W.I.P. Tool for creating Elevation using Rectangles

[jonmkj]

Any updates to this project?

 

[FoxtrotScenery]

I have been at work on this tool on and off, quietly rewriting some of the fundamental structure in the program to be able to handle some of the requested features. I have a laste exam on Monday before getting back to this more regularly, so expect more in the near future.

For a short overview what I do have working now that wasn't included before:

• Exporting multiple DEM files at once
• Using vector files to flatten underlying terrain, useful for building footprints
• Alignment with MSFS QMID cells, which hopefully solves some spikiness issues
• More data types (any numeric type, except complex types)

There's more work to be done before finalising another release, but it's definitely in the making!

 

[jonmkj]

Outstanding!
A necessary feature I think will be needed: a "scale" function that can convert data that is in feet to meters. Some of the terrain data i've messed with seems to be in feet, and produces a WILD result when put into the sim.

 

[FoxtrotScenery]

Good idea Jon, I will implement that as well!

 

[Tzetsin]

Did anyone figure out simboisi's issue with the flat rectangles? I'm having the same problem. I have got it to work 2 times, randomly, but I can't seem to reproduce it. 2 times out of probably 100 tries with different data sets, locations, xml files... The tiles aren't exactly "Flat" there is some verticality to them, but extremely minimal. Im at my whits end about this. I'm pretty sure its not the tool, but qgis, but I can't find the solution so any input will help immensely.

 

[FoxtrotScenery]

Can you maybe send me a private message with the raster file that causes an issue as well as the XML file. Than I can take a look at what may have caused it and patch it. It might simply be caused by some conversion issues, units or scaling which could be a simple fix.

 

[yordy saavedra]

Good afternoon, I just downloaded the program, but I don't know how to download the image that the program reads, any tutorial? I thank you for your great help

 

[FoxtrotScenery]

Good afternoon, I just downloaded the program, but I don't know how to download the image that the program reads, any tutorial? I thank you for your great help

You will need a source to download Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) which are images representing the elevation of the terrain. The tool can use these to generate height maps in MSFS.

If you are unsure where to start, here's a list of free DEM sources to check out:

https://mapscaping.com/13-free-global-dem-data-sources/

Hope that helps and feel free to ask any questions! (here or via PM)

 

[spatialpro]

I love this tool! I'm finding it very useful indeed! Thank you so much for developing and releasing it @FoxtrotScenery

In terms of suggestions, I'd really like the following please:

• Like @rhumbaflappy I'd prefer the ability to write to a new XML, rather than updating an existing one.
• Converting between ellipsoids and geoids is a pain. Currently I mosaic DEM tiles together and output a GeoTIFF. I then apply the offset (a constant) by using Band Math and output a second GeoTIFF relative to EGM2008. This second GeoTIFF is then used as the input for this tool. It would be great if the tool itself had the option to apply a constant offset value, thus skipping a step and negating the need for an intermediate file.

Many thanks

Andy

​

 

[lazaro]

Just dropping in here to say thank you for this great tool!

I got some 1M Lidar Data from my local gov. and imported it into MSFS without any big issues.

Only thing were some hard edges where I had no DEM data and thus the area in the exported Raster was black. The "Fill NoData Values" Tool in QGIS did not work since it told me, there were no NoData values. I suspect this is because it only goes over the existing data, and not over the layer extent. Nevertheless, I just deleted those in the editor.

 

[FoxtrotScenery]

That's great to here, especially that the tool still works despite the lack of updates. Do you have any pictures of your results?

However, I started working on some new features this week which includes the ability to trim areas without data.

Out of curiosity, did you use this for 2020 or 2024?

Just dropping in here to say thank you for this great tool!

I got some 1M Lidar Data from my local gov. and imported it into MSFS without any big issues.

Only thing were some hard edges where I had no DEM data and thus the area in the exported Raster was black. The "Fill NoData Values" Tool in QGIS did not work since it told me, there were no NoData values. I suspect this is because it only goes over the existing data, and not over the layer extent. Nevertheless, I just deleted those in the editor.

 

[lazaro]

I used MSFS 2024.

Here are some shots since you've asked:

 

[JRaines90]

I used MSFS 2024.

Here are some shots since you've asked:

View attachment 97597

Do you notice any gaps between the rectangles where there might be a bump? The MSFS toolkit in the other thread leaves obvious lines between the rectangles in FS2024 so it's effectively useless.

