coordinating lmt files to thumbnail import

[obie311]

OK new guy here. I love the program and have successfully changed my favorite airport from a pale generic airfield to a wondrous, quirky representation of its unique GA character.

In the process of doing this, I have labouriously hand captured with the screen capture tool, many thumbnails so I could do execute this work .

I have searched the ADE pdf manual and previous posts but I am still in the dark on importing lmt files and creating thumbnails for objects imported into ADE.

1. Where should the lmt files be placed in ADE?
2. Once the lmt are in the correct folder, will ADE find the correct (matching) thumbnail simply by using the "Find Thumbnail" button?
3. Will any addon scenery file that contains an lmt file have useful thumbnails for ADE?

Thanks in advance for your patience and forbearance.

Obie

 

[scruffyduck]

Hi and welcome to FS Developer.

I am not sure which screen capture tool you used or how you did it. Thumbnails are intended to provide a visual clue to library objects so I assume that is what you collected.

ADE will accept some different formats for thumbnails. Probably the simplest is the jpg format.

For ADE to recognize a thumbnail a couple of things are needed:

First the file name needs to contain the object GUID;

and second the file needs to be saved into the Thumbnail folder as set in the Library Object Manager (LOM). By default this will be the Thumbs folder located in the relevant version folder in ADE. So if, for example the default for FSX is ADE Main Folder\FSX\Thumbs.

 

[obie311]

Thanks for the welcome and prompt reply. I have addressed your questions below. Inquiry primarily concerned how to access or import .lmt files (which I believe to contain thumbnails supplied by the developer and the library, into ADE and, once imported, how to associate this thumbnails with appropriate GUID. I could find no reference to this in the manual

Regards,
Obie

Hi and welcome to FS Developer.

I am not sure which screen capture tool you used or how you did it. Thumbnails are intended to provide a visual clue to library objects so I assume that is what you collected.

Used internal capture in ADE

ADE will accept some different formats for thumbnails. Probably the simplest is the jpg format.

All my thumbnails are jpg

For ADE to recognize a thumbnail a couple of things are needed:

First the file name needs to contain the object GUID;

All objects have GUID

and second the file needs to be saved into the Thumbnail folder as set in the Library Object Manager (LOM). By default this will be the Thumbs folder located in the relevant version folder in ADE. So if, for example the default for FSX is ADE Main Folder\FSX\Thumbs.

All current thumbnails are in ADE Main Folder\FSX\Thumbs

 

[tgibson]

Those LMT files are used by the standalone Library Object Manager (LOM) to index thumbnail images. I don't know if the ADE version can use them or not (never tried).

Jon?

Hope this helps,

 

[obie311]

Thanks for the heads-up Tom. So there is a stand alone Object Manager not the one that is internal to the ADE? That's a whole new kettle of fish. After you import the lmt's to the other LOM, does this do any good to associate thumbnails with GUID's in ADE?

There really seems to be a missing link here somewhere in managing library objects. Obviously the GUID's are not descriptive. Some libraries have text files w/ Guid's and a description of the object.

Other than placing each object on an airport and capturing a thumbnail of it, (which is what I've been doing) what do most ADE users do to add thumbnails to these large libraries?

BTW, love the classic propliners and vintage airports! Takes me back to the days when a trip by air was an enjoyable event.

Obie

 

[tgibson]

Hi,

I'm not the one to respond, since I don't use LOM - either one. I place objects with Instant Scenery and use it to make thumbnails too.

 

[scruffyduck]

There is a small tool to import lmt files into ADE. It is called LOM2ADE and I can post a copy if you would like one. The external LOM is now rather out of date but is different than the internal one.

To go back to your point on linking thumbnails to objects. If you used the capture tool in the ADE LOM then it should name the thumbnail with the object GUID. The way that ADE looks for a thumbnail when you look at an object in the LOM or put the cursor over a placement is simple enough.

