Osm2xp source code released, community help asked

[Benny_ 3]

Hello,

 

You may know the tool i'm working on, osm2xp, which let you generate flight simulator scenery using openStreetMap data.

 

I started this project more than a year ago, a simple command line xplane scenery generator proof of concept, with the help of people on x-plane.fr forum.

 

During last year i added a user interface, more complex scenery generation, and did all i could to "open" the tool to users, with customizable textures, scenery generation "rules".

 

I also layered the code to make the support of other simulators/modes as easy as possible, permitting the support of Fly!Legacy, and a little (buggy) fsx mode.

 

My opinion on the current state of osm2xp is that it's not very good.

 

The code is not so clean, the generated scenery is not so beautifull, the user interface could be better, there's no documentation...

 

I know it could be a LOT better, and know overall what to do to reach that goal, but the sad thing is that given the time i can spend on osm2xp, it would take months if not years.

 

So i finally released the source code , and i'm asking the community to help me.

 

You don't need to be a developper to help, maybe you could help on texturing, translating the tool, giving ideas, explaining what the tool should do to create scenery for a new simulator, finding bugs, propose new features...

 

Every help is needed and gratefully accepted :)

 

 

There is currently a osm2xp forum on my website, http://forum.osm2xp.com

 

This forum will be soon removed, instead i created a google group for discussions : osm2xp google group

 

Google group is not the prettiest discussions board, but it's better for me for multiple reasons.

 

The google code website for osm2xp can be found here : osm2xp google code

 

You can browse the code, there's a (empty) wiki, and the most important thing, there's an issue management page : osm2xp issues page

 

It will be the place to tell me about a bug, make a request for a new feature, and also vote for the issues , to help me know what is the community priority.

 

Note that you'll need a google/gmail account to use those websites.

 

I already made a few issues so you can see what i'm working on, and you can see if you can help on those. Also feel free to make new issues/ comments/ votes etc...

 

 

Cheers

 

Ben

[fs_av 0]

Very good of you to make your contribution open source.

 

Even more amazing, as you suggest in your post "support of other simulators/modes as easy as possible, permitting the support of Fly!Legacy, and a little (buggy) fsx mode."

 

Don't know how guys like you and Jonathan Harris do your magic but every bit helps and is appreciated more than perhaps you will ever know. After all, there may be many simulators but there is only one real world, so why can't tools make that "one real world" a reality instead of the many incarnations like "plausible world" or "as real as it gets", etc.

 

Thank you and hope you have more time and enthusiasm to continue what you have started.

 

Edit : The Google groups gives an error; perhaps Yahoo groups would be better.

[MdMax 233]

Thank you Ben for your great work !