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P3D v4 Import GP

Hi Gary,

give me a moment to sort this all out.
I can't find the 'ESRI ArcGIS World Imagery Clarity tileserver' on their website.
Could you maybe upload this?

Grtz
Peter
 
 
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Hi Gary,
I cannot use ESRI ArcGIS, nor can I use other maps.
EBFN Koksijde has been 'blurred' for some time now.
Too bad because that one close-up of yours is fantastically beautiful and very clear.
I could use a photoreal of the Belgian coast from a fellow scenery builder.
My EBFN fits in perfectly with that.
But that is of course not the same as making it yourself.
I'm absent for a few days now and then I'm going to watch the GP again.
Grtz
Peter
 
You should be able to access these "non-pixelated" tiles of EBFN area at Zoom Level 19 (they are not sharper than that even if we zoom in the GUI).

Be sure you are using the exact same version I cited above; there are some malfunctioning SASPlanet versions out there as well; do not use them.

GaryGB
 
SAS Planet Solved Gary,
I downloaded your version and can now see EBFN very well.
Grtz
Peter

EDIT:
Maar hoe maak ik nu een photoreal.
Ik ken SBuilderX goed.
 
Last edited:
zzip said:
Thanks, Gary,
I'll try this tomorrow.
Peter

SAS Planet Solved Gary,
I downloaded your version and can now see EBFN very well.
Grtz
Peter

EDIT:
But how do I create a photorealistic one?
I know SBuilderX well.
Click to expand...

Hi Peter:

When one downloads imagery and configures for output format via SASPlanet, one can specify GeoTiff in EPSG:3857 GIS format.

https://epsg.io/3857

One could use the known SDK Resample workflow for a less complex INF file used to process GeoTiff imagery into a custom land class texture BGL

Otherwise, one could use SASPlanet to derive a EPSG:3857 Windows 24-Bit BMP file with a world file, and process it for use via SBuilder (preferred).

SASPlanet > Operations > Selection Manager >:

{Stitch} tab > Output Format: BMP > Map: ESRI ArcGIS.Clarity > Projection> EPSG:3785 > Add Visible Cached Tiles Map > Create Georeferencing .DAT

ebfn_sasplanet_operations_selection_manager_visible_area_configuration_dialog-1-jpg.85206



If you download a tile via SBuilderX and examine the [SBuilderX install path]\Tools\Work sub-folder, you will see the tile imagery file and TXT file.

Use that example format to create a 'world' TXT file that SBuilderX requires to more easily load the imagery from a BMP in EPSG:3857 GIS format.


Copy the .DAT file to make a SBuilderX format *.TXT file with a filename matching that of the *.BMP for Geo-referencing that *.BMP imagery file.


One can then use SBuilderX to Add Map > From Disk to load the imagery into the SBuilderX workspace as a background map image.

If the TXT world file is properly configured, when prompted to Calibrate the imagery file, one may press [OK] to skip the process and load imagery.


From there one can select an area to compile a custom photo-real land class texture BGL similar to what one does via Add Map > From Background.

GaryGB
 

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Good morning Garry,
First of all, thank you for this very detailed and clear explanation.
I was able to do everything perfectly.
I'm now going to edit the BMP file with GIMP and then finally turn it into a BGL .
Thx and Grtz
Peter
 

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Hi,
I made the photoreal with SAS Planet.
I entered this in SBuilderX.
When I try BGL Compile it doesn't work.
I can't check 'Photo Scenery'.
I get the message
'There is nothing to compile because no items have been selected. Go back and select the item to compile'.
Can someone push me in the right direction?
Grtz
Peter
 
I also have a problem with the coordinates.
I get coordinates: N38.8813203 / E-9.036076.
While this should be approximately: N51.0529891/ E2.38189080.
Grtz
Peter
 
zzip said:
Hi,
I made the photoreal with SAS Planet.
I entered this in SBuilderX.
When I try BGL Compile it doesn't work.
I can't check 'Photo Scenery'.
I get the message
'There is nothing to compile because no items have been selected. Go back and select the item to compile'.
Can someone push me in the right direction?
Grtz
Peter
Click to expand...

Hi Peter:

In SBuilderX with the background map that you added from disk displayed, use the magnifier tool to zoom out with the Mouse wheel.

Once you can see the entire tile of 1-piece imagery, use the pointer cursor tool to draw a selection rectangle around that tile, so that its boundary and vertices at the corners change color; it is then properly "selected".

See if that works to enable BGL compilation. ;)


With the imagery tile loaded in SBuilderX, put the pointer cursor over corner coordinates and post them here.

I will have to check on the Geographic coordinates issue later.

GaryGB
 
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Hi Gary,
i did everything as you described above.
(I also tried this this morning),
but still no Photo scenery.
Attached the coordinates.
Grtz
Peter
No photo scenery.jpg
 
Hi Peter:

Apparently I forgot to specify that you manually edit the existing coordinates that are stored in the SBuilderX.ini file, and those pre-set values wrote into the Calibrate image dialog box coordinate fields, and into the geo-referencing TXT file. :oops:

If the geo-referencing TXT file name exactly matches the BMP file name, just read the coordinates in SASPlanet for the original BMP that you captured- and subsequently attempted to 'Calibrate'- in SBuilderX.

Use those original BMP coordinates to over-write the coordinates in the geo-referencing TXT file (which currently- by edit-able default- places the image in Portugal ...where SBuilderX author Luis Vieira de Sá resides).

