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Editing stock P3D water tanks

crushnik

crushnik

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539
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us-missouri
How would I go about finding and editing P3D's default scenery objects? I have added water tanks from the FAA's obstacle file, injecting different library objects based on height which accounts for whether it's a water tower or a storage tank on the ground. Many of these tanks sit right on top of existing tanks, which I would love to be able to wipe out.

Also, there are objects around an airport (0T3 in Missouri) that I can't find on Airport Design Editor that I would like to remove. Sorry if this is a terribly basic question, but I haven't been able to find a solution yet.

Thanks!
 
Hi Chris:

SBuilderX connects to FS via FSUIPC, so you can slew to the center of the 3D object datum (aka "Reference Point" aka "RefPoint") and create a Exclusion Rectangle.

In the event that the object is not successfully eradicated with a Exclusion Rectangle, it may be placed as a Autogen object, so create instead, a Exclusion Polygon.

PS: If after placing a Exclusion Rectangle in a scenery layer above the suspected source of the unwanted 3D objects, the objects still show up in FSX or P3Dv2.x or P3Dv3.x, you can use Flight1 Instant Scenery 'Labels' to ID objects that are placed as BGLComp Scenery Library objects, and quickly create a Exclusion Rectangle.


PS: One can use the "Labels" feature in Instant Scenery as explained here:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/t...ement-file-that-uses-guids.445956/post-828246


Info on use of Instant Scenery for creating Exclusion Rectangles is here:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/t...t-design-autogen-exclusion.443428/post-804752


Alternatively, you could use Whisplacer instead of Instant Scenery (AFAIK, it still works in P3Dv5.x):

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/simdirector-objects-autogen-suppression.444860/


Hope this helps. :)

GaryGB
 
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Hello Gary!

I should have mentioned that I would prefer to do this on a nation- or state-wide level if at all possible, given how many water tanks are spread across the United States.

All the great tools out there have spoiled me, and I was hoping there was a program that could extract library objects like the CVXextractor can with vectors into a table or something that I could do a mass edit on. All the varying types of churches, water towers, tanks, electric substations, and other items I've injected into my sim really make flying on enjoyable, so hopefully this is possible without manual exclusion rectangles!
 
Hi Chris:

You may wish to first consider the MS-FS2Kx/FSX/P3D "Area" sub-folder chain structure for CONUS, and explore whether there is a way (yet) to decompile P3Dv5 format APX*.BGL and OBX*.BGL BGLComp placement BGLs, to see if you might be able to extract 3D object placement info into a data base. :alert:

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv5/sdk/world/terrain/terrain_overview.html#Base File Information

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/ade-v1-20-co-mingling-obx-and-apx-data.9342/post-61937


[EDITED]

I do not have P3Dv5.x to test yet, but I would consider it likely that Arno's MCX can already decompile P3Dv5 format BGLComp XML library object placement code, and thus it is possible this special tool may be able to generate a useful work product for your latest task ...and still others yet to come. :idea:

XML placement to SHP converter​

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=ModelConverterX#XML_placement_to_SHP_converter.

I would surmise you may find numerous uses for *.SHP format object positioning data. ;)


IIRC, you may find that, one need not derive from RefPoints, calculated Geographic vertex coordinates to be used in creating contiguous "micro-exclude" Exclusion Rectangles for BGLComp XML library object placement code such as is done by ADE during import of BGLComp XML library object placement code.

Rather, one may instead be able to place a 'invisible suppression object' (such as the one by John Dutton developed for use with Instant Scenery cited in the info linked to above), at the same identical Geographic vertex coordinates as the object to be excluded and replaced.


MS-FS by default at run time, excludes BGLComp XML library object placed as Autogen if another object in a separate BGL with a higher priority is placed at the identical Geographic coordinates, unless the Geographically co-incident placement of a 'suppression object' has a pre-pended XML code element for "NoAutogenSuppression".

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDK/Environment Kit/BGL Compiler SDK/Compiling BGL.html#SceneryObject


Thus, you may merely need to distinguish those incorrectly placed default 3D scenery objects which must be replaced by an invisible suppression object (...to 'exclude' that default 3D object), and those 3D scenery objects which need to placed de Novo ...in their Geographically correct positions.


CAVEAT: I recommend that you always use 13 Decimal place precision with all GIS coordinates for Latitude / Longitude, and min. 2 Decimal place precision with Headings. :pushpin:

[END_EDIT]


Alternatively, I am not certain as to whether Little NavMap tools may also generate an intermediate work output file which contains 3D library object placement info:

www.fsdeveloper.com

Help please: decoding MSFS format airport BGLs

I'm posting this plea for any help folks can offer in decoding the MSFS format BGLs in order to extract information for use by other programs. This is so that i can make an attempt at getting my freeware utility "MakeRunways" working for MSFS. There have been many requests for this -- primarily...
www.fsdeveloper.com www.fsdeveloper.com


Extracting Autogen placement of 3D scenery objects would involve work with the Default.XML file.

GaryGB
 
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My P3D installation is coming close to looking more realistic than actually going outside, thanks to you Gary.
 
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