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This looks absolutely amazing, great work!
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P3D v2 Colorado Springs Airport (KCOS)
- Thread starter UnitedExpress4180
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Right now I have ambient occlusion baked on to all the textures, however I don't think I'll be doing full-on shadows for them. Doing this would cause the shadows to look out of place except at one time of day, and since I don't know how to do the shadows like FSDreamTeam does them, I'll be leaving it to P3D's dynamic shadowing system.
Agreed! I dislike baked in shadows (not the same as AO) on scenery objects since i always run with shadows on and prefer dynamic shadows based on time of day.
Great job!!
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Haven't posted anything in a while. Here's a few WIP shots of the textures on the terminal. It took me a while but I think I finally found a texturing method that adequately replicates the materials on the exterior of the real terminal. All the textures had to be mastered in 4K to retain the visual fidelity, but there will of course be lower-res packages for people that might not have computers that can handle it all in 4K. Of course, this is still a ways off. Things have been moving forward slowly, but they are moving...slowly. Still, have a look!
Heretic
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I'd do it the other way around. 1K for the basepack, 2K or 4K textures as a free upgrade. First, the majority of simmers are unlikely to get so close to the buildings to admire dead flies on the walls and secondly, the less virtual memory is used by high-res textures, the less likely users are to get "out of memory" errors.
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Those textures 
I personally think 4k is overkill for scenery. If you want to make a HD scenery, just go with 2k, this is also what FlightBeam does (in my opinion one, if not the, best scenery developers around). 4k won't have that much of an impact on performance but it does on VAS usage. since the texturesheets are 16 times as big as normal 1k texturesheets. So I'd say, go with 2k, it's more than enough.
I personally think 4k is overkill for scenery. If you want to make a HD scenery, just go with 2k, this is also what FlightBeam does (in my opinion one, if not the, best scenery developers around). 4k won't have that much of an impact on performance but it does on VAS usage. since the texturesheets are 16 times as big as normal 1k texturesheets. So I'd say, go with 2k, it's more than enough.
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I think you may be right about going with 1 or 2K textures, however I don't think it will be necessary from a VAS usage perspective in this case. Surprisingly, the 4K textures aren't loading it terribly heavily. I think this might be because the majority of them are in DXT1 format, so their file size is actually relatively small, only 10MB each. That said, I may downgrade to 2K textures for the reason that there are so many files, the scenery is already over 3 gigabytes, so I need to cut some stuff wherever I can (shooting to keep the whole package under 2 gigs). Strangely, even with this, the VAS usage is barely more than what it is with the default scenery in the area.
jtanabodee
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It is very interesting about the texture. But I agree with Heretic, I just saw the detail of texture today. I thought that it was a plain color when I first saw it. It is almost no different if you put plain color on the building.
To me I think fps is the most important thing in developing airport and the number of texture and size of it relate to that.
If you got a very detail airport but no body can fly, just watching the slide show, it is just a pity.
To me I think fps is the most important thing in developing airport and the number of texture and size of it relate to that.
If you got a very detail airport but no body can fly, just watching the slide show, it is just a pity.
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Luckily the performance isn't being hit very hard (thus far). Of course, I was having issues with the old ground poly, but I took that out temporarily (gonna have to redo that one, I think) and performance is holding steady around 35 FPS for me, which is about where it was with the default scenery.
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FSX compatibility is planned, though it probably won't be available until some time after initial release (possibly a few months after initial release), as I'm currently designing primarily for P3D. I'll have to port all that stuff over at some point.
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Update -- 18 May, 2015
First update in a long time! Geez, even *I* was starting to think this project was dead! (It was just, uh, sleeping...)
Anyhoo, things got slow-going again in April due to school commitments (and because Kerbal Space Program 1.0 came out...oops), and work ceased altogether through the first part of May due to finals. BUT, that stuff is done with and I've got lots of time to work on this again, so expect to see lots of updates and such on the KCOS project over the summer.
For now, I have a few teaser shots of what's been done since March...which admittedly, isn't as much as I'd like, but, well, err...it's more than a blank screen...oh well.
