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MSFS20 [GUIDE] How to create custom aerial scenery

Hello everyone
It seems the tiles2bing tool is no longer available, does anyone know where I can download it, or is there another way to create an aerial image?
Regards
 
Came here just to comment and say thanks for the awesome guide!!

I still need to twiddle a little bit with it but I'm glad it works at all. This is much easier than Ground Polys in FS9 or the resample thing back in the day (as far as I can remember, its been a while)

For me, zoom Level 19 did not work, just wouldn't show up in the sim. Zoom Level 20 with a exclude TIN poly does, but bleeds through close to the ground. I want to give zoom 21 a try to see if that fixes it but I need to do that tomorrow since the Georeferencing, Tiling and CGL compilation just takes ages to iterate fast right now.

Edit: Working in MSFS2024

Edit2: Of course changing to zoom level 21 did not fix the bleed issue and thinking about it logically it also shouldnt since the sim doesnt even support this resolution. This was probably my sleep deprived brain trying to come up with another troubleshooting step. However, what did fix the bleed for me was installing MSFS2024 SU3 (beta). You dont even need a TIN exclude. The aerial CGL "just works". So it seems to be a <SU2 specific problem: https://devsupport.flightsimulator.com/t/su1-beta-graphic-bugs-with-cgl-imagery/13257/6
 
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rhumbaflappy said:
What I do is to use QGIS to make a GeoTiff of the imagery. I can then create a batchfile to automate the processing of the GeoTiff to a project output.
C59_Aerial.zip

Just double-click on CompileGeotiff.bat and wait for it to finish. The GeoTiff image appears in a field east of C59. I made minimum 13 and maximum as 20.


Bash: 
rmdir .\TestTiles /s /q
rmdir .\Packages /s /q
rmdir .\PackagesMetadata /s /q
rmdir .\PackageSources /s /q
rmdir .\_PackageInt /s /q

tools\GTiff2Tiles\GTiff2Tiles.Console.exe --input art\Hello.tif --output TestTiles --minz 13 --maxz 20 --tms FALSE -c mercator

tools\tiles2bing.exe TestTiles /o PackageSources\CGL\aerial_images /y google

xcopy "tools\CGLBuilderConfig.xml" "PackageSources\CGL\"

tools\fspackagetool.exe C59AerialProject.xml

pause

The batchfile uses GTiff2Tiles to make the Google tiles, and tiles2bing to make those tiles compatible with MSFS. The tools are included in the link. Just edit the batchfile and your project's XML to get your aerial from a geotiff.
Click to expand...

Hi Dick:

I have only just now gotten some time free to test this workflow in MSFS 2020; I'm kicking myself for not having done so sooner. :oops:


WOW ! :yikes:

What an amazingly fast- and sophisticated- set of code. :rotfl:

I can see a number of ways one might use this. :scratchch


My first goal is to customize it and use my own GeoTiff input.


I also hope to see a version of your file set that inserts the LOD labels as text, to illustrate LOD switching by Tile / User A/C Distance. :idea:

I had been wanting to learn how to do this to help folks see, we need not 'always' map 4k textures onto terrain / objects only seen 'AGL'.


This could be an updated illustration of the concepts you alluded to in your FSX thread seen here:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/3-5cm-per-pixel.21121/post-820311

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/3-5cm-per-pixel.21121/


Perhaps, instead of the word "Hello", insert LOD-20, LOD-19, LOD-18, LOD-17, LOD-16, LOD-15, LOD-14, LOD-13 etc. so it shows on tiles.

A comparison version of your demo screenshot above may be a new tutorial in MSFS showing Tiles with an actual displayed texture LOD.


Jim Robinson posted an image like this in an old (AVSIM ?) post, showing FS9 or FSX Tile displayed texture resolution by pixel dimensions.

Except in this case, we could display LOD Zoom Levels ...rather than pixel dimensions (ex: 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024, 2048x2048 etc.).


One might also make a MSFS version of FS2Kx CellGrid 2004a, since we do not (yet ?) have a SDK TMFViewer with quad grid line display.

