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Photo real, bleah....

L

luap

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us-wyoming
Is there a method to capture the actual landclassed terrain to use as a photoreal texture to use to create the photoreal bgl which can then be annotated?

I have figured out the whole SBuilderX and Autogen Annotator thing but the background bgl I create from the satellite image stands out like a postage stamp on an envelope. The blend from FSX land class to photo real is too striking and seasonality is only going to make it worse.

Better yet, once the annotation is done, can I make the photoreal texture that I annotated, transparent?

yuk.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hi luap.

In FSX you can have the photoreal entirely transparent.

I'm guessing you used SBuilderX to make the photoreal. You need to copy the bitmap, the INF file and the BGL to a separate desktop folder. Also copy FSX' resample.exe to that folder.

The INF will be similar to this:

Code: 
[Source]
   Type = BMP
   Layer = Imagery
   SourceDir = "."
   SourceFile = "L16X33234X33240Y48363Y48370.BMP"
   Variation = All
   NullValue = 255,255,255
   SamplingMethod = Gaussian
   ulyMap =  42.5955545537193
   ulxMap = -88.7200927734375
   xDim =  1.07288360595782E-05
   yDim =  7.89905337378327E-06

[Destination]
   DestDir = "."
   DestBaseFileName = "Photo01"
   DestFileType = BGL
   LOD = Auto
   UseSourceDimensions = 1
   CompressionQuality = 85

What you want is something like this:

Code: 
[Source]
Type=MultiSource
NumberOfSources=2

[Source1]
   Type = BMP
   Layer = Imagery
   SourceDir = "."
   SourceFile = "L16X33234X33240Y48363Y48370.BMP"
   Variation = All
   ulyMap =  42.5955545537193
   ulxMap = -88.7200927734375
   xDim =  1.07288360595782E-05
   yDim =  7.89905337378327E-06
   Channel_BlendMask = 2.0
   
[Source2]  
   Type = TIFF
   Layer = None
   SourceDir = "."
   SourceFile = "blendmask.tif"
   SamplingMethod = Gaussian
   ulyMap =  42.5955545537193
   ulxMap = -88.7200927734375
   xDim =  1.07288360595782E-05
   yDim =  7.89905337378327E-06
   
[Destination]
   DestDir = "."
   DestBaseFileName = "Darien_Tranparent"
   DestFileType = BGL
   LOD = 12,15
   UseSourceDimensions = 1
   CompressionQuality = 50

Notice I added a source file... a greyscale tiff file the same size as the original bitmap. I made the tiff in PaintshopPro, but any program that makes a 256 color greyscale tif file will work. It's a solid grey value 1 ( black is value 0 ). In the Source1 bitmap, the color white will be kased out entirely, and no autogen would show.

You can then use Annotator to place autogen trees and buildings. The photoreal goes into the scenery folder, and the AGN files go into a twin texture folder.

In the sim, you will see the original landclass, but the autogen will be set by the invisible photoreal.

Dick
 
Last edited:
Sounds easy enough except that I do not know the size of the initial bitmap... although I think SBX can save as a geotiff... in which case I ca look at the size of that image and everything will be all good. I had a hunch last night that it would fall to something like this... a blend mask that isn't really a blend mask but rather a complete mask. I'll report back.
 
Thanks!

Works. Now I have a different issue. Adding a water mask.

C:\Program Files (x86)\SBuilderX313\Tools\Work\wilsonbar_w.tif: Warning, incorre ct count for field "DateTime" (21, expecting 20); tag ignored.

