FSX mesh problem

[tomerh]

Hi

I have mesh BGL (strm2) for large area.

I tried to make some elevation correction to very small area using resample and grayscale BMP. I write on the INF file, exact coordinate topleft and bot right.

the correction works perfect.

The problem is that correction effect in some area outsite the small square written in my INF file couse autogen to disapeard below the ground or th fly above in some places.

How can I limit the efect of mesh file exact to the square in my INF file ?

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

The process you described above is rather interesting.

Please post a copy of your INF file here so we can better understand, and perhaps offer some helpful suggestions.

Also, it might assist would-be helpers to better understand what you are seeing, if you post a screen shot here ...showing the scenario in FSX.


PS: Are you by any chance using the method described in this WIKI on "Custom DEM creation with grises50" ?

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=Custom_DEM_creation_with_grises50

If I understand correctly, what you are describing is autogen being misplaced relative to surrounding terrain contours (but not entirely missing as though it has been "excluded").

And if I understand correctly, the autogen is being misplaced at locations outside the central area of your intended elevation correction, perhaps because it is clinging to the new terrain "flat" area created outside that central area of intended mesh elevation correction:


[Quoted from the WIKI linked above]:

"Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

Reserving JET BLACK as a grayscale value that completely surrounds your desired surface allows you to use the NullCellValue = 0 in the inf file to eliminate the unwanted flat surface from the bgl file produced."


"NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.

(The value need not be zero.)

(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface which will occur at the corners of the bitmap if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly to the edge of the bitmap."


Hope this helps !

GaryGB

 

[tomerh]

code

Hi

this is the code of my INF file:

[Destination]
DestDir	            = d:\photo\bgl
DestBaseFileName     = jaffa_mesh
DestFileType        = BGL
LOD                 = Auto

[Source]
Type	      = bmp
Layer               = Elevation
SourceDir  = d:\photo
SourceFile = jaffa_mesh.bmp
Lon               = 34.74933333   ;for top left and bottom right is: 34.7551666700
Lat               = 32.05616667   ;for top left and bottom right is: 32.0523333300
CellXdimensionDeg = 2.94911021233569E-6
CellYdimensionDeg = 3.01363207547169E-6
PixelIsPoint      = 0
SamplingMethod    = Point

this is the problem with autogen:

the problem occured outside the small mesh rectangle.
also I have problem which occurs when I close and get farther from this area.
the ground level get changes during flight - look on the stadium:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFtlPmuVwM&feature=youtu.be

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

The Level Of Detail (aka "LOD") terrain mesh tile sizes created from your source data which were generated by FSX SDK Resample into the "Jaffa_Mesh" output terrain mesh BGL ...may determine at what distance from the user aircraft position you may (or may not) be able to display the small mesh tile you created.

If your custom terrain mesh tile LOD extent of coverage is too small, that may explain what we see in the YouTube video you linked to above.


To confirm what LODs the "LOD=Auto" parameter, and the "CellXdimensionDeg / CellYdimensionDeg" parameters in your INF file actually allowed FSX SDK Resample to make, you can view your "Jaffa_Mesh" output terrain mesh BGL file in:

[FSX SDK install path]\SDK\Environment Kit\Terrain SDK\TmfViewer.exe


Next:

1.) TMFViewer Menu > View > Level of Detail > click / check "ALL"


Note the span of LOD numbers listed for that file, and please post a screen shot of that pull-down menu list of LODs here.

Also, you can open in the same session of TMFViewer, the custom photo-real land class texture BGL for that area for reference.


