Having trouble with the new geoconvert tool; Please Read

Thanks , i certainly did begin there and had success back when you wrote it, and i'm processing the same FSET tiles as i did then, with the exception that some now have an alpha layer and are TIFs. Let me express myself in a different way.

1. Please explain what 'write_images_with_mask' does and when to set it to true or false?
2. Please explain the importance of snapping

Hi Phil,

<[string8][folder_destination_raw][./scenery/images_raw/]>               
        <[bool]   [write_ttc_files][true]>

Use the option to create raw png images. This allows you to check the content of your converted files.

<[bool]   [write_images_with_mask][true]>

Keep this as default setting in the header. It allows to create images with masks when necessary.

Now let's go to the level settings:

Use the option true up to level 9.

For levels 11 and higher you can decide to set it to false.

This means, no images will be created, when a mask is necessary. Only images fully covering an area are converted.

This avoids problems of neighboring scenery tiles with another mask.

Snapping is a function of GeoconvertHelper and snaps to full images of level 9. This gives you always full tiles without masks.

This is the best way to add seamlessly adjacent areas in subsequent conversion runs.

But take into account to have a massive overlap of your downloaded area in this case.

Background story:

aerofly FS2 has a built in tile system.

In level 9 the scope of the earth is divided into 512 tiles. 40000 km / 512 results in a tile extent of about 78 km.

(Of course this measurement depends on the latitude, the correct mathematical calculation has been published in another thread. We just want to get an impression here).

Level 10 is the half distance, level 11 is a fourth of this distance.

Hope this helps

Rodeo

Thanks Rodeo. I'll try that raw output to see what it shows me. Just one more thing please. Is a "mask" when you put an alpha layer around the coast to clear empty scenery?

Sorry 2 things. Is there still a problem when the alpha layer has semi transparent pixels? I'm wondering if part of the problem is my transparent brush might not have been 100% hardness so left some edge feathering.

Hi Phil,

a mask is being generated in 2 cases:

You did an alpha layer.

The aerofly tile system is cut by your conversion frame.

I suppose with alpha layers you have to set the mask creation to true.

Currently semi transparent alpha layers are not supported by geoconvert. You have to use the 100 percent setting.

Rodeo

Quote from Rodeo

Hi Phil,

a mask is being generated in 2 cases:

You did an alpha layer.

The aerofly tile system is cut by your conversion frame.

I suppose with alpha layers you have to set the mask creation to true.

Currently semi transparent alpha layers are not supported by geoconvert. You have to use the 100 percent setting.

Rodeo

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Great thanks. Apparently 50% of people in the UK live near the coast so making masks via alpha layers is going to be the norm.

Update: Just re converted with original BMPs and all is well, so it must have been a subtle feather on the Gimp masking tool. Others must get caught out by this. Perhaps a troubleshooting FAQ would be helpful where all these little learnings could be captured.

Quote from Spit40

Perhaps a troubleshooting FAQ would be helpful where all these little learnings could be captured.

A trouble shooting guide would be great

Quote from Rodeo

...

Currently semi transparent alpha layers are not supported by geoconvert. You have to use the 100 percent setting.

Rodeo

Well on investigation it seems my Gimp delete shape was 100% hardness but I found after really zooming in that I was still getting feathered edges and therefore semitransparent pixels. After a lot of head scratching I found I needed to set "hard edge". I think the Gimp version used for the tutorial might be different to the latest download. One more for the checklist.

You need to click this image to see where it is ticked.

Who is our resident Gimp guru. I need to be able to cut and past some of these super large graphics files from FSET and haven't found anything in the help that helps. I want to remove an old runway for instance and clean up the area so I can overall a slight different runway. The same for removing existing building and shadows so my new 3d objects look like that fit the area better. Would also like to remove static aircraft blotches from ramps and runways.

I also have not found out how to change the Brush size. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I skipped 2nd grade but did great in 3rd grade, so that is my best learning level.

Regards,

Ray

Ray,

As far as removing static aircraft from the downloaded imagery, you use the clone tool in Gimp(the Icon of a rubber stamp). Pick a hard edge brush from the Toolbox-Brushes window (the large circle with opacity = 100.0 or right click in the brush icons area and make a new brush with Hardness = 1.00 - a square perhaps) and use the Tool Options window (make sure dynamics = Dynamics OFF and source = image) to set the size of the brush. You use Control and Left Click (at the same time) to set the area (it will be outlined by the brush in dotted lines) you want to copy (maybe an area of the ramp with no static aircraft)and then move the mouse to the area you want the copy placed onto and then Left Click. If you hold it down, it will continue to copy from where the Control-LeftClick area was. When you are done, just select rectangular select or something similar in the Toolbox - brushes window.

You will need to experiment with the size of the area and maybe just do a little at a time so if you don't like the result, you can Edit Undo. You can solve a lot of issues this way - like clouds over a Hawaii mountain range (copy from a nearby area with no clouds) or feathering in the edge of one photo that doesn't match the color. You can retouch the photo quite a bit with cloning. It's easier than just trying to brush a new color and due to it being a small area of the actual photo with the same coloring, it will look pretty real. You can also open another image in Gimp and set the clone source to it and then copy to your photo of interest (Forest Gump approach!) - although you may have to resize the new photo so as to match the pixel density of the desired result photo.

Keep at it - you are learning all the tricks!

Dave W.

Quote from Spit40

Well on investigation it seems my Gimp delete shape was 100% hardness but I found after really zooming in that I was still getting feathered edges and therefore semitransparent pixels. After a lot of head scratching I found I needed to set "hard edge". I think the Gimp version used for the tutorial might be different to the latest download. One more for the checklist.

You need to click this image to see where it is ticked.

