UK Cultivation - Ordnance Survey instead of Open Streetmap

  • Ok

    Managed to get scenproc to read the file by checking the box FEATCODE in the select fields to export and their export options pull down tab of the QGIS save as

    I now get this error

    10:51 ImportOGR Warning... Check the projection of your data. Unusual coordinates found.

    Co-ords are EPSG:4326,WGS 84 or same as Ian's pic

    Maybe progress ...

    Also noticed when you hover over the importOGS line item 2 of the little help pop up mentions bounding boxes to specify a region...are you listening Ian

    Had a look at your save as and its different than mine, I have the 'select fields to export and their export options' pull down tab.. I'm using QGIS 2.18

    As I now have a 6 year old trying to help I'll let her work out where I'm going wrong....

    Steve

  • Steve - thanks for the tip about specifying a region in ScenProc - I'll have a look at that. Regarding the version of QGIS - that was the next thing I was going to ask you. I'm using "2.14.21-Essen". There were several available on the download page and I just happened to pick this one.

  • Hi Phil and Ian

    Managed to get things to work..

    First I used version 2.16, this version seems to auto export FEATCODE without having to check any boxes or go digging

    Second, the main error was the sloppy link between to keyboard and the computer....I omitted the prj files for each area..hangs head in shame :rolleyes:

    Does anyone know if there is a breakdown of the FEATCODE's for the roads etc ie 15719 (motorway ?? )

    Thanks for the help guys much apprreciated.

    Steve

    edit,, probably mentioned elsewhere in forum but its real easy to combine areas in fs2, i added another toc entry to my EGGP tsc file, remember to change the element number in brackets to whatever your next one is

    Edited once, last by larrylynx (December 29, 2017 at 11:40 PM).

  • Hi Steve,

    Yes the OS data explains how the FEATCODES map to road types. Lots of detail. I think there are about 6 different 'types' of motorway. I think its something like right click on the layer in QGIS and do details (or data?) and you get a list of all data elements with their code and full description of what they are.

    I might get a chance to do this later.

    Phil

  • For anyone using ScenProc for cultivation, and wanting some special features, go to the fsdeveloper.com website, find the scenproc Area of topics and then find the Aerofly FS2 thread. There you can ask questions to the developer who is named Arno. he is very receptive to special issues and will send you scripts if necessary.

    Dave W

  • OK. Back at my big PC.

    I'm hopeful that we can use SHP files directly from OS. I'm currently running scenproc on a new OS square and its processing OK. Note that you need to have the SHX and PRJ files in the same directory as the SHP as the AUTODETECT line needs the PRJ in order to extract the projection. I'll update when I have some FSET scenery underneath this new square to check alignment. My scenproc line for importing is now like this.

    Code
    ImportOGR|D:\aerofly_fs_2_sdk_tools_oct17\Cultivation\OS Download\opmplc_essh_ny\OS OpenMap Local (ESRI Shape File) NY\data\NY_Building.shp|*|FEATCODE|AUTODETECT
    ImportOGR|D:\aerofly_fs_2_sdk_tools_oct17\Cultivation\OS Download\opmplc_essh_ny\OS OpenMap Local (ESRI Shape File) NY\data\ny_road.shp|*|FEATCODE;CLASSIFICA|AUTODETECT
    ImportOGR|D:\aerofly_fs_2_sdk_tools_oct17\Cultivation\OS Download\opmplc_essh_ny\OS OpenMap Local (ESRI Shape File) NY\data\ny_woodland.shp|*|FEATCODE|AUTODETECT
    ImportOGR|D:\aerofly_fs_2_sdk_tools_oct17\Cultivation\OS Download\opmplc_essh_ny\OS OpenMap Local (ESRI Shape File) NY\data\ny_importantbuilding.shp|*|FEATCODE|AUTODETECT


    Also this is how you extract the FEATCODE data from QGIS.

    1) Open the SHP file in QGIS.

