Jump to content

How to create photoreal scenery for FSX


Tiberius K.

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 434
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I am not sure what you mean here. I think you are talking about an airport on main land but close to the sea?

 

Without being on Skype together this is hard to describe, but I will try. If we meet up on Skype we can do this easier.

 

Once you Take your bmp to your paint program, we start using white and black colors only (this will be your blend mask which is basically going to be an alpha channel). Just as a review we color everything white that the user is supposed to see in the photoreal. Everything colored black will be a transparency that shows through to default FSX.

 

Once this is done you might want to smudge some areas on the inland side, unless you drew a whit part right down he side of a road, which hides photo and default nicely. But let's make our white right along the shoreline.

 

When done save as (not 'save') and choose tiff as file type and add a _B to the end of the file name.

 

Then compile your items with SbuilderX. When done rename photo01.bgl to anything you like and put it your active scenery sub-folder.

 

 

In the game you might see default line sticking out. In SbuilderX make a poly around the shoreline and choose ocean - perennial as a water-class. This will take care of the default shoreline sticking out. FSX isn't too good with correct shorelines. ;)

 

I am Robert Lacy on Skype - there are many - I am the one in IONE

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
lja- can't help if you don't contact me on Skype. Too much info, typing, and teaching steps to do it here. I will work with you on what you want after we contact each other on Skype and I find out what tools yo have already.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. on top choose view and uncheck background

 

2. repeat #1. to show background

 

3. if this does not work scroll mouse in or out and wait

4. numbers will load again.

5. if not just roll the mouse wheel a little and let it do the number again.

 

6. bottom left screen you see how high up yo are looking. usually I like to be about 500 meters. Or try 1km

 

I've down this a few times and then finally I would get a good screen but there might be some white squares but they are off of where I am going to work. I can ignore that.

If it still stalls at 1.

7. go to edit and scroll down to choose VE Virtual Satellite. and repeat the above.

 

8. sometimes even after all this it might stall on the second screen. If so, hid background and repeat.

 

As I have been saying on Skype we could have done this in a heartbeat.

 

By now you would be doing fine photoreal. Skype is free.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That one I have not seen... or don't remember.

 

I'll be out of town for the rest of the day. I went off li ne on skype, but you can send a request contact anyway. When I get back home I will see it. I will ask some friends here if they have seen this. We will work this out. Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Hi All,

 

I am trying to make scenery for KBMT, Beaumont Municipal, in Texas. I had compiled the BGL and all that, load it into the scenery library. When i fly, though, none of the scenery shows through! Keep in mind that I have FTX Global installed, and I only want the scenery to replace the dumb grass rectangle things around runways. If there is a simpler way for this, please let me know, and also know that I am very new to this! Ill pin the BGL file if you want to look at it. Also, it would be cool if yall could help me out on how to make the runway in the photoreal BGL replace the stock one at BMT.

 

Thanks,

 

Rafay

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Rafay,

You may want to try this. Put the BGL in a folder called Scenery and put the new Scenery folder in another folder called KBMT. Activate the new KBMT folder and put it at the top of the scenery library list. This is all very generic but simply a place to start.

Jim F.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, I finally got it to work, but another problem is that i believe ftx global is google earth, and i exported the bgl from virtualearth, so the color of the airport is very dull, but the other scenery is green. the reason is I never got google earth tile servers to work on sbuilderx. can you hemp me with that?

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, thank you! but I used virtualearth in SimbuilderX for that, so it looks off when it comes to color. i couldnt get google earth to work! It keeps doing the thing where i cant zoom in past 2. i downloaded all the tile server things! can you help me with that?

 

Thanks, Rafay

Edited by raziz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi again Rafay,

I don't think I can be of much help. I completed the tutorial here a few years ago but pretty much have forgotten what I learned. I do recall checking different sources for the imagery. I feel that there are others on this forum that will be able to provide you with the help you need.

Jim F.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I just went through this tutorial, it's awesome. Just finishing my first scenery with the help of this.

I have however some questions (some were asked before but long time ago and were not all answered properly):

 

How do I add different seasons? When I download the satellite image should I select a winter image and download it as a different BMP file, which will be later compiled to a single BGL along with the summer BMP? Or do I have to whiten the summer image? (that would not be very realistic)

 

How do I add night lighting (night texture)? I read somewhere that you have to darken the daytime BMP then give a yellow color to areas lit by night lights. (quite a few in a city...) But then how to add this to the BGL? Also using resampler.exe?

 

Would be good if someone provided a tutorial for this just like the one which started this thread.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Labrat- The easiest way to take you through all this is to be on Skype so we can share screens. Look for me Robert Lacy in Ione, Washington. or might try Jyarddog.

 

However, to start with ALWAYS start off with a summer view. Night is done with layers which is easier than it sounds. When done with our seasons and night we put a tag on them so we can ID them in SBX. edge of your map in SBX right click and choose seasons. From there you will see tabs to choose.

 

I will be busy today and tomorrow with music. tomorrow afternoon, my time, (PST) I will be free. One other starting tips... to label your night map, use the tag _N (NOT _lm).

