misson
Charter Member
could u provide a link to us? thank u!They just have!
First preview version is released.
-
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The Staff of SOH
Victory! The CFS2 world is ours.
- Thread starter Sander
- Start date
kelticheart
Charter Member
Magnificent!
Oustanding job, Sander!
Is this new Autocoast tool going to fix rivers and railways as well?
I am asking this because I am doing some bridge work over the Po river in Northern Italy Po Valley, using your early release ETO textures and landclass, quite appropriate for this part of the country.
Unfortunately, railroads are entirely missing and I am going nuts placing Canion's RR tiles in proximity of airports or bridges that were there in WWII (which Rami will do his best to blow up.......). Since these scenery objects are rather short in length, the total count of objects per each scenery is going skyhigh. Fps will not benefit from all of these objects either, even if they are flat tiles.
Rivers are also a problem: they are either missing entirely, and there's quite a network of Po left and right affluents in the entire valley, or they are displayed as lakes in the areas where they are rather wide in real life.
Altogether a fictional representation of real life Po Valley. If you care for an example, I am attaching a new file to the La Spezia thread of my latest effort:
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforu...roject-development-thread&p=825777#post825777
which includes the road and RR bridges in Piacenza and Achim's Reggio Emilia airport with the Reggiane aircraft factory nearby. Both have a trainstation and dual RR tracks as they were (and still are) during WWII. All of available scenery objects uploaded here are necessary: ETO repaints of CFS2 stock hangars/buildings by Captain Kurt, Canion's libs, Wolfi's libs, Dave Mangum's German buildings, Gary Burns' RAF BoB library updated by Pen32win, Mask Rider's PTO objects and Leroy10's early trees.
Cheers!
KH :ernae:
P.S.: I replied to this thread before opening the La Spezia Project thread. You had already answered there to my question here. Thank you!
Oustanding job, Sander!
Is this new Autocoast tool going to fix rivers and railways as well?
I am asking this because I am doing some bridge work over the Po river in Northern Italy Po Valley, using your early release ETO textures and landclass, quite appropriate for this part of the country.
Unfortunately, railroads are entirely missing and I am going nuts placing Canion's RR tiles in proximity of airports or bridges that were there in WWII (which Rami will do his best to blow up.......). Since these scenery objects are rather short in length, the total count of objects per each scenery is going skyhigh. Fps will not benefit from all of these objects either, even if they are flat tiles.
Rivers are also a problem: they are either missing entirely, and there's quite a network of Po left and right affluents in the entire valley, or they are displayed as lakes in the areas where they are rather wide in real life.
Altogether a fictional representation of real life Po Valley. If you care for an example, I am attaching a new file to the La Spezia thread of my latest effort:
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforu...roject-development-thread&p=825777#post825777
which includes the road and RR bridges in Piacenza and Achim's Reggio Emilia airport with the Reggiane aircraft factory nearby. Both have a trainstation and dual RR tracks as they were (and still are) during WWII. All of available scenery objects uploaded here are necessary: ETO repaints of CFS2 stock hangars/buildings by Captain Kurt, Canion's libs, Wolfi's libs, Dave Mangum's German buildings, Gary Burns' RAF BoB library updated by Pen32win, Mask Rider's PTO objects and Leroy10's early trees.
Cheers!
KH :ernae:
P.S.: I replied to this thread before opening the La Spezia Project thread. You had already answered there to my question here. Thank you!
If you're interested to stick your hands in the mud, PM me your email address and I'll add you to the mailing list.could u provide a link to us? thank u!
Oustanding job, Sander!
Is this new Autocoast tool going to fix rivers and railways as well?
I am asking this because I am doing some bridge work over the Po river in Northern Italy Po Valley, using your early release ETO textures and landclass, quite appropriate for this part of the country.
Unfortunately, railroads are entirely missing and I am going nuts placing Canion's RR tiles in proximity of airports or bridges that were there in WWII (which Rami will do his best to blow up.......). Since these scenery objects are rather short in length, the total count of objects per each scenery is going skyhigh. Fps will not benefit from all of these objects either, even if they are flat tiles.
Rivers are also a problem: they are either missing entirely, and there's quite a network of Po left and right affluents in the entire valley, or they are displayed as lakes in the areas where they are rather wide in real life.