    2) Right click on the info you want more details on as per below for roads

    3) Click "Open Attribute Table" to see more info.

    You can see that small roads are FEATCODE 15760, A roads are 15723 etc. if you click on the FEATCODE column head it sorts by code to help you work them all out. Here are a few. Perhaps someone else can produce a definitive?

    Motorway 15710

    Motorway (Collapsed Dual Carriageway) 15719

    Primary A Road 15723

    NB: When I've looked at other squares I saw other motorway types, so to get a definitive you'll need to look at more than one square.

    P.S. I figured this must be documented somewhere and found the following PDF, but the codes don't match. Perhaps someone else can find one that fits?

    https://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/~gisteac/proce…_v5-1_Feb04.pdf

  • New Simplified Workflow for OS Data Cultivation

    I got ScenProc working directly from the OS data without the need to process in QGIS. Here's the full working workflow.


    1. Go to this page on OS Site
    2. Pick the squares you want data for (hold ctrl down for multiple) - check you're downloading data type:vector download ESRI shape
    3. Scroll to the bottom and click Continue, enter your details
    4. A few minutes later you get a download link for files with names like "opmplc_essh_sd.zip" (this would be for SD grid square)
    5. Unzip these files you receive and you'll find a data folder that contains files like: SD_Road.dbf, SD_Road.prj, SD_Road.shp, SD_Road.shx
    6. The SHP files are the primary ones, but keep the PRJ and SHX in the same folder
    7. Install ScenProc
    8. Now edit the file paths on lines 11,12,13,14 & 93 of the following scenproc script, save it as something like "os_data_SD.spc"
    9. Comment out lines 18-23 as necessary depending on whether your cultivation area includes airports that you have built cultivation exclusions for
    10. Load your SPC file into scenproc then run it to convert the OS Data into a TOC file for adding to your airport cultivation
  • Hi

    I have been experimenting with light colour and intensity to match the uk, here are my figures for a more yellow sodium type lights

    CreateAF2Light|point="plight"|0.8;0.8;0.2|4|0;0;1|10

    CreateAF2Light|point="slight"|0.8;0.8;0.2|2|0;0;1|8

    CreateAF2Light|point="tlight"|0.6;0.6;0.4|2|0;0;1|6

    CreateAF2Light|point="rlight"|0.6;0.6;0.4|2|0;0;1|6

  • Cooking with gas! As they say.

  • I tried the direct importation of SHP files into ScenProc for square TQ, and it works! So many thanks Phil. It took just under 2 hours, which is less time than I expected.

    I've noticed that I now have taller non-domestic buildings. I assume this is the effect of "ImportantBuilding.shp" which I don't have in my other squares?

  • I tried the direct importation of SHP files into ScenProc for square TQ, and it works! So many thanks Phil. It took just under 2 hours, which is less time than I expected.

    I've noticed that I now have taller non-domestic buildings. I assume this is the effect of "ImportantBuilding.shp" which I don't have in my other squares?

    it's all a bit of a guess, but line 84 makes certain buildings 4 storeys high. I think these were the 'important' ones. The next step would be to draw polygons in google earth around city areas to make kml files that could be used to be more specific about what buildings are of what type, with some randomness thrown in.

    Do your tall buildings flicker on lower floors? It seems to me they swap between different colours.

  • it's all a bit of a guess, but line 84 makes certain buildings 4 storeys high. I think these were the 'important' ones. The next step would be to draw polygons in google earth around city areas to make kml files that could be used to be more specific about what buildings are of what type, with some randomness thrown in.

    Do your tall buildings flicker on lower floors? It seems to me they swap between different colours

    Yes - they do flicker - but I just noticed it as a general flickering. I'll have a look again to see if it's confined to certain floors. It definitely makes towns and cities look more realistic, but some kind of differentiation would be great. Differentiation is probably also needed in some smaller places too. I get the impression that the village church is being rendered as an office block in some cases! It would also be great to be able to single out historic houses, castles and the like.

