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P3D v3 Background Image Won't Add when Adding with Coordenates

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455
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us-florida
Last edited:
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7,450
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us-illinois
Hi Caleb:

IIUC, you want to Add "Background" images to ADE using an aerial imagery background 'map' from SBuilderX ?

The aerial imagery background map from SBuilderX work-space, when 'selected' and/or compiled to a BGL, will write a 1-piece *.BMP file and matching-named Geo-referencing *.TXT file into:

[SBuilderX install path]/Tools/Work sub-folder

[EDITED]

Depending on your own project's actual Geographic extent of coverage- and resolution for- the 1-piece aerial mage output by SBuilderX:

* that *.BMP file is likely to be a large, high-resolution image which must be copied, then in a graphics application, divided into several smaller segments that are individually "Added" as background images to ADE for their respective coverage of the airport area, and you would be required to 'swap' between those loaded background images as you work locally.

* you 'may' also be able to open the copy of that *.BMP file in a graphics application to make a much lower resolution, highly compressed (ex: 10x to 40x) JPEG conversion of the overall 1-piece image, so that it will fit into the limited ADE task session USERVA space available (IIRC, about 100 KB max ?)



See Page 288 /309 in the ADE v 1.65 Manual: 14.15.1 Adding Background Images

http://www.mediafire.com/download/8rp6jr7en9xwdls

...from this web page:

http://www.scruffyduck.org/downloads/4584110854



PS: If the extent of your aerial imagery Background Map 1-piece image output by SBuilderX is too large to convert into a 1-piece JPG for use in ADE, see:

SBuilderX Menu > Help > {Search} tab > Search Keyword: "calibrate" > List Topics > Topic to display: Custom Ground Textures > Using a Map to create custom ground


First Method (1): Zoom to a smaller area of the airfield in the SBuilderX work-space, then:

* Export a GeoTIFF via the [Save] button

...or:

* Compile to a BGL (...also outputs a *BMP and *.TXT geo-referencing file into [SBuilderX install path]/Tools/Work sub-folder as described above)


Second Method (2):

* Zoom to a smaller area of the airfield in the SBuilderX work-space

* SBuilderX Menu > File > Add Map From Background > draw a 'selection rectangle' around an even smaller area of the airfield in that dialog; download tiles

* In SBuilderX work-space > 'select' the resulting downloaded sub-set of tiles, then output a *BMP and *.TXT geo-referencing file as described above

[END_EDIT]


Let us know if you require further explanation of this process. :)

GaryGB
 
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=rk=

Resource contributor
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4,450
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us-washington
I son't see any reason to make things more confusing by following a different procedure from the one you are already on. If we all actually read the procedure, we'd agree that it is perfectly valid and that our own jyarddog (Bob) comments extensively in that thread. I see that in post #2, step 7 that you are cautioned about coordinate format:
7) According to Wikipedia Nauru lies at about 0.52°S 166.9°E, fill in the numbers (be careful, Wikipedia shows decimals, SbuilderX uses minutes and seconds, so you have to convert it!) and click "OK"
What is important here is that there are actually 3 common formats that geographic coordinates are presented in. So, since we have the procedure you follow and we know the procedure is good, it should be very easy to see where your path diverged.
Please try to be as specific as possible. For example, when you post:
It works fine when I add the image without adding the coordinates.
Maybe try to phrase it this way:
It works fine when I add the image without adding the coordinates, but when I use these coordinates; 0 31' 12" S, 166 54' 0" E, it does not put the image where it belongs.
By doing so, you've told us which coordinate format you used and it also tell us what about the result shows that it does not work. We can confirm format and possible offer suggestions based on the results. Ultimately, it may be something else entirely from coordinate format mismatch that frustrates you, it's simply a likely culprit based on the scenario.
 
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5
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us-missouri
Be sure to put the - in the longitude. I know it sounds simple but I know someone who had this problem. Don't remember who,,,,,, but,,,,,,,,
 
Messages
455
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us-florida
Thanks for the replies everyone.

Yes, what I want to do is add a SBuilderX .bmp to ADE as a background image. When adding the BMP that came right from SBX, I got an error in ADE saying that the file was not an image file. When converting that to a .jpg, without resizing it, It just said that it was too large. Then when I resized the JPG using "Image" > "Image Size" in Photoshop, (the file size ended up at about 3 MBs) it went in without any error message, but it just did not show up in the ADE workspace when adding it with the coordinates in the txt file generated by SBuilderX:

North=26.7149470666558
South=26.6707773808769
West=-80.6684875488281
East=-80.6348419189453

This seems to be the format the ADE supports according to what I read in the manual... I am going to make the image much smaller and see if it makes any difference. I will let you know how that works. Thanks for the help everyone.
 
Messages
455
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us-florida
So I made the image smaller, and when making it less than 100kb, the image is so blurry you can barely see it. So I guess I would need to make multiple smaller images? But is that neccisary to fix this problem, since the image at about 3MB goes in fine without the coordinates?
 
Messages
7,450
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us-illinois
Hi Caleb:

One must not change the total number of pixel Rows or Columns in an image file that the Geographic coordinates are 'mapped' to in a graphics application via a image 'scaling' or image 're-sizing' procedure, as that would change both the Geo-referencing and the effective cartographic "projection" of the image. :pushpin:

To achieve a smaller aerial image file size, the methods in my recently edited post above may be used in SBuilderX as the source for your aerial image. :idea:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/t...en-adding-with-coordenates.442208/post-792943


BTW: If the resulting 1-piece image derived from the above described 'Methods 1 or 2' within SBuilderX still needs to be segmented into smaller tiles for use in ADE, be certain that your Geographic coordinate format is Decimal Degrees to make the math for the Geo-referencing of the segments from image slicing more readily 'proportionate' ...as you divide up the original copy of the 1-piece aerial image into ex: 2, 4 or 8 pieces etc.. ;)


PS: Regarding exactly what the limit of USERVA may be for a background image in a ADE task session, the general guideline of 100 KB is what the manual says; however, I suspect that at an otherwise less complex airport, there may be 'some' room in the USERVA to "tolerate" a multiple-megabyte background image. :scratchch

GaryGB
 
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Messages
455
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us-florida
Ok. Thanks Gary. I will export it as a smaller .bmp from SBX and let you know how that goes. The reason I resized it in Photoshop was because the tutorial I mentioned in my original post was saying that you could "scale" it in GMIP, which I thought would be similar to image resizing in Photoshop.

Thanks for the help.
 
Messages
455
Country
us-florida
I was not putting the "-" before the east and west coordinates. It is working now.

Thanks very much for your help everyone.
 
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