Extend hight detail area

[Guest belanna]

HiI would like to extend the hight details area around my plane. At the moment it's too small so that only a small area at the bottom of my aircraft looks keen. Unfortunately I don't know how to extend the area. I'm sure my computer and my internet connection will suffice.Here is a screenshot to clarify the problem:Thanks,belanna

[MortenS 0]

You can use level mapping for that. If you use standard level mapping, you can change it like this: "level_mapping=11,12,13,14,14,15,16,17,18" to "level_mapping=11,12,13,14,14,15,18,18,18. Just make sure you use the correct numbers of levels; it should match the number between the min and max level values.

[Guest belanna]

Thanks for your answer. I don't understand what all these numbers mean but I just noticed that there are two examples in the configuration which promise more radius in HQ. Can I use the 2nd example, or is your example even better?2nd Example is 9,10,11,14,14,14,15,16,17,18,19If I would know what these numbers mean I could just compare them, but I don't understand the principle.

[MortenS 0]

I don't fully understand this myself. But from what I understand these numbers represent detail levels. I think a LOD8 means level 10, a LOD9 means level 11 etc. So if you want LOD17 (highest possible) in a wider area, you'll need to replace the levels closest to the airplane with the number 19. The last number in the string is the tiles closest to the plane.The examples in the file will give you the same highest resolution close to the plane, but the drop in quality will be shoved further away. So when you get to the LOD12 tiles, these will have a larger area, instead of having LOD11 and 10. LOD9 will then be outside the big LOD12 ring.Hope this can clearify something for you, and I hopy my understanding is close to the truth.Anyway there should be several threads about these things on here.

[Guest belanna]

Well, I still don't really understand it but now I have a idea of what these number mean. I will muck around a bit. Thanks :(

[markturner 0]

Hey Belanna, there is a good thread here a few posts down, called " Level mapping problems" that goes into some detail about how it works.Be aware though, its not just enough to change the numbers, you must make sure other settings in the .ini file correspond. For example, I use a maximum resolution of 1.2 meters, which is Max_LOD 15 or level 17. I have a really quick PC and its all you need really, just check out my screenshots in this forum or the screenshot forum.Assuming you take my advice and use this setting, you need to make sure that the Max_LOD=15. Make sure that the number of levels you are mapping corresponds to the range of levels as well. For example, I use level mapping for levels 11 -17, so I would use Min_level=11 & Max_level=17. My level mapping statement would read: level_mapping=11,12,14,15,16,17,17 11 -17 is 7 levels, including both values, so you need 7 numbers in the level mapping string. If you wanted to map levels 5 - 17, there are 13 levels inclusive there, so you would have 13 numbers in the string: 5,6,7,8,9,10,1,12,13,14,15,16,17.Then, within that string, you can adjust the levels, by substituting lower res levels for higher ( but keeping the same number of levels) For example: 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,15,16,16,17,17Personally, I don't use lower levels. I just map from 10 upwards, as you cant really see further than that unless you are really high.Belanna, this is a really complicated subject and it took me many weeks of reading threads here and also the manual ( very useful and you MUST read that if you are to understand what is going on) before I began to get it. Check back and read through various threads here, anything that Loyd ( illudais) contributes to will be packed with great information. He knows pretty much everything about how this works.There is a thread a few down about sliders in which I have posted my current .ini file which you may find useful. It all depends on your PC specs and how powerful it is to, as to what settings will work best. Be prepared for lots of tweaking......Cheers, Mark

[Guest belanna]

Wow, thanks a lot! That was very useful even I don't really know how far I can go with my PC. I don't have such a high-end model as you, but already one of best dual core systems and a quite good graphic card. So probably I can't use your .ini file. I would like to use the 2nd example in the configuration. I guess I have to change min_level and max_level to the right number of levels namely 11. So whats the diffrence between min_level=5 max_level=15 and min_level=7 max_level=17? At the moment its 9 and 19 but maybe other settings would be more effective? Anyhow you helped me a lot, thank you very much.

[markturner 0]

Hi Belanna, I would try my .ini file, as everything is properly configured there. If you find that the performance is bad, you can try stepping down a level of resolution. Try my file, its set up for use in service 3, which is very good for the USA. Service 1 is better for Europe.Also, you will need to change the file path in the .ini section that points to where your cache and photorealworld folders are, to match where yours are on your PC. Try it and report back, we will take from there.BTW , which second level and which configuration are you referring to? the ones in my .ini file? the ones in the example .ini file? cheers,Mark

[Guest belanna]

Ok, I'll try it. I'm currently using Service 1 because it's better for Europe as you already said and I hopefully I can assign your configuration settings to Service 1. Do you refer to your two configuration files posted in this thread? Or do you already have a newer one?