Altogether a fictional representation of real life Po Valley. If you care for an example, I am attaching a new file to the La Spezia thread of my latest effort, which includes the road and RR bridges in Piacenza and Achim's Reggio Emilia airport with the Reggiane aircraft factory nearby. Both have a trainstation and dual RR tracks as they were (and still are) during WWII. All of available scenery objects uploaded here are necessary: ETO repaints of CFS2 stock hangars/buildings by Captain Kurt, Canion's libs, Wolfi's libs, Dave Mangum's German buildings, Gary Burns' RAF BoB library updated by Pen32win and Leroy10's early trees.
Cheers!
KH :ernae:
We'll probably re-do all of Europe to a higher standard quality. I don't know why so much stuff is missing from that particular area; it could be one of the tiles that caused ground2k to throw fits; I don't remember. Either way, with this tool it will become "child's play" (=relative to the ground2k method) to zoom in on your own backyard and lay down whatever you want.
blohmundvoss
SOH-CM-2024
Wow!
I can still remember a post from years ago when Sander patiently explained to everyone who was eagerly waiting for the next instalment of his rework of Europe that it took hours and hours of effort to produce and compile each LOD5 area.
Having had a chance to try his new version of cfs2autocoast I can tell you that in the meantime he's been a very, very busy man.
Having produced the file for the tool to compile I hit 'go' and decided to make some coffee while the software did its job but I'd barely stood up before the operation finished. It took me more time to find the FS9 source files than it did for the tool to finish the job. Even allowing for the fact that I was carefully reading Sander's tutorial and working with an unfamiliar tool the whole thing took less than 30 minutes. I'm sure if I organise the source files and my working folders better I can cut this down even further.
Given that all I did was do a quick & dirty conversion of the stock FS9 files - no customising or editing - I think the end result is still pretty good. Finding good screenies to illustrate something like this is always difficult - and I haven't had time to explore the whole converted area yet - but here are a few to give you a flavour.
The area I worked covers part of North Korea including the Yalu River and the Choisin Reservoir. As you can see, some lovely curved roads and rivers which are a far cry from the straight, angled lines of the earlier versions of cfs2autocoast.
View attachment 91545View attachment 91546View attachment 91547View attachment 91548
I know some of the real scenery gurus have volunteered to test the tool as well but, speaking for myself, I find it a friendly and easy way of providing a means of cranking the handle and producing some long-missing elements from too much of the cfs2 world. Yes, there's no substitute for the terrific output from the scenery designers we know and love but there are too few of them and they can only do so much Any tool that gives the less-talented of us a chance to join in gets my vote. Trust me, if I can produce something like what you see above, anyone can.
Well done once again, Sander. I'm looking forward to the next version already! (And did he really say autogen? .. . whimper, whimper.)
Now I'm off to do a test in Malaya and, oh yes, the Eastern Front.
Cheers
BuV
I can still remember a post from years ago when Sander patiently explained to everyone who was eagerly waiting for the next instalment of his rework of Europe that it took hours and hours of effort to produce and compile each LOD5 area.
Having had a chance to try his new version of cfs2autocoast I can tell you that in the meantime he's been a very, very busy man.
Having produced the file for the tool to compile I hit 'go' and decided to make some coffee while the software did its job but I'd barely stood up before the operation finished. It took me more time to find the FS9 source files than it did for the tool to finish the job. Even allowing for the fact that I was carefully reading Sander's tutorial and working with an unfamiliar tool the whole thing took less than 30 minutes. I'm sure if I organise the source files and my working folders better I can cut this down even further.
Given that all I did was do a quick & dirty conversion of the stock FS9 files - no customising or editing - I think the end result is still pretty good. Finding good screenies to illustrate something like this is always difficult - and I haven't had time to explore the whole converted area yet - but here are a few to give you a flavour.
The area I worked covers part of North Korea including the Yalu River and the Choisin Reservoir. As you can see, some lovely curved roads and rivers which are a far cry from the straight, angled lines of the earlier versions of cfs2autocoast.
