MSFS24 Custom Aerial Imagery and Photogrammetry

[Christian Bahr]

Hello, maybe someone has some advice.

The image shows how the photogrammetry overlaps with my own airport aerial imagery:

In the Project Inspector, the option "Custom Airport" was set under "Package order hint":

If I turn off photogrammetry, this "transparency" disappears again. The airport is Dortmund Airport EDLW (freeware), but this effect can also be observed at other airports with a custom aerial image in photogrammetry areas. For example, EDDL Duesseldorf. It affects the entire airport area, including areas where no transparent apron textures exist.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

I think Asobo is aware of the problem and may have a fix for SU3 when it's released.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

I can confirm that photogrammetry and aerial imagery (CGL) are incompatible. I made a quick aerial of EDDL, and the photogrammetry does interfere.

With no photogrammetry:

Photogrammetry enabled, but with a large NoTin polygon applied to the airport:

The downside is with a NoTin applied, that might not be what the Developer wants. There is supposed to be a fix when SU3 is released. So no polys would be needed to exclude the TIN (Photogrammetry).

Note: the project is compiled and placed in the Community folder. Otherwise the aerial won't display.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

One more thing. Let's say you have a package with an aerial already released. And now you get complaints about the photogrammetry interfering with the aerials. I made a package to just patch the area as NoTin. Added to the Community, it works to suppress the Photogrammetry and allows the previous package to display the aerial. This should work to patch Marketplace addons as well as just Community addons.

 

[Christian Bahr]

I've already tried that. The polygon with TIN exclusion was the first thing I tried. The photogrammetry doesn't just consist of the aerial photograph; it also contains the scanned elevation data. Even if I exclude the photogrammetry aerial photograph, the elevation data remains. And that ruins my entire terrain. I'll take a few pictures, then you'll see what I mean.
The terrain of Dortmund Airport has a pronounced gradient/elevation profile that I'd like to retain. But I'll gladly try again; maybe it will still work. Thanks for your support.

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Christian:

Would you please explain what you meant by:

"The photogrammetry doesn't just consist of the aerial photograph; it also contains the scanned elevation data. Even if I exclude the photogrammetry aerial photograph, the elevation data remains."

Thanks, I would like to better understand the workflow used at that location.

GaryGB

 

[Christian Bahr]

As far as I know, photogrammetry consists of 2D images and a 3D scan of the Earth's surface - you get aerial imagery and elevation data (simply explained). But I'm open to being proven wrong.

@rhumbaflappy I promised to take some pictures.
The following images show a) the aerial imagery and b) the elevation data. The aerial imagery is new and unprocessed (not retouched). The elevation data comes from the MSFS24 itself. This is very accurate 1m LIDAR scan data. This is the "bare" elevation data from the sim, unprocessed by me. It is so accurate that hardly any adjustments to the terrain were necessary. Only the runway has its own elevation profile.

Image 1: This is the elevated "General Aviation Terminal" area. Image 2: The ramp from Runway 06 to the terminal.

Image 3: the lower part of the GAT. Image 4: Illustration of the Asobo/Microsoft Terrain data (LIDAR 1m scan data)

Engine test area

The images were taken without photogrammetry.


With photogrammetry enabled, the terrain looks like this:

The GAT area and the engine test area with PG

As a final test, I tried, like Dick, creating a polygon with TIN exclusion. To be clear, it didn't work:

The TIN-Exclusion-Polygon has approximately the same dimensions as the aerial image, but as you can see, this didn't help. The PG aerial image shines through, and the PG elevation data is not excluded.

With TIN-Exclusion-Polygon and restarting MSFS24 didn’t change anything either:

My conclusion: Photogrammetry influences custom aerial imagery and the LIDAR scan data.
For me, it remains to be seen that the TIN-Exclusion-Polygon cannot exclude either the PG aerial imagery or the PG elevation data. Perhaps I'm just making a mistake somewhere. But where?