[markturner 0]

Hi Belanna, its in this thread: http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=266980Just try my complete file, in the western USA for example,Denver colorado ( nice scenery there..) All you will have to change is your cache and photoreal world folder location paths - are you confident of doing that properly? At this stage, I just want to see how your PC runs with my settings, as I said, I know my .ini file is perfectly set up, thats why I want you to use it, if you start changing things, you may introduce problems that I will not be aware of. We can always insert the service 1 details later.Please give me the exact folder path of your tile proxy photoreal world & cache folders. I can then put them in the .ini file and post it for you to use without changing anything.cheers,Mark

[Guest belanna]

Wow, what a amount of impressions. First of all: it runs very well, no problems - I can't even see the end of the detail area. I used your FSX.cfg, too, to make sure that everything is correct. But now I assumed your general settings, too. For example my aircraft had a completely diffrent behaviour in flying and obviously my graphic settings were higher than your settings. And suddenly my default airport was in Colorado. First I was confused but I recognized that many things are defined in FSX.cfg. Can I use my file without problems? Unfortunately I forgot to change the cache path :( but you used the same name for your extra partition as I (H) so there was just a new folder. It would be much easier for me to keep my FSX.cfg file. Otherwise I would have to change a lot of thing.

[markturner 0]

Hi Belanna, glad it runs well. Obviously my cfg file reflects all my realism etc settings. One thing you should match in the cfg file is the texture resolution. If you are using LOD-15, that is 1.2 meter resolution and you need to make sure the texture res in the cfg file reflects this. You will also notice that I run TBM at 400 and also FFTF value at 1.33 ( you can experiment with higher values of this ) also keep your framerates locked down at 20 or 25. All these settings are very important for good texture loading and performance when running TileProxy.Apart from that, you should be able to use your own cfg file and settings.What are your PC specs out of interest? Cheers, Mark

[Guest belanna]

HiI'm sorry about my long absence but I had to wait until I got a new Windows 7 installed. I'm now using 32 bit version and so I don't have to fix the driver issue. I took your proxyuser.ini, Mark, and it works moderate. The texture directly under my aircraft looks very blurred and it only loads in a higher resolution when I'm already somewhere else. I think there are some disagreements in the fsx.cfg but I can't use your file because I would have to much to change (you are using diffrent file paths). So maybe you can just tell me what settings you're using in scenery menu. Thanks, belannaEdit: By the way, I would like to use Service 1 because there are much better pictures for Europe I think. Is it difficult to change your file to Service 1?

[markturner 0]

