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Compiler issues with SBuilderX - Too many objects?

S

Steve Rosenow

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96
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us-washington
Slight issue has cropped up.

I decided to branch out west a bit in the Pre-1980 Mount St. Helens Experience and flesh out a major logging camp/log storage yard that was on the lower North Fork of the Toutle River.

Camp Baker, located at the foot of Hoffstadt Bluffs, was a massive, sprawling log storage yard and logging camp. Images of the destruction in 1980 painted a picture of a very populated, very busy logging camp with tons of piles of logs.

I've located the model object "generic.bgl" that I intend to use to simulate the piles upon piles of logs (it seems to be decent on framerates) but when I copy more than one instance, SBuilderX will not compile. When I try to compile XML via dragging it to BGLComp.exe I get a brief window with compilation errors yet it won't compile either.

What can I be doing wrong? I need well over a dozen instances of this object to make it seem "realistic" without a hit to the framerates. The alternative (which I detest) is to compile each separate entity as its own BGL but there has to be another way!
 
rhumbaflappy

rhumbaflappy

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It's unlikely the problem is SBuilderX. Zip up your xml file and attach it to a post, then someone can try to duplicate the problem. Or save an SBuilderX SBX file and zip & attach that here.
 
G

GaryGB

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us-illinois
Hi Steve:

I agree that Dicks recommendation would be the best way to ...help us ...help you.


Although there are FS utilities that can display results of manual processing of XML source code via SDK BGLComp, by examining the BGLComp XML placement code, we can better determine how to troubleshoot this.

It would be easier to place scenery library objects and have their placement info compiled to a BGL via the SBuilderX GUI.


IIUC, you refer to this default FSX scenery library object:

gen_logpile01
{4A1FAC63-5C43-417F-
8E78-8F889C7EEC5A}
size: 4.50, 2.60, 3.49

http://lc0277.gratisim.fr/sceneobjects/generic/index.html

http://lc0277.gratisim.fr/sceneobjects/generic/{4A1FAC63-5C43-417F-8E78-8F889C7EEC5A}.jpg

1553796635236.png


GaryGB
 
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S

Steve Rosenow

Messages
96
Country
us-washington
I had some success with the placement of the logs last night in FSX, although I had to sneak around and decompile the entire "generic.BGL" file to do so. Once I did that, I imported the MDL file into MCX, then exported as a *.3DS to import into SketchUp. Once that was done, I did some fancywork in SketchUp duplicating the log piles to what I needed for display...

HOWEVER...

The original placement of the objects was compiled when Camp Baker was less populated with log piles based on 1973 USGS declassified aerial imagery I have in my possession. I have since discovered through some aerials taken in June, 1979 and again in June, 1980 that Camp Baker was chock full of the piles of logs ,so I duplicated some of my existing MDL files in SBuilderX... Mind you, I am using ver. 3.15.

And I ran into the same error. When I compile, this is what I get:

1554033606644.png


I have subsequently attached the test XML (without the MDLs) to see where things are going kaput.
 

Attachments

  • MSH_MSH_PRE_1980_Camp_Baker_OBJ_Test_OBX.zip
    2.1 KB · Views: 198
G

GaryGB

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us-illinois
Hi Steve:

What decompiler did you use on (...a copy of) :

[FSX install path]\Scenery\Global\scenery\generic.bgl


Also, did you manually edit (...a copy of) the decompiler's *.XML output to create the XML source for your custom BGL? :scratchch

GaryGB
 
S

Steve Rosenow

Messages
96
Country
us-washington
GaryGB said:
Hi Steve:

What decompiler did you use on (...a copy of) :

[FSX install path]\Scenery\Global\scenery\generic.bgl


Also, did you manually edit (...a copy of) the decompiler's *.XML output to create the XML source for your custom BGL? :scratchch

GaryGB
Click to expand...

I used BGLAnalyze for the decompile of "generic.bgl"

As for the second question? No.

I just imported the *.MDL file I needed into SBuilderX and went from there.
 
G

GaryGB

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us-illinois
Hi Steve:

I only had a brief moment to test the XML file attached above, as I will be traveling today.


It is possible you 'may' get less XML errors from compiling by FSX SDK BGLComp (via SBuilderX) if you use Scruffyduck's BGL2XML v150 or v160:

http://www.scruffyduck.org/bgl2xml/4584282773


...to decompile SDK BGLComp scenery object libraries or placement BGLs, output XML source code, and extract MDLs.