 

Hope to meet up with you. Years ago guys tried to teach me and it took months because they knew what they were doing but could not teach it!! After I finally learned I taught about 14 other guys in 20 minutes each guy how to do photoreal.... getting started. BTW- Yep I am a retired teacher! :)

What paint program do you use? All are very good. Some are easier to work with sometimes. I use Corel PSP X9. email is jyarddog@potc.net. Usually not good to type one's email here but the guys here are pretty darned good fellas. Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you jyd.

I really don't want to skype, usually I don't have time for it. And I'm in Europe, so it would be difficult to find a time which is suitable for both of us. Seems easier to me here.

 

So first you download different seasons for the same map in SBX? This way I save them into several BMP files which I compile into one BGL in the end? I'll try to play with it next time I'm at my computer.

 

When I make the night map and save it as "xxxxx_N.bmp", I compile this together with the daytime map into one BGL with resample.exe?

 

Thank you if you provide some short answers. I use GIMP by the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

labrat- I do get the same discussion about Skype. Future reference- You can use or not use Skype. It is free. no camera needed just microphone. can turn shut it down when not needed.

I've had Skype for years.... no problem whatsoever. Europe? No problem Here's why:

 

I have Skype friends in Scotland, England, Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and guess what!! Thailand also!!

 

since I am retired I can talk with them when THEY are available.

 

Anyway- keep all that in mind to consider at another time as you see fit.

 

-------------

 

Now - back to business. ;)

No you do not download different seasons. You will use only your summer download and will use that. Other than that, yes, you will compile your seasons as you said, but you make your own seasons.

 

Here are the correct tags to use:

 

Summer is- su

 

spring is- sp

 

autumn is fa

 

winter is wi

 

hard winter is hw

 

night is N

 

water mask is W

 

Gimp is fine.

 

You always start with your bmp you downloaded from satellite. You do Not change the file name of that, but for each season you will add the appropriate tag as I posted above. thus...... example- LXxxxxxxxxxxx34567_N.bmp, or LXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx34567_hw.bmp, etc. THEN save or export from Gimp.

 

All this will save to your work folder in SBX. Next you will right click the edge of your map in SBX and choose properties. Now- see the tab called seasons? click that. going to choose night? choose night and you are taken to work folder and you choose the bmp with _N. If you don't see anything go bottom right and choose 'all files'.... sometimes SBX is too dumb to realize yo u have bmps there! hahaha. More later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Night version:

You really should get a screenshot of your airfield at night so you have a reference what default night looks like at your airfield. (i.e. how dark is it? what color are the lights in the surrounding area?

open your bmp with your gimp. Make a layer (some guys make two- one yellow)... one you can call 'dark' or 'night' or whatever.

 

using your layer slider on 'dark' layer, slide it over until it gets really dark but you can still see roads and such on your bmp.

 

Now get your paint brush adjust hardness to maybe 30 or so (you want it to have fuzzy edges), and opacity to about 15. (yep - that isn't much but gives you more control)

 

Brush size ... make it a little bigger than an intersection of two roads. (you can adjust all these as you see fit).

 

Now click once to drop a splotch of yellow right in an intersection... doesn't look bright enough? in the same place click a few more times until it is bright yellow to your liking.... too bright? hit undo a couple of times to back off the times you clicked. You can also make your brush smaller and more hardness and more opacity and click once in the center to make it look like that is where a light bulb is!!! The point is... you fuss with it as you see fit and have fun doing it.

 

When done run your slider back to where you can BARELY see any objects (roads etc) in the bmp. Compare to your picture of your airfield at night to get how dark the area is at night and how bright the lights are I default and what color (usually yellowish - orange.)

 

Now merge your layers and SAVE AS OR EXPORT ( I think that is what Gimp says), BUT DO NOT CHANGE THE NAME BUT ADD THE _N TO IT.

 

This should save to your SBX work folder.

 

Now refer to the above instructions in my previous post. Then compile your photoreal. Rename your photo and put it in your active scenery and go see.

 

both post took about 45 minutes of typing and thinking - so as not to give erroneous instructions.... would have taken about 10 minutes on Skype.

 

I'll bet your night map looks great!

 

BTW- tired of clicking 2,000 times just to get to SBX's work folder? Create a shortcut for that work folder and put it on desktop somewhere.

 

I have a folder that has a bunch of "tools" I use for designing. The less time I spend trying to navigate all over my machine to get somewhere -the more time I have designing! ;)

 

Let me know how things work out for you.

 

Have any default ground sticking out beyond your photo at the seashore? I have an easy trick for that.

 

Bob

Edited by jyd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

raziz- that is the usual problem with google dll. tough to find the current one. Once you do it is fine - for a couple of months - then it changes and you go though all this again.

 

I use VE also. funny color now and then? You can get that from any satellite image.

 

Get Metrix at http://www.jnrubin.net/psi/ so easy to use. free. at the end of one year it turns off. just go there again after DEC 31 and get another... always free. Joshua Rubin says so.

 

it is only for 32 bit paint programs. will not work on 64's. Gimp not sure either way.

 

Take a screenshot of your area and use that as a template for colors you want. or if there is good color in your map you can use it right there as well. You will be surprised at how well you will be able to change the colors in many areas to "clean up" the funny color in your map sometimes kinda purple (if it happened) and make it really tough for anyone to tell where your photoreal leaves off and default begins!!! Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Announcements


×
×
  • Create New...