Autogen from OpenStreetMap data with scenProc - Revision history

BASys: Replaced Applicable-FSVersion for MSFS with MSFS2020, added MSFS2024

2024-05-25T20:05:21Z

Replaced Applicable-FSVersion for MSFS with MSFS2020, added MSFS2024

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:05, 25 May 2024
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	{{Infobox-Applicable-FSVersion		{{Infobox-Applicable-FSVersion
	\| FSXI = ~~false~~		\| MSFS2024 = unknown
			\| MSFS2020 = unknown
			\| FSXI = unknown
			\| P3D5 = unknown
			\| P3D4 = unknown
			\| P3D3 = unknown
			\| P3D2 = unknown
			\| P3D = unknown
			\| FSW = unknown
			\| FSXSE = true
	\| FSXA = true		\| FSXA = true
	\| FSX = true		\| FSX = true
	\| FS2004 = ~~false~~		\| FS2004 = unknown
	\| FS2002 = ~~false~~		\| FS2002 = unknown
	\| ~~FS2000~~ = unknown		\| XP11 = unknown
	\| ~~FS98~~ = unknown		\| XP10 = unknown
			\| XP9 = unknown

	}}		}}

	This tutorial describes how you can use the data from OpenStreetMap to create autogen for FSX. We'll cover all the steps, including downloading and selecting your data, how to configure the tools to create the autogen and how it finally looks in FSX.		This tutorial describes how you can use the data from OpenStreetMap to create autogen for FSX. We'll cover all the steps, including downloading and selecting your data, how to configure the tools to create the autogen and how it finally looks in FSX.

BASys: Undo revision 10092 by MichaelCox (talk)

2016-03-03T20:13:02Z

Undo revision 10092 by MichaelCox (talk)

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MichaelCox: minor updates

2016-03-03T14:06:55Z

minor updates

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Epsilon90: /* Creating vegetation */

2015-12-13T14:31:14Z

Creating vegetation

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:31, 13 December 2015
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	All lines starting with # are a comment. We'll walk through the other lines now and explain what they do.		All lines starting with # are a comment. We'll walk through the other lines now and explain what they do.

	IMPORTSHP tells the tool that it needs to read data from a shapefile. The first argument is the name of your shapefile, since we want to make vegetation now we will load the file natural.shp. The second argument can be used to reproject your data to WGS84, but the OpenStreetMap data we downloaded already is in that projection. So therefore we use ~~NOOREPROJ~~ as option.		IMPORTSHP tells the tool that it needs to read data from a shapefile. The first argument is the name of your shapefile, since we want to make vegetation now we will load the file natural.shp. The second argument can be used to reproject your data to WGS84, but the OpenStreetMap data we downloaded already is in that projection. So therefore we use NOREPROJ as option.

	The line SPLITGRID tells scenProc that it needs to split all features in a smaller grid. The option AGN means that the tool will automatically use the correct grid size for autogen. This size corresponds with the LOD tile size of the terrain scenery.		The line SPLITGRID tells scenProc that it needs to split all features in a smaller grid. The option AGN means that the tool will automatically use the correct grid size for autogen. This size corresponds with the LOD tile size of the terrain scenery.

Arno: /* Creating buidlings */

2012-12-14T18:36:20Z

Creating buidlings

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:36, 14 December 2012
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	#		#
	WRITEAGNFILES\|C:\flightsim\belgium_photo\texture		WRITEAGNFILES\|C:\flightsim\belgium_photo\texture

			The step SETAGNBUILDINGHEIGHT specifies the height distribution of the autogen buildings. In this case we use only buildings with 1 or 2 floors. Depending on the kind of area you are modelling you might want to include taller buildings as well.

	The CREATEAGNGENBUILD step has the two familiar parameters again, the first being the filter and the second the GUID. In this case you can see that we filtered by selecting all polygon features that come from the file buildings.shp. An additional condition is that based on the width of the building we select a different GUID for the roof style. So if the width is bigger than 20 meters we will use a flat roof and else we will use a gabled roof. That's also why there are two lines in the configuration file for the autogen buildings.		The CREATEAGNGENBUILD step has the two familiar parameters again, the first being the filter and the second the GUID. In this case you can see that we filtered by selecting all polygon features that come from the file buildings.shp. An additional condition is that based on the width of the building we select a different GUID for the roof style. So if the width is bigger than 20 meters we will use a flat roof and else we will use a gabled roof. That's also why there are two lines in the configuration file for the autogen buildings.

	And where did we find the GUID? As you might have expected in that same folder in the SDK. This time I searched in the file RoofDescriptions.xml. I found a group called "Roofs Gabled _ALL_" there, which we use for the gabled buildings.		And where did we find the GUID? The auto completion function is our best friend again. Or if you want to do it manual you might have expected to find it in that same folder in the SDK. This time I searched in the file RoofDescriptions.xml. I found a group called "Roofs Gabled _ALL_" there, which we use for the gabled buildings.