I have tried every setting in GIMP and I still get this jagged edge.

Kloot - I have yet to crack this myself. Those are chunky pixels at the edge though. I don't know how that could happen unless the Gimp eraser tool was very square and blocky, instead of round.

Quote from Gooseno1

I have tried every setting in GIMP and I still get this jagged edge.

Well wouldn't you know. My latest test gave me the same problem - very blocky edges where alpha layer masks coastline. Config was:

1. Some FSET with coastline
2. Some of the tiles converted to TIFF, with alpha and 100% hardness eraser with hard edge
3. Converted with default TMC that had Level 9 [write_images_with_mask][true] and other levels [write_images_with_mask][false]

Next I'm going to reconvert with all layers set to [write_images_with_mask][true] and switch on images_raw to see what that reveals.

UPDATE: I set it to true and converted again. I've solved the problem of blurry scenery at low altitude, but the blocky edges are just like yours still. I think I see why though. With no feathering/blending then a 1pix/metre resolution mask will produce this kind of jaggyness. I was converting down to level 13 but will try 14 now to see if that improves things. However I don't really see a solution until IPACS enable smooth edge alpha layers to allow the FSET scenery to blend smoothly with the high level background. The other option would be to draw your own smooth coast so that the FSET scenery was smoothly blended at the coast with a border colour that matches the IPACS default water. More trouble than its worth I think. Let's put up with jaggy coastline until IPACS develop the tools further.

We really need a way to capture best practice when this is done. I'm sure plenty in the forum have done this right but I don't know where to find out. I'm all for learning new stuff and discovering/sharing new techniques but I hate reinventing the wheel.

Quote from Rodeo

Hi Phil,

Code

<[string8][folder_destination_raw][./scenery/images_raw/]>               
        <[bool]   [write_ttc_files][true]>

Use the option to create raw png images. This allows you to check the content of your converted files.

Code

<[bool]   [write_images_with_mask][true]>

Keep this as default setting in the header. It allows to create images with masks when necessary.

Now let's go to the level settings:

Use the option true up to level 9.

For levels 11 and higher you can decide to set it to false.

This means, no images will be created, when a mask is necessary. Only images fully covering an area are converted.

This avoids problems of neighboring scenery tiles with another mask.

Snapping is a function of GeoconvertHelper and snaps to full images of level 9. This gives you always full tiles without masks.

This is the best way to add seamlessly adjacent areas in subsequent conversion runs.

But take into account to have a massive overlap of your downloaded area in this case.

Background story:

aerofly FS2 has a built in tile system.

In level 9 the scope of the earth is divided into 512 tiles. 40000 km / 512 results in a tile extent of about 78 km.

(Of course this measurement depends on the latitude, the correct mathematical calculation has been published in another thread. We just want to get an impression here).

Level 10 is the half distance, level 11 is a fourth of this distance.

Hope this helps

Rodeo

Display More

Rodeo - I added the images_raw line but got no raw images. Does the write_ttc line need to follow it immediately? There is a line like that there already higher up in the script but I didn't think the order would make a difference.

Quote from Spit40

Rodeo - I added the images_raw line but got no raw images. Does the write_ttc line need to follow it immediately? There is a line like that there already higher up in the script but I didn't think the order would make a difference.

I use the GeoConvertHelper tool and follow the WIKI instructions yet I am still not able to get rid of that jagged edge. I have no problem with creating scenery other than blending coast lines

Phil,

please take the TMC template from my airport design package. It contains all necessary information.

<[bool]   [write_raw_files][true]>
<[string8][folder_destination_raw][./scenery/images_raw/]>

Set it to true and make sure, the images_raw folder already exists.

I'm not sure whether we get rid of the jagged lines. It might be caused by the final resolution of the images.

Rodeo

Followed the NAS Fallon tutorial, GeoConvert runs, puts out .aid files, no images. If one of the resident experts could take a look at this, I'm sure it's me and I'm just making a stupid mistake due to inexperience.

_run_geoconvert.bat.txt

config-region-fallon.tmc.txt

tm.log.txt

My batch file works, the program runs, but there's nothing in .\aerofly_fs_2_sdk_tools\aerofly_fs_2_geoconvert\scenery\images when it's over.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I'm pretty certain that it's something that I'm messing up and not seeing.

Rick

Hi Rick,

please swap your coordinates.

aerofly expects lonlat order. So the -118 is the western longitude and has to be at the first position, 39 is the latitude at second position.

Also eliminate level10, it is not necessary.

Next point is the masking. Your area is smaller than a single level 9 tile. If you convert this with mask is false, no tile will be created.

Find a modified file attached.

I suggest to use GeoConvertHelper, just scroll to your values and 'Snap FS2 to Level 9 grid' to get an impression about the aerofly tile borders.

Rodeo

I forgot:

Please create a folder \scenery\images_raw in your converter directory.

I have set the write raw images to true, so you can see the tile content.

That did it, Rodeo! Thank you very much!

After reading everything that you posted, I can see where I went wrong. I missed the "lonlat" format, but there it is in plain sight in the example .tmc files that I have. The other issues are also apparent now that they've been explained to me.

I'm learning! Thanks again for teaching, and for the corrected file. I'm hoping to produce both scenery and aircraft for Aerofly FS 2 in the future, and I'm working my way through the wiki, but I still have a lot of learning to do.

Rick

Why oh why does this need to be so difficult. As a developer i feel very stupid that i can't seem to get this working

at all. The converter seems to run and i get a green 'OK' , but no image files are to be found in the folders where

they should be.

Is there no way to build a one-solution geo-converter where you just point out an area and it spills out the scenery

files. I think it would be great for allot of people to build their own scenery.