Geoconverter scenery conflicts with existing DLC

  • I made a scenery around Aosta of Italy, which is just south of Matterhorn, and adjacent to the Swiss DLC. The Geoconverter scenery looks great, but the adjacent Swill DLC becomes striped like a zebra. The stripes appear from cockpit and in the map.

    I downloaded from both the G and the B map services, and problem exists in both.

    I also tried different download resolution 0(50cm, and 1(1m), and the problem exists in both.

    The coordinates: 7.00 46.00, 8.00 45.50

    Level: 9, 11, 12, 13

    My Geoconverter scenery overlaps with Swiss DLC. I think this is the reason that causes the problem. But this needs to be addressed to, because we can't avoid overlapping with the existing DLC in the future.

    Looking forward to the solution. Thank you in advance.

  • Here is the FSET map compared with the Swiss DLC.

    You can see the Geoconverter scenery overlaps with the Swiss DLC, but the stripes do not appear in the overlapping area or the Geoconverter scenery area that the Swiss DLC does not cover, but they appear in the Swiss DLC area that the Geoconverter scenery area does not cover.

  • I reported the same phenomena (plus some more) to IPACS during the beta testing phase, but in the Geneva region (ie. not related to elevation).

    To make it short I was told the tool is perfect and I'm the only one to experience bugs, so they would discard by feedback.

    Now it appears we're a few only ones...

    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.

  • The stripes are not a conflict with the existing DLC. It rather looks like GeoConvert is feed with input aerial images it is not interpreting right. If you could provide more details here regarding your input images, this would help.

    As far as overlap with existing DLC content goes: This is something that we haven't addressed yet as there is no real solution to it if you think about it a little, but we will see what we might do here in the future to improve it.

  • I don't think this is because GeoConvert is feed with input aerial images it is not interpreting right, because the stripes do not appear in the Geoconverter created area, but they appears in the DLC area. The coordinate in my TMC file is 7.00 46.00, 8.00 45.50.

    I just created a Chicago scenery overlapping the Orbx KCGX DLC, and it has the same stripes in the location map, and a long blank belt outside the GeoConverter content.

    You can clearly see three areas:

    In the right: the content I created with GeoConverter. This is on top of Orbx KCGX DLC, but it has no problem and looks great.

    In the left: Orbx KCGX DLC, no problem. Not overlapping GeoConverter content.

    In the middle: Orbx KCGX DLC, a long blank belt (very low resolution). Not overlapping GeoConverter content.

    Please be noted that it is not the GeoConverter content that has stripes, but the DLC area that is immediately outside it. Outside this abnormal area, it is normal again, and it is still DLC area.


    The coordinates of my GeoConverter Chicago scenery: -88.00 42.00, -87.33.45.33

    Map download service: Bing

    Resolution: 1

    The stripes are not a conflict with the existing DLC. It rather looks like GeoConvert is feed with input aerial images it is not interpreting right. If you could provide more details here regarding your input images, this would help.

    As far as overlap with existing DLC content goes: This is something that we haven't addressed yet as there is no real solution to it if you think about it a little, but we will see what we might do here in the future to improve it.

    Edited once, last by frui (July 17, 2017 at 11:44 AM).

  • Please be noted that it is not the GeoConverter content that has stripes, but the DLC area that is immediately outside it. Outside this abnormal area, it is normal again, and it is still DLC area.

    In your case yes, but in some other cases it is the default low res terrain that gets damaged.

    I still haven't totally understood the behaviour of this bug, it seems also related to the compilation levels you choose (note that you can also compile in levels 5 and 7 for instance, for more default low level ground texture to get replaced...

    Below is a test example in the French area close from the Swiss DLC, but without contact. I guess the strips are linked to a scale mixup in the compilation. See below my test square.

    EDIT 2 ghosts of a what appears to be the lake d'Annecy are visible in much different scales in the strips zone. Look at the GoogleEarth screenshot below to have a feel of its position and relative size. One of the "ghosts" is probably the original lake (located in the low res default terrain zone).

    [Blocked Image: https://u93773613.dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/93773613/AeroflyFS/aerofly_fs_2%202017-07-06%2012-20-21-29.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: https://u93773613.dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/93773613/AeroflyFS/aerofly_fs_2%202017-07-06%2012-20-48-83.jpg]

    The test area, with the Lac d'Annecy much further down right.

    [Blocked Image: https://u93773613.dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/93773613/AeroflyFS/Area.jpg]

    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.

    Edited 6 times, last by Trespassers (July 17, 2017 at 1:54 PM).

  • I am making some progress.

    I found that if I only keep level 14. The stripes are gone!

    If I add any of the level 9, 11, 12, 13, the stripes are back. Yes I tested each level one by one. Let me emphasize again that the stripes appear NOT in the GeoConverter scenery, but outside it.

    Well this seems to partially solve the problem, but with only level 14, the high resolution ground texture is only shown when the plane is flying very low. (But sometimes the HD texture is also shown when the plane is flying high. I simply can't quite understand how this "level" works.)

    Can we make the solution simpler by just using one level, and let it be shown at any height? I think all other flight sims, such as FSX, just use one level, and they probably do this with a reason.

    Two photos with only level 14 in the same location as in my first post for comparison:

    Edited once, last by frui (July 17, 2017 at 2:59 PM).

