MSFS20 Painted lines - taxi, edge lines, etc - can we create a custom texture sheet for custom lines?

[GIAMPA]

I'm not sure blurring is the best option. What I found is that the problems with the high contrast lines can also be mitigated by

• making it all a bit less intense: Add a bit of alpha to the yellow (maybe 66-75% opacity). The difference in color is hardly noticable.
• making the black edges a bit wider. Maybe 15cm.

This shows 20cm/30cm/20cm - yellow is still at full intensity here, black has 50% alpha.
View attachment 71936

it seems very good to me, can you post me the png that adapts it to 10/20/10 cm?
Thank you

 

[mrbump]

Also I read, maybe I'm wrong, that you have removed a program to change the lines to the taxiways, if true you can post the link to download it?

You can find it here: https://github.com/SwissAirfields/AirportXML/releases. It requires a Java runtime to be installed on your machine. If you use it, let me know how you go. And obviously always keep a back up of the original xml!

BTW - I also have an algorithm to generate painted lines. Unfortunately it is not yet in a state for others to use - it still needs code for the line definitions. I plan to make it read an xml description of a painted lines texture in the future.
The line in the post above was generated with the following code:

// Colors
Color yellow = new Color(200, 151, 35, 255);
Color black = new Color(0, 0, 0, 128);

// taxi line
CompoundLine l = new CompoundLine(null, "ENHANCED_CENTER");
l.addLine(new Line(black, 0.2, null));
l.addLine(new Line(yellow, 0.3, null));
l.addLine(new Line(black, 0.2, null));
lines.add(l);

This makes it a bit quicker to experiment with different painted lines.

 

[mrbump]

Choose one.
The left three are 75% opacity, the right three are 66% opacity.
Yellow is always 20cm, black is 10/15/20 cm

15cm makes the artifacts almost disappear. 20cm looks good but might be a bit too much black.

 

[mrbump]

And for completeness' sake here is a comparison of the 15cm black edge at 66/75/100 percent opacity.
the difference between 66 and 75 seems negligible, but 100% introduces some purple.

 

[GIAMPA]

MrBump, Great, you are a genius, I try this good thing right away, I will keep you informed and I will follow your treads.
Thank you

 

[GIAMPA]

Choose one.
The left three are 75% opacity, the right three are 66% opacity.
Yellow is always 20cm, black is 10/15/20 cm

15cm makes the artifacts almost disappear. 20cm looks good but might be a bit too much black.
View attachment 71941

the first and the second from the left, if you can both, the second is the best, in reality the first black door 10cm.
If you try to make one with black at 12 how does it come? maybe it is more justifiable.
If it's not too much, can you do all 3?
Thank you so much
Paolo ecaport@gmail.com

 

[GIAMPA]

You can find it here: https://github.com/SwissAirfields/AirportXML/releases. It requires a Java runtime to be installed on your machine. If you use it, let me know how you go. And obviously always keep a back up of the original xml!

BTW - I also have an algorithm to generate painted lines. Unfortunately it is not yet in a state for others to use - it still needs code for the line definitions. I plan to make it read an xml description of a painted lines texture in the future.
The line in the post above was generated with the following code:

// Colors
Color yellow = new Color(200, 151, 35, 255);
Color black = new Color(0, 0, 0, 128);

// taxi line
CompoundLine l = new CompoundLine(null, "ENHANCED_CENTER");
l.addLine(new Line(black, 0.2, null));
l.addLine(new Line(yellow, 0.3, null));
l.addLine(new Line(black, 0.2, null));
lines.add(l);

This makes it a bit quicker to experiment with different painted lines.

Does this code go into the airport.xml?

 

[mrbump]

Hi ecaport

Try these.

And sorry for the confusion with the code. It has nothing to do with xml. It's just to illustrate what I do to generate lines (separate program).

 

[GIAMPA]

Hi ecaport

Try these.

And sorry for the confusion with the code. It has nothing to do with xml. It's just to illustrate what I do to generate lines (separate program).

Thanks again for your prompt reply and sending the files.
I try already tonight and I can tell you, but I already know they will be excellent.
Hello and thanks
Paolo

 

[GIAMPA]

Hi ecaport

Try these.

And sorry for the confusion with the code. It has nothing to do with xml. It's just to illustrate what I do to generate lines (separate program).

