GP Textures

[wardorichie]

FS Community,
In ADE, I have several unique Ground Poly Textures:
Aprons which have dark and light pavement, some cracks, some new
I have have Light Concrete and Dark Concrete.

Does ADE have the ability yet to allow us to import our custom texture, created in Photoshop?? Can we edit the existing textures, Example, open up dark pavement and lighten it, save it back as a new light pavement?

I also have custom hold short signs that need to be painted onto aprons, even with the helper shape converted into a custom GP, I am limited in my texture options.

I cannot seem to figure out how to even import new textures into the program?

Can anyone please direct me to the location of this manual or tutorial....OR, am I stuck with stock texture?

Thank you so much for your help!
Rich

 

[gadgets]

Importation of custom textures is fully supported. Use the ADE Tools GP Texture Editor. See User Manual here

Don

 

[wardorichie]

ADE Custom Textures

Thank you....very very cool. found I have full control, make textures in Photoshop with Alpha, save out the 32 bit tga. Edit the texture_def.txt
open up tga in ImageTool, format to dxt 3, save bmp into textures folder.
PRESTO!

Thank you very much for your nuggets of information....onto next challenge.

Which is to actually texture out my aprons with cracks....it is a very large area, not sure how to do this without obvious tiling.
Any suggestions?

Thank you!

Rich

 

[tgibson]

Create your polygons in segments, and texture each segment individually?

 

[wardorichie]

ADE Surface Textures Where do they live?

Good Morning my FSD Friends...thank you for all of your help, I am greatfull!

Today, I am learning how to customize my textures in ADE. I understand how to create new and edit Custom GP Textures.

It is the surface textures that I am puzzled with, there are only 20, very plain textures to work with. A perfect example would be, to have an option for my asphalt, there is only 1 color of asphalt. I would love to create a light and a dark asphalt.

Can someone please direct me to where these textures live and how I can import new and edited surface textures into ADE?

Thank you again!
Rich

 

[scruffyduck]

You will find how to add your own textures in the ADE-GP manual

 

[robystar]

Hi,

You will have to read the manual again.
It explains how to do it but it boils down to:
- make your own texture;
- save it as a 24 bit BMP and place it in the textures-dpy folder;
- convert and save this texture as a 16-bit dxt 1 or 3 bmp and place that one in the textures folder;
- add the name of your texture to the texture_def.txt and if it is a texture for a line add it to the lines_def
- open ADE and the gp-editor (Tools>GP texture editor), find your texture in the dropdown list and click and update definition files.

 

[wardorichie]

Jon, thank you for responding, yes, I have this manual in my head, on my desk, highlighted.
It was 100% effective in teaching me how to add new and edit textures for the Ground Polys.

Unless, I am missing something, it does not cover the surface textures, the surface textures are in fact different textures than the GP Textures. (I may be over looking something here)

The manuals are extremely beneficial, you have done an amazing job with them, thank you!

 

[wardorichie]

GP texture Library v.s Surface texture

I am totally missing something and or or both, explaining this wrong.

I appreciate everyones input, yes, I am following your instructions, including the GP manual. And you are absolutely correct, it works. My custom ground polys, I can put any texture in them and my airport textures are looking great!!

Example, I have a taxi way, multible taxi ways.....in the propertys of each one, there is a surface drop down menu. These textures are not the same as the gp textures.

 

[scruffyduck]

Of course they are different. These are the general textures used by FS for surfaces. They are in the main Texture folder in FS and they apply to the whole world.

I am not sure what you are asking - do you want to take one of these, modify it, and add it to the GP Texture library? Or do you want to change the stock textures? - doing that would change the texture of a given surface over the whole world.

 

[tgibson]

Hi,

You cannot change those textures, unless as Jon says you want to change all examples of that texture all over the world.

You can use surfaces like Bituminous and Oil Treated to get other colors of "asphalt". But note that these surfaces are bumpier than asphalt is.

Or you can instead create GP polygons to change the colors of parts of your tarmac.

Hope this helps,

 

[wardorichie]

Thank you Jon, yes, this was information that I needed. Truly, I just needed to know where these textures live, now, I have control again.

Thank you so much!!!

I do apologize with my lame questions, I am only 4 months into this world of FSD, I am learning!
I am so very grateful for all of you willing to help.

have a great day!

Rich

 

[wardorichie]

Hi,

You cannot change those textures, unless as Jon says you want to change all examples of that texture all over the world.

You can use surfaces like Bituminous and Oil Treated to get other colors of "asphalt". But note that these surfaces are bumpier than asphalt is.

Or you can instead create GP polygons to change the colors of parts of your tarmac.

Hope this helps,

THAT HELPS HUGE!!!!
Thank you so much!! I can visualize this now....I can create a custom gp....ad oil stains and tire marks, utilizing alpha channels....SNAP! this is it, thank you!!

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

2 quick questions on this topic as it relates to airport building in general.

As GPs can used to provide alternative textured surfaces which can be super-imposed on top of default SDK "Aprons" (and on top of a IMHO "required" central airport area flatten):

* Should one still create aprons underneath the GP's if ground vehicle traffic is to be used that airport ?

* Should one still create aprons underneath the GP's if AI traffic is to be used that airport ?


