First cultivation tests...

  • Thx Antoine ! very nice shots ! But I could not find your test files in fs developer... It looks very promising, I would bhe glad to study your work...

    Regards

    It's not the test, but the story you'll find there. Check your wall... écris-moi un mail.

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • Great,

    what a good idea to add aerofly support to scenProc. This will enable all interested users to 'cultivate' aerofly with OSM data.
    Is it already available on the fsdeveloper page?

    Regards

    Rodeo

    Yes, Arno already made it available in the dev version (the last official stable version is quite old anyway, many new features aren't available).

    While figuring out how to generate cultivation files from my shapefiles I quickly realized it didn't make sense for me to try re-inventing the wheel: ScenProc does it all with quite a lot of nice features. All we need it to export in TOC format instead of agn. So I approached Arno...

    For those who want to work from OSM (i.e. free, easy and legal to share provided that you name your sources), there is usually no building height information.

    For my test I took Arno's simple rule defining 2 or 3 floors depending on approached footprint size. It's somewhat low for cities but not shocking seen from the sky.

    Having this optional step in ScenProc is anyway a great enabler, I'm thankful to Arno for that.

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • Wow what's that? Is it something like OSM2FS2? That would be my biggest dream for FS2.

    Thank you Antoine for all the effort!

  • Salut Antoine, any chance you couls make a quick and dirty tutorial on how you made it work with Arno's tool and your results in creating cultivation? Currently I am working in a scenery for the region just south of Nantes in France and this would be great instead of making all the trees and houses in 3ds max... Merci!

    Luis Clement

  • Salut Antoine, any chance you couls make a quick and dirty tutorial on how you made it work with Arno's tool and your results in creating cultivation?

    First you need to get OSM data for the zone you want to cover. http://www.geofabrik.de/

    If you have a GIS (for instance, QGIS is free and very powerful) you can also directly download a window of data for your desired zone.

    Then in ScenProc you follow the steps described in chapter 5.9 of the manual.

    Chapter 5.9 is the AFS2 derivative of chapter 5.1 to create autogen from XML OSM data (i.e. with .osm extension).

    In case you have shapefile OSM data (.shp) check chapter 5.2 for correct Import syntax. Use QGIS to check your data and identify attributes as described in ScenProc manual

    You should use SplitGrid function (cf. chapter 9.2.22) in case you make a large flight zone, typically larger than 1.0x1.0 degree cell, but you should start with a small zone.

    Launching the steps (should) create a cultivation.toc file.

    Check Rodeo's Airport creation tutorial for the next steps, how to use the cultivation.toc file in AFS2...

    Especially you need to create a .tsc file which isn't documented yet.

    I picked an existing one and created a phantom airfield to attach my cultivation file. Without the phantom airfield my autogen doesn't show off, I hope the needed structure will be documented soon.

    Hope this helps. There are plenty more great functions in ScenProc, just read the manual.

    Rodeo started trying out ScenProc, he might consider starting another nice little tutorial of his... who knows.

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • Wow that was great and quick reply! appriciate it. Will give it a go, thank you

    Luis Clement

  • Yes,

    you are right. Perhaps I'll go on even with a video tutorial. =O

    Additionally we have to publish the .SPC file for the users.

    A basic TSC file is documented here although the cultivation section is still missing.

    This will be added very shortly.

    Download the AC3D airport design package and you'll find the kdwh.tsc template in the \scenery folder

    It contains the necessary lines for the cultivation.TOC

    The folder cultivation in the AC3D airport design package contains a PDF with some details about the parameters.


    Regards

    Rodeo

    PS: IPACS will modify the cultivation file to add even more parameters.
    This means, Arno has to adapt his scenProc program to the new version.

    So please be aware, that the conversion has to be redone in a few weeks.

    But this is the good side with it, it will become more flexible and versatile.

  • Yes, the airport part is documented, but I cannot get the cultivation part working without filling up the airport stuff, while cultivation has nothing to do with airports.

    The only workaround I could find was to create a dummy phantom airport with a dummy name and zero feature and attach my cultivation files to it.

    Good to hear IPACS is considering to improve cultivation. Please make sure Arno is in the loop to adapt his tool accordingly, it will be a closer loop with direct source of information, unlike when somebody external like me has to improvise specifications on new stuff that isn't yet fully documented.

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • Antoine,

    please understand that cultivation is still in early stages and Karl-Heinz is still testing all of this out so it's not fully ready to be public yet in my opinion. Please pump the brakes a little bit while all of this is worked out.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • you are right. Perhaps I'll go on even with a video tutorial. =O

    Additionally we have to publish the .SPC file for the use

    you guys talk incomprehensively for 99 percent of the users.

    If you want to make cultivation and airport design available to the general user,

    you (all the stars of this thread) must immediately change the way you explain things.

    Antoine is obviously dragging the cart like a wild horse :9 curling up much dust

    so the devs get overrun and the general users would ask "what in the world do these guys talk about"?

    Rodeo, if you decide to do a tutorial, do it for the users, not for the nerds.

    that includes a complete overhaul of the tools and files and .spc's that you have published.

    it is not easy to do a tutorial, and it is very very hard to do an easy-to-understand tutorial.

    Currently this is chaos.