	For the flat buildings I found the GUID in the same file, there is a group called "Grouping of all flat roofs". In this case I did not use the group GUID, but the GUID of one of the roofs in the group. I did that because many flat roofs have a small wall and that does not look realistic for a European city.		For the flat buildings I found the GUID in the same file, there is a group called "Grouping of all flat roofs". In this case I did not use the group GUID, but the GUID of one of the roofs in the group. I did that because many flat roofs have a small wall and that does not look realistic for a European city.

Arno at 18:34, 14 December 2012

2012-12-14T18:34:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:34, 14 December 2012
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	scenProc is the tool that will create the AGN autogen files for FSX from the GIS vector files. Here you can find the manual and information on how to download [[scenProc]].		scenProc is the tool that will create the AGN autogen files for FSX from the GIS vector files. Here you can find the manual and information on how to download [[scenProc]].

	~~=== Text editor ===~~

	The configuration file for scenProc is just a plain text file. So you will need a text editor to create and edit this file. Standard notepad will be fine, but of course you can use any editor of your choice.

	== Downloading the data ==		== Downloading the data ==
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	== Creating vegetation ==		== Creating vegetation ==

	So now it is time to start creating some autogen. To do this we need to create a configuration file for scenProc that tells the tool what we want to do. So start ~~your text editor~~ and ~~create a file with~~ the following content:		So now it is time to start creating some autogen. To do this we need to create a configuration file for scenProc that tells the tool what we want to do. So start scenPRoc and enter the following content:

	# ~~Luxembourgh~~ City autogen		# Luxembourg City autogen
	IMPORTSHP\|natural.shp\|NOREPROJ		IMPORTSHP\|natural.shp\|NOREPROJ
	#		#
	SPLITGRID\|AGN		SPLITGRID\|AGN
	#		#
	~~SETAGNBUILDINGHEIGHT\|1.0;0.0;0.0;0.0~~
	CREATEAGNPOLYVEG\|FTYPE=POLYGON;type=forest\|{e8b937fd-a1f2-4bd5-8548-2c80d30102af}		CREATEAGNPOLYVEG\|FTYPE=POLYGON;type=forest\|{e8b937fd-a1f2-4bd5-8548-2c80d30102af}
	#		#
	WRITEAGNFILES\|C:\flightsim\belgium_photo\texture		WRITEAGNFILES\|FSX\|C:\flightsim\belgium_photo\texture

	All lines starting with # are a comment. We'll walk through the other lines now and explain what they do.		All lines starting with # are a comment. We'll walk through the other lines now and explain what they do.
Line 97:		Line 92:

	The line SPLITGRID tells scenProc that it needs to split all features in a smaller grid. The option AGN means that the tool will automatically use the correct grid size for autogen. This size corresponds with the LOD tile size of the terrain scenery.		The line SPLITGRID tells scenProc that it needs to split all features in a smaller grid. The option AGN means that the tool will automatically use the correct grid size for autogen. This size corresponds with the LOD tile size of the terrain scenery.

	The next line, SETAGNBUILDINGHEIGHT, sets some building height properties for the AGN file. Since we make vegetation here the values are not important. But don't forget this line, else the autogen created will not work!

	The line CREATEAGNPOLYVEG does the real work. It takes two arguments, one is the filter and the other is the vegetation GUID. How these two arguments work I will discuss below.		The line CREATEAGNPOLYVEG does the real work. It takes two arguments, one is the filter and the other is the vegetation GUID. How these two arguments work I will discuss below.

	The final line, WRITEAGNFILES tells scenProc where it needs to write the actual AGN files. So you should provide the texture folder of your photo scenery there.		The final line, WRITEAGNFILES tells scenProc where it needs to write the actual AGN files. The first argument is the FS version you want to make autogen for (FSX in this case). The second argument is the folder to save the AGN file, so you should provide the texture folder of your photo scenery there.

	And that's all, now you can run this file through scenProc and your autogen will be created. It is best to run it from the command prompt, as you will see the feedback from the tool in that case. So go to your command prompt and type:

	~~scenProc.exe lux.spc~~

	~~You probably need to provide the full path to where~~ you ~~installed~~ scenProc and ~~you need to use the name of~~ your ~~configuration file of course~~. ~~Then~~ the ~~tool starts working~~ and ~~that might take quite some time if you are~~ processing ~~a lot of data~~. ~~But once~~ it is finished you should have the AGN files in your texture folder and when you startup FSX you should see the vegetation autogen. Just like the image below:		And that's all, now you can run this file through scenProc and your autogen will be created. Just press the run button and wait for the processing to finish. Once it is finished you should have the AGN files in your texture folder and when you startup FSX you should see the vegetation autogen. Just like the image below:

	[[Image:scenProc_Lux_FSX_vegetation.jpg\|800px]]		[[Image:scenProc_Lux_FSX_vegetation.jpg\|800px]]
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	So as you can see the attribute type has a value of forest that indicates the polygon is a forest. Those are the polygons we want to use for our autogen. The polygons that are park, riverbank or water we don't want to use.		So as you can see the attribute type has a value of forest that indicates the polygon is a forest. Those are the polygons we want to use for our autogen. The polygons that are park, riverbank or water we don't want to use.

