SDK - interface

[Guest]

While going through the SDK I noticed the picture Microsoft used of Puget Sound and it struck me how similar it was to WorldMaker.My guess is then it shouldn't be too difficult to construct a GUI so I can fix rivers, roads and add lakes reservoirs.

[toprob 105]

I'm just imagining exactly that -- enter co-ordinates, and the program 'imports' ground textures, landclass, roads, rivers, coast etc so that we can improve any or all of them.We could replace the textures like Terrabuilder does, add rivers and roads, reshape existing roads and rivers, tweak the landclass, add our own autogen like annotator etc...Everything shown at once in transparent layers, selecting a layer automatically brings up a 'palette' of class types, river types etc...I'd do it myself but I have no programming skills. Any takers?

[Guest christian]

Hi Robin,I dunno if you heard, but I'm officially working on FS2K2 again. Sadly, I'm struggling with my new computer so progress is slow though.Programming such an interface won't be that easy, especially since we all are doing this mostly in our spare time (if someone would pay me to do it full time, it wouldn't be that hard). Doesn't matter too much for NZ though, since I'm programming a plugin for ArcGIS, which should give NZ lushious detail in no time.I heard the rumour you're trying to get colour aerial photos, I was thinking about approuching some company (forgot the name) as well. Anyway, I drop you an email at some stage, and if I forget, feel free to remind me :)Cheers, Christian

[Guest Claviateur]

Halleluja :) I've been preaching this idea a long time now and I think more and more FS users want to get in touch with a worldmaker type of program for FS. I heard that perhaps MS will do one for FS2004 but it remains a rhumor...I personally think they will because its somehow less trouble for them to focus on a utility liek this one and then sleep peacefully without worrying about how fast they have to release 2004 SDK. Annotator is great for what it does isnt it.As for FS2002 we have to wait for some kind of 3rd party freeware tool or tools to be released generously by a motivated programmer who understood the SDK in order to change the infamous coasts, roads and rivers.You know from now on I will sing the Fiddler On The Roof song: "I wish I was a coder yabadabadabadabadabadammm!!";)Cheers!Michel

[arno 1]

I think the idea is OK, but you will get problems when exporting the things to other users. Just imagine that two people are working on the same area. The one person changes some roads the other some rivers, how are you going to bring that all together?We have similar problems with the custom tool we use in our scenery group, but that are only 10 people, so we can handle it (with some coordination, etc). But I am not sure if that would work on global scale :).Arno

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Member Netherlands 2000 Scenery Team[a href=http://home.wanadoo.nl/arno.gerretsen]http://home.wanadoo.nl/arno.gerretsen/banner.jpg[/a]

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Arno.We actually have the same problems now!Microsoft has divided it's BGLs into layers. There are hyp, hyl, apb, rdl, stl, pkp and nph. That helps because we already have the types separated.The SDK shows that there is a Replace switch ( in VTPLayer ) that will cancel the area's pre-existing layer... or may be off to allow the pre-existing layer to co-exist.A VTPMethod1 polygon's area is the LOD13 DataArea. A VTPMethod2 polygon/line's area is the whole LOD8 Cell.In the case of roads. If you want to override Major roads, you would think you'd have to rewrite the entire LOD8 Cell for layer 32 ( Major roads ), as you must use Method2 lines.But, there is a programing trick MS allows here. A Method1 polygon can be made for the entire LOD13 DataArea, with the layer set for 32 ( and the Replace switch set to 1 ), but with VTPNumTexturesInLayer set to 0. This makes a transparent excluding polygon, for layer 32 only. This will exclude all layer 32 ( major roads ) but only for the LOD13 DataArea, not for the whole LOD8 Cell ( as would be the case with VTP Method2 ). It only excludes the layer, and draws nothing.Then the Method2 is used to draw the new road lines ( layer 32, with the Replace switch now off, as we already excluded the layer in the LOD13 DataAreas we desired ). And none of this disturbs the other layers or LOD13 data areas.This is possible within the same BGL and the data stream priority takes care of the execution order. A separate exclusion BGL is also possible. The Scenery Library order, then alphabetical filename, then BGL datastream position control the priority of the same layer. And the SDK says we can rearrange the order of VTP Headers and Data ( within the BGLC or C++ code ) to suit our needs, so we have total control over layer priority. Probaby, it would be good programing practice to reserve the top of the BGLC code for transparent/replacing VTPs.Dick

[Guest Claviateur]

Hi,Regarding distribution, I think the exemple of AFCAD is great. The author of AFCAD released a little tool that can be distributed with the sceenry and that can have a batch file to add to the AFD BGL the new airport infos.I presume something similar can be done for the roads and rivers? Am I mistakenNo doubt if MS released a detailed SDK like the roads and coasts one they should be able to allow custom files to override the default ones. I think its the smaller file that wins in the hierarchyCheersMichel

[Guest]

I'm working on a program now that can be used to modify or create new terrain BGL's. I'm bypassing the use of the BGLC since all it really does is take macro's and convert them to the BGL records. I already have it decompiling the LWM data directly from the BGL itself and displaying the contents in text and graphically. Right now my biggest hurdle is the user interface (it's really buggy) and converting line segments made from Lat / Long pairs of points to polygons that fit into the BGL records. I have an algorithm that looks like it will work, but coding it will take some time. So I'm spending a lot of my spare time on it.I've thought about open sourcing the project under a GNU license of some form. If folks are interested, let me know and maybe we can put together a rag tag group to tackle this. I'm using Delphi to create the program. But other languages that can create DLL files or COM / ActiveX components can be used too. I'll have some screen shots soon.Lee.

[jkanold 0]

Looking forward to ithttp://members.rogers.com/jkanold/jimlogo.gifhttp://members.rogers.com/eelvish/flyurl.gif

[toprob 105]

ChristianI've sent you an email to hopefully a current email address. If you don't get it, let me know.Welcome back :)