  • Let me emphasize again that the stripes appear NOT in the GeoConverter scenery, but outside it.

    Exactly. But not systematically in the DLC, sometimes also in the default low level terrain.

    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.

  • Can we make the solution simpler by just using one level, and let it be shown at any height? I think all other flight sims, such as FSX, just use one level, and they probably do this with a reason.

    No, in FSX/P3D, we have also LOD levels (MIP mapping). Due to them there is sometimes blurriness...

    Note that with level 14 only, you never see your textures in the "location" display. Not very convenient to check your coverage consistency...

    I've not tested yet until which altitude you keep seeing your level 14 textures when flying...

    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.

  • You are right. With level 14 only, I can't see the HD texture in the location map, but I can still see the default low resolution texture.

    I am experimenting with only level 14. I found that the HD texture is gradually shown when the plane is getting closer to the ground. Once the HD texture is shown, it will be there, whatever the height of the plane. And when you fly back, the HD texture is still there. Of course when you restart the program, you will have to fly low to see it again.

    So there might be a way for the HD texture of only one level to be shown at all height and any time? Maybe it needs a lot of computer memory?

    No, in FSX/P3D, we have also LOD levels (MIP mapping). Due to them there is sometimes blurriness...

    Note that with level 14 only, you never see your textures in the "location" display. Not very convenient to check your coverage consistency...

    I've not tested yet until which altitude you keep seeing your level 14 textures when flying...

    Cheers

    Antoine

  • I will tried to find an online storage space to upload the scenery.

    And it's easy to reproduce my scenery with the coordinates I have provided:

    Coordinates: 7.00 46.00, 8.00 45.50

    Level: 9, 11, 12, 13

    Resolution: 0(50cm, and 1(1m).

    I think this is a very urgent problem because it has appeared in all the high resolution DLC areas that is adjacent to the GeoConverter content. It even appeared in default low resolution terrains according to Trespassers. This will ruin the beautiful scenery made with GeoConverter and make it virtually unusable.

    Thanks to you users who are carefully debugging this issue. It is now time for the iPACs devs to step in and help. Could one of you users provide a simple example that shows the stripes and provide it to the developers?

    Thanks

  • Thanks to you users who are carefully debugging this issue. It is now time for the iPACs devs to step in and help. Could one of you users provide a simple example that shows the stripes and provide it to the developers?

    Thanks

    If you have an email or a ftp where we can upload our data I'll do it.

    Anyway, as Frui stated, it is very easy to reproduce : try making a small square tile next to Geneva and you'll get it.

    In my case, for a start I'm working with 16'384x16'384 pixels BMP orthophotos, I didn't add yet any alpha layer for scenery blending.

    Take 1 of them for instance : img_396_124_100_1.bmp* (you don't need my orthophoto to test, just create a 16'384x16'384 pixels BMP in Paint or whatever, paint it in a bright colour (red or yellow will do it) and save it with that name).

    NW coordinates:

    LON 5.6250000000

    LAT 46.4062500000

    SE coordinates:

    LON 5.8593750000

    LAT 46.2304687500

    x pixels size 0.000014305114746

    y pixels size 0.000010728836060

    Try compiling in levels 9, 11, 12 and 13 (pretty fast) and you'll get it very soon.

    As Frui wrote, if you only compile in level 14 you won't have the stripes => they're apparently related to lower level compilation, but the tile won't load in the sim unless you're getting very low.

    By the way, when working with tiles touching the Swiss DLC in the Geneva area, in level 14 the Swiss DLC still has priority over the handmade scenery. It means the ugly blurry "beyond the Swiss border" textures of the DLC will show up above any other scenery. I didn't try compiling in level 15 though, don't even know if it exists (was there in Torsten's original TMC file).

    If I compile levels 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 all together, I only have stripes in some zoom levels in the "location" menu, but there's obviously a bug here.

    *Note: there's another bug with file names, I think it is related to "_" (underscore) in default names. If the file won't compile, try replacing "_" by "X" in the names and it should work.

    The problem is, FSET and many editors use underscores in the files names to enhance readability.

    This bug is even easier to reproduce, but I was also told I'm the only one seeing it despite I reproduced it on 2 different PC's.

    I can provide more info on that if wanted, but let's start with the stripes phenomenon.

    Hope this helps

    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.

    Edited once, last by Trespassers (July 18, 2017 at 12:23 PM).

  • Independantly from that I suggest not to go below level 9.

    This has been told by IPACS and we nether mentioned levels 5 and 7 before.

    Rodeo

    They're featured in the sample tmc that was provided to me by IPACS, as well as a level 15.

    Anyway, levels 5 and 7 work just like level 9, enables seeing your coverage in "location" menu without zooming in. But I don't need them otherwise.

    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.

  • Ok,

    I understand. This is perhaps a version for internal IPACS usage.
    They are not listed in the actual SDK package.

    Level 0 means the whole earth in a single tile. Level 1 represents the earth in 2 tiles.

    So levels 5 and 7 are still huge areas we don't need for our sceneries.

    I just want to avoid that more people do these levels.

    Rodeo

    • Official Post

    Yes, as Rodeo mentioned. It's not advisable to use anything lower than level 9 for anything. In fact, using only level 11-14 works very well for most sceneries.

    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