	So that brings us back to the filter string. We want to tell scenProc to use all polygon features, where the attribute type is equal to forest. We tell that to the tool by typing:		So that brings us back to the filter string. We want to tell scenProc to use all polygon features, where the attribute type is equal to forest. We tell that to the tool by typing the line below. Be aware that the attributes and values are case sensitive!

	FTYPE=POLYGON;type=forest		FTYPE=POLYGON;type=forest

	Now how to find the GUID for your vegetation? ~~This can be a bit tricky,~~ you~~'ll need~~ the Autogen SDK ~~for this~~. In the folder of the Autogen SDK you will find a folder called "Autogen source xml" which contains a number of XML files. For the vegetation open the file AutogenDescriptions.xml and inside it you can find the GUIDs of the different kind of autogen you can use.		Now how to find the GUID for your vegetation? The easy way is to just start typing the friendly name of the type of vegetation you want. The auto completion feature of scenProc will then show you the possible types of vegetation and will automatically fill in the GUID for you.

			The harder way is to find the information in the Autogen SDK. In the folder of the Autogen SDK you will find a folder called "Autogen source xml" which contains a number of XML files. For the vegetation open the file AutogenDescriptions.xml and inside it you can find the GUIDs of the different kind of autogen you can use.

	The document is full of GUIDs however, because most autogen is made up of library objects which are also identified by GUIDs. So it can be a bit confusion. But after searching through this file I found an autogen group called "Terrain Autogen Class Small Leaf Mixed Woods". And it's the GUID of that group that I put in the configuration file to tell FSX I want to use these trees for my forest. Feel free to choose another GUID if you want different kind of trees of course.		The document is full of GUIDs however, because most autogen is made up of library objects which are also identified by GUIDs. So it can be a bit confusion. But after searching through this file I found an autogen group called "Terrain Autogen Class Small Leaf Mixed Woods". And it's the GUID of that group that I put in the configuration file to tell FSX I want to use these trees for my forest. Feel free to choose another GUID if you want different kind of trees of course.
Line 144:		Line 135:
	SPLITGRID\|AGN		SPLITGRID\|AGN
	#		#
	~~SETAGNBUILDINGHEIGHT\|1.0;0.0;0.0;0.0~~
	CREATEAGNPOLYVEG\|FTYPE=POLYGON;type=forest\|{e8b937fd-a1f2-4bd5-8548-2c80d30102af}		CREATEAGNPOLYVEG\|FTYPE=POLYGON;type=forest\|{e8b937fd-a1f2-4bd5-8548-2c80d30102af}
	CREATEAGNLIBOBJ\|FTYPE=POINT;type=water_tower\|{450e3946-44ec-6111-95e1-56baa89b3d82}		CREATEAGNLIBOBJ\|FTYPE=POINT;type=water_tower\|{450e3946-44ec-6111-95e1-56baa89b3d82}
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	WRITEAGNFILES\|C:\flightsim\belgium_photo\texture		WRITEAGNFILES\|C:\flightsim\belgium_photo\texture

	The line CREATEAGNLIBOBJ has two arguments again. The first is the filter to select which features the library objects should be created from. In this case we select all points, where type is equal to water_tower. The second argument is the GUID we want to use. Finding the GUID is similar to the vegetation GUID. ~~In this case we need~~ to look in the file default.xml, which is in the same folder of the SDK. In it you will find a autogen class called "Urban Tall Water Tanks 15x15" and it is the GUID of that class that we used here.		The line CREATEAGNLIBOBJ has two arguments again. The first is the filter to select which features the library objects should be created from. In this case we select all points, where type is equal to water_tower. The second argument is the GUID we want to use. Finding the GUID is similar to the vegetation GUID. The auto completion feature will help you to find it. Or else you can look it up in the file default.xml, which is in the same folder of the SDK. In it you will find a autogen class called "Urban Tall Water Tanks 15x15" and it is the GUID of that class that we used here.

	It is important to remember that you can't use the GUID of a specific library object directly. You need to use a GUID of a autogen class of library objects here.		It is important to remember that you can't use the GUID of a specific library object directly. You need to use a GUID of a autogen class of library objects here.

