What might be causing this?! (autogen again)

[Guest]

Hello,This is a more down-to-earth example. I'm soon turning crazy, as I've been trying to solve this for about 1 month every now and then now, with no luck. :(Look at the enclosed screenshots. The first one shows the problem in a close-up view, the second one is from greater altitude to show you the whole.What might be causing the white area to be without autogen? The AGN-file is ok. The exclude switches I've used have their corners pointed out by the red-white antennas, so that you can see their outlines. Those are not all excludes I have, but the rest are more far away and I think they just can't interfere with this area.The files I have installed in the moment of those screenshots are:1. the VTP-ground2. the exclude-bgl with all my exclude areas (all are minimal)3. the files DefArea created when it removed the default grass areaThe antennas there of course do not have any significance.As you can see I've been able to make the autogen trees creep up really close (exactly how I've wanted it) to the grass area everywhere else (except from the runway thresholds then of course). Anyone have any clue what could be causing this?

[Guest]

Add to that, that I've been restarting the sim for every little change. So one more possibility to count out...

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Sebastian.You have a lot of things going on in that picture.Don't you think it odd that there is no autogen wherever those antennae are? So, the obvious is that the exclusion of autogen is caused by either the antennae, or the exclude bgl that they are marking for you.Remove the antennae, and the exclude, and see what happens.Also, this is a rework of an existing airfield? Does the original airfield exclude those autogen as well?Dick

[Guest]

I'm 100% sure the antennas don't do it. I put them there just before showing these pictures because I wanted you to see where the excludes are. So count out the antennas. Then, all my small excludes are there to remove the default buildings or default polygons (yes, there was a default airfield here before). Btw, when I've got this kind of set of files in the scenery-folder of my airfield:1)DefArea's files which it removed the default grass area withand2)All my excludesThat area (and all other areas except the tiny, tiny squares the exclude are) are covered by autogen. So that would mean that the excludes are also out of the game. So basically this problem emerges when I add the VTP-ground (or when I previously added the Resample-ground).EDIT: I could ask in this topic too, what the h*ck was the name once again for the tool that's making the LOD squares and numbers visible?

[Guest]

I forgot to answer one question. Yes, the default airfield excludes that area, but also HUGE other areas, which I've been able to "anti-exclude". And the fact that the excludes + DefArea files themselves give an area TOTALLY covered by autogen (except the small exclude rectangular areas of course), should point out that the default airfield hasn't got part in this, or?/Sebastian

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Sebastian."So basically this problem emerges when I add the VTP-ground (or when I previously added the Resample-ground)."If these are resample-produced BGLs that place CUSTOM textures, they wipe-out all autogen, LWM, and VTP under them.( Cellgrid is what you may be thinking of ).Dick

[Guest]

EDIT: Nevermind, Dick said it, Cellgrid./hans

[Guest]

Yes, but now the ground is made with VTP solely. Custom textures added (by Tatu) with LWMDraw I suppose (Tatu can correct this if I'm wrong, but I shouldn't be).So basically there must be some "error" in the VTP-ground? That's a bit strange, as the same non-autogen area was present with the old Resample ground, and the new VTP ground just uses the same textures, it has NO connections or elements left from the Resample ground.All the textures have their own AGN-files.

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Sebastian.If I understand correctly, you have made CUSTOM texture groundtiles, that you now place with VTP bgls? These textures are flipped, mipped, 8-bit with alpha? And their autogen ( AGN files ) are in the scenedb/world/textures folder?Do these textures have any use of transparency?Are these VTPs 255x255 square shaped or shaped to just the ground area needed?Dick

[Guest]

That's right. CUSTOM textures with VTP, 8bit flipped textures, BUT only a few ones has alpha. The ones near the airport has no alpha at all. Textures and AGN-files are all in scenedbworldtexture.

[Guest]

And mip mapped, square shaped.

[rhumbaflappy 113]

So, the area that has excluded autogen is covered by a LOD13 sized, square shaped VTP poly with a CUSTOM ( #252 ) texture with its own CUSTOM AGN autogen? And doesn't use alpha transparency?It would then be the CUSTOM AGN that is not showing?A test could be to rename the CUSTOM texture and AGN to a different LOD13 Area removed from any default airport or area that has runways, objects... and then place it with a vtp poly and see if if the autogen shows.I can tell you ,that by themselves, VTP replaces underlying autogen, but only for the exact shape of the VTP polygon.A CUSTOM texture placed by VTP, and it's autogen replacement properties, can be carefully controlled by the shape of the VTP poly.The poly that displays a CUSTOM texture doesn't need to be square. If you want a CUSTOM texture to be displayed only on the airfield apron, you can make a VTP shape exactly the shape of the apron, and by indexing #252 as the texture used, it will be trimmed exactly to the shape you desire. You can make polys that end up masking the ground like Swiss cheese, and the 'holes' will still show the default autogen and landclass... But if a tranparent section of the CUSTOM covers those 'holes', you lose the default autogen, even though the default landclass will show through.Dick

[Guest]

"If you want a CUSTOM texture to be displayed only on the airfield apron, you can make a VTP shape exactly the shape of the apron, and by indexing #252 as the texture used, it will be trimmed exactly to the shape you desire. You can make polys that end up masking the ground like Swiss cheese, and the 'holes' will still show the default autogen and landclass..."Ok, there I learnt something new and interesting. I had no idea it could work that way too. I think I must consult with Tatu on this one. Thanks!/Sebastian

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Sebastian.CUSTOM ( #252 or #253 ) makes no difference to VTP... just make the poly any shape/size you want, and the correct CUSTOM textures will be tiled within the borders of the poly automatically. You're not confined to display the square LOD13 shape.Dick

[Guest]

Here is the same texture, and the same agn-file (of course with new names to fit this new LOD-square) some miles away from its old position. As you can see there are loads of autogen growing on that area. So I can count out the possibility of the VTP-ground causing this problem.I just guess it must have something to do with the fact that the default airfield has been there once. Even though it does not make sense with my own exclude-areas, which absolutely not should be interfering with it.The default airfiled had a huge grass area, and the grass once covered the area which now is the problematic one. I removed the default grass area with the DefArea program.