AeroScenery Beta - Help With Testing Required

  • I second the request to be able to use stitched image as the source, but for a different reason than fixing the washout from Bing or Google. I'm thinking it would be great to be able to take the stitched image where two contrasting images exist in the Bing or Google database, and manually blend the contrast to make it less conspicuous. I came across one set of images over Hilton Head Island for instance that clearly have images from two different capture times side by side, with differing lighting and obvious color balance differences. If we could manipulate the stitched image and rerun the application it would help in fixing these type areas. I tried to post an image to illustrate but FLICKR has messed up their service so HORRIBLY that I need to find a new image hosting site. UGH!....

  • Hi GACSavannah,

    you can post the pictures directly here.

    To circumvent the 1MB limit you could do this:

    Download the free GIMP 2.10: https://www.gimp.org/

    Make your screenshot as big as possible (1920x1080).


    - File / export as

    - select jpeg

    8604-hc-1512-jpg

    - change quality to 88

    - export


    8603-hc-1513-jpg

    This will reduce the full picture size to about 850 kB ans still look really nice.

    Now choose Insert Original.

    Regards,

    Thomas

    Cheers, Thomas


  • I second the request to be able to use stitched image as the source

    This is already how it works and I've done what you're suggesting with good results.

    To be clear, AeroScenery does this

    1) Downloads a lot of small tiles from Bing or Google

    2) Stitches those together into bigger images of a configurable size

    3) Write some TMC and AID files and hands the lot off to GeoConvert

    4) GeoConvert writes "raw" image tiles from the stitched image data and then the final ttc files

    Whatever edits you make to (2) will be reflected in (4), with the caveat that GeoConvert seems to flatten the contrast and compress a bit more.

    I'm guessing that the loss of contrast is an image format or compression thing rather than a choice by IPACS.

    Edit: To use the above scenario you'll need to select "Choose which actions to run" and do the download and stitch separately from the GeoConvert.

    It would be great if AeroScenery could resample the stitched image files. FSET did by automatically with the default setting adjusting brightness by -6 and contrast by +12. This combination gave enough extra lift to make the textures look vibrant in FS2 without going over the top.

    It's definitely possible and now on the growing list of stuff to do :)

    AeroScenery - Easily create photoreal scenery for Aerofly

  • There still appears to be a tile alignment problem. When flying North I noticed a slight texture shift to the West in the near distance. I tracked it down to an area where a level 14 tile (created at zoom 18) overlays a level 13 tile (created at zoom 16). The screen shot shows the area where this occurs, viewed at 1,000ft heading North. Note the misalignment of the bridge. The texture shift to the west was caused by the level 14 tile being loaded and overlaying the level 13 tile as I approached.

    When I substituted FSET produced level 14 tiles for the same area, nothing changed, so the more detailed level 14 tiles generated by AeroScenery are correctly placed. It seems the problem is the level 9 map tile extract is generating textures slightly to the east of where they should be. This then causes a small but noticeable texture movement to the west as the more detailed level 14 tile loads.

    In AeroScenery I used a map size 9 and generated levels 9, 11, 12 & 13 output using zoom level 16. I then used a level 13 sized map area and generated level 14 output using zoom level 18 for my detailed areas.


    EDIT - Ran comparison FSET and AeroScenery for the same level 9 map area and extracted both level 13 tiles. If you compare the two raw files (FSET on left and AS on right) for the same level 13 tile, you will see the AeroScenery tile starts too low. This shifted the bridge North, causing the apparent misalignment east in FS2 due to the angle of the bridge.

    Thanks, Chris

    Win 10 64-bit, 24GB RAM, i5-9400F @ 3.9, 6GB Nvidia RTX-2060

    Edited once, last by crispy136 (August 20, 2018 at 10:15 AM).

  • Hi Chris,

    Thanks for the detailed testing (again!). Can you let me know a Google maps link to somewhere in the level 9 tile? Could you also send me that FSET square raw file? Is this with zoom level 16? I'll test the same square and we can figure it out.

    Ultimately, what would cause this is for a stitched image to not have the exact North latitude assigned to it in its AID file or the "steps per pixel" to be off.

    Everything else is calculated relative to those.

