Hi Everyone,
I'm a software engineer and I'd thought put together a Windows GUI app that works like Ortho4XP, but hopefully with an easier to use interface. The current FS Earth Tiles process seems overly labour intensive for something that should be a few clicks.
I decided to call the app "AeroScenery" and I picked up the domain aeroscenery.com
I'm ignoring the way FS Earth Tiles and Ortho4XP do things and instead going back to the basics of what is actually required.
My plan for the app is to allow the user to:
1) Search for a place by entering into a text box or navigate with the map
2) Click to select a tile to download (same size as Ortho4XP tiles)
3) Select a orthophoto source to download from (only Bing for now)
4) Select a zoom level to download
5) Multithreaded download the images
6) Generate AID / TFW / TMC files
7) Run Geoconvert as a background task
I intend to save info on which tiles you've downloaded at which resolutions so you can slowly build up a collection.
As the SDK documentation is 'sparse', I need some help to fill in gaps in my knowledge. Maybe some of you can help me out:
- What file format are the TMC / AID files? It's kind of XML but not valid. Wondering if I can get a prebuilt parser.
- The readme in Geoconvert mentions that each downloaded image needs an AID file. The tutorial says it needs a TFW file. Which is correct? Does it need both?
- Do the downloaded files need any special names, or will each just be handed in filename order by Geoconvert
- In the AID file, [steps_per_pixel] refers to the increment in latitude and longitude for each pixel from the [top_left] lon / lat value?
- I assume that Geoconvert is handling everything regarding topography data, or that's already in the simulator?
- Anyone know what size tiles Ortho4XP uses? What size should I use? (Not the image tiles it downloads, the whole region you click on to download in one hit).
I'll no doubt have many other questions to get this done.