    Ian

  • Hi

    Until we can add more definitions in the # Create AF2 buildings sections I think we are stuck to just the ones APACS gives us.

    Does anyone else find the buildings look too bright in VR. Also how do we get lights to appear in housing estates (tried 15760 and 15750), cos lets face it, us brits like our lighting.

    Also planning to do just a roads (lights) map for purely night flying which is why I ask, perhaps this will not be too large so one file may well cover the UK. I know adding buildings does add lights but 1. it makes the files huge and 2, all houses are lit which looks kinda naf to be honest

    Steve

  • Phil and Steve

    I've just had another look and you're right Phil - it is the lower part of the taller buildings that's flickering. My impression is that the taller flat-roofed building is sitting on top of a lower building. I say that because I can often see the gable-end of a lower pitched-roof building flickering on the side of the taller building.

    And yes - the buidings are too bright in VR. I find they look better (and quite realistic, even for the UK) when the sun is behind them. I used to set the time to late afternoon, but I avoid that time now so as not to get a strong sun reflection. In a way we're a bit unlucky in this part of the world, because they would look more realistic in almost any other region outside the UK and NW Europe. I think a big part of the problem is that they're bright relative to the aerial images. I guess one workaround would be to increase cloud cover? I haven't tried and, in any case, I like the sunshine.

    Human nature is odd though, isn't it? The more we get, the more we want. Even as they are, they're way better than uncultivated land. And VR is indescribably better than 2D. Everything has progressed to a degree that would have been unimaginable a few years ago.

    Ian

    Edited once, last by Ian C (December 31, 2017 at 5:21 PM).

  • Phil, Steve, Ian,

    I think the flickering might be because you are 'importing' both buildings and 'importantbuildings' - from QGIS important buildings seem to be a subset of buildings and so perhaps AF2 is drawing both in one location - possibly causing the flickering? (I recall just using buildings solved some flickering issues for me a couple of weeks ago when I was trying this approach).

    cheers, d.

  • Phil, Steve, Ian,

    I think the flickering might be because you are 'importing' both buildings and 'importantbuildings' - from QGIS important buildings seem to be a subset of buildings and so perhaps AF2 is drawing both in one location - possibly causing the flickering? (I recall just using buildings solved some flickering issues for me a couple of weeks ago when I was trying this approach).

    cheers, d.

    Yes - it does look as though the "important buildings" are also "buildings" - so we're seeing 2 buildings in one place.

  • Yes - it does look as though the "important buildings" are also "buildings" - so we're seeing 2 buildings in one place.

    Excellent. Lines 68-72 of my scenproc need tweaking then. 15018- 15028 are special buildings with 15025 being a church. I'll need to do exclusions on the normal buildings so they don't get 2 tags.

    ... having said that I don't see how BUILDTYPE could end up being 2 values at once, so maybe this isn't the reason.

  • Okay, I have realised the error in my logic in my previous post. The problem is that there are two objects in the same location one with one build type one with another. I will look more closely at the data and see if there is some identifier that will help me link the two objects and exclude one.

  • Hi Phil

    Now bear with me here as I can build full size sims no problem but my programming knowldge would easily fit on a pin head, the sharp end.

    Could we not adjust a line similar to

    ReplacePolygonByBuildingRectangles|FEATCODE>=15014 and FEATCODE<=15028 and FAREARAT<=0.7 and FLENGTH>=10 and FWIDTH>=20|0.8;4;4|0.25;2.0;0.25|Integer;SPLITBUILD|1

    or

    AddAttribute|FEATCODE=15014 And FAREARAT>0.7 And FLENGTH < 10|Integer;BUILDTYPE|1

    to give us a.. if else then type statement. Sort of, if this FEATCODE exists then don't add that FEATCODE as well

    Like I say, may be a load of old coblers but best I can think of

    Oh yeah, happy new year to the UK gang and everyone else

    Steve