    Looking at the white building in the top right and the boat in the bottom middle it seem like a consistent shift rather than a stretch, like before.

    P.S. I see what people mean about FSET adjusting the brightness and contrast, it really does make a difference.

    AeroScenery - Easily create photoreal scenery for Aerofly

  • Hi Nick,

    The google map reference is "-27.978969, 153.422172", which is at the base of the bridge.

    I can confirm the tile difference is a constant shift, as both the top and bottom look to be off by a similar amount. The left and right of both are aligned the same. The raw file at 6.8mb is over the 1mb forum limit, and even converted to a JPG is 1.7mb so can't attach it for you. Have attached another screenshot of the bottom of the same two raw files, this is zoomed in by 20%. Don't pay too much attention to the right side of the screenshots as I think the viewer is truncating both differently. The right side of the raw files is just sea, but luckily there was a tiny spec in the ocean near the right edge so I am pretty sure the right side matches on both too.


    Thanks, Chris

    Win 10 64-bit, 24GB RAM, i5-9400F @ 3.9, 6GB Nvidia RTX-2060

  • The google map reference is "-27.978969, 153.422172", which is at the base of the bridge.

    So, I downloaded the level 9 sized grid square containing this coord at zoom level 16 and then used GeoConvert to create level 13 tiles.

    Comparing your FSET image and my generated level 13 raw image, everything seems to check out. I've used various reference points to check alignment throughout the images. As a sanity check I also overlaid both images and set opacity to 50%; also good.

    Were your stitched images generated with a version older than 0.6? If so, unfortunately the coordinates in the .aero files are wrong and they'll need to be restitched from the source images if you have them.

    If not, I'm confused :/

    Interestingly the source images are different, the boats and shadows are in different places. The coordinates should still be the same though.

    P.S. Does FSET have a feature to surpress Google watermarks or was this edited? Maybe the contrast / brightness adjustment helps this.

  • Hi Nick,

    I have discarded Google as a source due to the watermark, so only use Bing now which would explain the shadows etc. I checked my source files and the aero files and stitched images were generated yesterday and done using 0.6, although the source files were downloaded some time ago using version 0.5. I am pretty sure I regenerated all the stitch files using ver 0.6, as I save storage space by deleting the stitch files after the ttcs are created. I had modified the colour on the stitch images to try and match FSET using GIMP. I'll try a bit of trial and error and see if I can eliminate anything I did to get a different result.

    Found the problem source. In settings I had increased the "max tiles per stitched image" from 32 to 65. This was sufficient to give me just 1 stitched image for a zoom 15 level 9 tile or 4 images for a zoom 16, making it easier to edit the source images to correct colour variations. When I reset it back from 65 to 32 the AeroScenery level 13 tile generated exactly matched the same FSET tile and your result.

    The problem now is that I have 9 stitched files instead of 1 for a zoom 15 level 9 map area (25 instead of 4 for a zoom 16), which makes any colour corrections a very long process. Unfortunately a lot of the imagery outside towns in Australia is much older and very yellow. This is a quick and easy fix in GIMP but only if you don't have lots of small stitched images to edit.

    This is an example of the before and after result using the larger stitched images. A worthwhile improvement for very little effort, as long as your don't have too many source images.

    Thanks, Chris

    Win 10 64-bit, 24GB RAM, i5-9400F @ 3.9, 6GB Nvidia RTX-2060

  • im not a computer wiz, i have done some modding and stuff with the aid of video tutorials... It sucks for people like me cause we watch you guys post videos of all this new terrain and we can only have what we can purchase...

    Now youve made a tool to make it easier apparently but with people like me if there isnt a tutorial to walk me through it then its means nothing to me.

    Guess what im trying to say is Can someone please make a quality tutorial for us less computer savy people?

    Either way im glad to see the direction its all going...thank you!!!

  • In answer to your question Dave73, likewise over the last few days I too have been burning the midnight oil trying to make photo scenery. All the web pages and tutorials led me up the creek without a paddle. I have made scenery in the past for other sims but this was a new learning curve for me.

    Not one to give up easily I have now cracked it, making the scenery and if required editing the sea areas where the satellite tiles are missing showing only white.