View attachment 91545View attachment 91546View attachment 91547View attachment 91548
I know some of the real scenery gurus have volunteered to test the tool as well but, speaking for myself, I find it a friendly and easy way of providing a means of cranking the handle and producing some long-missing elements from too much of the cfs2 world. Yes, there's no substitute for the terrific output from the scenery designers we know and love but there are too few of them and they can only do so much Any tool that gives the less-talented of us a chance to join in gets my vote. Trust me, if I can produce something like what you see above, anyone can.
Well done once again, Sander. I'm looking forward to the next version already! (And did he really say autogen? .. . whimper, whimper.)
Now I'm off to do a test in Malaya and, oh yes, the Eastern Front.
Cheers
BuV
Good looking, B&V!
I hope we can get the work done in combined effort. We just need one nice Europe, America etc.
Sander,
I stopped working with your old tool, because it took hours to compile (what was worth it anyway) and I found it hung up the next morning without feedback.
My scenery was very dense (NorthSea-Baltic Sea Channel with a lot of hand edited lines) - no chance to find the error.
Is there a feedback built in now?
I hope we can get the work done in combined effort. We just need one nice Europe, America etc.
Sander,
I stopped working with your old tool, because it took hours to compile (what was worth it anyway) and I found it hung up the next morning without feedback.
My scenery was very dense (NorthSea-Baltic Sea Channel with a lot of hand edited lines) - no chance to find the error.
Is there a feedback built in now?
rhumbaflappy
Charter Member
Hi Jaxon.
I'm sure Sander will have some info for you. The main advance of this version of cfs2autocoast is that it will read .sbx files from SBuilder for FS2004. We can have land/water polys, and all the line features of FS9. If you can compile them for FS9 with SBuilder, then you can compile them for CFS2 via the .sbx file form FS9. In other words, we can use SBuilder9 to check our work. hat solves a lot of problems.
Dick
I'm sure Sander will have some info for you. The main advance of this version of cfs2autocoast is that it will read .sbx files from SBuilder for FS2004. We can have land/water polys, and all the line features of FS9. If you can compile them for FS9 with SBuilder, then you can compile them for CFS2 via the .sbx file form FS9. In other words, we can use SBuilder9 to check our work. hat solves a lot of problems.
Dick
Hi Jaxon,
Yes the idea is to get a single common world. That's why I got the community involved at this point. To do all the tiles myself would be too much work. As you know, Rhumbaflappy has a lot of experience getting real-world data sets together, there are designers who "own" area's (N-Africa etc.) , so they will have the chance to complete the region around their existing works.
The who/how/when is still to be determined.
I don't have much error feedback enabled in the "release" version of my tool, but all the errors I found in the projects I tried, I solved by algorithm (or ignore).
If users run into problems, I can run the source through my Debug version to find out what's going on. Hasn't happened so far.
(There are still some minor glitches in the texture mapping, and we lose a polygon here and there, but no crashes).
Yes the idea is to get a single common world. That's why I got the community involved at this point. To do all the tiles myself would be too much work. As you know, Rhumbaflappy has a lot of experience getting real-world data sets together, there are designers who "own" area's (N-Africa etc.) , so they will have the chance to complete the region around their existing works.
The who/how/when is still to be determined.
I don't have much error feedback enabled in the "release" version of my tool, but all the errors I found in the projects I tried, I solved by algorithm (or ignore).
If users run into problems, I can run the source through my Debug version to find out what's going on. Hasn't happened so far.
(There are still some minor glitches in the texture mapping, and we lose a polygon here and there, but no crashes).
blohmundvoss
SOH-CM-2024
Malaya Test - and a problem with Russia
Good news and a bit of bad news.
I ran a test on the Kota Bharu area on the Malayan coast - and it took cfs2autocoast3 thirteen seconds to compile all the .bgls (489 VTP lines, 963 polys and 816 LWM fills). A few more screenies:
View attachment 91573View attachment 91574View attachment 91575View attachment 91576
I then ran a test on an inland area - the Kursk region in Russia. LOD5 no. 957130 - and ran into the following error message when I ran it through the tool:
'Unhandled exception has occurred in your application'
When I looked at the reported details I saw the following message (followed by a list of loaded assemblies). I did tell the tool to ignore it and continue but the compilation process just seemed to be frozen at the very start.
************** Exception Text **************
System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at cfs2AutoCoast.Form1.LoadSBXfile()
at cfs2AutoCoast.Form1.Form1_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.EventHandler.Invoke(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnLoad(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
Over to you Sander!
