• Which the release of FS2020 we see an explosition of activity on the forun and of course we are very happy to see this. But having all questions about FS2020 in one forum becomes a bit messy. So therefore we would like to ask you all to use the following guidelines when posting your questions:

    • Tag FS2020 specific questions with the MSFS2020 tag.
    • Questions about making 3D assets can be posted in the 3D asset design forum. Either post them in the subforum of the modelling tool you use or in the general forum if they are general.
    • Questions about aircraft design can be posted in the Aircraft design forum
    • Questions about airport design can be posted in the FS2020 airport design forum. Once airport development tools have been updated for FS2020 you can post tool speciifc questions in the subforums of those tools as well of course.
    • Questions about terrain design can be posted in the FS2020 terrain design forum.
    • Questions about SimConnect can be posted in the SimConnect forum.

    Any other question that is not specific to an aspect of development or tool can be posted in the General chat forum.

    By following these guidelines we make sure that the forums remain easy to read for everybody and also that the right people can find your post to answer it.

Problem with Google Earth Decoder

Hi Gary and thanks again.
My major problem (not the only one) is that I cannot install Google Earth Decoder into Blender.
If I click the respective Zip-Archive (containing Earth2MsfsWPF.exe) nothing happens.
If I unzip it and run the .exe ... the attached screen pops up.

Patience is my second name.

Frank
 

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Hi Frank:

Remembering I do not use this workflow- and am thus not experienced with the tools- I can only make "educated guesses".

I found this info on Google:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ear...sGwgcHMC4yLjkuMcgHOoAIAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp


I am hesitant to install the GEDOT software on my own computer until I have been able to allocate time to studying it ...first.

So, I do not have this GEDOT software installed yet, such that I can follow along step-by-step on my own computer.


Additionally, I do not yet use Blender, as I currently find Sketchup a preferable application for my current development activities.


However, GEDOT looks interesting as a way to process various data sets (not necessarily derived via Google) into MSFS scenery.


What I read about- and what I have time to personally test- may not always allow for extensive insight until tinkered with a while.


This web page seems to offer some explanation of a EARTH2MSFS workflow parallel to that of Alex with GEDOT:

https://www.demoken.com/2024/08/15/import-3d-data-from-google-maps-with-earht2msfs/

[EDITED]

Notice on that web page linked immediately above:

"3- Google Earth Decoder Tool", that text is a hyperlink to Google Drive and a "Release" ZIP I have cited previously:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18zdIjLbRgM5Ce1PtFPKYn-bCfOZcpPAO/view


When I search Google as seen here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ear...JIHAKAHI7IHALgHAMIHAMgHAIAIAQ&sclient=gws-wiz


...I find as one of the returns, this linked info by thalixte (Alex Marko):

https://flightsim.to/addon/39900/gogole-earth-decoder-update

"Google Earth Decoder update

Google Earth tiles evolve, and it is now necessary to ensure that the data retrieved are the latest ones (even in some rare case, the latest data can remove some existing tiles). When you use the Google Earth decoder tool, the tiles retrieved are not necessarily the last ones available on Google servers. To fix it, i created a fork of the GoogleMapsTools.dll used by the Google Earth Decoder tool, that ensure you to retrieve the last version of the Google Earth tiles."

...and:

"Google Earth Decoder update

Description:

For those who create scenery addons based on MSFS Google Earth tiles, there is a fantastic tool called Google Earth Decoder Tool, created by Johanex111.


The problem here is that this tool has no Github repository, and is not maintained anymore by its author.


Google Earth tiles evolve, and it is now necessary to ensure that the data retrieved are the latest ones (even in some rare case, the latest data can remove some existing tiles).


When you use the Google Earth decoder tool, the tiles retrieved are not necessarily the last ones available on Google servers.


To fix it, i created a fork of the GoogleMapsTools.dll used by the Google Earth Decoder tool, that ensure you to retrieve the last version of the Google Earth tiles.


I used it, for instance, for my Antwerpen scenery, to retrieve the correct tiles for the center of the city (because the original Google Earth Decoder dll retrieved older tiles that did not contain photogrammetry data).

Installation:

Install Google Earth Decoder. Download the archive in the main file, then extract Common.dll and GoogleMapsTools.dll to the Google Earth Decoder folder (the folder containing Earth2MsfsWPF.exe). Make sure to backup first the oldest dll, in case the last version of the Google Earth data remove the tiles you want to download (it is a very rare case, but it is possible)."

[END_EDIT]


I hope this info may help a bit more. :)


GaryGB
 
Last edited:
GaryGB said:
Hi Frank:

Remembering I do not use this workflow- and am thus not experienced with the tools- I can only make "educated guesses".

I found this info on Google:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ear...sGwgcHMC4yLjkuMcgHOoAIAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp


I am hesitant to install the GEDOT software on my own computer until I have been able to allocate time to studying it ...first.

So, I do not have this GEDOT software installed yet, such that I can follow along step-by-step on my own computer.


Additionally, I do not yet use Blender, as I currently find Sketchup a preferable application for my current development activities.


However, GEDOT looks interesting as a way to process various data sets (not necessarily derived via Google) into MSFS scenery.


