Vector autogen in FSX?

[mikrco]

I have done multiple searchs regarding vector autogen and have found nothing regarding my specific problem. I'm trying to add a new autogen object attached to a vector line (road). I created the primary and end objects in Gmax exported them and created a library .bgl. I placed the library bgl and textures in the .\Scenery\Global\ folder of FSX. As per the SDK I've created a new class for the objects using the AutogenEditor; saved it and copied the resulting new default.xml to the FSX Autogen folder.

I have made the following edits to the terrain. cfg :

[General]
DefaultTextureCount=384
AutogenCount=15

// Vsm pipeline
[Texture.383]
Name=Roads_Dirt_1_Lane_Pipeline
Color=FFC00000
guid={BFDEFB10-DBAC-4D68-A90D-D961787B2204}
Textures=dirtroadsu.bmp,dirtroadhw.bmp,dirtroadsu.bmp,dirtroadsu.bmp,dirtroadsu.
bmp,dirtroadsu_lm.bmp
Layout=7_PLUS_4
StripWidthMeters=8
FlattenMode=flat
FlattenPriority=21000
LandClassRemapType=cultural
VectorAutogen={1F8022B7-4994-4728-9618-BCB56C0C2EA8} (vsm Lines)
ExcludeAutogen=Yes
RenderToTexture=No
RenderPriority=40000
Water=No
excludeautogen=Yes

// vsm Lines
[Autogen.14.0.0]
guid={1F8022B7-4994-4728-9618-BCB56C0C2EA8}
AutoObject={a10c437d-279d-4fce-8d1a-54048f9d09d4} (vsm)
ObjectSize=20
ExclusionWidth=0
ClipData=No
Offset=15
Density=100
MinAutogenDensity=100
PlaceOnWater=No
RandomHeading=No
AutoObjectEnd={79af86b3-c8be-46ec-bc67-8c1aaa0f7af7} (vsm_end)
ObjectEndSize=5

I used SBuilderX to create the vector lines and compile the .bgl . I must be missing something in the process as my objects are not showing up. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[HolgerSandmann]

Hi there,

I don't think you need to add your object to the global autogen definitions. The custom vector autogen objects we're using are just stored as regular library .bgl files in our own active scenery folder. Then we call their GUID via a custom Autogen entry in the terrain.cfg and they show just fine.

I'd suggest using an existing vector autogen entry first (say, the telephone poles) to test whether your terrain.cfg code and SBuilderX cvx files work as intended. If the poles show then you know that part is correct and you can start testing with your own autogen objects.

There's one odd issue with vector autogen in general: the underlying land class texture itself needs to have active autogen otherwise the vector autogen won't show either. Thus, routing a pipeline across ice or through the desert -- across ground textures that don't include autogen -- won't work unless you supply your own custom ground textures and agn files.

Cheers, Holger

 

[mikrco]

...I'd suggest using an existing vector autogen entry first (say, the telephone poles) to test whether your terrain.cfg code and SBuilderX cvx files work as intended. If the poles show then you know that part is correct and you can start testing with your own autogen objects...

Cheers, Holger

Holger,

Thanks for your response. As suggested I used the above method and no joy. So I would be correct in assuming the problem is either in my terrain.cfg edits or with SBuilderX; is that right?

The edits seem pretty straight forward so how would I determine if SBuilderX is correctly compiling the .bgl?

Regards

Mike

 

[HolgerSandmann]

Hi Mike,

if you comment out your current object calls and use GUIDs of default objects instead and they show up you can assume that the issue is with your custom model or library file. If the default objects don't show either it has to be an issue with the terrain.cfg Autogen addition or perhaps what you added to Lines.txt. I assume the dirt roads show up OK?

Cheers, Holger

 

[mikrco]

Hi Mike,

if you comment out your current object calls and use GUIDs of default objects instead and they show up you can assume that the issue is with your custom model or library file. If the default objects don't show either it has to be an issue with the terrain.cfg Autogen addition or perhaps what you added to Lines.txt. I assume the dirt roads show up OK?

Cheers, Holger

Yes the roads show up; no joy with the default object GUIDs. My custom library objects show up fine when selected using the Object Plactment Tool, so that leaves the edits to the terrain.cfg. I can't for the life of me see what might be wrong with the edits.

Do you have a working sample edit you could post so I have something to compare mine to. Thanks for your help with this.

Regards,
Mike

 

[HolgerSandmann]

Hi Mike,

copied below is a sample of one of our vector autogen types. It's a road lined with two different types of trees. Not sure that's of much help.

One thing I noticed with your entry is that you have MinAutogenDensity=100, which means you'd need to have your autogen slider all the way to the right for objects to show. Have you tried a lower value yet? Also, is the RenderToTexture=No deliberate, meaning you don't want the roads to show?