It searches through the specified Thumbnail folder (including and sub folders) looking for a file whose name contains the GUID of the object. If it find it then it can display the thumbnail. To make things faster next time around it also caches the information in an index. So bottom line is if the object has a guid of say:

39888a38-4f9f-7f0f-444f-4bb40d7f96b6

Then the file name needs to contain that:

{39888a38-4f9f-7f0f-444f-4bb40d7f96b6}.jpg

 

[obie311]

Thanks Jon, I would appreciate the LOM2ADE.

To reiterate, I have no problems with the internal thumbnail capture tool in ADE 1.5. It works as advertised. I also have your Big Thumbnail Pack and it works well.

Due to the large number of objects in my library, and due to the fact they are basically useless without a thumbnail, I am just looking for a more efficient way to do a bulk import of thumbnails. A number of developers have included .lmt files with their downloads and I would like to know, if and how they can be imported into the ADE LOM.

Kind Regards,
Obie

 

[scruffyduck]

LOM2ADE is the tool to use to import lmt files into ADE. The installer can be downloaded from here:

http://www.scruffyduck.org.uk/files/lom2ade_setup.zip

 

[scruffyduck]

I am very embarrassed It seems that LOM2ADE requires the original LOM program and will import data from that into ADE. In my defense I have not looked at this for some years.... To be honest I cannot even recal the lmt format However I think that the requirement to directly import lmt files is not there and this is what you want.

In an attempt to make up for this snafu I have added a priority item to my dev list for ADE to introduce such a tool. I will look to make it standalone in the first instance to avoid the need to run a beta version.

 

[obie311]

Thanks Jon.

I downloaded the newer LOM and LOM2ADE and BGLXML and I got the attached error messages. I never saw the "Creating New Database" window on installation. Not sure I want to do it but if I reverted to the LOM exe file would everything work??

Does the standalone LOM conflict with the internal LOM in ADE?

Never mind the LMT files, somehow we need a direct link between the GUID in the ADE scenery object database and the GUID reference/name in the thumbnail. If we could get the text comments in another field i.e. "Brown long metal T-hanger" that would prove useful as well.

Obie

 

[scruffyduck]

somehow we need a direct link between the GUID in the ADE scenery object database and the GUID reference/name in the thumbnail.

Sorry I don't understand that. This is exactly how ADE works otherwise it would not be able to display any thumbnails.

If we could get the text comments in another field i.e. "Brown long metal T-hanger" that would prove useful as well.

You can change the name of any object in the ADE LOM as I recall so you can name those in FS9 that appear as GUIDs.

Apoligies if I am being a bit thick this morning but I am not clear where to go next.

As for LMT extension files I have dug out the code for handling them and I will look at it over the weekend. It seems that the LMT file contains both thumbnails and the GUID link but it is a long time since I worked with them so I need to run a few bits of test code.

 

[GHD]

So long as the thumbnail filename contains the GUID (with or without the braces), it can contain any other (valid) characters, for instance, here are a couple of my thumbnail names and the display in ADE:

BowserBP~8E9E67F8-BF04-4297-8E46-071EA908857A.jpg



{0c7dc82c-c00d-418e-970e-8833cd07ed3c}_SignalSquare.jpg

 

[obie311]

Sorry I don't understand that. This is exactly how ADE works otherwise it would not be able to display any thumbnails.

You can change the name of any object in the ADE LOM as I recall so you can name those in FS9 that appear as GUIDs.

Apologies if I am being a bit thick this morning but I am not clear where to go next.

As for LMT extension files I have dug out the code for handling them and I will look at it over the weekend. It seems that the LMT file contains both thumbnails and the GUID link but it is a long time since I worked with them so I need to run a few bits of test code.

I guess I haven't made my point clearly enough. Yes of course from the onset I have said the ADE displays thumbnails as its supposed to. Also the capture tool works as advertised. My screen looks exactly like Golf Hotel Delta's when I have hand captured my own thumbnail.

The crux of my initial question was how to provide a bulk import of the matching thumbnails of newly acquired library objects when the developer has been kind enough to include them w/ the library. I have 10,000 objects w/o thumbnails.