Cheers
BuV
Good news and a bit of bad news.
I ran a test on the Kota Bharu area on the Malayan coast - and it took cfs2autocoast3 thirteen seconds to compile all the .bgls (489 VTP lines, 963 polys and 816 LWM fills). A few more screenies:
View attachment 91573View attachment 91574View attachment 91575View attachment 91576
I then ran a test on an inland area - the Kursk region in Russia. LOD5 no. 957130 - and ran into the following error message when I ran it through the tool:
'Unhandled exception has occurred in your application'
When I looked at the reported details I saw the following message (followed by a list of loaded assemblies). I did tell the tool to ignore it and continue but the compilation process just seemed to be frozen at the very start.
************** Exception Text **************
System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at cfs2AutoCoast.Form1.LoadSBXfile()
at cfs2AutoCoast.Form1.Form1_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.EventHandler.Invoke(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.OnLoad(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmShowWindow(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
Over to you Sander!
Cheers
BuV
I know SBuilder is problematic to install when you don't have fs9, and I don't know if SBuilder would read fs8 BGL's... If I remember correctly, there's no altitude data in the LWM's, so all lakes would be at 0ft if anything.
For you, this tool might become interesting when we start working with other data sets in SBuilder, and I'm working at building a mock fs9 install to make SBuilder operate correctly on computers without an actual fs9 installed.
For you, this tool might become interesting when we start working with other data sets in SBuilder, and I'm working at building a mock fs9 install to make SBuilder operate correctly on computers without an actual fs9 installed.
UncleTgt
SOH-CM-2025
Ettico,
I'm in the same boat, & I advised Sander as such. I really do think it would help bring fresh scenery builder blood to the game if we could get SBuilder to install & use CFS2 as the config "agent".
That's partly because I believe we should be using GIS data (as per Rhumbaflappy's new world mesh) & not the less accurate MSFS 9 data as our data base & the tools should reflect that aim.
Also, FS9 is getting harder to find these days, but not impossible.
I ordered a new copy of FS2004 for £15 delivered (UK) from FlightstoreDOTcoDOTuk, & I see you can pick it up still through Amazon & other web retailers.
Hope this helps.
Now back to watching if G2K has finished compiling latest bit of New Ireland coastlines ...
I'm in the same boat, & I advised Sander as such. I really do think it would help bring fresh scenery builder blood to the game if we could get SBuilder to install & use CFS2 as the config "agent".
That's partly because I believe we should be using GIS data (as per Rhumbaflappy's new world mesh) & not the less accurate MSFS 9 data as our data base & the tools should reflect that aim.
Also, FS9 is getting harder to find these days, but not impossible.
I ordered a new copy of FS2004 for £15 delivered (UK) from FlightstoreDOTcoDOTuk, & I see you can pick it up still through Amazon & other web retailers.
Hope this helps.
Now back to watching if G2K has finished compiling latest bit of New Ireland coastlines ...
rhumbaflappy
Charter Member
The nice part about FS9 files is that we can rather quickly flesh out the world. It would be much more accurate than CFS2's default. Then we have a basis for improving the BGLs as an ongoing project. We can replace LWM polys BGLs and shoreline BGLs, while, for example, leaving the roads and rails for later. Sander's vision was to use FS2004 vectors as a starting point for defining the world.
Sander and I were just now discussing how to set up a file repository, where new files can be added and then updated. He mentioned SVN as a possibility. I know many projects have nightly builds that can be updated.
We also can think about some sort of guidelines or 'best practices'. For example, the LOD5 extents is a very good basis for scenery files. FS2004 organized files along these lines. They used continents as folders for FS9. FSX uses LOD2 as folders. It's just a matter of organization, but these things keep everyone on the same page. So if you make water polys... make them for the entire LOD5 area.
One limitation we have is that we need to work in FS9 lines and polys in order to use SBuilder's ability to load either SBX or BGLs. The upside of this is that we can rebuild FS9 right along side CFS2...
Dick
Sander and I were just now discussing how to set up a file repository, where new files can be added and then updated. He mentioned SVN as a possibility. I know many projects have nightly builds that can be updated.