Here are your lines, I would say that the 10 is the most performing, excellent, I give a shade on yellow and a pinch of nuance and it is perfect, I also saw that you used the ENHANCED CENTER with resolution 1024, better than the EDGE SERVICE DASHED.
I would like to ask you: I have inserted many paintlines with the same material identical to all of them. Is there a place inside some file where I can replace this material with another material inserted in my materials? I found I believe something in the "_PackageInt" directory but there are no references to all the paintlines made. Do you think it is possible? because using a text replacement I would change them in no time.
Can these SURFACE be the containers generated for the materials in airport.xml ?
Thanks again

 

[GIAMPA]

MrBump, Maybe I found where he writes the material record, do you think this is it? I find it then in the xml file "SURFACE:" and it corresponds to the line.

 

[mrbump]

I tend to use default or "enhanced" center for taxiway lines because different varieties of these might have to connect. Mixing centerlines with edge lines can result in funky transitions when connected:

Not sure what you want to do:
- Replace the texture of an existing material: Just put in in your textures folder under the same name. There is some caching of these materials in the FS - so the new material might not show up immediately. Once built and placed in the community folder all should be fine.
- Change the material of one or several painted lines: The materials are identified by a GUID in the .material-File (first line). A painted line entry in the airport's xml file references a material by this GUID. So you could do a search and replace in the airport-xml.

BTW: if you use the "taxiway to painted lines Program", one of the parameters you can pass in is also a material's GUID (default material if not specified).

 

[GIAMPA]

I tend to use default or "enhanced" center for taxiway lines because different varieties of these might have to connect. Mixing centerlines with edge lines can result in funky transitions when connected:
View attachment 71948

Not sure what you want to do:
- Replace the texture of an existing material: Just put in in your textures folder under the same name. There is some caching of these materials in the FS - so the new material might not show up immediately. Once built and placed in the community folder all should be fine.
- Change the material of one or several painted lines: The materials are identified by a GUID in the .material-File (first line). A painted line entry in the airport's xml file references a material by this GUID. So you could do a search and replace in the airport-xml.

BTW: if you use the "taxiway to painted lines Program", one of the parameters you can pass in is also a material's GUID (default material if not specified).

OOhhhhh, you are right, if I replace the texture it leaves the GUID intact, then everything is easier.
Thanks Grand Master

 

[V-Pilot]

I tend to use default or "enhanced" center for taxiway lines because different varieties of these might have to connect. Mixing centerlines with edge lines can result in funky transitions when connected:
View attachment 71948

Not sure what you want to do:
- Replace the texture of an existing material: Just put in in your textures folder under the same name. There is some caching of these materials in the FS - so the new material might not show up immediately. Once built and placed in the community folder all should be fine.
- Change the material of one or several painted lines: The materials are identified by a GUID in the .material-File (first line). A painted line entry in the airport's xml file references a material by this GUID. So you could do a search and replace in the airport-xml.

BTW: if you use the "taxiway to painted lines Program", one of the parameters you can pass in is also a material's GUID (default material if not specified).

Hello there, I have been trying to convert my taxiways to painted lines. Where can I find this program?

 

[GIAMPA]

Hello there, I have been trying to convert my taxiways to painted lines. Where can I find this program?

Releases · SwissAirfields/AirportXML

Read and write airport XML-files - and do some stuff in between - SwissAirfields/AirportXML

github.com

 

[yorgosGK]

No matter what u do, ground textures r just bad in MSFS, even FT or Gaya has the same problem and they use 4cm or 6cm comped tiles. Thats what im doing. Got 4cm drone survey tiles and the lines from the TIFF are as crisp as the default painted lines. Dont bother wasting ur time troubleshooting this lol.

 

[tsigut]

Anyone have an idea why its not appearing.

 

[mrbump]

Anyone have an idea why its not appearing.

You're talking about the black edged yellow line? On your texture it seems to take the place of "ENHANCED_CENTER", so that's what you would have to set your line type to.
Also: In the material definition i'd normally choose the surface type "PAINT" for these lines.

 

[tsigut]

ok thanks

 

[dale in cda]

An exhaustive experimental approach has details about painted lines:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/painted-lines-their-secrets-exposed.451383/