Once the geo-referencing TXT file is edited and saved, you can put it back into the same folder as the captured BMP file.

In SBuilderX, when you Add Map > From Disk, if you are prompted to Calibrate, you can skip that process ...if- and only if- the coordinates of the BMP are precisely the same as when the image was captured in SASPlanet.

GaryGB
 
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Hi Gary,
that's right, I came across an image of SouthWest Portugal somewhere.
I'm going to go over everything again and let you know for sure.
Thanks again.
Grtz
Peter
 
Hi Gary,
i have tried all of the above and i still have none
"Photo Scenery" in my SBuilderX BGL Compilation window.
Below is an overview of what I do:

SAS PLANET:
Open “SAS Planet”.
Click on the “Google Maps tab”.
Click on “Satellite”.
Click on “ESRI ArcGIS.Clarity”.
Edit the map until you have the entire airport in view.
Click on “Operations”.
Click on “Selection Manager”.
Click on “Rectangular Selection”.
Click on “Visible area”.
The “Selection Manager” window opens.
Click on “Stitch”.
Output format “BMP”.
Create a file “EBFN”.
In: “C:\MSFS\SBX315\Tools\Work”.
Folder “ESRI ArcGIS.Clarity”.
Zoom “19”.
Projection “Mercator / Google Maps (Sphere Radius 638137) / EPSG:3785”.
Check the box next to “Add visible Cached Tiles Map”.
Under Create georeferencing file, check “.dat”.
Click on “Start” the folder will now be downloaded.
Open “C:\MSFS\SAS Planet”.
You will find the “Bitmap image and the .DAT file” there.
Close “SAS Planet”.

SBUILDERX:
Open “SbuilderX”.
Click on “File”.
Click on “Add Map”.
Click on “From disk”.
Go to “C:\MSFS\SBX315\Tools\Work”.
Highlight the “EBFN file”.
Click on “Open”.
The pop-up window below will appear.
Right-click on the “Side” of the image.
Click on “Properties”.
Change the folder name to “EBFN”.
Click on “Data File” and a data file will now be created.
Click on “Calibrate”.
Click “Calibrate” again.
Click on “File”.
Click on “Save Project As”.
Go to “C:\Users\pcazi\Downloads\EBFN”.
Click on “Save”.
Now go to “C:\MSFS\SBX315\Tools\Work”.
It now contains the “Text file” with the necessary coordinates and your “Project file”.
Hold down the left mouse button and draw a rectangle around the image.
The four vertices are now red.
Click on “BGL Compile” at the top left.
The “BGL Compilation window” appears.
 
Hi Peter:

See if Dick's explanation resolves the issue:

rhumbaflappy said:
Right-click on the edge of your image in SBuilderX. Select Properties. Change the map name to Photo00 or Photo_myphoto. Also, make sure the image is in the ...\SBX315\Tools\Work folder with it's TXT file.

SBuilderX wants to have Photo as the prefix of the name to distinguish it as a photoreal source rather than a map source that you would use to draw vectors upon.

Then you can select the photo image, and compile it.
Click to expand...

If no success, please let me know, and we will walk through the latter steps required by the SBuilderX Calibration process. :)


Some additional search results:

https://www.google.com/search?q=SBu...IuOJgBAKABAaABAsgBAsABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

https://www.google.com/search?q=SBu...hUKEwiBnKr8j9r7AhU5jokEHXGkDVUQrQIoBHoECBIQBQ

https://www.google.com/search?q=SBu...hUKEwiBnKr8j9r7AhU5jokEHXGkDVUQrQIoBHoECBUQBQ

GaryGB
 
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Hi Gary

with Dick's explanation, we are already one step further.
The 'Photo00' mod allows me to compile and get a BGL file.
However, another problem
The BMP file is 337,966 KB, but after compiling the BGL is (only) 6,651 KB.
I don't think this is correct.
If I enter this BGL in my scenery and start P3Dv4,
I don't see photoreal.
So with or without photoreal, everything remains the same.

Grtz
Peter
 

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Hi Gary,

When I work with a GEOTIFF file and I use the program 'GeoTIFF 2 INF' I get the message to use WG584.
 

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zzip said:
Hi Gary,

When I work with a GEOTIFF file and I use the program 'GeoTIFF 2 INF' I get the message to use WG584.
Click to expand...

Hi Peter:

Indeed, GeoTIFF2INF "should" throw that error message, as the input is a BMP which was output by SASPlanet in EPSG:3785. :alert:


BTW: Geographic (Lat-Lon) projection with WGS84 datum is EPSG:4326; SDK Resaample requires this GIS format for source files. ;)


EPSG:3785 is a Mercator-type, non-warped / minimally distorted GIS format which is required to load imagery into SBuilderX.

After selection in SBuilderX' workspace / submission for BGL compilation, SBuilder internally re-projects imagery to EPSG:4326.


EPSG:4326 is a warped / distorted GIS format which is required to load imagery into SDK Resample.

If you wanted to use GeoTiffs directly with GeoTIFF2INF, you would need to configure SASPlanet to output in EPSG:4326. :pushpin:

GaryGB
 
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Bingo Gary!!!
As you can see in the images, the conversion with GeoTIFF2INF was successful via EPSG:4326.
What a huge difference!
I still have to put the airport correctly with ADE/Move Airport.
But I know that.
So I have a BGL photoreal, but how can I edit it with eg GIMP?
Grtz
Peter
EBFN1.jpg
EBFN2.jpg
 
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