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FSXA CVX files

raymk

raymk

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unitedkingdom
In a fairly recent thread, I seem to remember reading that, as a result of various investigations, it would now be possible for ADE to open CVX files. I have 'searched' through the forum but cannot find the thread.

Can anyone confirm or otherwise expand on this possibility?

I have recently downloaded some scenery files for Argentinian airfields which have all come with CVX files. As I want to do some upgrades (purely for my own purposes/satisfaction), I would like to know what was the reason for the accompanying CVX files.

RayM
 
No it is not yet possible. However it is on the development list. CVX files are terrain files such as land class roads, flattens and so on
 
Terrain Sculptor may be able to help you with the flatten(s). For the others, a utility named CVX Extractor will decompile the files for you. You could use the decompiled data in XML format to re-create the polys in ADE.

Don
 
Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.

TMFVIEWER - opens the CVX file. Comparing what I see on the screen with what I see in FSX is the next thing to try.

CVX Extractor - will have a look at this and see what info this gives.

Again thanks.

RayM

EDIT -

TMFVIEWER - gives me a graphical view on the contents of the file which I can compare with what I see in FSX.

CVX Extractor - gives me an XML file that describes the objects which is allowing me to check the objects that the BGL file contains.

Both, when used together, form a useful tool.

Again, thanks.
 
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I finally found the cause of problems that I was having with the downloaded scenery files.
Having got the bottom of what the CVX files were doing, I still had some problems with what turned out to be non-flattening of the scenery. Nothing I could do with adding flattening polygons, stopped me seeing terrain breaking thro runways and bushes and trees breaking thro the aprons.

The download contained 7 airfields spread out over a wide area of land. These were installed as individual airfields under Addon Scenery and Activated in FSX Scenery as usual. All of the airfields have an accompanying CVX file. The main airfield in the group also contained loads of additional scenery revision files that covered the same area. When I activated the folders in FSX, I arranged them in alphabetical order in the scenery list as I usually do (in order to find them quickly).
This is where I thank Jon (Scruffy) for his frequent reminders to forum users that the order of loading of files is very important. After a lot of messing about, I eventually remembered his advice and re-arranged the order of the files so that the one containing the scenery changes had to be BELOW the others so that the individual CVX folders 'loaded' on top of the new scenery - thus doing their work of flattening and excluding autogen!

Hopefully, if I get a similar situation again, I will remember Jon's advice a bit sooner! I now have some great airfields in some great scenery - so much so that I have been in touch with the originators and congratulated them on their great work - I will be using more of their scenery as necessary.
 
raymk said:
I finally found the cause of problems that I was having with the downloaded scenery files.
Having got the bottom of what the CVX files were doing, I still had some problems with what turned out to be non-flattening of the scenery. Nothing I could do with adding flattening polygons, stopped me seeing terrain breaking thro runways and bushes and trees breaking thro the aprons.

The download contained 7 airfields spread out over a wide area of land. These were installed as individual airfields under Addon Scenery and Activated in FSX Scenery as usual. All of the airfields have an accompanying CVX file. The main airfield in the group also contained loads of additional scenery revision files that covered the same area. When I activated the folders in FSX, I arranged them in alphabetical order in the scenery list as I usually do (in order to find them quickly).
This is where I thank Jon (Scruffy) for his frequent reminders to forum users that the order of loading of files is very important. After a lot of messing about, I eventually remembered his advice and re-arranged the order of the files so that the one containing the scenery changes had to be BELOW the others so that the individual CVX folders 'loaded' on top of the new scenery - thus doing their work of flattening and excluding autogen!

Hopefully, if I get a similar situation again, I will remember Jon's advice a bit sooner! I now have some great airfields in some great scenery - so much so that I have been in touch with the originators and congratulated them on their great work - I will be using more of their scenery as necessary.
Click to expand...

