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Landclass semi-transparent?

arno

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Hi,

I'm trying to modify some landclass with SBuilderX. But as soon as I place the landclass tile in SBuilderX, I can't see my background map anymore. Is there any setting to make the landclass show semi transparent so that I can still see my background map? That would make editing a bit easier I guess.
 
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Hi Arno:

IIUC, you are referring to a CVX vector polygon mapped with a Land Class GUID type to be compiled via SHP2VEC ? :scratchch

If so, IIRC, when one first Left-clicks on the border of a polygon object to 'select' it in the workspace, one can then Right-click on that same border, and the pop-up context menu may offer a "Transparency" option which offers some controls for setting the "fill" color and transparency of a ex: polygon.

PS: Additional options for workspace configuration etc. may be implement via edting of the SBuilderX.INI file:

SBuilderX Menu > Edit > Edit INI file ...

Hope this helps ! :)

GaryGB
 
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arno

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Hi,

No, I am not talking about terrain vector polygons, I'm talking about the landclass assignment that is compiled via resample.
 
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Apparently this was considered by Luis, but AFAIK he has not yet found it feasible to implement transparency for Land Class: :coffee:

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/...-can-be-fixed/?do=findComment&comment=1567682

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/...-can-be-fixed/?do=findComment&comment=1568129


If actual LC / WC source mosaic colors need to be seen, then this may be a shortcoming in the SBuilderX workspace. :oops:

A possible workaround might be to use a screenshot of the SBuilderX workspace with the LC mosaic displayed, then modified in a graphics application as a semi-transparent layer, or a screenshot of that LC BGL displayed in SDK TMFViewer with transparency ...saved as a TIFF / GeoTIFF file format. :idea:

SBuilderX Menu > Add Map > From Disk

...may allow the resulting loaded image to be "Calibrated" (Geo-referenced) and IIRC, then displayed in the SBuilderX workspace as a 'Background Map' over which other content may be created / edited.


If a LOD / QMID Grid size might be useful as a alternate reference, perhaps that feature can be toggled on / off instead ? :scratchch


GaryGB
 
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arno

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Hi Gary,

I can't really follow you. My question is about the editor in SBuilderX. If you set a landclass type for a tile there, an image is shown. That image is not transparent, so that you can't see the background map in SBuilderX anymore. I find that annoying when trying to assign the landclass.

Not sure how saving as a GeoTIFF or anything else would help to change that. But I guess it's just how SBuilderX works.
 

HolgerSandmann

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Hi Arno,

that's a good question but I don't think it's possible. It is somewhat annoying having to exit the landclass tool to be able to see the full image again. And the tile previews in the \Tools\Bmps folder are in jpg format so those wouldn't support transparency. Then again, I haven't tried using .png format or similar for those, perhaps a custom extension could be added to the Lands.txt file?

Cheers, Holger
 

arno

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Hi,

I'm not using tiles from a webservice, I have loaded a GeoTIFF file with a scanned map as a background. But since the landclass is on top of it, it's not the map that should become transparent, it's the landclass images :)
 

HolgerSandmann

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Hi Arno,

was that in response to my post? I know what you're trying to achieve and my post was in regard to the raster landclass/waterclass preview tiles, which block the underlying background map from view. They are located in \Tools\Bmps and are, natively, in jpg format.

Cheers, Holger
 

arno

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Hi Holger,

Thanks for the clarification, I thought you meant the map tiles. Too many different things all called tiles :)

I might have found some raster source I can use to drive the landclass from, so then I don't have to manually assign them anymore.
 
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Hi Arno:

Sorry, but based on the description in the OP, I did not initially understand that your work-flow for the 'modification' process involved assigning / editing LC raster preview images based on displayed appearance of the Background Map scanned imagery.

Rather, I had inferred that you were using:

SBuilderX Menu > Append > Class RAW ...

...with colors in a LOD-13 quad gridded mosaic, that needed to be superimposed over a satellite imagery Background Map.


However, my familiarity with this aspect of the SDK Resample feature set is rather limited at this point in time, so I should properly defer to Holger's extensive knowledge of Land Class development as well as a SBuilderX work-flow for this process. :wizard:


Perhaps others faced with this challenge in SBuilderX may consider using:

* (2) windowed task session 'instances' of SBuilderX cascaded / sized adjacent to each other on (1) monitor

...or:

* (1) instance each on (2) separate monitors

...with each instance of SBuilderX displaying pertinent locally aligned content for the required work-flow ? :scratchch

GaryGB
 
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rhumbaflappy

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Hi Arno.

I don't see a way without a code change for SBX. I believe the images for the landclass tiles are JPG, and that format doesn't have transparency (?)
 
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