beginner landscaping questions

[coder1024]

Just getting started with landscape creation and had a few newbie questions.

My primary interest is in creating the actual fields I'm flying at and getting them to match the real thing to assist in practicing.

I've been experimenting with FMSXYZ and MS Paint to try and re-create a real field we've been using.

1) Scale. I'm using FMSXYZ and when you create the scene it asks for the scene size. How do I figure out the size as well as the aerial photo size in order for the scale to be correct? Sorry if thisn't posed clearly, but, basically, I know the size of the flying field in meters and I'd like the scale in FMS to match this. Whats the best technique for doing this? Is there a known scene units to pixels mapping or something I could use to get this right?

2) Height Maps. I've made some very crude height maps in MS Paint just using a couple shades of gray to simulate hills at my flying field. Its difficult, though, to create gradual slopes in MS Paint as this would require gradients and the slopes aren't necessarily vertical or horizontal in the image. Any reccomendations? Would something like Bryce be the answer? Can I hand sculpt the terrain as it is in the real flying field using known altitude/lat/lon measurements and then have Bryce produce the gray-scale height map?

3) Height Map Resolution. How can I maximize the height map resolution used by FMS? With a 1x1 tile, FMSXYZ allows 50pts across which seems a bit limiting. However, I noticed that the choice here maps to the scene line in the file. Can I put much higher values there if my system can handle it? How do I generate those values (it wasn't clear to me which value was what)?

4) Aircraft Rotation. When placing the aircraft in a landscape, I can't seem to figure out how I can specify the starting orientation. Is it possible to do this or must the aircraft always be pointing up at the start?

[Perry]

I may be able to answer some of these questions but not all.

I'll answer what I can.

#4 Aircraft Rotation
This is easiest so I'll take that first. The plane that I know of cannot be rotated, but if you rotate the field when you make it,
it would serve the same purpose.

#3 Height Map Resolution
The values that are allowable in FMSXYZ are a result of experimentation as to what might or might not give an error in FMS.
You can experiment but according to Roman Moeller,

Given the example: SCENE 500 250 50

This is a Quote:
"if I remember right, the first (500) means that the scenery has a dimension of 500 meters in each direction,
so the world is a square with 1000m x 1000m, the next number must be a divider of the first and gives the dimension of texture-field.
The third number must be a divider of the second one, and is used for meshing the world. The smaller it is, the finer the world is meshed."

FMSXYZ calculates these values for you from your input and puts it in your SCENE command. In my experimentation the entire scene cannot be
meshed tighter than 52 points across the entire scene. Some values that I felt might have been possible gave an error in FMS because
the SCENE command in the final result required a fractional value. These are screened out when you use the calculator in FMSXYZ.

#2 Height Maps
I personally would be frustrated using MSPaint. I use Paintshop Pro, but have had good success with a freeware Graphic editor called Pixia
You can find it at
http://majorgeeks.com/Pixia_d4773.html
If you want a gradual incline and you are using a graphic editor for the height map, then yes you need to use gradients.
I heard that some have used Bryce to create them with good success, but I personally am not familiar with the method.

Revkin writes
"What I've done is to create landscape texture with bryce, and render it from top. Then I split the rendered bmp into smaller pieces,
and specify the position in the .scn file. I also take screenshot of the "height bitmap"
(the greyscale topography map in bryce that defines the height of the mountains). Then I use this as the bitmap that makes the topography
in the FMS landscape.

If the mountains seems too low in FMS, open the topography image in a photo editor.. and for example increase the contrast.
Then the white parts get more white.. and the dark more dark... or remove the contrast if you want it more flat."

Maybe you can enquire futher from Revkin on this.

At least I'll leave that one for someone else to answer.

#1 Distance Scale
Seems somewhere I heard that the distances here are expressed in Meters. (Someone correct me if I'm mistaken.)
If true then 500 meter = 1640.419947507 feet.
And an example scene 500 250 50 would equal 1000 meters or 3280.839888.
(Yeah I'm a hardheaded American that won't change his measuring system )


Perry

[coder1024]

Thanks for the reply and information! That should gelp greatly in allowing me to re-create these fields.

One additional question; the quote you provided mentioned that "SCENE 500 250 50" implied a dimension of 500m in each direction so the world is a square with 1000m x 1000x. Wouldn't it be 500m x 500m or is the doubling a result of the +/- in each co-ord?

[Perry]

500 would be the max scene coodinate value from the 0 point center.
500 forward, 500 back, 500 left & 500 right making 1000 x 1000

and that quote was from Roman.
Perry

[coder1024]

ok, got it.

Any idea what the units are when it comes to height? For example, in your heightmap, if you have one area which is 200 intensity and a hill which is at 150 intensity what does this translate in FMS wrt meters?

[Perry]

If you make an area of your map black. Then fly over it with your aircraft
you will discover the the topmost point will be at a value of 64.
Since you can't go any blacker, I assume this is the highest you can go with your landscape since a white area defines a lower part of your map.
That I know of, there is no way to make it higher.
If this is consistant with your other measures of scale this would be 64 meters. seems low. but I didn't design the limitations.

Perry

[coder1024]

thanks again! I hadn't thought of trying that in-game with the alt display turned on

64 meters should be more than enough for what I'm doing.

[phildc]

Don't know the exact values in meters, but have a look at the file: ConcoursHeight.bmp under LANDSCAPE in (death tower with flying under or through obstacles)

It is an 8 bit (256 values) grey image that uses min and max values. It was build for beta 7.

Phil.

[coder1024]

[Perry]

[coder1024]

[coder1024]

[Perry]

[coder1024]

[Perry]