 

[rhumbaflappy]

This issue is supposed to be fixed in the upcoming SU3: https://devsupport.flightsimulator.com/t/su1-beta-graphic-bugs-with-cgl-imagery/13257

I have been trying the work-around with the Exclude Tin polygon, but that doesn't appear to work for me in Dortmund, so we will have to wait and see. We're all trapped in the evolving Beta of the Asobo-Microsoft-MSFS rushed releases. They do not give us a finished product, then change the rules after 3rd party addons are releases. Hopefully SU3 will be the last of the changes to scenery.

 

[seattledec]

If it can be of any help; try to add a terraforming tile; usually those block tin from showing.

 

[GaryGB]

If it can be of any help; try to add a terraforming tile; usually those block tin from showing.

Indeed; I would develop Dortmund using Terra-Forming, and NOT use photogrammetry at all; with it on, Dortmund really "Rocks".

Do we not all have more pressing matters that demand our time, other than inspecting / excluding / replacing "Rock-Trees" ?

That is not a time-saver, IMHO.

I think Asobo has more pressing matters than solving consequences of enabling their Photogrammetry; their object derivation is flawed.

GaryGB

 

[Christian Bahr]

If it can be of any help; try to add a terraforming tile; usually those block tin from showing.

That's a good idea, thanks. But where do I get a "terraforming tile"?
Did you mean a rectangle with the terraforming option enabled, or perhaps a polygon with the terraforming option enabled, or a height map?
I've tried all three, but it doesn't help, or rather, the terrain distortions get even worse.

 

[seattledec]

With Foxtrotscenery program: essentially the mesh it make is nothing else than a terraforming; what it offer; is the ability to make it with elevation models; rather than using the sdk to edit the terrain by pulling up or down / left or right/ use the elevation model to shape the terrain; yes it might not be ideal as is a long way round; but this will exclude any photogrammetry of covered area. The resulting project i believe should also be editable into the sdk if you need to shape further. My opinion is do not wait for Misobo to fix anything as it might never happen; or waiting ages before it get done.

Thread 'W.I.P. Tool for creating Elevation using Rectangles'

8 Sep 2023

Hey everyone,

With the disappearance of existing tools for creating elevation rectangles from a DEM source as well as some recent problems with the newly introduced terraform method, I've started work on a small tool which can convert a DEM source image to Rectangle objects with a heightmap. I currently have a process which works with a WGS84 raster as input and it can convert said raster to a Rectangle with customisable resolution. At a resolution of 25 metres, it took about 5 seconds to process the entire island of Lesvos, which is just over 4000 square km of data. With a lot of...

• FoxtrotScenery
• Replies: 63
• Forum: MSFS terrain

• 
• 

 

[Christian Bahr]

With Foxtrotscenery program: essentially the mesh it make is nothing else than a terraforming; what it offer; is the ability to make it with elevation models; rather than using the sdk to edit the terrain by pulling up or down / left or right/ use the elevation model to shape the terrain; yes it might not be ideal as is a long way round; but this will exclude any photogrammetry of covered area. The resulting project i believe should also be editable into the sdk if you need to shape further. My opinion is do not wait for Misobo to fix anything as it might never happen; or waiting ages before it get done.

Thread 'W.I.P. Tool for creating Elevation using Rectangles'

8 Sep 2023

Hey everyone,

With the disappearance of existing tools for creating elevation rectangles from a DEM source as well as some recent problems with the newly introduced terraform method, I've started work on a small tool which can convert a DEM source image to Rectangle objects with a heightmap. I currently have a process which works with a WGS84 raster as input and it can convert said raster to a Rectangle with customisable resolution. At a resolution of 25 metres, it took about 5 seconds to process the entire island of Lesvos, which is just over 4000 square km of data. With a lot of...

• FoxtrotScenery
• Replies: 63
• Forum: MSFS terrain

• 
• 

Okay, I wasn't familiar with that tool. But I'll be happy to give it a try. I'm curious to see if it works in MSFS24

 

[Christian Bahr]

Hi, just a quick update.

The problem resolved itself with the SU3. Everything is now displayed as it should be, and the ground no longer shows through when photogrammetry is enabled.

The tool is really good; you can achieve very good results with it for elevation data. Thanks for the tip