I understand that taxiway paths (even if without visible textures) are necessary for AI traffic operation in scenarios where ex: a textured GP or custom photo-real land class texture will be super-imposed onto the underlying FS ground.

But since it is not necessary (and not, IMHO, a 'best practice') to use an Apron just to flatten an airport area when ones underlying FS ground is to be covered up by a textured GP or custom photo-real land class texture, I was wondering if it might not be better for performance to fore go making Aprons entirely in areas where they will not be visible, and to instead simply use ex: Arno's SCASM "XML Apron to SurfaceType Converter" tool in ModelConverterX which imparts a 'paved' surface attribute to prevent the ground under textures of 'paved' surfaces from producing dust during Groundroll ...for user free flight and Multi-player mode aircraft, as well as for AI aircraft ?


Which now makes me wonder: could we also add an option in ADE-GP via ex: a check box, to make the polygon area under "paved" GPs render with a similar "Paved Surface Attribute" ?


This would effectively eliminate the need to "Attach" a hardened concrete "Platform" attribute to a GP at an airport to simply change ground roll attributes and would prevent adding an extra load on the already over-burdened FS rendering engine at airports, potentially also reducing the FPS hit seen at many detailed airports.

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82304&highlight=platform

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77831&highlight=platform




BTW: I am unaware of why airports using custom GPs, custom default land class texture polys, or custom 3rd party photo-real land class texture tiles with "Start Locations" but not RWY objects should also use a hardened concrete "Platform" attribute when the ex: SCASM "XML Apron to SurfaceType Converter" tool in ModelConverterX which imparts a 'paved' surface attribute to prevent the ground under textures of 'paved' surfaces from producing dust during Groundroll ...can produce an invisible polygon that (IIUC), can be used at an airport regardless of ANY surface texture to be super-imposed above it.


AFAIK the dynamics of this aspect of the airport creation process is described correctly, and perhaps this idea of reducing content load on the FS rendering engine might prove feasible; if not, I'd welcome clarification of what might be a better methodology in this regard.

I hope the idea of adding a "aircraft Groundroll surface attribute" option to 'paved texture' ground polygons in ADE-GP might prove feasible too.

GaryGB

 

[tgibson]

I would doubt that using an invisible polygon vs a visible polygon displaying a texture that is certainly used elsewhere at that airport anyway would have a significant difference in frame rate hit. But you never know...

 

[robystar]

Hi Gary,

About your two questions: I think 'yes' and 'yes' because you get all kinds of weird artifacts if you do not use flattens underneath the gp polys. Don't ask me why!
And perhaps some other things for Don to reply to (probably illustrates my lack of understanding):
- Can you use DXT 5 bmp's?
- when the program tweaks the asm (as I suppose it does) does it also set the texture to 'buildings' so as to avoid textures farther off not being displayed?

 

[gadgets]

* Should one still create aprons underneath the GP's if ground vehicle traffic is to be used that airport ?

* Should one still create aprons underneath the GP's if AI traffic is to be used that airport ?

ADE custom ground polys are compiled as FS8 ground polys tweaked for use in FS9 and FSX. As such, they are handled in FlightSim as scenery items displayed on the ground and do not alter the requirements of AI for aprons, flattening, taxiways, etc.

FS8 ground polys are the topic of numerous posts on fsDeveloper. Generally, those discussions will apply also to ADE custom ground polys.

Don

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Tom:

Thanks for the reply.

I was thinking that the extra functions of Aprons (often with multiple vertices not pre-aligned with FS quad matrix terrain grid vertices) and large coverage areas which impact terrain (flattening) might distinguish their impact on run time performance significantly from other types of textured G-polys or "Groundroll attribute" polys ...via their potential load on the FS terrain rendering engine.

As such, I wondered whether Aprons might prove to be airport scenery content worthy of elimination where possible ...if the Apron area is otherwise to be covered up by other terrain textures / textured objects (such as GPs), and if the Aprons aren't inherently required for FS aircraft Groundroll or Traffic functionality at run time ?


My apologies if I have not yet identified in SDK or other 3rd party documentation whether Aprons are- or are not- required for aircraft or traffic functionality at an airport in scenarios where there is both an underlying airport vector LWM or CVX flatten polygon and a alternative textured polygon which provides the visual appearance of an apron; could someone point me to such references as would clarify this ?

GaryGB

 

[gadgets]

- Can you use DXT 5 bmp's?
- when the program tweaks the asm (as I suppose it does) does it also set the texture to 'buildings' so as to avoid textures farther off not being displayed?

• I know of no reason why DXT5 textures can't be used with GPs anywhere they can be used with other scenery. But, who knows what constraints FSX might apply. Try it and see. (I use DXT5 for GPs in my own airports.)
• The program doesn't tweak the asm code, it generates the asm code in total.
• Textures are defined as aircraft textures because that's what FS8 MakeMdl does (don't know why).

Don

 

[robystar]

Just to add from experience:
- As long as you have a flatten, you can leave out the apron or other hardened surfaces when creating gp polys on top.
- Be warned though that no lights or taxiway lines and such will show up when a gp poly overlays them.
And again: do not ask me why if that is what you would like to know?