A few basic questions re SCASM...

[Clutch Cargo]

Trying to take that next step in scenery design to learn SCASM. I have been using SBuilder for some time with good results but there tends to be a few kinks so let me ask:

1. - Is SBuilder just really a graphical 'front-end' for SCASM?

2. - Are SBuilder .SCM files the same as SCASM's .SCA files? Just a difference in naming conventions?

3. - Is there other good SCASM interfaces to use out there or do you really just have to learn how to code line-by-line. My interest is in Hi-Res 1.2m photomesh in particular.

4. - I have found no tutorials on SCASM only some command line documents. Some place I need to look?

Many thanks,

Clutch
Project 9 Dragons

 

[arno]

Hi,

1. - Is SBuilder just really a graphical 'front-end' for SCASM?

No, not really. You could see SBuilder as the graphical front-end to create mesh scenery using SCASM. But in the end SCASM is just a compiler to generate your BGL files, the author of SBuilder could also have used BGLC for example to create those BGL files.

2. - Are SBuilder .SCM files the same as SCASM's .SCA files? Just a difference in naming conventions?

Yes, both files contain SCASM code. The main difference is that SCA files are compiled directly into a BGL file, while normally the SCM files are macros. That means that they contain code that can be placed/called from the main SCA file. I am not sure if SBuilder also follows this convention.

3. - Is there other good SCASM interfaces to use out there or do you really just have to learn how to code line-by-line. My interest is in Hi-Res 1.2m photomesh in particular.

For high resolution photoscenery SBuilder gives you some functionality, but it is not really perfect (due to the limitations of the Fs2004 scenery engine). If you really want high resolution photoscenery, I would say go for FsX (it fully supports it) and use the new resample that MS has provided for FsX.

4. - I have found no tutorials on SCASM only some command line documents. Some place I need to look?

What are you expecting? The documents at the official SCASM website show you all commands that can be used. For the rest you should see it a little as programming, you are writing your scenery using these commands.

As most people don't really like writing the code by hand, tools have been made to help you there. SBuilder is an example of this, others are FSSC, Airport for Windows, etc.

But I want to end with a warning. I would not spend too much time on SCASM anymore. Apart from the mesh scenery part that SBuilder uses, it has never been fully updated to the Fs2004 SDK formats. So that means that it is not really useful anymore to create 3D objects for example.

There are some parts of scenery design where SCASM is still useful, but in general I would not advice somebody to learn it anymore. You can much better make of the official tools that MS provides with the SDKs. And for FsX it might even be that there is even less use for SCASM.

 

[Mardley O]

Arno…Am I right by saying XML is said to be the standard “programming code” for FS2004 scenery designer although SCASM is still accepted…and is BGLC means for SCASM code compiler on the other hand BGLCOMP is for XML?

 

[arno]

Hi,

Yes, that is partly true. BGLComp is the official compiler that MS provides to make scenery using XML code. BGLC is mainly used for terrain and to compile MDL objects, as these tasks can not be done with XML code. SCASM is another compiler, that can be used for 3D objects, mesh, etc. But most BGL files made with SCASM are not using the standards of the Fs2004 SDK. Only the terrain part is up to date (as well as some parts of the object placement, so there SCASM creates BGL files that are the same as the one made with BGLComp). But most other parts (that are used by tools like FSSC for example) are not longer according to the standard.

As you will see I talk about the Fs2004 standard here. FsX is a bit to new to give all conclusions. Maybe some tools will be updated, but at the moment it seems like you need to use the official MS tools that come with the SDK to make scenery according to the standards.

 

[Clutch Cargo]

Thx Arno as always for your input.

The only reason I need to learn SCASM is the project I am working on is for FS2004, the area concerned is Hi-Res 1.2m photomesh, and I have seen results that work great using the SCASM method. (ie: no gridlines, no blurries, can even follow terrain mesh if needed). So I feel I need to learn it up to that point.

I love SBuilder but I get unsatisfactory results when compiling with it to make photomesh. That's why I was a little confused if it truly uses SCASM as a compiler because the results are so different as compared to someone who tweaks SCASM themselves.

And that is why I am seeking another graphical front-end piece that would make it easier to use SCASM. But I guess there is none. So it's learning the commands and learning how to write code. Not that I am against that but as you know the first time is always the hardest.

If anyone can sorta lead me in the right direction for compiling HI-Res bmps, like the basic steps, I would be most thankful. In the meantime it's back to reading-reading-readng!