FSDeveloper Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T12:34:06Z

JohnC:

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]

Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0

[Destination]

DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0

pause

resample x.inf

pause

REM x.raw is the name of the bitmap

REM x.dem is the resultant DEM file

The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

Reserving JET BLACK as a grayscale value that completely surrounds your desired surface allows you to use the NullCellValue = 0 in the inf file to eliminate the unwanted flat surface from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. Make sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T12:32:05Z

JohnC:

[(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]

Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0

[Destination]

DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0

pause

resample x.inf

pause

REM x.raw is the name of the bitmap

REM x.dem is the resultant DEM file

The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

Reserving JET BLACK as a grayscale value that completely surrounds your desired surface allows you to use the NullCellValue = 0 in the inf file to eliminate the unwanted flat surface from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. Make sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T12:23:15Z

JohnC:

[[Image:Example.jpg]]| FSXI = false

| FSXA = true

| FSX = true

| FS2004 = false

| FS2002 = false

| FS2000 = unknown

| FS98 = unknown

}}

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]

Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0

[Destination]

DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0

pause

resample x.inf

pause

REM x.raw is the name of the bitmap

REM x.dem is the resultant DEM file

The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

Reserving JET BLACK as a grayscale value that completely surrounds your desired surface allows you to use the NullCellValue = 0 in the inf file to eliminate the unwanted flat surface from the bgl file produced.

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]

Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0

[Destination]

DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0

pause

resample x.inf

pause

REM x.raw is the name of the bitmap

REM x.dem is the resultant DEM file

The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

Reserving JET BLACK as a grayscale value that completely surrounds your desired surface allows you to use the NullCellValue = 0 in the inf file to eliminate the unwanted flat surface from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. Make sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. Make sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T12:21:50Z

JohnC:

| FSXI = false

| FSXA = true

| FSX = true

| FS2004 = false

| FS2002 = false

| FS2000 = unknown

| FS98 = unknown

}}

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]

Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0

[Destination]

DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0

pause

resample x.inf

pause

REM x.raw is the name of the bitmap

REM x.dem is the resultant DEM file

The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

Reserving JET BLACK as a grayscale value that completely surrounds your desired surface allows you to use the NullCellValue = 0 in the inf file to eliminate the unwanted flat surface from the bgl file produced.

[[Image:Example.jpg]][[Image:Example.jpg]]

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. Make sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T12:16:06Z

JohnC:

| FSXI = false

| FSXA = true

| FSX = true

| FS2004 = false

| FS2002 = false

| FS2000 = unknown

| FS98 = unknown

}}

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]

Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0

[Destination]

DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0

pause

resample x.inf

pause

REM x.raw is the name of the bitmap

REM x.dem is the resultant DEM file

The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

Reserving JET BLACK as a grayscale value that completely surrounds your desired surface allows you to use the NullCellValue = 0 in the inf file to eliminate the unwanted flat surface from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. MNake sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T12:14:13Z

JohnC:

| FSXI = false

| FSXA = true

| FSX = true

| FS2004 = false

| FS2002 = false

| FS2000 = unknown

| FS98 = unknown

}}

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]

Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0

[Destination]

DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0

pause

resample x.inf

pause

REM x.raw is the name of the bitmap

REM x.dem is the resultant DEM file

The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

This way you can define any minimum altitude with absolute certainty (no rogue pixels to corrupt your minimum altitude definition) and use the NullCellValue = (any positive integer) in the inf file to eliminate the minimum values from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. MNake sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T11:59:44Z

JohnC:

| FSXI = false

| FSXA = true

| FSX = true

| FS2004 = false

| FS2002 = false

| FS2000 = unknown

| FS98 = unknown

}}

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]

Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0

[Destination]

DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0
pause
resample x.inf
pause
x.raw is the name of the bitmap
x.dem is the resultant DEM file
The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

This way you can define any minimum altitude with absolute certainty (no rogue pixels to corrupt your minimum altitude definition) and use the NullCellValue = (any positive integer) in the inf file to eliminate the minimum values from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. MNake sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T11:57:18Z

JohnC:

| FSXI = false

| FSXA = true

| FSX = true

| FS2004 = false

| FS2002 = false

| FS2000 = unknown

| FS98 = unknown

}}

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]
Type = ElevS16LSB

Layer = Elevation

ULXMAP = -73.172208

ULYMAP = 44.484386

XDIM = 0.00001224

YDIM = 0.00000901

NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028

NumOfLines = 1028

SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

SourceFile = "x.dem"

ScaleinMeters = 1.0

NullCellValue = 0
[Destination]
DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"

DestBaseFileName = "smooth"

DestFileType = BGL

LOD = Auto

UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce
your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.

ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.

NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.

NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines

XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0
pause
resample x.inf
pause
x.raw is the name of the bitmap
x.dem is the resultant DEM file
The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

This way you can define any minimum altitude with absolute certainty (no rogue pixels to corrupt your minimum altitude definition) and use the NullCellValue = (any positive integer) in the inf file to eliminate the minimum values from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. MNake sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T11:54:29Z

JohnC:

| FSXI = false
| FSXA = true
| FSX = true
| FS2004 = false
| FS2002 = false
| FS2000 = unknown
| FS98 = unknown
}}

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.

(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it
to whatever folder the system chooses.

(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.

(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.

(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,

to your Addon scenery folder,

to the resample program in your FSX SDK

to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]
Type = ElevS16LSB
Layer = Elevation
ULXMAP = -73.172208
ULYMAP = 44.484386
XDIM = 0.00001224
YDIM = 0.00000901
NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028
NumOfLines = 1028
SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"
SourceFile = "x.dem"
ScaleinMeters = 1.0
NullCellValue = 0
[Destination]
DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"
DestBaseFileName = "smooth"
DestFileType = BGL
LOD = Auto
UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce
your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.
ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.
NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.
NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.
YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines
XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine
NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0
pause
resample x.inf
pause
x.raw is the name of the bitmap
x.dem is the resultant DEM file
The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

This way you can define any minimum altitude with absolute certainty (no rogue pixels to corrupt your minimum altitude definition) and use the NullCellValue = (any positive integer) in the inf file to eliminate the minimum values from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. MNake sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T11:51:42Z

JohnC:

| FSXI = false
| FSXA = true
| FSX = true
| FS2004 = false
| FS2002 = false
| FS2000 = unknown
| FS98 = unknown
}}
(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.
(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it to
whatever folder the system chooses.
(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.
(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.
(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,
to your Addon scenery folder,
to the resample program in your FSX SDK
to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]
Type = ElevS16LSB
Layer = Elevation
ULXMAP = -73.172208
ULYMAP = 44.484386
XDIM = 0.00001224
YDIM = 0.00000901
NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028
NumOfLines = 1028
SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"
SourceFile = "x.dem"
ScaleinMeters = 1.0
NullCellValue = 0
[Destination]
DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"
DestBaseFileName = "smooth"
DestFileType = BGL
LOD = Auto
UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce
your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.
ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.
NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.
NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.
YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines
XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine
NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0
pause
resample x.inf
pause
x.raw is the name of the bitmap
x.dem is the resultant DEM file
The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

This way you can define any minimum altitude with absolute certainty (no rogue pixels to corrupt your minimum altitude definition) and use the NullCellValue = (any positive integer) in the inf file to eliminate the minimum values from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. MNake sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2010-04-08T11:40:58Z

JohnC:

{{Infobox-Applicable-FSVersion
| FSXI = false
| FSXA = true
| FSX = true
| FS2004 = false
| FS2002 = false
| FS2000 = unknown
| FS98 = unknown
}}
(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.
(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it to
whatever folder the system chooses.
(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive,
and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.
(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.
(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,
to your Addon scenery folder,
to the resample program in your FSX SDK
to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK

Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:

[Source]
Type = ElevS16LSB
Layer = Elevation
ULXMAP = -73.172208
ULYMAP = 44.484386
XDIM = 0.00001224
YDIM = 0.00000901
NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028
NumOfLines = 1028
SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"
SourceFile = "x.dem"
ScaleinMeters = 1.0
NullCellValue = 0
[Destination]
DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"
DestBaseFileName = "smooth"
DestFileType = BGL
LOD = Auto
UseSourceDimensions= 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce
your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.
ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.
NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.
NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.
YDIM = (North Latitude–South Latitude)/NumOfLines
XDIM = (West Longitude – East Longitude)/NumOfCellsPerLine
NullCellValue = 0

this allows you to

(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude
when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap.
The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface
which will occur at the corners of the bitmap
if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly
to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0
pause
resample x.inf
pause
x.raw is the name of the bitmap
x.dem is the resultant DEM file
The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the
value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.
Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

This way you can define any minimum altitude with absolute certainty (no rogue pixels to corrupt your minimum altitude definition) and use the NullCellValue = (any positive integer) in the inf file to eliminate the minimum values from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format. This is where the real work is done. MNake sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,
because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values, save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Custom DEM creation with grises50

2009-07-15T18:04:44Z

JohnC: New page: This tutorial describes a method for using a downloaded utility, grises50, to create FSX mesh directly from a grayscale bitmap. You must (a) install the FSX SDK installed on your syst...