 

[FoxtrotScenery]

Do you notice any gaps between the rectangles where there might be a bump? The MSFS toolkit in the other thread leaves obvious lines between the rectangles in FS2024 so it's effectively useless.

Does this problem with the MSFS toolkit only happen in 2024? Because, in general, bumps have been an issue with terraforming rectangles in 2020 as well. I'm doing some work on improving my tool to better handle bumps and artifacts and it's the first update I want to actually release ASAP.

Is there anyway you can maybe share some of the files that cause issues because I'm trying to gather actual problematic cases. If it's sensitive data you can share it over PM or if not possible at all, no worries!

 

[lazaro]

Do you notice any gaps between the rectangles where there might be a bump? The MSFS toolkit in the other thread leaves obvious lines between the rectangles in FS2024 so it's effectively useless.

Nope. All good! I used 1 m data with 1 m res and 1m falloff in the tool.

 

[JRaines90]

Does this problem with the MSFS toolkit only happen in 2024? Because, in general, bumps have been an issue with terraforming rectangles in 2020 as well. I'm doing some work on improving my tool to better handle bumps and artifacts and it's the first update I want to actually release ASAP.

Is there anyway you can maybe share some of the files that cause issues because I'm trying to gather actual problematic cases. If it's sensitive data you can share it over PM or if not possible at all, no worries!

Eh I got rid of it and abandoned that method in favor of some wacky workarounds for now. But yeah, it's only 2024. There are distinct lines between where the rectangles are.

 

[NovembreFox]

It would be great if it were possible to select multiple rasters.
Then, if possible, create the XML file(s) with the templates needed for compilation with fspackagetool.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FSData version="9.0">


</FSData>


Some observations regarding file size after my numerous tests:

For example, a .geotiff with a resolution of 1m, which is 418 MB for 76 km2, will result in the creation of around 4,277 “Rectangle Objects” with FSD->Elevation Editor, which by default creates tiles in 128/128. The .XML file is around 1.36 MB, which after compilation with fspackagetool will give a .BGL file of 130 MB.

For one or two .BGL files of this size over a small area of 2 x 76 km², the simulation still loads quickly, but for a larger area of 12 BGL files, or 912 km², loading takes several minutes, and when using the fast movement of the “CAMERA DEV,” the correct appearance of the new altitude data is excessively slow, which leads me to believe that we unfortunately do not yet have the right tool (Terraforming Rectangles) to start compiling large areas more accurately than streamed data.
I dare not believe that the native MSFS 2024 and 2020 elevation data is generated using the “Terraforming Rectangle” tool; it's not possible.
But fortunately, we can still create it using FSD->Elevation Editor.

Also, after testing 50 cm and 1 m data, it appears that the maximum resolution of MSFS 2024 elevation data is 1 m, as 50 cm adds nothing but larger files (*4).

It should also be noted that fspackagetool does not seem to accept .XML files = or > 2 GB at all, as compilation crashes. Therefore, it is important to avoid .geotiff files larger than 450 MB, and if your .Xml file is = or > 2 GB, there is no point in even trying to compile it.

Otherwise, on MSFS 2020-2024 and under low-angle lighting, there is indeed some tile overlap, which is very annoying, although the falloff set to 1 m could be entirely satisfactory because beyond 1 m the overlap is much worse. Perhaps you should test an .XML with the “Priority” of the rectangles all set to a single value (0) to improve the rendering, or maybe try another tile size, 256*256 or more, to limit overly tight grid spacing.

Thanks for this tool already!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

 

[GaryGB]

It would be great if it were possible to select multiple rasters.
Then, if possible, create the XML file(s) with the templates needed for compilation with fspackagetool.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FSData version="9.0">


</FSData>


Some observations regarding file size after my numerous tests:

For example, a .geotiff with a resolution of 1m, which is 418 MB for 76 km2, will result in the creation of around 4,277 “Rectangle Objects” with FSD, which by default creates tiles in 128/128. The .XML file is around 1.36 MB, which after compilation with fspackagetool will give a .BGL file of 130 MB.