Code: 
C:\Program Files (x86)\SBuilderX313\Tools\Work>resample wilsonbar.inf
Microsoft Corp. Terrain Resampler 10.0.61355.0 (fsx-sp1.20070510-2038)
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Resample Info File: 'wilsonbar.inf'
[Source] Type = 'MultiSource'
[Source] NumberOfSources = 3
[Source1] Type = 'BMP'
[Source1] SourceDir = '.'
[Source1] SourceFile = 'L14X5869X5875Y11734Y11738.BMP'
[Source1] Layer = 'Imagery'
[Source1] SamplingMethod = 'Gaussian'
[Source1] Channel_LandWaterMask = '3.0'
[Source1] Channel_BlendMask = '2.0'
[Source1] NullValue = '255,255,255'
[Source1] ULXMAP = -115.521240
[Source1] ULYMAP = 45.413876
[Source1] XDIM = 0.000043
[Source1] YDIM = 0.000030
[Source1] Variation = 'All'
[Source2] Type = 'TIFF'
[Source2] SourceDir = '.'
[Source2] SourceFile = 'blendmask_t.tif'
[Source2] Layer = 'None'
[Source2] SamplingMethod = 'Gaussian'
[Source2] ULXMAP = -115.521240
[Source2] ULYMAP = 45.413876
[Source2] XDIM = 0.000043
[Source2] YDIM = 0.000030
[Source3] Type = 'TIFF'
[Source3] SourceDir = '.'
[Source3] SourceFile = 'wilsonbar_w.tif'
[Source3] Layer = 'None'
[Source3] SamplingMethod = 'Gaussian'
[Source3] ULXMAP = -115.521240
[Source3] ULYMAP = 45.413876
[Source3] XDIM = 0.000043
[Source3] YDIM = 0.000030
C:\Program Files (x86)\SBuilderX313\Tools\Work\wilsonbar_w.tif: Warning, incorre
ct count for field "DateTime" (21, expecting 20); tag ignored.
[Destination] DestDir = '.'
[Destination] DestBaseFileName = 'wilsonbar'
[Destination] LOD = 'Auto'
[Destination] DestFileType = 'BGL'
[Destination] UseSourceDimensions = 1
[Destination] CompressionQuality = 85
Cell 260 of 260 (100.00%); 0:00:12 elapsed, 0:00:00 remaining...

Elapsed time: 00:00:12

Compression statistics:

Method:  Delta And LZ1 Compressed
Blocks:  2
Ratio:   66.1 : 1

Method:  BitPack And LZ1
Blocks:  10
Ratio:   80.3 : 1

Method:  PTC
Blocks:  260
Ratio:   16.1 : 1

Totals:
Blocks: 272
Ratio:  16.1 : 1

Resample completed successfully.

C:\Program Files (x86)\SBuilderX313\Tools\Work>






If I just compile with the transparency mask, all is fine. As soon as I try the water mask... I get that error.

inf as follows.

Code: 
[Source]
   Type = MultiSource
   NumberOfSources = 3

[Source1]
   Type = BMP
   Layer = Imagery
   SourceDir = "."
   SourceFile = "L14X5869X5875Y11734Y11738.BMP"
   Variation = All
   Channel_BlendMask = 2.0
   Channel_LandWaterMask = 3.0
   NullValue = 255,255,255
   SamplingMethod = Gaussian
   ulyMap =  45.4138764608212
   ulxMap = -115.521240234375
   xDim =  4.29153442382654E-05
   yDim =  3.01360236683867E-05

[Source2]
   Type = TIFF
   Layer = None
   SourceDir = "."
   SourceFile = "blendmask_t.tif"
   SamplingMethod = Gaussian
   ulyMap =  45.4138764608212
   ulxMap = -115.521240234375
   xDim =  4.29153442382654E-05
   yDim =  3.01360236683867E-05

[Source3]
   Type = TIFF
   Layer = None
   SourceDir = "."
   SourceFile = "wilsonbar_w.tif"
   SamplingMethod = Gaussian
   ulyMap =  45.4138764608212
   ulxMap = -115.521240234375
   xDim =  4.29153442382654E-05
   yDim =  3.01360236683867E-05

[Destination]
   DestDir = "."
   DestBaseFileName = "wilsonbar"
   DestFileType = BGL
   LOD = Auto
   UseSourceDimensions = 1
   CompressionQuality = 85
 
Ok... I got it... for some reason the image was saving as 40 bit instead of 32 bit. However, should I not see the mask really well in annotator? It's there but it only show up when missing data is checked and it is VERY hard to see, alnost as black as the background of the annotator itself.
 
A watermask just adds the water characteristics ( floating, splashing ).

It doesn't actually add the look of water. That comes from either the photoreal, or from underlying Vector water. The watermask is a 256 greyscale, but uses white for land ( 255 ) and black for water ( 0 ).

I don't get that error, so I suspect there is something wrong with the tiff file.

But, I think you'd be better off not using a watermask. Instead just make vector water... your invisible photoreal will still use it as water. I think there is a "tipping point" for blendmask, and when they go under mid-grey, the watermasks misbehave.

Dick
 
Last edited:
So, the poly addition is stuill done via SBX. OK. Unfortunately it was much easier to do in PSPX with beziers. This is a lot of work for a sophomoric first attempt... but I am seeing some pretty cool results.
 
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