This tutorial describes a method for using a downloaded utility, grises50, to create FSX mesh directly from a grayscale bitmap.

You must

(a) install the FSX SDK installed on your system.
(b) download grises50 by Jokin BediaLauneta from ?? and unzip it to whatever folder the system chooses.
(c) create a folder called Mesh_Repair on your C drive, and place a shortcut to this folder on your desktop.
(d) copy the unzipped grises50 executable into Mesh_Repair.
(e) add the following shortcuts to Mesh_Repair:

to FSX to start the simulator,
to your Addon scenery folder,
to the resample program in your FSX SDK
to the tmfviewer in your FSX SDK
Add the following text file and save it as x.inf:
[Source]
Type = ElevS16LSB
Layer = Elevation
ULXMAP = -73.172208
ULYMAP = 44.484386
XDIM = 0.00001224
YDIM = 0.00000901
NumOfCellsPerLine = 1028
NumOfLines = 1028
SourceDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"
SourceFile = "x.dem"
ScaleinMeters = 1.0
NullCellValue = 0
[Destination]
DestDir = "C:Mesh_Repair"
DestBaseFileName = "smooth"
DestFileType = BGL
LOD = Auto
UseSourceDimensions = 1

You will need to modify the following lines to produce your specific scenery:

ULXMAP Western Longitude value of bitmap.
ULYMAP Northern Latitude value of bitmap.
NumOfCellsPerLine number of x pixels in bitmap.
NumOfLines number of y pixels in bitmap.

YDIM = (North Latitude – South Latitude) / NumOfLines
XDIM =( West Longitude – East Longitude / NumOfCellsPerLine

NullCellValue = 0
this allows you to
(a) reduce the bgl size by not generating a mesh surface altitude when cell values (pixels) are 0 in (the example) bitmap. The value need not be zero.
(b) eliminates from view the rectangular unnatural flat surface which will occur at the corners of the bitmap if one (wisely) chooses not to extend the contours directly to the edge of the bitmap.

Add this text file and save it as x.bat

grises50 x.raw x.dem 1 0
pause
resample x.inf
pause

x.raw is the name of the bitmap
x.dem is the resultant DEM file

The 1 tells grises50 that every incremental increase of 1 in the value of a grayscale pixel value means the mesh is 1 meter higher at that location.

Note: This value must be an integer.

Note: It follows that the range of mesh altitudes possible when the parameter value here equals 1 is 256 meters and is the most accurate definition of surfaces possible.

The 0 defines the minimum altitude in meters that the lowest grayscale value found in the bitmap represents. It can be any integral value. In this case it is at sealevel.

Note: Consider using a grayscale bitmap with the contour levels defined with various grayscale values defined totally inside a surrounding field of grayscale pixels with a JET BLACK value of (rgb=0,0,0).

This way you can define any minimum altitude with absolute certainty (no rogue pixels to corrupt your minimum altitude definition) and use the NullCellValue = (any positive integer) in the inf file to eliminate the minimum values from the bgl file produced.

All that remains now is producing a color contour topography map and converting a copy of it to a separate grayscale bitmap in raw format.
This is where the real work is done. MNake sure the pipeline works by generating some experimental grayscale image to familiarize yourself with the process.

To produce a bgl file from an x.raw grayscale file:

Double click on the batchfile and step completely through it as directed. It will show raw-to-dem intermediate results.

A bgl file should appear in a few seconds.

Drag the bgl file to tmfviewer and set the elevation color levels to check the contour levels for accuracy.

When it looks reasonable drag the bgl file to the Addon scenery folder shortcut then doubleclick on the FSX shortcut and proceed to admire your work.

These guidelines are useful for Paint Shop Pro users.

Work in a PSP color format until one is completely satisfied with the image. Make your adjustments there. It is impossible to create a grayscale image from scratch without risking your sanity.