However, there may be additional steps required to properly import the MDLs into SBuilderX for placement, which I will check later today. :scratchch


Again, I recommend that that you instead utilize Flight1's Instant Scenery ...to minimize complexities other 3rd party object placement utilities require. ;)

GaryGB
 
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G

GaryGB

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7,450
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us-illinois
Hi again:

You may wish to utilize the "Whisplacer" freeware object placement utility: :idea:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/simdirector-objects-autogen-suppression.444860/


PS:

After reviewing the SBuilderX Help file, if you use the decompiler recommended above, I see no reason why you might continue to have issues working with SBuilderX for placement of SDK BGLComp XML-based scenery library objects or MDLs.

Otherwise, let us know if you do continue to have issues working with SBuilderX for placement of SDK BGLComp XML-based scenery library objects or MDLs. :)

GaryGB
 
S

Steve Rosenow

Messages
96
Country
us-washington
GaryGB said:
Hi again:

You may wish to utilize the "Whisplacer" freeware object placement utility: :idea:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/simdirector-objects-autogen-suppression.444860/


PS:

After reviewing the SBuilderX Help file, if you use the decompiler recommended above, I see no reason why you might continue to have issues working with SBuilderX for placement of SDK BGLComp XML-based scenery library objects or MDLs.

Otherwise, let us know if you do continue to have issues working with SBuilderX for placement of SDK BGLComp XML-based scenery library objects or MDLs. :)

GaryGB
Click to expand...


I am curious to know why one decompiler would have issues and the other wouldn't? Essentially all I am loading into SBuilderX are the individual model files.

I've even had the same issue with compiling scenery object BGLs in SBuilderX with objects I have designed myself. The cabins at Harry Truman's Mount St. Helens Lodge are an example. Duplicating the cabins led to errors.

What could cause that?
 
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G

GaryGB

Messages
7,450
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us-illinois
Hi Steve:

IIUC, you are still incurring errors when working with MDLs imported into- and placed by- SBuilderX ?

Does "compiling scenery object BGLs in SBuilderX" refer to compiling BGLComp XML format "libraries" ...or "placement" BGLs ? :scratchch


I would not recommend SBuilderX' placement methods, as one may encounter complexities / errors such as reported above.

Using instead, separate BGLComp XML format "libraries" and "placement" BGLs, one may encounter less complexities / errors.


This will also allow better performance in FSX at run time, as it allows object GUID 'load / write instancing' to work in FSX, rather than having multiple copies of an object and all its geometry packaged inside multiple BGLs along with placement info.


To create custom BGLComp XML format "libraries" containing MDLs with NO placement info, you can use:

Arno's Library Creator XML

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/resources/library-creator-xml.86/


To place default or custom BGLComp XML format "scenery library objects" (from "libraries" containing MDLs), you can use:

Arno's ObPlacerXML:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/resources/obplacer-xml.108/

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/resources/obplacer-xml.109/

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/resources/obplacer-xml-picture-pack.110/


Alternatively, to use ADE as a tool in your scenery development for this project, you would only need to:

Add > Other Start > Helipad

...at the desired Geographic coordinates and Altitude of the "airport" (ex: as done in your original FS9 mshscen AFCAD work).

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?searchid=70227344

https://dfs2.flightsim.com/download.php?fn=mshscen.zip



This would add an airport entry to the FSX airports list utilizing a fictional 4-character ICAO, and would allow you to work locally within the "airport" boundary area, using the scenery object placement tools in ADE.

FYI: ADE can import / place both MDLs and/or scenery object libraries, and which does not require the complex manual decompilation / editing / configuring procedures that SBuilderX otherwise requires for "LibObjects".

If you configure ADE to keep "scenery library object" placement "split" from "Airport Facilities Data" and other airport infrastructure placement, when compiled via ADE GUI by BGLComp, you can write out a separate scenery object placement BGL

End users of your finished scenery package can of course, still use the 'Saved Flight' *.FLT files you already have created.


Use of Whisplacer also continues to be yet another option for scenery object placement.


PS: Without also having the custom MDLs and mapped textures cited in your *.XML file attached above, there is little which someone other than yourself can do to troubleshoot the complexities / errors such as reported above ...by attempting to do a manual test compile by FSX SDK BGLComp outside the process utilized via SBuilderX version 3.15 GUI. :alert:


IMHO, more info would be required to "...help us ...help you".


If you wish to further troubleshoot this process of performing MDL placement via SBuilderX, ZIP and attach copies of the MDLs and mapped textures cited in your *.XML file attached above. :pushpin:


Also, be sure to include the pertinent info required by the SBuilderX LibObjects feature: ;)

[SBuilderX315 install path]\LibObjects\objects.txt


...and any additional (non-default / custom) "secondary" objects in a (ex: [library name].txt) file located in:

[SBuilderX315 install path]\Tools\ sub-folder

...and which must be listed using a 'include directive' (as explained by SBuilderX) within "objects.txt" file as cited above.


GaryGB
 
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