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Using Google Earth images for photo real

jparnold

jparnold

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311
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australia
I am attempting to create some photo real scenery and have sucessfully done so using sBuilderX however the resolution is disappointing.

Using Google Satellite in sBuilderX I cannot zoom far enough in to get a hires image compared with using Google Earth externally from sBuilderX.

Is there a tutorial on how to use (.bmp) images to create scenery including how to stitch multiple images together.

This also will get around my wanting to change the colors in the images using PhotoShop or similar so that terrain such as water blends into adjacent default fsx water.
 
Hi John,

While I model in FS9 - I used images downloaded with SBuilder X... I don't have the tool in front of me - but - the images are based on your Zoom/LOD level - and when selecting the downloads - the dialog box gives you like four or five zoom levels to choose from... Those at the top provide the most detail and those on the bottom the least... How big of an area do you plan on doing ? My project is 25 LOD13 tiles and the mid level image dowload was about 150MB of graphics... The extents of the image went well beyond my area of interest and the quality was far better than anything I can use in FS9... Still 0- it looks pretty good... Unless you are doing a vast area - I don't think you would have to stitch images together...

For color matching - get Metrix - I've loaded it in both PS and PSP... Works extremely well...

Regards,
Scott
 
Thanks Scott,

I was just about to experiment with the zoom levels in sBuilderX as I had chosen the 'bottom' one.

The area I was attempting to create photo realistic scenery is only about one square mild (or maybe even smaller).

Thanks too for the advice on Metrix. I cannot find it though using a Google search. Is it's name correct? I use PSP.

Thanks again

John
 
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Hi Scott,

I must be doing something wrong or don't understand the process correctly. I have been following a document named Make photo-real ground textures in Flight Simulator X which states that scenery can be as 'hires' as 7 centimeters per pixel resolution.

I tried the following (via "Add map"), selected all maps, compiled and copied the resulting bgl to my addon scenery folder and each one looked to be no better in resolution) than the others. In fact the resolution was far worse than the standard fsx 'suburban' textures.

Zoom level 18
Zoom level 19
Zoom level 20
Zoom level 21 which didn't work displaying message "could not make an image"

I then tried copying the resulting (from compilation) .bmp file to the texture folder, although the document' did not state anything about 'textures'.
That made no difference though.

I noted that the file size of the compiled bgl file increased with each 'zoom level' I tried but not nearly as much as the .bmp file created which was 540mb at zoom level 20.

What am I doing wrong?
 
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As you are increasing the zoom level within SBuilderX to compile a BGL file for FSX, are you also adjusting the texture resolution slider within FSX to reflect the added detail?

Throwing a 30cm per pixel photo scenery will only show so much if the texture slider is set to 2m or 1m.

And BMP files that are generated bu SBX do not get copied into the FSX scenery folders, as the BGL is a self-contained set of texture files.
 
Thanks for that info (scenery level in FSX)
I think that I was trying to compare my small photo scenery with nearby autogen scenery which is seems to be sharper than the standard scenery and I was probably comparing my photo scenery with the autogen scenery.
ALSO I was expecting my photo scenery to appear as detailed as when zooming in with Google.
 
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