Hello:

I have also observed this taking place when a 'certain type of exclusion BGL' file is;

* loaded in a certain alphabetical order relative to other affected BGLs within the same folder

...and/or

* regardless of where that nested \Scenery sub-folder is located in the FSX scenery library stack of layers


... as long as that 'certain type of exclusion BGL' file is loaded from a layer below others.


To the extent that I have tested thus far, such a type of 'exclusion BGL is able to disrupt the ability to implement use of other types of CVX BGLs, which for example, would otherwise have applied a "flatten" to the local terrain.

Furthermore, such a type of 'exclusion BGL apparently is able to to disrupt the ability to implement / use other BGLs which are located in \Scenery sub-folders located above such a BGL in the FSX scenery library stack of layers ...even though it loaded before those other BGLs in other "higher priority" layers. :yikes:


I have discovered a different work-around than you described above, and would like to know more about the work-around described above for your own scenario. ;)

One specific question I would like to ask is, did you also have any OrbX FTX scenery installed and active which geographically 'covered' the area in which you were making / configuring your own scenery as described above ? :scratchch


Thanks in advance for your reply. :)

GaryGB
 
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GaryGB said:
Hello:

.....................
I have discovered a different work-around than you described above, and would like to know more about the work-around described above for your own scenario. ;)

One specific question I would like to ask is, did you also have any OrbX FTX scenery installed and active which geographically 'covered' the area in which you were making / configuring your own scenery as described above ? :scratchch


Thanks in advance for your reply. :)

GaryGB
Click to expand...

GaryGB - here are a few more specific details of my latest experience.

For the area covered that I am talking about, I haven't got any non-FSX scenery addons.
I wanted some better airfields in southern Argentina so downloaded a file Tierra_del_Fuego.zip which is available online from an Argentinian group of enthusiasts. It contains (amongst other bits) 7 folders of different airfields. 6 of the folders just contain 'scenery' and 'texture' sub-folders with airfield details. The 'scenery' folders mostly only have 2 files - an [airfield].bgl and an [airfield_cvx].bgl. The 7th folder is for SAWH (Ushuaia Int'l) where the scenery folder contains a load of files which I presume are update terrain files for the scenery that contains the 7 airfields, as well as the SAWH.bgl and SAWH_CVX.bgl files.
Although I liked the revised airfield designs very much, there were several upgrades that I wanted to add so I went ahead and did the changes. I then put the 7 folders into my FSX\Addon Scenery as usual. In FSX, I activated each of the folders which I then put into alphabetical order in the Scenery Library (as is my won't!). This meant that the folder SAWO was lower than the folder SAWH.
When I put my aircraft at SAWO in FSX there were problems with bushes all over the place and the runway was interrupted by lumps of terrain. I assumed that the SAWO_CVX.bgl file wasn't working properly even though, by using CVXextractor.exe, I could see that a polygon "type:airport background" "tag:flatten mask class map excludeautogen" existed. This should have flattened and excluded the vegetation.
I tried adding my own version of the same polygon but nothing I tried would work.
Eventually I remembered Jon's reminders about loading order. With the current Scenery Library order, SAWO is loading followed by SAWH, which is putting the new scenery 'over the top' of whatever the SAWO files described, so the SAWO_CVX.bgl couldn't do its job. Now, by putting SAWO at a higher order than SAWH, the load order now allows SAWO_CVX.bgl to override as required the new scenery defined by the files in the SAWH folder.

Jon, have I got this last paragraph explanation correct?

Gary - have I answered your query? I imagine that this is a fairly unusual situation but it may help anyone who encounters something similar.
 
raymk said:
GaryGB - here are a few more specific details of my latest experience.

For the area covered that I am talking about, I haven't got any non-FSX scenery add-ons.
I wanted some better airfields in southern Argentina so downloaded a file Tierra_del_Fuego.zip which is available online from an Argentinian group of enthusiasts. It contains (amongst other bits) 7 folders of different airfields. 6 of the folders just contain 'scenery' and 'texture' sub-folders with airfield details. The 'scenery' folders mostly only have 2 files - an [airfield].bgl and an [airfield_cvx].bgl. The 7th folder is for SAWH (Ushuaia Int'l) where the scenery folder contains a load of files which I presume are update terrain files for the scenery that contains the 7 airfields, as well as the SAWH.bgl and SAWH_CVX.bgl files.


