You will find the possible tags at http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Map_Features

Not all tags are processed by osm2xp, I recommend to add the height and type of a building as height is already used (if not tagged, osm2xp uses a variable height you can determine), and type is easy to process with facade rules.

Best for adding buildings or tags is JOSM. Take care if you change things in osm, you change for everybody using osm data!

I've decided to do the smart exclusions for problematic tiles manually, so Central and South America could go online today if test flights are okay and I receive the enhanced facade set by Pascal, thanks to him for his work!!!!

After that I continue with bigger continents...

So when is your next planned import from OSM Europe? Would like to make some improvements before that  B)

 

Also your website says about smart exclusions: "and to have also autogen objects in areas where OSM data is poor". Does this mean more autogen buildings in all those empty residential areas?

Does this mean more autogen buildings in all those empty residential areas?

 

The short answer:

 

No

 

The long answer:

The OSM with Smart Exclusions is just designed to prevent OSM-generated facades from overlapping the default auto-gen, if the OSM exists it will draw a small exclusion-zone to hide the auto-gen. But not everywhere is covered by OSM building's -- a good example is Miami Florida which has almost no coverage; so all of those empty residential areas will remain empty ... until proper auto-gen art assets are assigned to them OR until someone adds those buildings to OSM*.

 

*Ironically many times those grassy spots tend to usually be a school, hospital, parking lot, or public recreational space with very few if any buildings on them. Maybe in the next DSF re-cuts ApilotX might be able to work some magic zoning rules ... but in the end these grassy areas would really be improved with correctly placed textures assigned to them (which is some other guy's job if I recall).

*Ironically many times those grassy spots tend to usually be a school, hospital, parking lot, or public recreational space with very few if any buildings on them. Maybe in the next DSF re-cuts ApilotX might be able to work some magic zoning rules ... but in the end these grassy areas would really be improved with correctly placed textures assigned to them (which is some other guy's job if I recall).

But you know, that in reality there is no such thing as "magic" , just good or bad raw data (do you know GIGO* ???), good or bar algorithms and good or bad rule-systems to make the algorithms work. So, its not miracles we should wait here ... The raw data will not change much for the US anyways, but at least there are some intended "improvements" in the algorithms which designate the urban zoning areas (Ben Supnik is working on that).

 

And about the textures ... the placement of them is not the task of the art guy (Albert), who creates textures. The scenery generation process decides where it associates which terrain type (TER files) with a given triangle / triangle patch in the mesh. The texture artist can only change, how the given terrain type looks (what texture it associates to it whith which shaders etc. etc.).

 

Just out of curiosity (without any promise for improvements), would you mind to post (or send me) a few screen shots (with exact! coordinates!) from the problematic area? I am curious what might be "wrong" there ...

 

* : GIGO = garbage in garbage out

 

 

So when is your next planned import from OSM Europe?

 

Well, I've started today processing tiles of Europe which longitude is >= 0, this is France to Russia, Italy and Turkey to North Cape, as these tiles seems to have correct smart exclusions.

 

Do your changes in osm, I could process your tile again before publishing Osm Europe, give me a sign which tile when you've finished.

Any chance someone could do high-res photo scenery of the Grand Canyon? B)

 

It would be cool if you could create landmark areas of natural beauty in North America and other parts of the globe. It would make bush flying a lot more fun.

Do your changes in osm, I could process your tile again before publishing Osm Europe, give me a sign which tile when you've finished.

I did a test run where I changed some tags from generic building to either "family house" or "terrace house". Neither gave any visible result when i converted it with osm2xp. I placed the new folder top in my custom scenery folder. Maybe I did it wrong or maybe osm2xp doesnt recognize the tags family and terrace? Will try again later today.

osm2xp is checking the building tag, but there are no different facades or objects for a tag like "terrace house" and there are no facades in the standard facade set. So you need the respective facade and you have to define a rule in facade rules that these special facades are used.

 

 

The texture artist can only change, how the given terrain type looks

 

Indeed, I read your article over a year ago regarding the library system. It was a great starting point in understanding how to reassign X-Plane's textures to landclass data through the library.txt file.  

For some reason anytime I enter Paris airport it crashes my xplane. I am using osm Europe with autogen, perhaps that's why? Way too many buildings? Should I try the osm version only? I have a fairly capable machine, 16gb ram, win 7 64 bit, gtx 680 4gb so I don't think my setup is to blame.

 

Also what happened to all the photo scenery downloads on simheaven? It's not there anymore. Will there be updated photo scenery for Hong Kong area? Because last time I downloaded it, the colors were awful, it had a tint of blue and were extremely washed out and the quality just wasn't there. I'm hoping to see updates. Because some of the areas are pretty nice like Houston, Dallas, etc. but others like Japan, Hong Kong, and hawaii were really bad.

For some reason anytime I enter Paris airport it crashes my xplane. I am using osm Europe with autogen, perhaps that's why? Way too many buildings? Should I try the osm version only? I have a fairly capable machine, 16gb ram, win 7 64 bit, gtx 680 4gb so I don't think my setup is to blame.

 

Also what happened to all the photo scenery downloads on simheaven? It's not there anymore. Will there be updated photo scenery for Hong Kong area? Because last time I downloaded it, the colors were awful, it had a tint of blue and were extremely washed out and the quality just wasn't there. I'm hoping to see updates. Because some of the areas are pretty nice like Houston, Dallas, etc. but others like Japan, Hong Kong, and hawaii were really bad.

 

Are the crashes happening with all aircraft, default and payware?

Yes they are.

 

 

I am using osm Europe with autogen, perhaps that's why?

 

In Paris this combination is the worst you can have as Paris has every building in osm exact ther are 1,643,596 buildings, plus autogen. Try osm+only, you can also mix both versions tile by tile, by copying the dsf files. In Europe I use osm+autogen only in Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Greece and so on, where osm data is poor. Hopefully the new osm version with "smart exclusions" is ready for take off soon to avoid such problems.

PilotBalu that makes a lot of sense. No wonder. So could you show me how I mix and match? Like for Paris, France I'd like to use OSM only and for other parts OSM+Autogen. Not sure how I would go about doing this. Thanks

That's easy, download both versions, copy one version e.g. osm+only, rename the copied version as Osm_Europe or  Osm_Europe_mixed and copy from osm+autogen version folders like '+30-010' to the Earth nav data folder. Or copy only single dsf files to the same folder.

 

Roughly told, +40xxx and +50xxx are osm+only the rest osm+autogen. If you feel you have too less buildings, copy from osm+autogen, if you have too much, copy from osm+only.

 

At the end, check if there is only the new Osm_Europe in your scenery_packs.ini