Satellite imagery streaming for X-Plane

[Baber20 1,438]

I very recently found about this tool that streams orthos on the fly. Has anyone tried this ? It also received an update 3 days back.

https://github.com/kubilus1/autoortho

[Pe11e 812]

I was trying to find some patience to test it, but the procedure is painful imo. You must first prepare the tiles from O4XP for the app to be able to stream them to the sim. To be honest, I don't see a point in it (except saving some hard drive space), when I must fiddle with ortho4xp anyways.

But yeah, I would like to hear some experiences first. Few screenshots are also welcomed. 🙂

Edited November 11, 2022 by Pe11e

[peroni 541]

The other sim has a freeware tool that is super user friendly to use and works beautifully allowing you to choose several different imaging providers on the fly. 

I'm hoping some clever programmer could do the same for X-Plane. Authoortho could be the first step in the right direction.

[tonywob 4,768]

Basically, it's a hack that uses the texture grid filenames generated from Ortho4XP to download the imagery on the fly as they're requested from the operating system (and loaded in and out of memory).

It's not a bad attempt and whoever wrote this has done the best they can do with X-Plane as it is, but the fact that it still requires tiles to be generated beforehand is not really a practical solution for most users. What we need is some way of streaming draped textures (and building and vegetation data) onto the existing terrain instead (and that would likely need help from LR to support)

[Baber20 1,438]

I gave it a try and but the install procedure is just way too cumbersome. I just gave it up halfway. I hope someone can write up a user friendly software that is easy to set up and use. 

[UKflyer 630]

something LR should have thought about for XP12

[tonywob 4,768]

31 minutes ago, UKflyer said:

something LR should have thought about for XP12

Not really, and generally if some developer had requested it during the development cycle they may have looked into it. However, in general I think LR don't see orthos as a priority and probably underestimate just how many of their users actually use them

[Humpty 751]

11 minutes ago, tonywob said:

Not really, and generally if some developer had requested it during the development cycle they may have looked into it. However, in general I think LR don't see orthos as a priority and probably underestimate just how many of their users actually use them

I think it also might be due to the cost involved. 

[rka 916]

1 hour ago, tonywob said:

Not really,

I think it's pretty obvious even in this thread that there is demand for this, wouldn't you say?

[UKflyer 630]

1 hour ago, tonywob said:

Not really, and generally if some developer had requested it during the development cycle they may have looked into it. However, in general I think LR don't see orthos as a priority and probably underestimate just how many of their users actually use them

if LR doesn't think people want a realistic representation of the world to fly in then i have worries about the future of this sim

[jymp 168]

32 minutes ago, UKflyer said:

if LR doesn't think people want a realistic representation of the world to fly in then i have worries about the future of this sim

It will be left behind

[tonywob 4,768]

3 hours ago, Humpty said:

I think it also might be due to the cost involved. 

Sure, but I mean in regards to building the scenery system around the idea that a third-party could stream in orthos if they wanted to. 

2 hours ago, rka said:

I think it's pretty obvious even in this thread that there is demand for this, wouldn't you say?

I know there is high demand for it, but there is more to scenery than just draping down flat orthos these days. At a minimum, it needs the 3D objects on them. Also, there are many folks who actually don't care and aren't using the simulator for site seeing. Orbx TrueEarth which I worked on came about because of this demand and it did really well, and LR even offered to add features to help such sceneries to load faster, so they aren't totally oblivious to it and want to help if developers ask them.

[rka 916]

1 minute ago, tonywob said:

Sure, but I mean in regards to building the scenery system around the idea that a third-party could stream in orthos if they wanted to. 

I know there is high demand for it, but there is more to scenery than just draping down flat orthos these days. At a minimum, it needs the 3D objects on them. Also, there are many folks who actually don't care and aren't using the simulator for site seeing. Orbx TrueEarth which I worked on came about because of this demand and it did really well, and LR even offered to add features to help such sceneries to load faster, so they aren't totally oblivious to it and want to help if developers ask them.

Maybe LR should care a little more for the users, even if that means caring a little less for the developers. In the long run, this might even prove helpful for the developers.

[flying_carpet 657]

"X-Plane is dead/will die."

Wait, I'm just searching for my copy of the stone plate which was found near the pyramids of Gizeh, where this was articulated for the first time. If I got only a single buck for every time this was repeated, I guess I could buy this well known company in Seattle.

[tonywob 4,768]

2 minutes ago, rka said:

Maybe LR should care a little more for the users, even if that means caring a little less for the developers. In the long run, this might even prove helpful for the developers.

No developers = a dead platform. Driving developers away is the worst possible thing they could do right now. 

As a consumer, you have a simple choice. If worldwide aerial-imagery scenery and seeing your own house is high on your priority list then there is already a fantastic simulator out there that will do it, hence why care what LR do or don't, as a consumer you already have what you want in other products. What you want is an almost impossible goal for such a small company that doesn't have unlimited resources and a massive corporation behind them.