[EDITED]

2.) TMFViewer Menu > View > LOD Grid > click / check " ...the lowest "BOLD"* LOD number in the pull-down menu list seen in Step 1.) above



Then, please post a screen shot here of TMFViewer showing in (1) view all the following:

A.) Your photo-real land class texture

B.) Your terrain mesh BGL output file "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL"

c.) Your LOD Grid matching the lowest "BOLD"* LOD number made in your terrain mesh BGL


*= By "BOLD", I mean LOD numbers listed in a "BOLD" font or type face; by contrast, other listed numbers may be regular face or 'greyed out'

[END_EDIT]



Also, could you please post a screen shot here, of the "Jaffa_Mesh.BMP" terrain mesh source file ...taken with that file displayed in:

[FSX SDK install path]\SDK\Environment Kit\Terrain SDK\ImageTool.exe


Hopefully we might then be able to offer more help with this scenario

GaryGB

 

[tomerh]

Thanks!

Wow, Thanks Gary.

I think I gots whats the problem but I have no idea how to fix it.
the small mesh effect on the altitude of the area surround him and changes the altitude to 0.
the altitude of the area surround the small mesh whitout the mesh active is normally 80-90 ft.

here are the screenshoots:

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Tomer:

Although I should have been more clear in my description of which number to select from the list of LODs FSX SDK Resample generated into your terrain mesh BGL output file "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL", you can see how the tiles of custom photo-real land class texture and terrain mesh overlap each other.


NOTE: The second screen shot shows LODs 9 to 17 in a Bold font or typeface; these are the LODs that FSX SDK Resample opted to make based on the LOD=Auto and other parameters you submitted in the INF along with the gray scale values provided in your "Jaffa_Mesh.BMP" terrain mesh source file.

Thus, your terrain mesh tile in "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL will only provide LODs 9 to 17"; all other ground shape info and terrain vertex grid resolution outside your area of interest will be provided by the underlying FSX default or other 3rd part add-on terrain mesh BGLs set "active" in the FSX Scenery Library GUI.


Also, one can see from your linked YouTube video, that depending on where your aircraft was positioned when capturing the video in FSX, as it moved in and out of the LOD coverage area of your "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL" terrain mesh, display of your small Jaffa area terrain mesh tile ...was respectively enabled and disabled.

When the aircraft was within the area covered by the LODs provided by the "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL" terrain mesh, you were able to see the custom terrain within that BGL.

When the aircraft was not within the area covered by the LODs provided by the "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL" terrain mesh, you were not able to see the custom terrain within that BGL.

When the aircraft was not within the area covered by your "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL", FSX would have instead loaded the underlying LODs from either FSX' own default terrain mesh for that area, or if you had the ex: 90 Meter Israel terrain mesh or another lower resolution terrain mesh loaded, that would be what the 'ground shape' will fall back to ...when the aircraft is farther away from your area of interest at Jaffa.


You may wish to try different LODs (from those shown "Bold" in your list from the second screen shot) when displaying a superimposed LOD Grid in TMFViewer to see where the 'drop-off' will occur in your "visual display radius" as one approaches- and moves away from- ...your area of interest.


You may also wish to adjust the transparency for the different layers being displayed in TMFViewer using TMFViewer's controls for that, to better identify where your different components are over-lapping each other.



If you once again review the info in the "Grises50" WIKI linked in my post above:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showpost.php?p=631546&postcount=2

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=Custom_DEM_creation_with_grises50


You may notice that when one uses the "NullCellValue =" parameter, one can use a value which is not zero (0), and instead use the elevation value represented by a different gray scale value which is assigned to be the base or lowest elevation altitude for the area to be modified (by the span of gray scale values in) your "Jaffa_Mesh.BMP" terrain mesh source file.

IIUC, in your gray scale BMP terrain mesh source file, the lowest assigned elevation altitude (in your span of gray scale values) for that BMP file might be the 80 to 90 Feet AMSL you mentioned in your reply above as the elevation in Jaffa surrounding the hilly area provided by your output terrain mesh tile in "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL".


So whereas the posted example shows "NullCellValue =0", if your value for base elevation in the "Jaffa_Mesh.BMP" terrain mesh source file was instead intended to be 80 to 90 Feet AMSL to properly meet the ground elevation provided by the underlying terrain mesh, you may need to change the "NullCellValue =" ...to the appropriate value to allow that when Resample does its 'magic'.