We also can think about some sort of guidelines or 'best practices'. For example, the LOD5 extents is a very good basis for scenery files. FS2004 organized files along these lines. They used continents as folders for FS9. FSX uses LOD2 as folders. It's just a matter of organization, but these things keep everyone on the same page. So if you make water polys... make them for the entire LOD5 area.
One limitation we have is that we need to work in FS9 lines and polys in order to use SBuilder's ability to load either SBX or BGLs. The upside of this is that we can rebuild FS9 right along side CFS2...
Dick
blohmundvoss
SOH-CM-2024
Well, if we're looking for volunteers to do the grunt work - count me in. I have the time these days and it looks like we have the tool as well.
Once Sander considers the software is stable enough I'm happy to co-ordinate my efforts with anyone else to make the best use of our time.
Cheers
BuV
Once Sander considers the software is stable enough I'm happy to co-ordinate my efforts with anyone else to make the best use of our time.
Cheers
BuV
blohmundvoss
SOH-CM-2024
Experiment
I'd already mentioned to Sander that I wanted to see if we could merge the stock FS9 files with some of the existing freeware scenery already made to improve them. Obviously we'd need the permission of the original developers to do this formally, in the same way we have for planes etc, but I thought I'd try a private experiment.
A freeware package was posted in 2003 for the 'missing' German canal system and associated rivers that I'd already played around with in Sander's earlier release of cfs2autoast. Sooo - I thought I'd try to incorporate the LWM .bgls for the Kiel Canal (between the Baltic and the North Sea). I certainly wasn't expecting what I got.
The following screenies are
1) the original .bgls in LWM Viewer
2) those .bgls loaded into SBuider and merged wih the FS9 LWM for the relevant LOD5 area (950120) - and, as you can see, all seems well.
3) three screenies showing how the canal has turned into the Grand Canyon
Weird.
View attachment 91618View attachment 91619View attachment 91622View attachment 91623View attachment 91624
(This stuff is getting addictive. I feel the need to study SBuilder and Ground2K in detail.)
Cheers
BuV
I'd already mentioned to Sander that I wanted to see if we could merge the stock FS9 files with some of the existing freeware scenery already made to improve them. Obviously we'd need the permission of the original developers to do this formally, in the same way we have for planes etc, but I thought I'd try a private experiment.
A freeware package was posted in 2003 for the 'missing' German canal system and associated rivers that I'd already played around with in Sander's earlier release of cfs2autoast. Sooo - I thought I'd try to incorporate the LWM .bgls for the Kiel Canal (between the Baltic and the North Sea). I certainly wasn't expecting what I got.
The following screenies are
1) the original .bgls in LWM Viewer
2) those .bgls loaded into SBuider and merged wih the FS9 LWM for the relevant LOD5 area (950120) - and, as you can see, all seems well.
3) three screenies showing how the canal has turned into the Grand Canyon
Weird.
View attachment 91618View attachment 91619View attachment 91622View attachment 91623View attachment 91624
(This stuff is getting addictive. I feel the need to study SBuilder and Ground2K in detail.)
Cheers
BuV
It is a project goal. That would still be at least a year off to get production ready. Using FS9 is a necessary evolutionary step.Ettico,
I'm in the same boat, & I advised Sander as such. I really do think it would help bring fresh scenery builder blood to the game if we could get SBuilder to install & use CFS2 as the config "agent".
That's partly because I believe we should be using GIS data (as per Rhumbaflappy's new world mesh) & not the less accurate MSFS 9 data as our data base & the tools should reflect that aim.
Now back to watching if G2K has finished compiling latest bit of New Ireland coastlines ...
In a future not very far away you'll also be able to compile g2k projects directly and quickly with cfs2autocoast.
UncleTgt
SOH-CM-2025
I'm relaxed about this timescale, & fully appreciate the need for the evolution
Anyone that's looked at the bgl filesizes in my recent G2K projects can appreciate that some times they take a while to compile ... New Ireland is a baby in comparison, last night's work took a mere 34 minutes to compile
Jean Bomber gave me the best advice with G2K. Break big projects into many smaller ones, & save files OFTEN!
The big advantage of CFS2autocoast will be something like New Britain won't take 12 months to finish :isadizzy:
That goes for ANYTHING you do on a computer, and I'll add to that:make backups OFTEN!