Arno at 09:28, 28 July 2012

2012-07-28T09:28:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:28, 28 July 2012
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{~~:Ambox~~-~~Content~~-~~WIP~~}}		{{Infobox-Applicable-FSVersion
			\| FSXI = false
			\| FSXA = true
			\| FSX = true
			\| FS2004 = false
			\| FS2002 = false
			\| FS2000 = unknown
			\| FS98 = unknown
			}}

	This tutorial describes how you can use the data from OpenStreetMap to create autogen for FSX. We'll cover all the steps, including downloading and selecting your data, how to configure the tools to create the autogen and how it finally looks in FSX.		This tutorial describes how you can use the data from OpenStreetMap to create autogen for FSX. We'll cover all the steps, including downloading and selecting your data, how to configure the tools to create the autogen and how it finally looks in FSX.

Arno: /* Creating buidlings */

2012-07-28T09:27:53Z

Creating buidlings

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:27, 28 July 2012
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	WRITEAGNFILES\|C:\flightsim\belgium_photo\texture		WRITEAGNFILES\|C:\flightsim\belgium_photo\texture

	~~TODO~~		The CREATEAGNGENBUILD step has the two familiar parameters again, the first being the filter and the second the GUID. In this case you can see that we filtered by selecting all polygon features that come from the file buildings.shp. An additional condition is that based on the width of the building we select a different GUID for the roof style. So if the width is bigger than 20 meters we will use a flat roof and else we will use a gabled roof. That's also why there are two lines in the configuration file for the autogen buildings.

			And where did we find the GUID? As you might have expected in that same folder in the SDK. This time I searched in the file RoofDescriptions.xml. I found a group called "Roofs Gabled _ALL_" there, which we use for the gabled buildings.

			For the flat buildings I found the GUID in the same file, there is a group called "Grouping of all flat roofs". In this case I did not use the group GUID, but the GUID of one of the roofs in the group. I did that because many flat roofs have a small wall and that does not look realistic for a European city.

			You might notice that the line to create the gabled roofs has a third argument, MAXRATIO=2. That is an option to tell scenProc that it should split very long and narrow buildings. So if there is a building footprint that is left than 20 meter width, but more than 40 meters in length it will be split into seperate buildings. That's because these objects are quite likely to be a row of houses. Of course you can adjust the exact parameters to fit the building style of the area you are working in.

			The image below shows the resulting buidlings in FSX.


	[[Image:scenProc_Lux_FSX_buildings.jpg\|800px]]		[[Image:scenProc_Lux_FSX_buildings.jpg\|800px]]

Arno: /* Areas for improvement */

2012-07-28T09:20:05Z

Areas for improvement

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:20, 28 July 2012
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	[[Image:scenProc_Lux_FSX_buildings.jpg\|800px]]		[[Image:scenProc_Lux_FSX_buildings.jpg\|800px]]

	== Areas ~~for~~ improvement ==		== Areas of improvement ==

	~~TODO~~		This tutorial has shown the basic steps to create autogen from OpenStreetMap data. But of course there are many areas where you could improve the results. Here are just a couple of ideas:

			* Change the SETAGNBUILDINGHEIGHT properties so that you get more taller buildings in the city, the values would need to be adjusted to the area you are making autogen for.
			* Use a custom building texture for your autogen, so that they look more realistic than the default.
			* If you shapefiles would have attributes for the type of forest, you could use these to select different kind of trees for different polygons. So that you can have deciduous and pine trees at the right location.
			* If your shapefiles are rich enough, you can add many more library objects. Just think of chimneys, lightpoles and all those kind of objects.

			Of course there are also some limitations at the moment when it comes to the scenProc tool. Especially for making the autogen buildings I am still working on improving the tool. Most autogen buildings have to be rectangular, so that does not always give the expected results. I am improving the tool so that you can make even better looking autogen by combining rectangular and polygonal autogen buildings.

			I hope this tutorial get's you started. If you have suggestions, questions or brilliant ideas related to the scenProc tool, please post them on the [[http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=131 forum]]. The image below shows the final results achieved with the configuration file used in this tutorial.

	[[Image:scenProc_Lux_FSX_after.jpg\|800px]]		[[Image:scenProc_Lux_FSX_after.jpg\|800px]]

Arno: /* Creating buidlings */

2012-07-28T09:13:16Z

Creating buidlings

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:13, 28 July 2012
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	== Creating buidlings ==		== Creating buidlings ==

	~~TODO~~		Now that we got vegetation and library objects, the final part is of course to add some buildings. So for this we will load the buildings.shp file as well and add some lines to create autogen from those features. The updated configuration file is shown below.

	# Luxembourgh City autogen		# Luxembourgh City autogen