Put your topography guide on level 1 and draw your contour map on a separate level colored white and 50% transparent.

Play it safe and use square bitmaps with x and y dimensions of 257 or integral multiples of 257.

Someone may want to expand our understanding here.

It appears (to me) that (sometimes) grises50 does not like rectangles with random dimensions. It manifests this by producing just a few altitude levels and notifying you of such in the standard (Portuguese) readout.

Right from the beginning embed the x and y pixel size in all filenames,

because there is no header information in a raw file and at first, Paint Shop Pro might ask for the dimensions when you reload the image.

Forgetting them after investing a lot of effort won’t feel good.

Make a copy of your psp file, and repaint the copy with grayscale values,
save it then convert it to a raw grayscale planar file called x.raw.

Taxiline creation with GMax

2008-07-15T13:43:42Z

JohnC: /* Method for straight lines */

{{Infobox-Applicable-FSVersion
| FSXI = false
| FSXA = true
| FSX = true
| FS2004 = true
| FS2002 = true
| FS2000 = false
| FS98 = false
}}

The following tutorial is made by '''Jeffrey Stähli'''. This tutorial can also be found in the scenery forum, but it deserves a place in Wiki. The technique used is very nice to create smooth taxi lines with custom textures. 

== Loft Method ==
A loft is normally a two-dimensional cross section extruded along a 3rd dimension to produce a 3 dimensional object.

The 2-D polygon is a spline that is called Shape in GMAX , and the 1-D line defining the path is another spline called Path.

This method creates a rectangular cross-section spline but then (a) cuts off the bottom and sides of the rectangle, leaving a 1 dimensional template entity "top" which (b) is then moved to a 0.000 meter altitude.

The surface entity template is still extrudable along the curvilinear path leaving a finite-width zero-depth bit-mappable taxiway (or any other image) on the surface.

Create a taxiway line template (spline)

:

# in the "Create" menu, choose "Shapes".
# select Rectangle
# draw one in the FRONT viewport (size doesn't matter now) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_01.jpg|400x400px]] 
# adjust the size of your rectangle. The important size is the WIDTH of your taxiway line.
# center your rectangle to (0,0,0)! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_02.jpg|400x400px]] 
# convert the rectangle to a "Editable Spline" and turn on "Segment" selection.
# select the indicated 3 segments and delete them. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_03.jpg|400x400px]] 
# now, set the top segment to ground level 0.0m. Template is done. (You may rename it to "TWYLINE_TEMPLATE" or so for the next steps) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_04.jpg|400x400px]] 
# create your taxiline "guides" using splines. For straight lines, just use "line" and for bends, the "arc" object is perfect. Don't connect the splines to a network, just leave them as single objects. The Loft method doesn't seem to work with spline-networks. Your transitions should be more exact than my quick try. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_05.jpg|400x400px]] 

== Now the fun part, Line designing ==
=== Method for straight lines ===
# Select your LINE-Spline "Create" -> "Geometry" -> "Compound Objects" lets you select "Loft". [[Image:taxilines_gmax_06.jpg|400x400px]] 
# Click on "Get Shape".
# Open up the "Select by name" window.
# Now, choose your template and pick it. TWYLINE_TEMPLATE in my case (that's why it's good to use a strong name ). There it is, your twy-line. Just zoom in to have a look at it. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_07.jpg|400x400px]] 

Note: Make certain you have the Top window rendering method reset set to Facets or higher in order to see your bitmap appear.

# Simply apply your twy material to the loft. No extra uvw mapping needed Play with the surface parameters: If you need a repetetive texture, use the length repeat option. Else, just leave it as is.
# Import settings are the "Skin Parameters". Shape Steps lets you choose the "resolution" of your polygon in the "width"-direction. We don't need more than 0 steps!!! Path Steps is for the "resolution" along the line. For straight lines, a value of 0 gives us the best option. (least amount of polys -> 2 faces for each straight line!) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_08.jpg|400x400px]] 

=== Method for bends ===
# Select your ARC-spline "Create" -> "Geometry" -> "Compound Objects" lets you select "Loft". Repeat Steps 2 to 5 from the straight line section!
# The good thing about lofting is the control over your "smoothness" of your bends. In "Skin Parameters" again, Shape steps are set to 0. But now, Path steps will refine your arc At 0, we have a fairly "hard" bend. Now increase the number until you think it looks good. But don't go crazy, keep the amount of polys in mind A value of 4-6 is already good imho! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_09.jpg|400x400px]] 
# For demonstration, I used 15 here, and we have a smooth arc. Also, a benefit of lofting, the texture follows perfectly your line! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_10.jpg|400x400px]] 

