FSX Problem with Ground Texture

[Dayou]

Hi,

I have made a ground of an airport using GMAX
Ya know, if we want to create a ground for FSX, we must first prepare our textures by splitting our satellite imagery into tiles, each one 1024 px x 1024 px or something like that, then creating a plane in GMAX or .. then converting it to editable mesh then placing the texture there. After placing all the textures, we export it to .MDL then .BGL
This is what i did to create my ground of the airport. The problem i have is a lot of lines appear in FSX. This is what i get :

Zoom the image into the red area to see the tiles well

I think I followed all the right steps.
Help me please to fix this problem and hide all the lines.

Dayou

 

[arno]

Hi,

These lines are a very common problem. If you search the forum you'll find many threads about it.

The solution is to alter your texture mapping. You should not use the outer pixels of your texture. So instead of mapping the texture from 0.0 to 1.0, you map it from 0.001 to 0.999.

 

[Dayou]

Hi,
Thanks for your reply
but what do you mean by : "You should not use the outer pixels of your texture"
What are the outer pixels and what this means ""So instead of mapping the texture from 0.0 to 1.0, you map it from 0.001 to 0.999"
How can i see these numbers and where are they?

Could you explain more please?

 

[arno]

Hi,

You can enter these values in when do the UV mapping of your texture. But simply said if you have a 1024x1024 texture, you map it onto your polygon so that the outer ring of pixels is not used. You only use the inner 1022x1022 pixels.

 

[Alfonso]

Hi arno I've done what you said and now I don't have black lines in the edges of tiles but still have a line as the texture doesn't match each other.

 

[Dayou]

I've also done what you said guys without any result.
I hope you can help me!

 

[Dayou]

Hey Guys,
Finally The problem is fixed in some places but not in all places. I'm sure I've done the Unwrap UVW to each texture and I haven't used the outer pixel by decreasing the U and V coordinates so 1.0 to 0.999 and 0.0 to 0.001 in 3ds Max 2014 x64.

Is there a way to solve this issue??
Dayou.

 

[bob5568]

The way I recommend is to take your texture and first, scale it to two pixels smaller than you started with. So if your image is 1024pixels square, then resize your image to 1022x1022. Then enlarge your canvas size to 1024x1024. Now copy and past the last row of pixels and columns into the blank area. Now when you don't map the outer area of the image, it will still line up.

 

[jtanabodee]

I have put it up to this WIKI. I think it is the best I can explain to you, Dayou. May be others can help more.

 

[Dayou]

I've done what you said guys, and the lines disappeared completely, but when I'm away from the runway the ground, I can see the black lines which are between polys. Also there is an area that the default ground of the airport can appear there (Like flickering)

I can also see the black lines in 3ds Max from remote.

But when I zoom in I don't see anything, the same thing in FSX, so in FSX when I approach the lines, they disappear.

Any help please!?
Here are the steps that I followed to get this (Attached Files)

 

[Dayou]

Sorry, I just forget to upload the images, Here is the complement :

Here are the steps that I followed to get this (Attached Files)

 

[bob5568]

I can't tell from your images, when you're in photoshop do you end up with the two outer pixels on any given row and column containing the same information?

 

[jtanabodee]

I think those black line is from mipmap, the low detail of DXT texture compression. You can do nothing about that.
Flickering with the default texture can cause by the area is not flattening or cannot flattening to the certain height. You have to check the elevation by using TcalX to that area and use that elevation for the rest of the entire airport.

For the last picture, you need to unwrap and move the mapping a bit. I think you should overcome that overlapping satellite image.

I think you have to accept some flaw and imperfect things in Flight Sim. It happens all the time. I think you are doing great now. Cheer!

One more thing, you can see you have to fight for a long time with ground poly for satellite image. I think it is better to use photoscenery instead. It curve and wrap on the terrain. No need to cut it into pieces and map on each polygon. Easy to work without any artifact lines.
Preserve you energy with the ground poly that use texture such as taxiway, runway, apron. Those you need asphalt, concrete texture to create by yourself. No problem with white line with this kind of texture.
We have discussed about this. You can read on this thread http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/satellite-image-ground-poly-or-photoscenery.427422/

 

[Dayou]

Hi,
For me, I prefer the custom ground polygons than photo-scenery, because the custom ground polygons is detailed than photo-scenery, even if we use the same aerial imagery, once try to use it making photo-scenery and another time try to cut it into pieces then map them on each polygon in GMAX or 3DS MAX, and see what you get. But you're right if you say :

I think it is better to use photoscenery instead. It curve and wrap on the terrain. No need to cut it into pieces and map on each polygon. Easy to work without any artifact lines.
Preserve you energy with the ground poly that use texture such as taxiway, runway, apron.

because the satellite image ground poly take a lot of time. But I like the detail of the ground polys. The photo-scenery terrain doesn't doesn't have a detailed ground.
That's why I prefer satellite image ground poly, it's better for me.

I hope somebody help me!
Dayou.

 

[jtanabodee]

There are pros and cons for both techniques. Choice is yours. However I cannot guide anything more.

 

[bob5568]

I've offered advice, you need to tell if you tried my ideas before I'm willing to help further.

 

[Dayou]

HEEEEEEEEEEY GUYYYYYYYS!!!!
I've fixed the problem finally!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH (Arno, jtanabodee, bob5568, Alfonso) for your help and advice.
The solution is to use Fs2002_GMaxGamePack then preparing the ground then exporting it to (*.BGL) without using the UNWRAP UVW from the Modifier List, during exporting, check Keep Files and uncheck Crash. After that, tweak the (*.ASM) file by giving it a layer number (like 12 or so..), and the last thing is to convert the textures to (*.DDS) AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVEN'T CREATED MIPMAPS TO ANY TEXTURE.
The result is that I've got a high resolution ground texture without any black or white lines and also without any flickering.

 

[Alfonso]

Dayou can you show us an image to see what you finally got?? cause I solved the trouble with black or white lines but still I see the cut of the image.

 

[Dayou]

Welcome back Alfonso !
Now you're looking for the solution when I've found the solution, Huh?
Why you didn't come to help me when I was needing your help
It's not a problem !!~~

Finally, I got a High Resolution ground textures without black or white lines and also without flickering ground.
Here is what I got:

and :

As you can see, It's high resolution ground runway and taxiways, right?!

The solution in this case is to convert your textures to dds without creating mipmaps, and don't use the UNWRAP UVW from the Modifier list anymore
I also advice you to use Fs2002_GMaxGamePack and not FSX_GMaxGamePack. Also use MakeMDL to export as .BGL, because it's better than MCX when exporting.

Dayou.

 

[Alfonso]

So Sorry Dayou I was working in my ground poly and working in a job. Congrats you solve it But I can See in the last image that some lines appear. I manage to solve it too by ModelconverterX and reducing 2 Pixels with UNWrap in GMAX just setting 0.999 for the top and 0.001 for down verticals in "V" and the same but with left and right 0.001 for left in "U" and 0.999 in right For "U" and thats what I got in FS2004.