Hamburg, Germany, at zl17/19/2, but now, with added Decals

I'm going to convert all my tiles to the Decal specification now turned on...WOW!

Left double click on the pictures to bring them up to full screen. The detail is then really displayed!

Hope you enjoy my first flight over Germany...many more to come...believe me! :))))))

The following XP11 rendering settings are now my 'leave-alone-and-fly' burnt-in...and won't ever change.  This is it, the work is done, and now only to enjoy the sim, no more in-sim fiddling:

Just three shots of Hamburg, Germany near the airport...

 

Perhaps you might have s suggestion for why my ortho.cfg file won't work. when I bring up Ortho4XP the command window says the cfg file is missing or corrupted and won't read it. I have to input my settings by hand each and every time. I have tried changing the setting in the cfg. file but so far they won't take. I use Notepad++ Do you have any suggestions?

Hello,

May I ask what is Decal? What source do you use for Western Europe?

Best regards,

Pierre

Ps I am looking for your post regarding possible crashes when using masks when building the tile but can t find it anymore. I have a crash always around the same spot above ortho but have no clue what the culprit is because xplane log does not tell me anything. May I ask you how did you figure out that the ortho were the cause of the crashes? Thanks!

1 hour ago, Pochi said:

Hello,

May I ask what is Decal? What source do you use for Western Europe?

Best regards,

Pierre

Ps I am looking for your post regarding possible crashes when using masks when building the tile but can t find it anymore. I have a crash always around the same spot above ortho but have no clue what the culprit is because xplane log does not tell me anything. May I ask you how did you figure out that the ortho were the cause of the crashes? Thanks!

Post Edit: It is not crashing because of any MASK stetting...

Pierre, if you are getting a crash when trying to in-load a tile....then most likely, XP11 can't find a certain texture file and will squawk at you, and then take a dumper. You then need to look at the LOG file, within the XP11/10 folder...and right near the bottom of that file, it will actually tell you what x/y location, (or tile coordinates) it tried to find, but could not.  You then merely go back to Ortho4XP, and in the Map window, you yellow highlight the tile, you'll know it is the right one, when the tile coordinates shows the same numbers as what the log told you failed.  There are many times that I have seen that you might need 2-3 passes to fully download all the .jpg to convert, for that tile. For whatever reason, Ortho4XP, sometimes does NOT download (or it could not even be Ortho4XP, but the source) ALL the needed files to convert.  Do this three times on the offending tile and try XP11/10 again. IF...you still get a crash...whereby XP11 does not find a required texture file to in-load...then this is my suggestion. Change your Sat Source to GO2. Make sure you also now check-box the Clean DDS and TER files, and regenerate with GO2 as the source.   Now...go and fly that tile. I'll bet dollars to donuts, that your tile will now successfully load in. It seems that each Sat service might simply NOT have the sat capture that is needed to be converted, and by using another source for generation, you will get a full and successful tile generation by means of having used another SOURCE in the attempt.  I have been very successful in this approach. 

 

I used BI(ng) for my Sat Source (most likely will for all of my Western Europe tile gulping...)

 

Adding Decals is done by turning on this feature in the Ortho4XP.cfg file. If using Notepad++, it's across from line 35.  You turn this on, by turning False, to True, and then press SAVE within Notepad++.

On line 37, you might also want to make this changed to TRUE.  It will default to a BI(ng) sniff download in case your chosen Sat Source, does NOT have data for the target tile.  You can also make this GO2, by editing the bing element in that line.  You can make it anything from your drop-down list.  That saves real headaches for tile generation, and makes it rather seamless....

Here is a sample of what it actually does. Look at the grass, the roadways, the gravel strips at this airport.  They now have texture borrowed from XP11, and generated for the tile.  Without the Decal engaged, those surfaces would have color, but be a non-texture blandness (not bad looking by any means, but still without a texture borrowed from XP11).  You will also get grass and tall grass, where it is called for within each scenery rendering, landscape, as well as airport properties.  Hope this helps!

Pierre, think of this a a full marriage of the best of ortho and default XP 11 scenery elements.  Ortho4XP is one H*LL of a powerful program, if you make it so....simply an incredible program....