    The bottom line is that I thought to put an easy step by step with photos of how to do it and haven't got around to it as yet, too busy making scenery!!!!!

    However if you and others are interested then I will take the time to do it.

    Cheers Michael.

    Best wishes, Michael :)

  • Hi,

    AeroScenery is a big leap forward compared to the old FSET way. It's so much more easy and fun to use and really well thought out.

    What scares me is adding cultivation. I was able to make PhotoScenery for Moscow where the ground image looks (IMHO) better than that of DD Moscow for P3D. The clubfoot is cultivation. Using pkaser's (Rodeo enhanced) script I am able to fill Moscow with buildings (but only very few trees, whyever), but there's very little resemblance to the real thing. I don't expect Russian churches to show up, but there are no high-rises (neither the old ones like the University nor the new business towers) and the massive row houses along strees are not properly displayed either. I don't think the issue is with OSM here but the way OSM data are translated into Aerofly scenery with a main limitation of course being the limited objects available, but I think even those could be glued together to long and massive rows of houses or extrated to high-rises, in principle at least.

    While in rural areas or smaller towns (like the one I live in) the present scripts work pretty well, they fail in Metropolitan Areas, and I tried several others (like Tokyo) as well. Experts (like ORBX) are certainly able to modify scripts or even hand-edit cultivation, but that's beyond me (and I guess most others). Thus, integrating some support for adding cultivation into AeroScenery for the layman would be awsome. Even more, as this would, perhaps, open the possibility to create cultivation for exactly the same areas selected for the photo ground along.

    Would this be feasible in some way?

    Kind regards, Michael

    Intel i7-6700K 4.0 GHz / Asus MAXIMUS VIII RANGER / Kingston 32 GB DDR4 / Samsung SSD M.2 500 GB + Samsung SSD 1 TB + Intel SSD 500 GB (AeroflyFS2) + WD HD 6 TB / EVGA GTX 1080Ti 11 GB / LG 34UM95 3440 x 1440 / HP Reverb / Win 10/64

  • Hi to both.

    Firstly Dave like you just getting some good photo scenery to fly VFR is the first priority. Secondly Michael comes the buildings and trees which they call "cultivation" in FS2.

    I have successfully done this in P3D using ScenProc but unable to get any scripts from this forum and other web links to work.

    So to start off I will put the photo scenrey tutorial together and upload it onto this forum, another learning curve for me?

    Kindest Regards,

    Michael.

    PS.

    Now I have had more time to read this thread I realise my "BIG BLUNDER" in putting the FSET tutorial here in the first place. Apologise to Nick in Cardiff for mucking up your topic on "AeroScenery" which I have now downloaded and learning to use instead of the old FSET.

    If need be I can remove this FSET tutorial which I'm more than happy to do and apologise again for any inconvenience caused to forum members.

    Kindest regards from the new boy (well 62 years old) on the block, Michael.


    Making Photo Scenery for FS 2 Part 1 of 2

    Firstly I would like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of those who made FS Earth Tiles available, without this wonderful software none of us would be able to enjoy flying over photo realistic scenery.

    If you don't already have a working FSET send me your email and I will forward a working copy.

    Install the FSET onto your main C hard drive. It will generate a folder called ”fset” inside this folder it should contain a sub folder called “work”.

    Open FSET and this is what it should like like:

    Then zoom out to about level 13 and move the map with your mouse to the area that you would like to download.

    Press the “Draw” button and with your mouse draw a grid box to cover the area that you would like to download.

    You can select the view either Bing or GE and decide which is best.

    Use the “Zoom” button to check the satellite images to see which are best for your application.

    Once you are happy with the images select the download resolution, 2 M per Pix is fine for flying at around 2000 feet. At a later date you can select airfields and make these in a higher resolution of 0.5 M per Pix.

    On the left hand side select the following:

    Before starting the download you can select the sea areas that you wish to download at a later date, as these will need editing. This will be covered in Part 2.

    Holding down the “Ctrl” button on your keyboards use the mouse pointer to select the boxes in the grid not to be downloaded. They will change to red to indicate they will be excluded from the download.

    Now press the green start button and go and make yourself a well earned cup of coffee.

    When the download has finished, make sure to press the “E” button as this will save the area grid in the “fset” folder, “work” sub folder.

