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FSXA Changing GPS map information

MEPaquette

MEPaquette

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ca-ontario
For those who follow my posting in "aircraft modeler", they know that I am more into "watercraft" than "aircrafts". I kike to follow the "rivers and the canal system, but I sometime need to travel in the great lakes to get for one canal system to another. When I do, I like to stay close to the shore. In real life, I would be limited to a water depth of about five feet. In real like, I would also have the use of marine GPS, which I believe would give me water depth, and or marine charts.
Here are my questions:
1) Where does the Garmin 500 GPS take its information to display the terrain?
2) Can that information be changed to add water level lines?

Michel
 
Let me ask the question another way.
Which program do I need to use to add boundary line on FSX map.

Michel
 
Honestly, you cannot. The "gps" is an entirely self-contained C++ dynamic link library (.dll) file.
 
Hi Michel:

Certainly Fr. Bill is extremely knowledgeable in the more arcane aspects of MSFS 3D modeling with regard to aircraft and gauge / module creation, so my apologies in advance if, perhaps, I might be mis-interpreting the context of his comments within this particular thread. :wave:

As far as the ability to display "water depth" in a gauge, one would have to create a custom gauge to read elevation from terrain mesh BGLs independent of the cvx vector water polygon elevation BGL value for water surface elevation... a very complex undertaking even for an experienced gauge programmer.

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/cvxextractor-exporting-vector-data.432918/


FYI: There are already 3rd party add-on gauges that can read and display in a custom GPS 'window', the terrain surface for "solid land" around one's pilot-able aircraft or other watercraft "SimObject", but I am not sure whether they take only the water surface elevation in cvx vector BGL files for water bodies as the single elevation for the "water class terrain" nearby.


But, IIUC the line of inquiry for your posting history here, there is a way to generate terrain scenery "water" (aka "hydro") content for display in the GPS.

The CVX vector scenery object entity in question is very poorly documented in the SDK, is referred to as a "GPS Hydro Polygon", and IIUC, for performance reasons, was limited by MS ACES to a lower resolution display in FSX at run time in the GPS (regardless of how precise the source data was before compilation via SHP2VEC).

The other "gotcha' with "GPSHydroPolys" is, IIRC, that they reportedly cannot be disabled at smaller QMID-11 (LOD-9) quad levels by vector exclude GUIDs.


Possibly they must instead be excluded at a much larger QMID-7 (LOD-5) quad levels for a region in order to "replace" them ? :scratchch

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/new-islands-not-showing-on-gps-map.288853/

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc707102.aspx

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc707108.aspx




BTW: There are also edits one can make in FSX to allow GPS display of terrain for the "land" alongside the water ...in the FS default GPS "gauges".

However, most folks simply download the edited version of those GPS files from:

http://aussiex.org/forum/index.php?/files/file/1552-default-fsx-gps-gauge/


...which allows display of not only GPS hydro polys and terrain, but nearby multi-player traffic as well. ;)


Hope this helps ! :)

GaryGB
 
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Gary
My inquiry was not about making changes to the water polygon, but I simply wanted to add lines similar to a topographical map, that would represent water depth contour lines near the shore line. And these would only appear on the GPS map, not in the actual FSX scene.

Michel
 
Last edited:
Gary
I am already using G-map, which shows my boat position on Google Earth(have it on secondary computer so I can still run full screen)
With this, the water edge has a different shade, which appears to indicate shallow water. And if I compare this to the marine charts that I have found and downloaded, it does in fact indicate shallow water, but it could go as far down as 10', and all I need is about 5' of water.
I am not sure if RL marine GPS do have these contour lines for depth, so I don't know if what I am asking is realistic. But I do know that in RL, I can get a depth sonar, which I can't have in the sim.
Looking at the 3rd link you have , there is a lot of talk about contour map, but nothing definitive as to if it is available or not, and is so, what are the contour intervals.
In the forth link, they show marine charts overplayed on Google Earth, but without the full chart, I don't know if sounding depth are in feet or meters.
What would be nice is the G-map type program that would be linked to the marine charts rather than Google Earth.

I will look more closely into those links, but at the end, the G-Map type program would need a setting to be able to add these "overlay".

Michel
 
Gary
I have been going over your post this morning (reply #5) because I thought that maybe there is something about "GPS Hydro Polygon" that might shed some light on GPS map editing. I am not sure if you edited this part but I went to that link for the cvxextractor and it brought me to a pdf file for the "Global Mapper 8 and cGPS Mapper". Sound like GPS map might be "customizable", but as you said "for the experience programmer"
I have put a link to that file and will go back and start reading to see if I can pull something out of it. But this will be for when I have more time to spare.

Michel
 
I think I am getting close to what I am looking for.
I wont be adding lines to the FSX GPS, but instead, I am looking at linking FSX to a Marine GPS on my android phone.
I have downloaded the Marine navigator App, which shows your location on marine charts. Now I just need to find the right app to have the GPS in my phone get the information from FSX via my USB connection and setting "GPSout" in FSUIPC.
At the moment its finding the proper "mock location" app. I got one suggestion from the GPS provider, but it's thru Bluetooth connection, which I don't have on my PC.
I would welcome any suggestions as looking thru my "app store" on my phone there are many out there.

Michel
 
If anybody still interested, I have mange to get my Marine GPS in ways,
On my lap top, I am using SeaClear II, connected to FSX thru FSUIPC-WideFS and MixW
On my Android phone, FSUIPC thru Com port on Bluetooth adapter, with "Bluetooth GPS" app and "Marine Navigator" app.

Took a while but I finally made it.

The way it looks like, I can have any GPS app on my phone and this should work. But it is important to get a Bluetooth adapter that can create a Com port communication.

Michel
 
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