In fact, in my view...THIS makes XP11, stand total head's tall, over all....you have simply incredible access and power, to make the sim, totally, YOUR OWN!  Your sim might look like nobody else's, because of the generating options you, have insisted be there....it puts the 'C' in custom!

Mitch

 

46 minutes ago, wb5okj said:

 

Perhaps you might have s suggestion for why my ortho.cfg file won't work. when I bring up Ortho4XP the command window says the cfg file is missing or corrupted and won't read it. I have to input my settings by hand each and every time. I have tried changing the setting in the cfg. file but so far they won't take. I use Notepad++ Do you have any suggestions?

Donald, if you get to the command DOS window than your Ortho4XP program IS finding the file.

It is called Ortho4XP.cfg, and you'd open up Notepad++, and then search for this file. Highlight it, and them press OPEN. It should. I have many Ortho4XP installations over 5 drives, and in the Notepad++ pages menu that comes up when I initially open it, have all pages for my varied .cfg files...so I may work and modify them in a flash.  Notepad++ remembers each location. Did you know, that you can have five renditions of the program running as multi-thread, for tile generation?  As long as you have a powerful CPU, (I also have HT engaged within BIOS), I can ...and do...have five simultaneous generations of files, sometimes by continent, or country alone!  

I am going nuts with this program, and delving into the many ways I can personally optimize its usage.  What a blast, in the discovering a new...ah...perk/tweak for such...

Let's just say, that Ortho4XP.cfg is my best friend, LOL

Hey guys  yesterday I came across the US Orthophotos 1.1 download page. See there are a bunch of what look like great areas for download.

I personally am so overwhelmed with all my sim stuff that I don't really want to do this myself.

But, are you guys doing this over large areas that might also contribute to this project or other project of a similar nature?

I have downloaded the California section and will give it a try but they are very large downloads so I will have to to this piecemeal. The torrent approach works well.

Bryan

52 minutes ago, 1st fltsimguy said:

Hey guys  yesterday I came across the US Orthophotos 1.1 download page. See there are a bunch of what look like great areas for download.

I personally am so overwhelmed with all my sim stuff that I don't really want to do this myself.

But, are you guys doing this over large areas that might also contribute to this project or other project of a similar nature?

I have downloaded the California section and will give it a try but they are very large downloads so I will have to to this piecemeal. The torrent approach works well.

Bryan

If you do it yourself, Bryan, you will be able to generate tiles that have your own unique 'laundry list' of detail, and not somebody's else's, or made to reduce size for download.  Just a suggestion. There is a learning curve..but the reward at the end of the journey, is HUGE!

A suggestion....

Mitch

Mitch, what is the eta on you getting the entire plane done ?

18 minutes ago, MarkW said:

Mitch, what is the eta on you getting the entire plane done ?

ROTFLMBO!!!!!!!!

That was hilarious, Mark!  That made my day, LOLOLOLOLOL!

I guess it appears that I'm on that path, huh. LOL!

I think so. 

1 hour ago, MarkW said:

Mitch, what is the eta on you getting the entire planet done ?

Totally funny, have at it Mitch.

3 hours ago, 1st fltsimguy said:

Hey guys  yesterday I came across the US Orthophotos 1.1 download page. See there are a bunch of what look like great areas for download.

I personally am so overwhelmed with all my sim stuff that I don't really want to do this myself.

But, are you guys doing this over large areas that might also contribute to this project or other project of a similar nature?

I have downloaded the California section and will give it a try but they are very large downloads so I will have to to this piecemeal. The torrent approach works well.

Bryan

Ortho4xp looks a lot better since it uses current OSM data ! + you also have control of the zoom quality, etc....

2 hours ago, Sesquashtoo said:

ROTFLMBO!!!!!!!!

That was hilarious, Mark!  That made my day, LOLOLOLOLOL!

I guess it appears that I'm on that path, huh. LOL!

Sesquashtoo, what settings are you using for Curv_tol, Masks, Ratio_water, Inland Masks? etc....

8 hours ago, Sesquashtoo said:

I'm going to convert all my tiles to the Decal specification now turned on

Nvm, I saw your post above on Decal, was asking you about it.  Definitely a good technique by the OrthoXp author. 

The decal setting certainly improves the look of the orthos. Especially if the autogen is cut back.