Experimenting - but need some advice re:tagging and excludes

[JCFH]

I have started a fairly large scale project - redrawing Lake Van - the default version being wrongly located (typical MS sloppyness).

To start I have chosen a section at the East of the Lake, close to the Van airfield. I have created a polygon with an ocean/large lake tag. I have created a multi-polygon bgl. with excludes for the four types of default LC. I have also created a flatten area extending across the original polygon.

When used default LC (but different) still shows through onto the new polygon.

1) Something must be wrong with the exclude file - please advise?

2) Do I need to created a new shoreline polygon and file?

3) Can one create one exlude polygon with multiple exclude directives? If so why not?

I would be greatful for some help with this excellent tool. All I wait for is an FSX update to Jim Keir's LWMViewer2. Has anyone heard whether this might be forthcoming? I find EZ-Landclass a wholly unsatisfactory tool from a user point of view!

Many thanks!

jcfh

 

[JCFH]

Further questions?

There has been mention of a video tutorial. Can someone tell me where to download this?

Also (most interesting) - do you think this tool can be adapted to create photoscenery polygons? ie create polygon and attach satelite image to it, then use the same bgl build?

All thoughts or answers welcome!!

JCFH

 

[fametis]

Re:

Hello (sorry for my english)
I think that if you see the default landclass, you didn't put the correct exclusion tag. As you see there are several exclusion tags for same kind of LC. Try a different one... They are also general exclusion tags as "exclude water poly"...

For the Shorelines, yes you have to exclude the default ones, then create a new, tip: copy your water poly, change the name and tag it with a soreline tag for lake or ocean (add coral coast and waves). Then you'll have the shore matching your lake perfectly.

If you want to compile all exclusions in one file, you need to create a folder in googleearth put all your exclusion poly inside, save the folder "name.kml" then build the bgl from that file with fsx_kml.

That's it
PS: EZ-Landclass is the only tool I found to change water color easily

 

[Mace]

I have started a fairly large scale project - redrawing Lake Van

Now there is a neat area in FS to redraw. I flew there once going round-the-world and it was some of the neatest scenery I saw...Lake Van.

To start I have chosen a section at the East of the Lake, close to the Van airfield. I have created a polygon with an ocean/large lake tag. I have created a multi-polygon bgl. with excludes for the four types of default LC. I have also created a flatten area extending across the original polygon.

I did a similar thing to Lake Nicaragua. Here's what I did:

1) exclude the default hydro polys, and exclude the default shorelines.
2) draw correct polys using GoogleEarth, save as kml.
3) Open in FS_KML. Apply the hydro tag that flattens and excludes autogen. I can't offhand remember which one that is, but it will be the same one Microsoft used for their lake (you can tell which one they used by loading the default bgl file in TMFViewer).
4) build your kml
5) make sure your new bgl is active in scenery library, and you're golden

Here's a more detailed explanation:

1) open TMFViewer and load in SCENERY/0303/cvxx2528.bgl. That is Lake Nicaragua which I did, but of course in your case you would open a different bgl. At any rate, now you can see the default hydro poly features for Lake Van. You want this information, because you want to do an EXCLUDE to drain out the default lake Van. TMFViewer will give you the coordinates to put in your exclude. Here is the key bit of information: ** If you have, for example, six hydro polys in your default lake, all you need to do to exclude them, is draw an exclusion rectangle that only TOUCHES those six hydro polys.** You MUST exclude using the SAME GUID (GUID=TAG for our purposes) that Microsoft applied to those polys. TMViewer will tell you what this guid is. Do that, and default Van will be gone, lock stock and barrel. You do not need to exclude the default Van hydro polys by going around them or whatever. I do not feel it is good design practice to draw gigantic excludes. Just exclude what you need to.[/QUOTE]

When used default LC (but different) still shows through onto the new polygon.

You have wrong tag applied to your poly then. I used the same tag Microsoft did for their Lake Nicaragua, and it worked great.

1) Something must be wrong with the exclude file - please advise?

It works, but I have found that you cannot get too creative with multi-sided exclusion polys. For some reason rectangles work easiest and best. I think this issue may be related to how GoogleEarth saves it's kml poly coordiates.

2) Do I need to created a new shoreline polygon and file?

You can if you want. I have not for my little project, in part because I am not sure if I like the look of the shorelines, and I am also thinking making shorelines would be a major pain.

3) Can one create one exlude polygon with multiple exclude directives? If so why not?

Not sure what you mean by "directives". If you mean multi sided, see my comment above. Oh wait, I think I see what you mean. Hm, if you wanted to exclude, say, hydros, and also roads, then the way I would do it is define a rectangle touching the hydro poly I wanted to exclude out. Then, I would (in notepad) copy the same code but change the tag to Exclude_Roads_Asphalt_2_Lanes_ etc. whatever the appropriate tag is.

I would be greatful for some help with this excellent tool. All I wait for is an FSX update to Jim Keir's LWMViewer2. Has anyone heard whether this might be forthcoming? I find EZ-Landclass a wholly unsatisfactory tool from a user point of view!

EZ-Landclass is best for tweaking small areas of land/waterclass. It's not really ideal for doing large areas.