    When completed you need need to convert these satellite images into the FS 2 photo scenery using the GeoConvertHelper tool. If using my copy of FSET you will find this in the “fset” folder and sub folder “work”.

    Open this up and make certain that it looks like this:

    The “Start” button is greyed out, click on the “Advanced Tmc File Settings tab, then click back onto the “Detail Level” tab and then press the “Start” button.

    This will take a long time depending on the area size you downloaded in FSET.

    When completed the image files will be found in the following directory:

    aerofly_fs_2sdk_tools, aerofly_fs_2_geoconvert, scenery, images.

    Place all these image files into a new folder call it whatever area you downloaded so as an example “Wales to London”.

    Then move or copy this folder over to Computer, Documents, Aerofly FS2, scenery, images.

    Fire up FS 2 the scenery will load and away you go.

    Once your happy with the scenery delete and empty the following folders:

    In “fset” sub folder “work” delete all image files leaving “Partial FSEarth Tiles”.

    In aerofly_fs_2_geoconvert delete all files in “input_aerial”images” folder, plus the folder “scenery” contains a sub folder “images” delete all of these too.

    End.


    Making Photo Scenery for FS 2 Part 2 of 2

    Welcome back to Part 2, this will cover how to edit the sea areas in the satellite images.

    Open up FSET and press “I” this will import the grid area you used to make your land area photo scenery in Part 1.

    Using the “ctrl” button and your mouse pointer edit the grid so that all the land area is excluded from the download leaving ONLY the sea.

    Make sure all the left settings are as follows:

    Press the green “Start” button.

    Go make yourself a cup of coffee or two.

    When completed you now have to edit these satellite images, I use a very simple photo editor called “Paint.net”. Download link here:

    https://www.getpaint.net/download.html

    Open “Paint.net” it should look like this.

    Then slide the “Hardness” blue slider to 100%. In the “Solid Colour” box Select “Large Checker Board”. Then select the “Eraser” Then in the “Brush Width” drop down window select 2000 to start with.

    Using the “Eraser” edit out all the white areas of sea.

    Go to the top task bar, left hand side, select “File” then “Save As” a TIF.

    Once you have completed all the satellite images go to “fset” sub folder “work” and delete all the BMP images leaving just the TIF images.

    Now open up “GeoConverterHelper” and run it as you did in Part 1 to make the scenery.

    Once completed you can copy or move the files from the aerofly_fs_2_geoconvert tool, “scenery” folder sub folder “images” into the “Wales to London” folder you made for the land area of photo scenery.

    Once you are happy with the final scenery delete all the image files from “fset” sub folder “work”. For safety I keep a copy of the “Partial FSEarthTiles” folder from FSET in my final photo scenery folder just in case I have to look at this area grid in the future.

    End.

  • Firstly I would like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work by Doctor Maurizio in making his FSET software, without this none of us would be able to enjoy flying over photo realistic scenery.

    Well, thank you for your great tuto, showing clearly how easily everyone can get a photo ground carpet in AF2.

    Just a correction : FSET was made by Roland Adorni (HB-100). He ensured the sources to be open and shared, and some contributors added a few features over the years, but globally FSET remained as released by Roland, some 10 years ago...

    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.

  • I did know that H-100 had made several improvements to the original software but was under the impression that it was a Doctor in Italy that first came up with the FS Earth Tiles software many years ago?

    I'm not sure if my tutorial should be posted here but if it needs to be moved by a forum moderator please do.

    Would also appreciate some comments regarding the resolution settings in the GeoConverterHelper.

    I made such a big area from West Wales to London (FSET resolution 2M/Pix) at resolution 14 it was about 22,000 files. I stopped the software when it finished resolution 13 and testing it looks OK at about 3000 ft above ground.

    I will carry on with resolution 14 but so far its taken almost 2 days to compile.

    Kindest regards to everyone,

    Michael.

    Best wishes, Michael :)

    Edited once, last by IZ0JUB (August 26, 2018 at 3:37 PM).

  • I did know that H-100 had made several improvements to the original software but was under the impression that it was a Doctor in Italy that first came up with the FS Earth Tiles software many years ago?

    The opposite is the case, actually.

    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.