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In Search Of: Fsutilities aka Fsflatten

B

BkdaleFS9

Messages
31
Country
us-ohio
Morning everyone,

I have searched high and low and cannot find this program available to download anywhere. It is my understanding that it was, and is, freeware. The developer of the program has apparently moved on to other things as his website is no longer active and repeated email attempts bounce.

During my searches I became aware that some of you here have discussed this program in the past and even conversed with the author Steve Greenwood.

I am in desperate need of this program to create some flattens for a antique FS9 freeware scenery package I am putting together.

Could someone who has this program PLEASE private message me with a download link? Thank you.

James
 
Hello:

For FS9 flattens, one can use either SCASM Area 16N or LWM methods; optionally, LWM2 and LWM3 types of flattens can be made.

Arno said, regarding the difference between LWM2 and LWM3 flattens:

"As far as I am aware of the only difference between LWM2 and LWM3 is that you can give an altitude to each point of your polygon with LWM3. So that means you can also make sloped flattens. For an airport you want it to be flat in general, so then there is no difference I guess."

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/79990-lwm2-vs-lwm3-for-airport-flattens/#comment-551225


ADE v1.78x or v1.79x in FS9 mode can make and compile SCASM Area 16N flattens.

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/resources/authors/scruffyduck.851/

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/ade-1-79-7417-development-version.447374/


SBuilder for FS9 (aka "SB205") can make and compile both SCASM Area 16N and LWM flattens.

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/sbuilder-205-for-fs2004.15077/


Steve's method in FST-Flatten used Quads of more than one size to achieve better control of aliasing (aka "jagged edges") in flatten areas.

I am not aware of any website that still has FST-Flatten available to download, and do not know if / how Steve is accessible to inquiries.

[EDITED]

I am ethically compelled to not distribute anything that Steve had not yet released to- and/or 'may' now have purposely removed from- public distribution.

Steve and I discussed implementing LWM3 "sloped" flatten capability in a new release of FST-Flatten, but it was not pursued.

Thus, I mentioned all options available in ADE and SBuilder for their potential applicability to terrain scenery flatten making in FS2Kx.

[END_EDIT]


Use of SBuilder for FS9 (aka "SB205") with a LOD-23 grid overlay helps in making both SCASM Area 16N and LWM flattens less "jagged".


However, both developer and end user FS9.Cfgs must edit resolution for FS9 terrain grid to display higher than default LOD-11 resolution.

Note that this setting can be used for flattens, but not Resample SDK terrain mesh, as FS9 terrain mesh is 'capped' at 19.1 Meters / LOD-11.


A prior pertinent post on this topic:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/wanted-tool-for-create-a-flatten-bgl.327808/post-523575


More to the ("Area") point: ;)


TMVL = "TERRAIN_MAX_VERTEX_LEVEL" @ FS9.Cfg

LOD +10 = TMVL


So, for a FS9 5-Meter Terrain (vector quad grid) Resolution to be used with flatten display:

LOD-13 + 10 = TMVL @ 23

An example edited FS9.Cfg setting for a LOD-13 terrain grid:

[TERRAIN]
TERRAIN_ERROR_FACTOR=100.000000
TERRAIN_MIN_DEM_AREA=10.000000
TERRAIN_MAX_DEM_AREA=100.000000
TERRAIN_MAX_VERTEX_LEVEL=23
TERRAIN_TEXTURE_SIZE_EXP=8
TERRAIN_AUTOGEN_DENSITY=5
TERRAIN_USE_GRADIENT_MAP=1
TERRAIN_EXTENDED_TEXTURES=1
TERRAIN_DEFAULT_RADIUS=0.000000
TERRAIN_EXTENDED_RADIUS=0.000000
TERRAIN_EXTENDED_LEVELS=0

GaryGB
 
Last edited:
GaryGB said:
Hello:

For FS9 flattens, one can use either SCASM Area 16N or LWM methods; optionally, LWM2 and LWM3 types of flattens can be made.

Arno said, regarding the difference between LWM2 and LWM3 flattens:

"As far as I am aware of the only difference between LWM2 and LWM3 is that you can give an altitude to each point of your polygon with LWM3. So that means you can also make sloped flattens. For an airport you want it to be flat in general, so then there is no difference I guess."

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/79990-lwm2-vs-lwm3-for-airport-flattens/#comment-551225


ADE v1.78x or v1.79x in FS9 mode can make and compile SCASM Area 16N flattens.

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/resources/authors/scruffyduck.851/

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/ade-1-79-7417-development-version.447374/


SBuilder for FS9 (aka "SB205") can make and compile both SCASM Area 16N and LWM flattens.

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/sbuilder-205-for-fs2004.15077/


Steve's method in FST-Flatten used Quads of more than one size to achieve better control of aliasing (aka "jagged edges") in flatten areas.

I am not aware of any website that still has FST-Flatten available to download, and do not know if / how Steve is accessible to inquiries.


Use of SBuilder for FS9 (aka "SB205") with a LOD-23 grid overlay helps in making both SCASM Area 16N and LWM flattens less "jagged".


However, both developer and end user FS9.Cfgs must edit resolution for FS9 terrain grid to display higher than default LOD-11 resolution.

Note that this setting can be used for flattens, but not Resample SDK terrain mesh, as FS9 terrain mesh is 'capped' at 19.1 Meters / LOD-11.


A prior pertinent post on this topic:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/wanted-tool-for-create-a-flatten-bgl.327808/post-523575


More to the ("Area") point: ;)


TMVL = "TERRAIN_MAX_VERTEX_LEVEL" @ FS9.Cfg

LOD +10 = TMVL


So, for a FS9 5-Meter Terrain (vector quad grid) Resolution to be used with flatten display:

LOD-13 + 10 = TMVL @ 23

An example edited FS9.Cfg setting for a LOD-13 terrain grid:

[TERRAIN]
TERRAIN_ERROR_FACTOR=100.000000
TERRAIN_MIN_DEM_AREA=10.000000
TERRAIN_MAX_DEM_AREA=100.000000
TERRAIN_MAX_VERTEX_LEVEL=23
TERRAIN_TEXTURE_SIZE_EXP=8
TERRAIN_AUTOGEN_DENSITY=5
TERRAIN_USE_GRADIENT_MAP=1
TERRAIN_EXTENDED_TEXTURES=1
TERRAIN_DEFAULT_RADIUS=0.000000
TERRAIN_EXTENDED_RADIUS=0.000000
TERRAIN_EXTENDED_LEVELS=0

GaryGB
Click to expand...

Thank you. So you do not have the FSFlatten program? Hopefully someone else will. Thanks again.

James
 
Last edited:
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