Cheers, Holger

===

[Texture.402]
Name=FTX_AU_Road_Track_Wet
Color=FFC00000
guid={F0C27B96-C2AB-4b81-8F4F-DCB1699A39E5}
Textures=FTX_AU_road_unpaved_wet_su.bmp,FTX_AU_road_unpaved_wet_hw.bmp,FTX_AU_road_unpaved_wet_su.bmp,FTX_AU_road_unpaved_wet_su.bmp,FTX_AU_road_unpaved_wet_su.bmp
Layout=7_PLUS_4
StripWidthMeters=14
FlattenMode=flat
FlattenPriority=21000
LandClassRemapType=none
VectorAutogen={25AD4317-8A59-4175-951D-A945A79EC7AE} (road tree line 1+2)
ExcludeAutogen=Yes
RenderToTexture=Yes
RenderPriority=101000
Water=No

======


// Road Treeline Left (Round Gums)
[Autogen.15.0.0]
guid={25AD4317-8A59-4175-951D-A945A79EC7AE}
AutoObject={EEDC806A-72B7-4363-9F94-759F2F49CF26} (veg_tc_Pine_Scrub_11m)
ObjectSize=35
ExclusionWidth=0
ClipData=Yes
Offset=-5.0
Density=35
MinAutogenDensity=10
Scale=2.0
ScaleRange=1.0
PlacementRange=1.0

// Road Treeline Right (Large Gums)
[Autogen.15.1.0]
guid={25AD4317-8A59-4175-951D-A945A79EC7AE}
AutoObject={2EAA6FD6-2F3A-4B46-90A2-2EBB8BFE8A12} (veg_tb_EucalyptusGum_12m)
ObjectSize=41
ExclusionWidth=0
ClipData=Yes
Offset=6.0
Density=35
MinAutogenDensity=10
Scale=2.5
ScaleRange=1.0
PlacementRange=1.1

 

[mikrco]

Success, finally!!!

Holger

After many frustrating hours success has arrived. I don't know how many times I re-wrote the terrain.cfg edits this past week; but it was alot. I had changrd the LC because of your reference to the oddity in FSX to ensure there where annotated textures ( that was part of the problem. Even after that though the models would not show. The primary problem was my being miss led by this from the SDK:

This is the GUID used to identify the feature type, one from the list in:

Vector Shape Properties Guids

I tried all the GUID's for roads to no avail. I was ready to just abort the the project. Then looking at your sample I noticed your texture entry had a GUID that was not in the list.

I gave mine a new unique GUID and voila!

Thanks for your help.

Regards, Mike

 

[Timmo]

Wow- thanks for this thread- I had tried to do something similar a while back but also couldn't quite figure out how the GUIDs matched to the .cfg definitions....I'll have another crack at it.

One thing I was ummming and ahhing about was performance? In my case I want to show fencelines (a lot of them) which will just be a simple 2 sided plane with an alpha texture.

How was peformance with that model of the pipline? It looks quite complex?

 

[HolgerSandmann]

Hi guys,

great to hear you found the bug, Mike. Sorry I didn't clue in on the GUID issue. The Trans Alaska Pipeline (?) looks great!

Timmo, vector autogen can indeed have a major impact on resources. I assume that's because this type of autogen isn't batched as the generic autogen objects are. With our tree-lined roads we had to increase the tree spacing quite a bit to stay in acceptable limits (we also experimented with streams that had vegetation strips on either side but had to drop those because the hit was just too big).

In the FTX Australia RED project we've placed simple fences - see http://orbxsystems.com/forums/index.php?topic=7983.msg65655#msg65655 - and again found that these work best in areas where there aren't too many other resource hogs. Also, we set the minimum autogen density setting fairly high so that people with slower systems (who have their sliders at Dense or Normal) won't get hit with the impact of the vector autogen.

Obviously, it all depends how many objects your placing and the total length of these vectors in a given area. I assume that there's just one pipeline vector for Mike but in our case we have hundreds of km of vectors within the area of visibility. In any case, the simpler the object the better.

Cheers, Holger

 

[Timmo]

Cheers for that- I gues it is something I will just have to test. My vector data is complex but the object it is linked to is not....so Im hoping the trade off will be ok.

I am loading a WHOLE lot of other vector data as my land class information too but in my experience this doesnt effect frames so much as 'blurries'. Ive yet to experiment with which file organisation is best (i.e. all the data in one Bgl and let the sim sort it out or split the data into smaller bgls)

edit: Success!.....at 0.4 frames per second haha...a bit of tweaking needed methinks

 

[mikrco]

My primary pipeline object has three LODs 10, 50, 100. I have just finished running approximately 60 nm of the Trans Alaska Pipeline connecting Pump Station #1 and #2. Frame rate impact is minimal at this point. This strech is mostly tundra and defualt autogen is sparse. So far so good, eh?

 

[BASys]

Hi Folks

Mike -
Congrats, that looks superb.

ATB
Paul

 

[=Hollywood=]

Thanks for this thread guys, might just be a solution in there for one project I had at the back of my mind a while ago...