Gary - have I answered your query? I imagine that this is a fairly unusual situation but it may help anyone who encounters something similar.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for the detailed reply; I am downloading that scenery package now, and will look further into whether there is a type of BGL which is involved in this issue of BGL load order, "order of precedence" and impact on the ability of the FSX / P3D rendering engine to display affected scenery content. ;)


FYI: IIUC, the 'Argentinian' scenery package in question (as cited above), is at: :scratchch

https://translate.google.com/transl...latorarg.com.ar/xescenarios11.htm&prev=search

http://www.flightsimulatorarg.com.ar/xescenarios11.htm

http://www.flightsimulatorarg.com.ar/descargas/escenarios_fsx/tdf_x.zip


Indeed, this unusual scenario merits further investigation, documentation, and identification of any feasible work-arounds for others in the FS development community. :pushpin:


When I have some conclusions and/or impressions after initial analysis, I'll post back to this thread. :)

GaryGB
 
Hi again:

An initial report:


[tdf_x install path]\TIERRA DEL FUEGO_X\SAWO-Aeroclub Est. Naval\Scenery\SAWO_CVX.bgl

...is a CVX vector BGL, which in FSX SDK TMFViewer shows a single large polygon having this GUID:

{46bfb3bd-ce68-418e-8112-feba17428ace} Flatten + MaskClassMap + ExcludeAutogen



[tdf_x install path]\TIERRA DEL FUEGO_X\SAWH-Ushuaia\Scenery\SAWH_CVX.bgl

...is a CVX vector BGL, which in FSX SDK TMFViewer shows multiple polygons with both default and custom GUIDs

The multiple polygons in SAWH_CVX.bgl with custom GUIDs shown in FSX SDK TMFViewer with a "Green" color may be CVX vector Land Class with custom mapped textures (although I have not seen such textures as may likely be mapped onto the custom Land Class vector polygons ...within the \Texture sub-folder locally paired with the Scenery\SAWH_CVX.bgl).

Perhaps this may mean those polygons are mapped to default textures in the FSX default folder chain ? :scratchch



This scenario will require further inquiry, but I'm initially wondering if CVX vector BGLs which use:

{5a7f944c-3d79-4e0c-82f5-04844e5dc653} Flatten + MaskClassMap

{46bfb3bd-ce68-418e-8112-feba17428ace} Flatten + MaskClassMap + ExcludeAutogen

{1f2baab1-4132-416e-8f6f-28abe79cd60b} MaskClassMap

{594e70c8-06a5-4e3f-be6e-4dbf50b49d11} MaskClassMap + ExcludeAutogen

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc707102.aspx#TheShp2VecTool


...as GUID definitions for scenery attributes and functions, may be pre-empted or otherwise 'disrupted' from working normally when they are preceded in physical or Alphanumeric load sequence and/or "rendering priority", by 1 or more Geographically locally mapped CVX vector BGLs which use a "Park"-type custom Land Class vector polygon GUID that effectively alters the default "MaskClassMap" operation of the FSX run time rendering system, and ultimately acting as a type of "Exclude All" for such CVX vector BGLs as have used the "MaskClassMap" for even "1" of its attributes ? :yikes:



FYI: ACES' Dave Matthews had originally explained some of the behavior of the default "MaskClassMap" operation of the FSX run time rendering system here:

"There is no 'exclusion' mechansim for landclass. In the case of airport backgrounds it is 'remapped' to a handful of textures intended to work with the surrounding/replaced landclass."

Others in that thread suggested a work-around involving use of custom "Park" polygons.

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/fsx-exclude-standard-landclass.3591/


[EDITED]

In an earlier thread, ACES' Dave Matthews had explained more of the behavior of default "Vector Exclude" operations with the FSX run time rendering system:

"Please don't disable the default scenery!