So, here's an actual progress update to get the ball rolling: in the last few weeks, I've started doing detail work on the GA area. Everything has been roughed in for a while now, but thanks to some reference photos that someone sent my way (huge thanks, Todd! Not the same Todd as above, a different Todd actually. Todd 2.0, I guess?...Is it just me or are there an lot of flight simmers with the name Todd?), I can finally model all the stuff I couldn't see from Google Earth...which is, well, pretty much everything smaller than a Volkswagen.
Currently, the areas being worked on actively are the Cutter and JetCenter buildings, with some additional stuff being done on the FedEx building a little further up the field. The GA hangars scattered around there have all been modeled and UV'd, and are awaiting texturing (as is the Cutter hangar, though I have a few smaller things to fix on the outside, and the interior needs to cook a little longer before I can take it out of the oven. Yay, terrible analogies!) Said hangars have had the ambient occlusion baked, but aside from that, the only texturing I did on those were the lonely Phillips 66 signs. They'll have fully-textured friends soon enough.
I thought I'd also share some more recent developments with the project. Back in January I mentioned the ground model was getting reworked for the bajillionth time. This time it wasn't because of performance issues or because it was bad-looking, but rather I decided to try something a little more unusual for FS airports: custom terrain. As in the bumpy mounds and ditches between taxiways where most sceneries just show flat, uh...well, flatness. Initially I wanted to do something similar to what the folks at FlightBeam did for their KDEN project...but I didn't have a clue where they got their terrain data or how they got that data into the sim (I'm going with magic on this one), so instead I started experimenting with sculpting terrain features using a bunch of flattens in Airport Design Editor, and surprisingly, it worked on the first try. It's tedious, counter-intuitive, and takes longer to make than it took for the Earth to form, but it looks pretty decent and doesn't appear to have any noticeable performance impact, so I say, kapooya! I don't know what it means, I just felt like saying it...right, anyway...
I apparently also did some more on the front of the terminal back in March...I say apparently because I have absolutely no memory of doing it, and yet, there it be. It's part-way through texturing, so it ain't pretty, but then again neither was the Airbus Beluga, and that turned out fine. I think? But, yeah...it's got transparent windows. Note: I *will* stick a lobby and chandelier in there at some point. And then there will be cake. I just hope the chandelier doesn't end up being a lie like the cake.
I got some doors and windows textured on the air-side of the terminal too. At some point, I just thought "you know, I *must* have high-def doors and windows", so I said, "let there be high-def doors and windows", and there were high-def doors and windows. Nobody will ever get close enough in the sim to see such sharp-looking glass (oh wow, now I'm doing lame puns), and if you do, your airplane will probably be half-embedded in the wall, but it's a pet peeve of mine that detailed objects should look detailed...yeah, I'll probably scale those textures down a smidge for release, but if my computer doesn't melt next time I put this thing in the sim, it might be worth adding some crude interiors on the ground-level areas too just for kicks 'n gigs. Those would definitely warrant cake. Mmm, delicious detailed window-cake...
In the final picture, you'll see an underpass/cargo loading area that I made up because reference photos of that area could not be obtained, so there's a possibility I might not actually have known what was there (spoiler: I didn't). The underpass doesn't actually look that unnaturally bright, it's just lit (poorly) specially for this preview. Also notice that I've finally added the terminal's dumpsters. Normally I wouldn't even bother to mention that but I'm running out of things to talk about, and honestly, I really like those dumpsters. For some reason.
Right, that's it for now! Hasta!
First update in a long time! Geez, even *I* was starting to think this project was dead! (It was just, uh, sleeping...)
Anyhoo, things got slow-going again in April due to school commitments (and because Kerbal Space Program 1.0 came out...oops), and work ceased altogether through the first part of May due to finals. BUT, that stuff is done with and I've got lots of time to work on this again, so expect to see lots of updates and such on the KCOS project over the summer.
For now, I have a few teaser shots of what's been done since March...which admittedly, isn't as much as I'd like, but, well, err...it's more than a blank screen...oh well.
So, here's an actual progress update to get the ball rolling: in the last few weeks, I've started doing detail work on the GA area. Everything has been roughed in for a while now, but thanks to some reference photos that someone sent my way (huge thanks, Todd! Not the same Todd as above, a different Todd actually. Todd 2.0, I guess?...Is it just me or are there an lot of flight simmers with the name Todd?), I can finally model all the stuff I couldn't see from Google Earth...which is, well, pretty much everything smaller than a Volkswagen.