The intended goal of the question is how to circumvent the laborious process of hand placing each object in airport and then capturing them one at a time with ADE. How do other efficient workers in ADE acquire their large groups of thumbnails?

Thanks for your patience.

Obie

 

[tgibson]

I downloaded LOM 2.0 beta and it created the database just fine. If you are using Vista or System 7 be sure to right click the LOM application and choose Run As Adminstrator from the tabs.

Hope this helps,

 

[tgibson]

Hi,

After getting the standalone LOM running, I then downloaded a zip file from AVSIM with an LMT file in it (Ron_ez_highwayz.lmt) called lom_image_set29fix.zip and imported that LMT file into the standalone LOM 2.0 beta (Import/File Type/LOM Image File). I had put it in my lom subfolder of the LOM/Object Manager folder. The thumbnails then were displayed in LOM (well, for some of the objects, I assume there weren't real pictures for all of them?). These jpg images were stored in the LOM pix subfolder.

Then I started up LOM2ADE (after quitting ADE and LOM) and specified the LOM/Object Manager folder (the one with objects.dat in it), the main ADE folder, and the LOM pix subfolder (containing the thumbnail images after the LMT import). Finally I pressed the Import button and quit LOM2ADE.

I opened ADE's LOM and the objects weren't there. Oops, I had to import the library into ADE's LOM as well. After doing that the objects displayed their thumbnails.

One thing to watch out for. When you use LOM2ADE, the thumbnail images are *removed* from the LOM pix subfolder, so that may be a bit of a surprise. Since I have no plans to use the standalone LOM, that's fine with me.

Hope this helps,

 

[scruffyduck]

The crux of my initial question was how to provide a bulk import of the matching thumbnails of newly acquired library objects when the developer has been kind enough to include them w/ the library. I have 10,000 objects w/o thumbnails.

If the thumbnail file names already contain the relevant guid then it is just a matter of copying them into the ADE Thumbs folder. You can create a sub folder for each set to make organization easier.

If the developer provided an lmt file then Tom's method will work but is a bit laborious.

If the user provided thumbnails whose names have no guid in them then they would need renaming and that might be a problem if there is no guid to thumbnail file index provided. However again the stand alone LOM can read in index and reference files from other apps such as RWY12 to automate that and then use LOM2ADE to send the stuff to ADE.

Looking at the stand alone LOM again it is probably the best way to collect information and thumbnails to send to ADE.

I think a more direct solution is just going to involve getting some of the stand alone LOM functions into the ADE version.

 

[obie311]

Thank you Tom and Jon for taking the time to experiment and explore this with me.

I am trying to wrap my mind around a correct and efficient work flow for managing scenery objects in Airport Design. I think we all can agree that, especially until one becomes familiar with favorite objects, that thumbnails are a must for choosing objects.

Bear with me and correct me if I'm wrong in this work flow.

1. Import desired library folders into LOM Beta 2.0.6105.1
2. Import related .lmt files into LOM Beta 2.0.6105.1
3. Spot check scenery objects with thumbnails in LOM Beta 2.0.6105.1 to ensure correct matching of GUID's w/ image
4. Run LOM2ADE to import or translate libraries and thumbnails into ADE

Then theoretically ADE has all the thumbnails provided with the lmt files matched up to the appropriate scenery objects and are available for airport design.

One final question... will this overwrite any previous hand captured thumbnails in ADE??

"I think a more direct solution is just going to involve getting some of the stand alone LOM functions into the ADE version. " -Scruffy Duck

Yes I think this would be an excellent feature to explore.

Thanks again.

Obie

 

[scruffyduck]

Can I suggest you wait. Please give me a week or so. I have a scratch tool started that will read lmt files and load the thumbnails into ADE. My plan is to allow the import of lmt thumbnails (the lmt file does contain thumbnails) into ADE while giving the user the chance to choose if there is already a thumbnail present in ADE for an object. This will be much easier than the LOM route. Of course LOM allows for the import of objects as well as thumbs but ADE is quite good at that as well.

 

[obie311]

I would be delighted to wait. Thanks for the immediate effort. It is appreciated.

Regards,
Obie