  • Hello, me back here again. Followed all I can but the on the final TOC file does it mean that every single tree in the specified location it will need a set of lines in it like this?

    <[list_plant][plant_list][]

    <[plant][element][0]

    <[vector3_float64][position][-1.326695 46.930206 0]>

    <[vector2_float32][height_range][8 20]>

    <[string8][group][broadleaf]>

    <[string8][species][]>

    >

    If that is so the file will become gigantic.... I guess I miss somthing as maybe there is a way to define a region with NE and SW corners, or?

    Rodeo, sorry I know you asked us to slow down but in the middle of our projects for the sim that will be a bit difficult... :)

    Cheers!

    Luis Clement

  • Great, that you are finally exploring the cultivation file. (...)

    (...) it's not fully ready to be public yet in my opinion. Please pump the brakes a little bit while all of this is worked out.

    Well, on the one hand I read I was expected to do it earlier, on the other hand that I should have waited a bit...

    I'm aware the cultivation concept and it's file structure are in early phase and due to evolve, it doesn't remove the need and interest of testing coverage on large zones. There are also plenty of other ScenProc steps that should be setup and optimized to improve the result, but I think it's worth it to take users experiences into consideration for tools making, rather than wait for tools to be finalized and ask users to adapt their expectations.

    Talking about file structure evolution, one aspect that should be considered by "cultivators" is, cultivation areas should be divided into cells of "reasonable" size (reasonable is still to be defined) with a self explaining name, for instance reflecting the coordinates of NW corner, meaning easier maintenance.

    This can be done in ScenProc without the need for extra tools, but then each single toc file must be declared individually, which is a pain in the a...

    One idea would be then to enable the automated declaration of a global set of toc files in the TSC file structure, for instance all the toc files located in a specific folder - in other words declare the folder of files instead of the files.

    Keep up the good work.

    Best regards.

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • Hi there,

    currently we are moving into uncharted waters.

    The cultivation tool has been initialized to add objects to the surrounding area of an airport. This is the reason, the cultivation file is linked to an airport file.

    With the scenProc ( new for aerofly FS2) we can now create ten thousand houses and trees in 2 seconds.

    Trespassers thinks already about full regions to be covered with.

    I'm sure we will approach this soon, but currently we have to redefine parameters and setup the process.

    In this phase I can assist, but not provide comprehensive information and documentation.

    you guys talk incomprehensively for 99 percent of the users....

    Well Almdudler, 99 percent of the users will not create their own scenery.

    The 1 percent has to invest a certain amount of work and time.

    And as you can see the positive results with both geoconvert helper and scenProc, the process will be easier as soon as the workflow has been established. This is the target of an open flight sim system like aerofly FS2.

    Nethertheless you are right of course, high-grade tutorials are mandatory.

    Going back to our current job of cultivation. Summarized there are only 2 steps:

    Start Openstreetmap.org and export your osm file, run scenProc. That's it.

    All the rest is about structures, naming conventions, file conventions and parameters.

    Regards

    Rodeo

    Well, I have to admit, the thread fits better into the developer section than the general section.

  • Great, that you are finally exploring the cultivation file.

    Please keep in mind, its still work in progress, so we intend to add more functionality to it shortly, e.g. more house types, new objects and so on.

    Also, one thing that is not optimized yet is the loading/unloading of cultivation files. Depending on the density of objects, it might be necessary to unload/load cultivation files in a different way.

    While the Cultivation work in still in progress I would like to suggest the possible introduction of some very large scale 3d objects for an Aerofly FS 2 user library such as the following:

    Regional Shopping Centers (many grouped buildings with expansive parking lots and parking garages)

    Factories and plants (large buildings with smoke stacks and parking lots)

    Retail strip centers with movie theaters, restaurants, gas stations, smaller retail stores, etc.

    Stand alone retail outlets, like Texaco, Shell, BP gas stations, fried chicken locations, well known drug stores like CVS, Walgreen, Rite Aid, etc.

    School Complexes (several buildings, school buses, parking lots, sports ball fields, etc)

    Well known professional sports stadiums found in all major cities, Like Mercedes Benz Stadium, AT&T, etc.

    Open Football and soccer stadiums found in every city usually with a track and large parking lots

    Specific large box stores, i.e. Wal-mart, Lowes, Home Depot, Academy sports,) with parking lots full of autos.

    Automobile Manufacturing Plants. This usually have buildings approaching 5 million sf with test tracks and huge parking and storage areas.

    Generic Airport Terminal buildings with parking garages, UPS, FedEx buildings and static planes.

    Large regional ports with docks and container ships with huge cranes.

    Large hotel complexes with swimming pools and lazy rivers, parking garages, parking lots with cars, cross walks to connecting buildings, etc.

    Various Casino complexes with attached hotels, parking garages, swimming pools, golf courses, etc.

    Some generic high rise buildings, Condos, office buildings, well known hotel chains - Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, etc.

    These can be large cluster units with fairly low resolution that can be placed into user scenery to add some 3d effects without making individual houses and such.

    Just a thought for a lot of bang for the buck.

    Regards,

    Ray

  • Oops, I forgot to add

    Generic Petrochemical and refineries complexes usually with large storage tanks of various shapes and sizes.

    several choices of large water storage towers, cell phone towers, cross country power line transmission towers with cables etc.

    :P

    Regards,

    Ray