Currently, the areas being worked on actively are the Cutter and JetCenter buildings, with some additional stuff being done on the FedEx building a little further up the field. The GA hangars scattered around there have all been modeled and UV'd, and are awaiting texturing (as is the Cutter hangar, though I have a few smaller things to fix on the outside, and the interior needs to cook a little longer before I can take it out of the oven. Yay, terrible analogies!) Said hangars have had the ambient occlusion baked, but aside from that, the only texturing I did on those were the lonely Phillips 66 signs. They'll have fully-textured friends soon enough.
I thought I'd also share some more recent developments with the project. Back in January I mentioned the ground model was getting reworked for the bajillionth time. This time it wasn't because of performance issues or because it was bad-looking, but rather I decided to try something a little more unusual for FS airports: custom terrain. As in the bumpy mounds and ditches between taxiways where most sceneries just show flat, uh...well, flatness. Initially I wanted to do something similar to what the folks at FlightBeam did for their KDEN project...but I didn't have a clue where they got their terrain data or how they got that data into the sim (I'm going with magic on this one), so instead I started experimenting with sculpting terrain features using a bunch of flattens in Airport Design Editor, and surprisingly, it worked on the first try. It's tedious, counter-intuitive, and takes longer to make than it took for the Earth to form, but it looks pretty decent and doesn't appear to have any noticeable performance impact, so I say, kapooya! I don't know what it means, I just felt like saying it...right, anyway...
I apparently also did some more on the front of the terminal back in March...I say apparently because I have absolutely no memory of doing it, and yet, there it be. It's part-way through texturing, so it ain't pretty, but then again neither was the Airbus Beluga, and that turned out fine. I think? But, yeah...it's got transparent windows. Note: I *will* stick a lobby and chandelier in there at some point. And then there will be cake. I just hope the chandelier doesn't end up being a lie like the cake.
I got some doors and windows textured on the air-side of the terminal too. At some point, I just thought "you know, I *must* have high-def doors and windows", so I said, "let there be high-def doors and windows", and there were high-def doors and windows. Nobody will ever get close enough in the sim to see such sharp-looking glass (oh wow, now I'm doing lame puns), and if you do, your airplane will probably be half-embedded in the wall, but it's a pet peeve of mine that detailed objects should look detailed...yeah, I'll probably scale those textures down a smidge for release, but if my computer doesn't melt next time I put this thing in the sim, it might be worth adding some crude interiors on the ground-level areas too just for kicks 'n gigs. Those would definitely warrant cake. Mmm, delicious detailed window-cake...
In the final picture, you'll see an underpass/cargo loading area that I made up because reference photos of that area could not be obtained, so there's a possibility I might not actually have known what was there (spoiler: I didn't). The underpass doesn't actually look that unnaturally bright, it's just lit (poorly) specially for this preview. Also notice that I've finally added the terminal's dumpsters. Normally I wouldn't even bother to mention that but I'm running out of things to talk about, and honestly, I really like those dumpsters. For some reason.
Right, that's it for now! Hasta!
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Duuuuude!!! Looks amazing!!! I am really glad my photos are helping out... Cutter and CJC looks spot-on! Can't wait to see them textured. I'm amazed that you even modelled CJC's sign instead of just texturing it. Looks freaking awesome!
Like I said, I am going to try to get you some more references on the airside of the terminal, SkyWest, and some of the other buildings as well.
Again, you're doing an incredible job, man... keep it up!
Like I said, I am going to try to get you some more references on the airside of the terminal, SkyWest, and some of the other buildings as well.
Again, you're doing an incredible job, man... keep it up!
jtanabodee
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I like those detail very much. You have done a very good job.
However, flight simmers usually do not slew all over the airport. They tend to stick with their aircraft and control it like the way in real life. Fewer people walk around to that dump buckets. It would be very good if you keep the area around the aircraft as much detail as these photos. The detail should be in the parking bay spots.
However, flight simmers usually do not slew all over the airport. They tend to stick with their aircraft and control it like the way in real life. Fewer people walk around to that dump buckets. It would be very good if you keep the area around the aircraft as much detail as these photos. The detail should be in the parking bay spots.
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Yup, still working on it! Military hangars are modeled and are currently in the texturing process.