags. :idea:

Clickteam - Install Creator 2

Development software for creating video games, tools and apps.
www.clickteam.com www.clickteam.com


PS: Assuming your installer always allows the end user to choose their own custom install path, your "product" may then be well-received. ;)


GaryGB
 
Last edited:
Website is up, and processing the 1-degree scenery tiles going so quickly that I planned on releasing California to the community today... but at 37N121W QGIS gives me this message:

Capture.JPG


I tried setting the project to both No CRS projection prior to adding the raster layer and to NAD83. Both ways give me the above message when I try to convert to WGS84. When I go ahead and use the regular WGS84 I get this message: "Used a ballpark transform from EPSG:4269 to EPSG:4326" Also I noticed the projection options include one for California north of 36.5 degrees north and one for 36.5 degrees south. Does this problem come from the fact that this tile contains data that is both above and below 36.5? I wouldn't think so because the 37N122W tile gave me no issues.

Additionally, is there a way to smooth out the plateaus where the airport polygon sits? The high-definition scenery is terrific but airports stick out like sore thumbs now. And there are about a million airports in California, so it would probably take an army to tackle each airport individually.
 
Last edited:
crushnik said:
Website is up, and processing the 1-degree scenery tiles going so quickly that I planned on releasing California to the community today... but at 37N121W QGIS gives me this message:

View attachment 57756

I tried setting the project to both No CRS projection prior to adding the raster layer and to NAD83. Both ways give me the above message when I try to convert to WGS84. When I go ahead and use the regular WGS84 I get this message: "Used a ballpark transform from EPSG:4269 to EPSG:4326" Also I noticed the projection options include one for California north of 36.5 degrees north and one for 36.5 degrees south. Does this problem come from the fact that this tile contains data that is both above and below 36.5? I wouldn't think so because the 37N122W tile gave me no issues.
Click to expand...

What is the download URL for the 1/3 Arc Second 37N121W tile data source you used above in QGIS ? :scratchch


IIUC, you are referring to this elevation DEM tile:

https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Elevation/13/TIFF/n37w121/USGS_13_n37w121.tif


Here is the Metadata for that elevation DEM tile when loaded / viewed in Global Mapper

FILENAME=[path]\USGS_13_n37w121.tif
DESCRIPTION=USGS_13_n37w121.tif
UPPER LEFT X=-121.0005092593
UPPER LEFT Y=37.0005092593
LOWER RIGHT X=-119.9994907407
LOWER RIGHT Y=35.9994907407
WEST LONGITUDE=121.00050926° W
NORTH LATITUDE=37.00050926° N
EAST LONGITUDE=119.99949074° W
SOUTH LATITUDE=35.99949074° N
UL CORNER LONGITUDE=121.00050926° W
UL CORNER LATITUDE=37.00050926° N
UR CORNER LONGITUDE=119.99949074° W
UR CORNER LATITUDE=37.00050926° N
LR CORNER LONGITUDE=119.99949074° W
LR CORNER LATITUDE=35.99949074° N
LL CORNER LONGITUDE=121.00050926° W
LL CORNER LATITUDE=35.99949074° N
PROJ_DESC=Geographic (Latitude/Longitude) / NAD83 / arc degrees
PROJ_DATUM=NAD83
PROJ_UNITS=arc degrees
EPSG_CODE=EPSG:4269
COVERED AREA=9968.6 sq km
LOAD TIME=11.31 s
GDAL_NO_DATA_VALUE=-999999
NUM COLUMNS=10812
NUM ROWS=10812
NUM BANDS=1
PIXEL WIDTH=0.0000926 arc degrees
PIXEL HEIGHT=0.0000926 arc degrees
MIN ELEVATION=31.472 us-ft
MAX ELEVATION=1600.865 us-ft
ELEVATION UNITS=FEET
BIT DEPTH=32
SAMPLE TYPE=32-bit Floating Point
GEOG_CITATION=NAD83
PHOTOMETRIC=Greyscale (Min is Black)
BIT_DEPTH=32
SAMPLE_FORMAT=Floating Point
TILE_WIDTH=256
TILE_HEIGHT=256
COMPRESSION=LZW
PIXEL_SCALE=( 0.00009259259259, 0.00009259259259, 1.0 )
TIEPOINTS=( 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 ) --> ( -121.0005555556, 37.0005555556, 0.0000000000 )
MODEL_TYPE=Geographic lat-long system
RASTER_TYPE=Pixel is Area
OVERVIEW 1=Pixel Size: 5406 x 5406
OVERVIEW 2=Pixel Size: 2703 x 2703
OVERVIEW 3=Pixel Size: 1352 x 1352
OVERVIEW 4=Pixel Size: 676 x 676
OVERVIEW 5=Pixel Size: 338 x 338
GeoTIFF::GeographicTypeGeoKey=4269
GeoTIFF::GeogAngularUnitsGeoKey=9102


crushnik said:
Additionally, is there a way to smooth out the plateaus where the airport polygon sits? The high-definition scenery is terrific but airports stick out like sore thumbs now. And there are about a million airports in California, so it would probably take an army to tackle each airport individually.
Click to expand...

IMHO, airport elevation correction is the responsibility of developers who customize airports, and not terrain mesh developers. :stirthepo


The default Airport Background (aka "Boundary") polygon should correct most airfields on plateaus and in trenches, and for those who want more detailed and accurate airfield blending into surrounding terrain, there are already payware "Airfield Elevation Correction" products which are available for purchase.

We must also keep in mind that P3Dv5 users now have the ability to have sloped airport objects that are navigable by AI and Ground Vehicle Traffic, so there is no longer a need to ensure that airport surfaces are "level" as was the case in prior versions of P3D, FSX, and FS2Kx.

So, now there is work to be done (and a market ! ) for airports in P3Dv5 with navigable surfaces sloped to match the real world. ;)

Terrain mesh is modified by CVX vector sloped flattens; anyone can easily make their own corrections. :idea:

GaryGB
 
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