What I read about- and what I have time to personally test- may not always allow for extensive insight until tinkered with a while.


This web page seems to offer some explanation of a EARHT2MSFS workflow parallel to that of Alex with GEDOT:

https://www.demoken.com/2024/08/15/import-3d-data-from-google-maps-with-earht2msfs/


I hope this info may help a bit more. :)


GaryGB
Click to expand...
Well, patience might be your second name too :-)
I am very thankful, yet, next to surrender.
If this project were yours, what would you do?
My problem is, that I can not access EARTH 2 MSFS and get it running.
If I link to the given address in the prompt, I land on

Azure Maps | Microsoft Azure

Azure Maps provides location intelligence, traffic, mobility, and geospatial mapping APIs for IoT and enterprise systems to enhance mobile and web-based apps.
azure.microsoft.com azure.microsoft.com
If I ask the omnipresent AI "Where is the EARTH 2 MSFS tool?, it says

"I couldn’t find any official Microsoft resource or documentation for a tool called Earth 2 MSFS for Microsoft Flight Simulator. It does not appear to be an official Microsoft add-on or feature. If you are looking for ......."

Frank
------------------------
Damn, I'm 69. Too old to attend real-world helicopter lessons ....
 

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Don't "surrender".

My multi-player flying partner and beta tester friend is in his 80's, and he still flies IRL (he did so yesterday in the UK for hours).

I would take the necessary time to study the GEDOT and EARTH2MSFS software to understand whether they are installed with all prerequisites in the specified versions.

I would also endeavor to comprehensively study what each of the software tasks achieve.

That may take a while to accomplish as a result of limited available free time, and endurance.

IMHO, it is beneficial to plan on applying oneself to reading and learning in smaller durations of effort, to avoid fatigue, boredom, impatience, and burnout.

I anticipate learning more about this workflow tomorrow (Wednesday) as time and IRL commitments permit.


I recommend using Google for queries via FireFox browser with multiple security extensions, to prevent mischief and profiling that may bias subsequent queries and misdirect navigation of the internet.

I avoid AI for anything aside from incidental summaries of search results as a topical "purport" that may be incomplete, incorrect, but often entertaining.

I always want to form an independent perspective from a very thorough search of at least 100 query results.

For me, that compels an abundance of scanning and speed reading; all significant potentially useful result links read I also bookmark along with saving the web pages to disk as complete *.html file sets that can reviewed later.

Perhaps we shall both learn some new things soon with further study of this workflow. 🙂


PS: See the edits in my post above:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/problem-with-google-earth-decoder.460776/post-939934

GaryGB
 
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Hi Gary,
thank you so much for the time you invest.
Things are getting clearer.

1776896382156.png

What seemed to me inaccessible for the last three weeks ... now works. I found a short message in a forum: 'Simply ignore the misleadung message, the tool still works fine. Just right click your mouse and draw your desired rectangle above the region of your choice and the download button comes alive.' 21 days of detour ... :) Now I can continue.
Thanks again, I'll keep you informed.

Frank
 
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I looked that up, and Google returned this info:

https://www.google.com/search?q="Just+right+click+your+mouse+and+draw+your+desired+rectangle+above+the+region+of+your+choice+and+the+download+button+comes+alive"+EARTH2MSFS&sca_esv=72ab392c0b4765ff&biw=917&bih=441&ei=_FTpabyDL5OZmLQPv_T2iAw&ved=0ahUKEwi88bfoyYKUAxWTDIYAHT-6HcEQ4dUDCBM&uact=5&oq="Just+right+click+your+mouse+and+draw+your+desired+rectangle+above+the+region+of+your+choice+and+the+download+button+comes+alive"+EARTH2MSFS&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAijAEiSnVzdCByaWdodCBjbGljayB5b3VyIG1vdXNlIGFuZCBkcmF3IHlvdXIgZGVzaXJlZCByZWN0YW5nbGUgYWJvdmUgdGhlIHJlZ2lvbiBvZiB5b3VyIGNob2ljZSBhbmQgdGhlIGRvd25sb2FkIGJ1dHRvbiBjb21lcyBhbGl2ZSIgRUFSVEgyTVNGU0gAUABYAHAAeAGQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgCgAgCYAwCSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp


I plan testing this with a full installation eventually, as it may be we all can use it to make custom photogrammetry for MSFS. :scratchch

If Asobo does not start being forthcoming, MSFS users might need to move forward in a way that proves less inconvenient to them.

Glad to see you are able to proceed now. :)

GaryGB
 
I like your stamina.
I also, may sound foolhardy, would like to express my thanks specifically.
Provided that you like Austrian Alpine Cheese, I could send you a nice portion of it.
It is hard cheese, labelled by manufacturer and vacuum-packed, so there should be no issues at the customs.

Frank
 
Very kind of you to offer, but my well being now compels me to limit my involvement with cheese to watching this comedy sketch by Monty Python: ;-D


GaryGB
 
Last edited:
GaryGB said:
Very kind of you to offer, but my well being now compels me to limit my involvement with cheese to watching this comedy sketch by Monty Python: ;-D


GaryHB
Click to expand...
Can not count how many times I watched this brilliant sketch.

Frank
 
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