Hi Belanna, here is my service i .ini file:# Service 1 L17# Start a line with # to comment it out.# Turn your text editor's Word Wrapping OFF for editing this document.## Read the manual for help with configuration. Do not contact the# author about the configuration for particular services. Thank you.#[TileProxy]# Enable or disable worldwide photographic scenery coverage (Yes/True/On to enable)master_enable=On# Write a logfile to disk. In recommend to only turn this on for debugging purposes.# When using FSX RTM or FS 2004, the logfile will grow VERY fast and affect performance.#logfile="C:\logfile.txt"# If you have concerns about possible copyright violations by caching JPEG and BMP tiles# on your hard drive, this switch is the solution. By enabling diskless mode, Tileproxy# will not store a single tile on your hard drive. Expect higher network usage though.# Note that offline mode will depend on tiles being available in the cache.diskless_mode=Off# Offline Mode - No network access will occur (Yes/True/On to enable)offline_mode=No# Resolution limiter: 17 = 30cm/pixel, 16 = 60cm/pixel, 15 = 1.1m/pixel, 14 = 2.3m/pixel, 13 = 4.75m/pixel# Lower resolutions load faster, but are visually less appealing. The 30cm resolution may only be feasible# if you have at least 2GB of system memory.max_lod=15# The following two settings allow you to tune Tileproxy to not preload specific LOD levels. This can# be used in conjunction with third party scenery products like "FS Altitude" that provides data only# up to a specific resolution. If you place this scenery higher than Tileproxy's world folders in the# scenery library then it will have precedence over Tileproxy for the specific LOD levels that it# contains. You can then instruct Tileproxy to not preload these low resolution LOD circles because# they are not needed anyway.# Lowest LOD ring to automatically preload tiles for. Must not be lower than 8.preload_min_lod=9# Lowest LOD ring to automatically preload tiles for. Must not be higher than 17.preload_max_lod=15# The maximum number of tile contexts that Tileproxy will send to the filter driver. A context# is essentially a very fast buffer for graphics data sitting in kernel memory that delivers# data right into FSX. Each tile context can hold an entire LOD 8...15 tile. Higher values# mean more use of your precious kernel memory though. The maximum number is 512. Lower if# you run out of RAM during flight and the PC starts to use the paging file a lot.max_contexts=512# Generate Water Mask. This brings back shader-rendered water and allows# for the use of planes with floats (Goose, Beaver, etc...). If you turn this# option off, you get the Tileproxy behavior of Beta 5 and earlier versions.water_mask=On# Recommendation: FSX users: Use water_blending=on, water_smoothing=off# to get soft land/water transitions## FS9 users: Use water_blending=off, water_smoothing=on# to get hard land/water transitions which# Tileproxy tries to match pixel-exact against coast-lines## Combining water_smoothing and water_blending is discouraged.# It's slow and gives weird results.# Use blending techniques to create a soft land/water transition with some# transparency effect near the shoreline. Compatible with FSX only.water_blending=On# The distance in meters that you want land/water blending to extend from the# shore line. Larger values require more processing. Large values are now possible,# useful values are up to 2000 meters. Very high values may be detrimental to water# mask resolution. Loading speed however remains mostly unaffected by this setting.blend_distance=1500.0# The rate at which terrain is blended into the water color. 1.0 means a linear# blending, values > 1.0 blend faster. Values < 1.0 blend slower. This works# similarly to a Gamma Curve. An exponent of 2 gives a quadratic blend function,# an exponent of 0.5 results in a square root behavior.blend_exponent=1.0# The minimal and maximal transparency of the water. The lower you choose the min value,# the more reflective the deep water will be. The higher the max value is chosen, the less# reflective the water will be directly at the shore line. The reflectiveness transitions# linearly from max to min throughout the distance given by blend_distance from the shore.# Allowed values are between 0 and 1, and alpha_min should be smaller than alpha_max or# things may look weird.# The following alpha_min values will not give you any dithering artifacts on all-water tiles,# so the use of these is recommended. It is multiples of 16/239 (rounded up slighty)# 0.0700, 0.1339, 0.2009, 0.2678, 0.3348, 0.4017, 0.4687# 0.5356, 0.6026, 0.6695, 0.7365, 0.8034, 0.8703, 0.9373alpha_min=0.2678alpha_max=0.7# The water color in hexadecimal RGB notation. Prefix with #. This should be blue# or greenish blue or some shades of brown, depending on your preference.# Values of #000000 are discouraged when using water blending - it will result# in weird behavior at the shorelines.water_rgb=#004D5A# Try to smooth land/water boundaries by trying to match the water mask to the image content.# This is a a somewhat experimental algorithm.water_smoothing=Off# The decision threshold for water/land when water_smoothing is enabled. 0 means everything# will be turned to land, 1 means everything turns to water. Chose some value inbetween.water_threshold=0.33# Maximum number of bytes allocated to BMP graphics tiles in RAM at any time (0 for unlimited)# The value below states 100 MB.cache_bytes_limit=1000000000# Maximum number of BMP tiles to cache in RAM at any time (0 for no limit).cache_tiles_limit=150000# The currently active service is configured here. Only ONE active source please.# The other source statements should be commented out.source=Service Example 1#source=Service Example 3#source=Service Example 4# The sources you want to be able to switch from the GUI menu.# Separate the list entries with | and enclose in quotes. Make sure the# names specified here are valid services which are defined below.# You may want to rename the services according to your preference,# but make sure you replace all occurences of the strings.menu_sources="Service Example 1|Service Example 2|Service Example 3|Service Example 4"# Experimental API Hooking section. Disable if you see strange crashes and effects.# Currently we only have the DirectX 9 hook. More hooks are planned.enable_hooking=No# The DirectX 9 hook enables the moving map overlay. More features are planned.enable_dx9hook=No# A flag whether to show the moving map overlay initially or not.enable_movingmap=no# Dimensions and overlay colors of the moving map. Positions are percentages of the screen.# Width and Height refer to the full 512x512 pixel texture used for the map. To get a round# map circle, the ratio of width and height should match your screen's aspect ratio (e.g. 4:3)# Radius is given in the map texture's pixels where one pixel represents a LOD 15 tile. A# radius of 0 disables the round stencil and shows the entire 512x512 texture. Color is given# in a hexadecimal ARGB notation. movingmap_alpha=255movingmap_color=#ff000000movingmap_xpos=88movingmap_ypos=15movingmap_width=60movingmap_height=80movingmap_radius=60## Here begin the service specific configurations#[service Example 1]cache_folder=G:\cache.service1network_module=libnettilemodule_config="conn=20|rate=2.0|verbose=0|server=http://a*.ortho.tiles.virtualearth.net|path=/tiles/a%s.jpeg?g=%v|quad=0123|balance=0123|useragent=Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0; SLCC1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)"min_level=10max_level=17map_version=409level_mapping=10,14,14,14,15,16,17,17color_hack=Nocolor_level=0bulk_extend=50This works absolutely perfect for me, what are your PC specs? A whole lot of how TP works is down to the indivudual machine, that is why it is so tricky to set up. What works for one will not work for another.....Cheers, Mark

[MortenS 0]

It's my impression that level 10 equals LOD8 which is above the one you'd like to preload, and allready cached in the LOD8 scenery that came with Tileproxy. Am I way off?