You need to use a vector exclusion (EXX) to suppress the default flatten. It will live in the same BGL file as your new flatten.

Please see Terrain SDK Example 2 which replaces a default flatten."

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc707102.aspx#Shp2VecExample2


"Vector Exclusion polygons don't need elevation (the example does have it because I was lazy and used a flatten Shapefile as a template) - Shp2Vec will ignore it.

Vector Exclusions are entirely done with bounding boxes (for runtime perf). If the bounding box of the exclusion polygon intersects the bounding box of a vector feature of the target type it will exclude.

Keep in mind that the Vector shapes are clipped on level 11. Look at the shape(s) you desire to exclude using TmfViewer. If they have been clipped, your exclusion polygon's bounding box needs to intersect all of the sub-pieces.

And remember that Vector Exclusions only apply to scenery lower in priority than the file containing the exclusion"


http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/flatten-and-autogen-exclude-in-fsx.3094/page-2

[END_EDIT]


BTW: This obscure 'quirk' of the Airport Background "MaskClassMap" mechanism, and the use of "Park" polygons for super-imposition of custom Land Class polygons and/or an improvised "exclusion" ...is alluded to within Jim Vile's updated tutorial here:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/landclass-visibility-problem.15173/


...and in this thread:

http://www.simforums.com/forums/fsx-compatibility-issues_topic43284.html


Note also that the author of FSX_KML had previously already changed his definition of "Park" to "LandClassPoly":

"Issues resolved:-
  • Changed tag name of "Park" to "LandClassPoly" since land class polys can be used for more than just parks! Existing "Park" tags are automatically renamed to "LandClassPoly"
http://fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=FSX_KML#v1.06_Beta_-_14th_Apr_2007



Yet another IMHO 'vague' reference to this obscure 'quirk' of the Airport Background "MaskClassMap" mechanism is found here:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/airport-background-removal.429407/



I'll post more on this as I research this and achieve more conclusions. :coffee:


In the mean time, is anyone with in-depth knowledge of this CVX vector BGL "Park" / "Land Class" polygon interaction with the Airport Background "MaskClassMap" mechanism willing to be "publicly forthcoming" on how this curious scenario may be taking place, and by what (IMHO) 'under-documented' means (...or should I instead say "Bug") ? o_O

GaryGB
 
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One normally uses "-ADDTOCELLS" to combine appropriate polygons into a single bgl.
 
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GaryGB,

whilst I am pleased that you are taking an interest in the files which I have been 'playing' with, I am sorry to say that the whole content of your comments has gone completely over my head so I am afraid that I will not be able to comment on what you have said. Sorry. :scratchch
 
raymk said:
GaryGB,

whilst I am pleased that you are taking an interest in the files which I have been 'playing' with, I am sorry to say that the whole content of your comments has gone completely over my head so I am afraid that I will not be able to comment on what you have said. Sorry.
Click to expand...

Thanks again for your detailed reply above, as it provided additional info regarding something that has been, scarcely (if ever) reported by others, and IMHO is seen only in association with "under-documented" FS development methods ...all of which merits further inquiry.

Whereas previously I had only seen this apparent anomalous behavior of certain CVX vector BGLs in scenery by 'payware' developers, in your scenario reported above, this anomalous behavior was demonstrated in scenery from a Geographically un-related area of the FS world ...this time in a 'freeware' scenery.

Hopefully as I research this topic and achieve more conclusions, I can offer a simplified summary of this curious effect, with an explanation of how it is invoked, and how it can be avoided. :)

GaryGB
 
The relatively simple expedient of changing the 'loading order' seems to have corrected the deficiencies that I was experiencing so I am happy with that. The point of my raising of this topic was mostly to thank Jon for his frequent reminders about 'order' and also to possibly help others if they experience a similar situation.

GaryGB - I will now leave it to you and others to take it further if you wish
 
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