Just to be clear on what the "NullCellValue =" parameter will do: it will cause your custom terrain mesh BGL to NOT render that specific elevation, so the last gray scale immediately above it in the span of gray scales within your "Jaffa_Mesh.BMP" terrain mesh source file ...will then become the lowest altitude that Resample will generate as elevation data points at the applicable LOD into your "Jaffa_Mesh.BGL" file.


Hope this helps give some pointers to further refine the small terrain mesh tile for your hilly area, and blend it into the underlying terrain shape provided by the underlying terrain mesh BGLs containing lower LODs.


PS: I have edited my prior post immediately above this one.


Oh, and you might be interested to know that this resource is available for review and possibly for conversion to more simplified models in FSX:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwareho...75f6087824ece82da9&prevstart=0&hl=en-GB&ct=lc


If you require more detailed control over terrain modeling for small areas, it is possible to do this in the free Google / Trimble Sketchup 3D modeling utility:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclien...40,d.aWc&fp=53ce470065dc980d&biw=1138&bih=551


GaryGB

 

[MyPC8MyBrain]

here is a simple process to fix this

remove all addon scenery from the area

go to your location with a chopper and place it on the ground
examine elevation in default FSX and write it down

go to Xbuilder; and crate you Poly;
when done
right click on the Ploy u just made
and set elevation according to the default FSX

you can set elevation throughout the Poly
or select elevation to individual points of the poly

NOTE!!!
elevation must be stated using metric system with Xbuilder!
if you use inch system elevation will come out wrong

Chris

 

[tomerh]

fainally I use only sbuilderx to make jaffa hill.

Thanks all

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Tomer:

Making the hill at Jaffa certainly can be done using SBuilderX to make a single raised flatten; depending on how high the intended terrain mesh resolution may be for that local area, the base of such a flatten may- or may not- blend its slope into the surrounding ground aesthetically.


Making a stack of nested flatten polygons of progressively smaller sizes, with the largest at the base layer (which essentially would be "contour lines" such as seen in topographic maps,) would likely not work, as FSX has problems blending such data at run time.


Instead, one would need to create a terrain "surface" of sloped / tilted flattens which form a terrain "skirt" (or "Kilt"... oops, sorry again, George ! ) at the periphery of the top-most central flatten area.


Such sloped flattens may require many triangles in a "TIN" used to surround the central / top-most flatten to blend aesthetically into the surrounding terrain.

Inner edges of the triangles must match the elevations of the central / top-most flatten where they contact its edges (and must always do so at its vertices).

Outer edges of the triangles must match the intended elevation at the vertex locations of the surrounding terrain in FSX at run time with a specific underlying terrain mesh BGL loaded, and with specific FSX terrain mesh slider settings during all work sessions until the data set is finished and compiled to BGL.

It may be necessary to compute, and measure altitude for, precise vertex geographic coordinates of the terrain mesh quad matrix grid to determine locations where one's triangle edge vertices meet the ground of the underlying terrain mesh in order for the terrain skirt to blend aesthetically into the surrounding terrain.

For such a process to work with uniform predictability, and without risk for anomalies, one may also need to specify that one's scenery requires specific terrain mesh BGL(s) and FSX slider settings be used at run time.


Once the terrain surface has been compiled into a "flatten" type CVX vector BGL, the resolution of available terrain vertices in the quad matrix grid will be determined by the resolution of the loaded underlying terrain mesh BGL, and one's FSX terrain mesh slider settings at run time.


Hope this info might be of additional help as you explore ways to build your Jaffa scenery !

GaryGB

 

[roger-wilco-66]

My suggestion is a totally different approach from all mentioned above, but if I had the challenge of doing what the OP has in mind I'd download a ASTER DEM set from NASA for the area and have a look at it and check if the hill is there (most likely is).

If it needs some rework I'd load it in Daylon Leveller (great piece of software for DEMs and quite inexpensive) and correct it there.

Cheers,
Mark