Who knows what FS Developers might plan / achieve if they are able to superimpose MSFS Tile IDs onto aerial imagery at run time ?


An awesome demo ...at any size whatsoever; many thanks ! :)


PS: The MSFS SDK Sample: SimpleAerial documentation says:

https://docs.flightsimulator.com/html/Samples_And_Tutorials/Samples/Sceneries/SimpleAerial.htm

"All image files for aerial images should be authored as 16bit PNG with a fixed size of 256x256px, and the build process will automatically generate the images for the lower levels of detail".


All examples of source imagery for MSFS Aerial Tiles I have seen online thus far have been RGB 24-bit, 8-bits per channel imagery.

Does the above MSFS SDK Doc statement mean we could instead use single channel 16-bit imagery, or must it always be 3 channel RGB ?


Or are the MSFS SDK Docs implying that one could use 3 channel RGB with 16 bits per channel ...to a total of 48 bits per image ?

Or (worse yet) is this a texture source configuration of RGB 4-bits per each channel, with Alpha 4-bits per channel encoded down from 8-bit per channel original source to a total of 16-bits per "RGBA" image ?

I used (worse yet) as I have been apprehensive that Asobo would "dumb-down" color detail in MSFS by compressing color depth in PNGs bay making a max texture source configuration of RGB 4-bits per each channel, with Alpha 4-bits per channel encoded down from 8-bit per channel original source to a total of 16-bits per "RGBA" image.

But I suppose that since you have elsewhere previously cited use of 32bit PNGs in some MSFS scenery content, you use in the example files linked above, is because the only image you included was a RED text string "Hello" ?

And IIUC, Asobo is not attempting to "cap" our use of custom texture bit-depth by altering run-time output via SDK compilers ?

I was concerned regarding recent discussions of a new proprietary higher compression used by Asobo for "streamed" content.


AFAIK, Asobo / Microsoft urgently want to move everything possible to a "streamed" platform instead of on-disk installs. :stirthepo


Thanks in advance for sharing any insight you may have on this ...from tests already done, or from your 'insider knowledge'.


GaryGB
 
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lazaro said:
Came here just to comment and say thanks for the awesome guide!!

I still need to twiddle a little bit with it but I'm glad it works at all. This is much easier than Ground Polys in FS9 or the resample thing back in the day (as far as I can remember, its been a while)

For me, zoom Level 19 did not work, just wouldn't show up in the sim. Zoom Level 20 with a exclude TIN poly does, but bleeds through close to the ground. I want to give zoom 21 a try to see if that fixes it but I need to do that tomorrow since the Georeferencing, Tiling and CGL compilation just takes ages to iterate fast right now.

Edit: Working in MSFS2024

Edit2: Of course changing to zoom level 21 did not fix the bleed issue and thinking about it logically it also shouldnt since the sim doesnt even support this resolution. This was probably my sleep deprived brain trying to come up with another troubleshooting step. However, what did fix the bleed for me was installing MSFS2024 SU3 (beta). You dont even need a TIN exclude. The aerial CGL "just works". So it seems to be a <SU2 specific problem: https://devsupport.flightsimulator.com/t/su1-beta-graphic-bugs-with-cgl-imagery/13257/6
Click to expand...

Issue: Bleed-though in FS20 1.39.9, SDK 0.24.5

I'm seeing CGL bleeding in current release of FS2020 as well. What you see in this picture are ZL17 images, processed with tiles2bing, and exported with current tools. Bleeding is mostly visible when moving viewpoint close to ground. Dark areas are the default imagery.

vgy.me

bleed

vgy.me is a free and easy-to-use image hosting service hosted in the UK. Upload anonymously or create a free account to manage your uploads.
vgy.me vgy.me
 
So I've followed this guide exactly, and I seem to be getting CTDs when compiling either in sim or using the package tool.

Edit: Appears an issue with the whole project. Copied the sample from the SDK and compiled and all is well.
 
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