----
There you have it. Another Gmax-trick unveiled.
For different Line-widths use, just create another templates. If you get the hang out of it, it's a really efficient way to create Twy-Lines in gmax. And don't worry about the spline "guides", they won't be exported with MakeMdl

[[category:Scenery Design]]
[[category:Modeling]]

Taxiline creation with GMax

2008-07-11T00:36:52Z

JohnC: /* Loft Method */

{{Infobox-Applicable-FSVersion
| FSXI = false
| FSXA = true
| FSX = true
| FS2004 = true
| FS2002 = true
| FS2000 = false
| FS98 = false
}}

The following tutorial is made by '''Jeffrey Stähli'''. This tutorial can also be found in the scenery forum, but it deserves a place in Wiki. The technique used is very nice to create smooth taxi lines with custom textures. 

== Loft Method ==
A loft is normally a two-dimensional cross section extruded along a 3rd dimension to produce a 3 dimensional object.

The 2-D polygon is a spline that is called Shape in GMAX , and the 1-D line defining the path is another spline called Path.

This method creates a rectangular cross-section spline but then (a) cuts off the bottom and sides of the rectangle, leaving a 1 dimensional template entity "top" which (b) is then moved to a 0.000 meter altitude.

The surface entity template is still extrudable along the curvilinear path leaving a finite-width zero-depth bit-mappable taxiway (or any other image) on the surface.

Create a taxiway line template (spline)

:

# in the "Create" menu, choose "Shapes".
# select Rectangle
# draw one in the FRONT viewport (size doesn't matter now) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_01.jpg|400x400px]] 
# adjust the size of your rectangle. The important size is the WIDTH of your taxiway line.
# center your rectangle to (0,0,0)! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_02.jpg|400x400px]] 
# convert the rectangle to a "Editable Spline" and turn on "Segment" selection.
# select the indicated 3 segments and delete them. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_03.jpg|400x400px]] 
# now, set the top segment to ground level 0.0m. Template is done. (You may rename it to "TWYLINE_TEMPLATE" or so for the next steps) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_04.jpg|400x400px]] 
# create your taxiline "guides" using splines. For straight lines, just use "line" and for bends, the "arc" object is perfect. Don't connect the splines to a network, just leave them as single objects. The Loft method doesn't seem to work with spline-networks. Your transitions should be more exact than my quick try. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_05.jpg|400x400px]] 

== Now the fun part, Line designing ==
=== Method for straight lines ===
# Select your LINE-Spline "Create" -> "Geometry" -> "Compound Objects" lets you select "Loft". [[Image:taxilines_gmax_06.jpg|400x400px]] 
# Click on "Get Shape".
# Open up the "Select by name" window.
# Now, choose your template and pick it. TWYLINE_TEMPLATE in my case (that's why it's good to use a strong name ). There it is, your twy-line. Just zoom in to have a look at it. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_07.jpg|400x400px]] 
# Simply apply your twy material to the loft. No extra uvw mapping needed Play with the surface parameters: If you need a repetetive texture, use the length repeat option. Else, just leave it as is.
# Import settings are the "Skin Parameters". Shape Steps lets you choose the "resolution" of your polygon in the "width"-direction. We don't need more than 0 steps!!! Path Steps is for the "resolution" along the line. For straight lines, a value of 0 gives us the best option. (least amount of polys -> 2 faces for each straight line!) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_08.jpg|400x400px]] 

=== Method for bends ===
# Select your ARC-spline "Create" -> "Geometry" -> "Compound Objects" lets you select "Loft". Repeat Steps 2 to 5 from the straight line section!
# The good thing about lofting is the control over your "smoothness" of your bends. In "Skin Parameters" again, Shape steps are set to 0. But now, Path steps will refine your arc At 0, we have a fairly "hard" bend. Now increase the number until you think it looks good. But don't go crazy, keep the amount of polys in mind A value of 4-6 is already good imho! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_09.jpg|400x400px]] 
# For demonstration, I used 15 here, and we have a smooth arc. Also, a benefit of lofting, the texture follows perfectly your line! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_10.jpg|400x400px]] 

