Is there a way to import a background picture into GMAX that is correct in its real life dimensions? I have a 2,4, and 8 meter/pixel aerial shot of an airport and building placement would be a whole lot easier if I could import one of these pictures so that it stays scaled correctly. Airport lets you do this by specifying the scale of the photo. I didn't see any option like this in GMAX.

The way I do it seemed clunky at first, but I've grown to like it better than scale factors that other programs use.It assumes you know a dimension on your photo. I usually do airports, so I have the runway in the photo to use. Create a box in GMAX that has the dimentions of the runway. Then just scale the bitmap til the image of the runway matches the box. It takes me only seconds to scale the image.Bob Bernstein

How do you scale your photo? Is it within GMAX or another external program?

with a runway in the image its easy, the runway lengths and widths (at least in the USA) are all documented at www.airnav.comOf course, you started the thread stating you have 2, 4, or 8 m/pixel photos. Assuming you know which is which, you have the photo's scale right there! I use the runways cuz its easy, but all you really need is some form of graphics program, I have corel photo-paint, but there are free ones out there that will do just fine, gimp is the best freeware program I know of.Lets say you have a 4 m/pixel image, and you have a graphics program that lets you draw a selection box, and will report the number of pixels contained in that selection box. (heck mspaint probably would do that)Find a resonably rectangular and fairly large item in the photo. Draw a rectangular selection around it, and record the pixels x,y. Now multiply the pixel count by 4 and you have the meters in x and y.create a box of that dimension in the top down viewport, give if some height...and then zoom the image until the created box matches the image that you orignially chose.Bob Bernstein