For one or two .BGL files of this size over a small area of 2 x 76 km², the simulation still loads quickly, but for a larger area of 12 BGL files, or 912 km², loading takes several minutes, and when using the fast movement of the “CAMERA DEV,” the correct appearance of the new altitude data is excessively slow, which leads me to believe that we unfortunately do not yet have the right tool (Terraforming Rectangles) to start compiling large areas more accurately than streamed data.
I dare not believe that the native MSFS 2024 and 2020 elevation data is generated using the “Terraforming Rectangle” tool; it's not possible.
But fortunately, we can still create it using FSD.

Also, after testing 50 cm and 1 m data, it appears that the maximum resolution of MSFS 2024 elevation data is 1 m, as 50 cm adds nothing but larger files (*4).

It should also be noted that fspackagetool does not seem to accept .XML files = or > 2 GB at all, as compilation crashes. Therefore, it is important to avoid .geotiff files larger than 450 MB, and if your .Xml file is = or > 2 GB, there is no point in even trying to compile it.

Otherwise, on MSFS 2020-2024 and under low-angle lighting, there is indeed some tile overlap, which is very annoying, although the falloff set to 1 m could be entirely satisfactory because beyond 1 m the overlap is much worse. Perhaps you should test an .XML with the “Priority” of the rectangles all set to a single value (0) to improve the rendering, or maybe try another tile size, 256*256 or more, to limit overly tight grid spacing.

Thanks for this tool already!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

We also need someone to translate what DeepL.com meant when it used an abbreviation "FSD" in the context of MSFS 'Rectangles'.

FSD already has multiple meanings as an abbreviation in the FS Community for many years; this non sequitur use "does not compute".


IMHO, the primary purpose of AI is to save humans work.

If AI arbitrarily invents new terms- or appropriates existing ones in common use- it may be plagiarized or obscure, thus more work for us.

I would put on my Hip-Waders before wading out into "DeepLy" piled steaming heaps of AI from DeepL.com or any other such 'stuff'.

GaryGB

 

[NovembreFox]

We also need someone to translate what DeepL.com meant when it used an abbreviation "FSD" in the context of MSFS 'Rectangles'.

FSD already has multiple meanings as an abbreviation in the FS Community for many years; this non sequitur use "does not compute".


IMHO, the primary purpose of AI is to save humans work.

If AI arbitrarily invents new terms- or appropriates existing ones in common use- it may be plagiarized or obscure, thus more work for us.

I would put on my Hip-Waders before wading out into "DeepLy" piled steaming heaps of AI from DeepL.com or any other such 'stuff'.

GaryGB

Please forgive me, sir, for using the abbreviation FSD.

I am, of course, referring to FoxTrotScenery's “Elevation Editor.”

Thank you for your very helpful contribution to the overall understanding of the subject of this thread.

As I do not claim to be proficient in reading and writing in a foreign language, I am grateful to DeepL and other online translators, which I believe help to bring communities a little closer together.

I will promptly correct this enormous and gross error, for which I am extremely ashamed and which will keep me awake night after night.

 

[GaryGB]

Please forgive me, sir, for using the abbreviation FSD.

I am, of course, referring to FoxTrotScenery's “Elevation Editor.”

Thank you for your very helpful contribution to the overall understanding of the subject of this thread.

As I do not claim to be proficient in reading and writing in a foreign language, I am grateful to DeepL and other online translators, which I believe help to bring communities a little closer together.

I will promptly correct this enormous and gross error, for which I am extremely ashamed and which will keep me awake night after night.

Translating is one thing; allowing an AI app to search, interpret, and explain is something else entirely.

I recommend Google Translate which started out with limited skills, and is now very good at translating content into a target language:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tra...BwE5uAfiBcIHBTItOS4yyAc5&sclient=gws-wiz-serp


Please do not take my critique too much to heart, as my admonishment is primarily directed at clueless geeks that code AI apps.

And you may note I use my own fair share of abbreviations gleaned from the Inter-Web; but hopefully I'll never slip into using "thx".


I would much rather sleep peacefully knowing that you are also sleeping peacefully; most of my post was an attempt at humor.


I encourage participation here even if English is a second language; Arno, Thorsten, Christian Bahr etc. became very proficient over time.

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/sound-effects.424400/post-800007


"FTSEE" may be a useful abbreviation for FoxTrotScenery's “Elevation Editor”, just as 'MCX' became used for Arno's ModelConverterX.

GaryGB (aka "ChatGGB" )