----
There you have it. Another Gmax-trick unveiled.
For different Line-widths use, just create another templates. If you get the hang out of it, it's a really efficient way to create Twy-Lines in gmax. And don't worry about the spline "guides", they won't be exported with MakeMdl

[[category:Scenery Design]]
[[category:Modeling]]

Taxiline creation with GMax

2008-07-10T18:45:48Z

JohnC: /* Loft Method */

{{Infobox-Applicable-FSVersion
| FSXI = false
| FSXA = true
| FSX = true
| FS2004 = true
| FS2002 = true
| FS2000 = false
| FS98 = false
}}

The following tutorial is made by '''Jeffrey Stähli'''. This tutorial can also be found in the scenery forum, but it deserves a place in Wiki. The technique used is very nice to create smooth taxi lines with custom textures. 

== Loft Method ==
A loft is normally a two-dimensional cross section extruded along a 3rd dimension to produce a 3 dimensional object.

The 2-D polygon is a spline, and the 1-D line defining the path is another spline.

This method creates a rectangular cross-section spline but then (a) cuts off the bottom and sides of the rectangle, leaving a 1 dimensional template entity "top" which (b) is then moved to a 0.000 meter altitude.

The surface entity template is still extrudable along the curvilinear path leaving a finite-width zero-depth bit-mappable taxiway (or any other image) on the surface.

Create a taxiway line template (spline)

:

# in the "Create" menu, choose "Shapes".
# select Rectangle
# draw one in the FRONT viewport (size doesn't matter now) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_01.jpg|400x400px]] 
# adjust the size of your rectangle. The important size is the WIDTH of your taxiway line.
# center your rectangle to (0,0,0)! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_02.jpg|400x400px]] 
# convert the rectangle to a "Editable Spline" and turn on "Segment" selection.
# select the indicated 3 segments and delete them. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_03.jpg|400x400px]] 
# now, set the top segment to ground level 0.0m. Template is done. (You may rename it to "TWYLINE_TEMPLATE" or so for the next steps) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_04.jpg|400x400px]] 
# create your taxiline "guides" using splines. For straight lines, just use "line" and for bends, the "arc" object is perfect. Don't connect the splines to a network, just leave them as single objects. The Loft method doesn't seem to work with spline-networks. Your transitions should be more exact than my quick try. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_05.jpg|400x400px]] 

== Now the fun part, Line designing ==
=== Method for straight lines ===
# Select your LINE-Spline "Create" -> "Geometry" -> "Compound Objects" lets you select "Loft". [[Image:taxilines_gmax_06.jpg|400x400px]] 
# Click on "Get Shape".
# Open up the "Select by name" window.
# Now, choose your template and pick it. TWYLINE_TEMPLATE in my case (that's why it's good to use a strong name ). There it is, your twy-line. Just zoom in to have a look at it. [[Image:taxilines_gmax_07.jpg|400x400px]] 
# Simply apply your twy material to the loft. No extra uvw mapping needed Play with the surface parameters: If you need a repetetive texture, use the length repeat option. Else, just leave it as is.
# Import settings are the "Skin Parameters". Shape Steps lets you choose the "resolution" of your polygon in the "width"-direction. We don't need more than 0 steps!!! Path Steps is for the "resolution" along the line. For straight lines, a value of 0 gives us the best option. (least amount of polys -> 2 faces for each straight line!) [[Image:taxilines_gmax_08.jpg|400x400px]] 

=== Method for bends ===
# Select your ARC-spline "Create" -> "Geometry" -> "Compound Objects" lets you select "Loft". Repeat Steps 2 to 5 from the straight line section!
# The good thing about lofting is the control over your "smoothness" of your bends. In "Skin Parameters" again, Shape steps are set to 0. But now, Path steps will refine your arc At 0, we have a fairly "hard" bend. Now increase the number until you think it looks good. But don't go crazy, keep the amount of polys in mind A value of 4-6 is already good imho! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_09.jpg|400x400px]] 
# For demonstration, I used 15 here, and we have a smooth arc. Also, a benefit of lofting, the texture follows perfectly your line! [[Image:taxilines_gmax_10.jpg|400x400px]] 

----
There you have it. Another Gmax-trick unveiled.
For different Line-widths use, just create another templates. If you get the hang out of it, it's a really efficient way to create Twy-Lines in gmax. And don't worry about the spline "guides", they won't be exported with MakeMdl

[[category:Scenery Design]]
[[category:Modeling]]