Wanna order your Ground2K4 background bitmap for free?

[Guest Fsfreeware]

Dear Holger;I confirm there is none of Holger's ground2k images at fsfreeware ........ but perhaps you should have put your feet into two shoes - as web servers can get very tricky at times - not only at avsim - but any site with high daily transfers - indeed as flight simulation freeware distribution requires.ray

[Holger 0]

Hi Ray:thanks for stopping by. I'd like to use the opportunity to say thank-you for making the freeware 38-m US mesh! It's wonderful to have a high-quality mesh of the entire USA available to anyone, which means that (G2K4) designers can use it as a base for their work.Regarding the distribution of the satellite image packages: I upload all of my "normal" files to several FS servers but I don't want to clutter the servers with big files that have a very limited user base. I'm grateful to the AVSIM staff for hosting the Landsat files.Cheers, Holger

[Guest Fsfreeware]

Dear Holger;No problem - you welcome - you know best what to do - and do not really need advice - Thanks for supporting the construction of this usa 38.2 m terrain - and yes - i hope it will benefit the whole community as much as possible - and defenetly you with your kind contribution surely will make the hobby better for many - as you are high quality class.ray

[Guest crashaz]

>- Philippine Islands, if (!) I get the necessary information>from JamesSorry about the wait Holger... been planning a trip to NYC about a possible job.For the Philippines I am looking at a range of Max Lat 20 deg Max Long 127Min Lat 5 deg Min Long 118I really like the ETM+ dataset but it does not cover the south... which is pretty big considering that Mindinao is the second largest island.So I guess I will take the 025 and 026 (LandSat,Mosaic)series... they also cover part of Northern Borneo and Celebes but just an added bonus.If you need to reach me... try me atcrashaz at hotmail dot comThanks again Holger!! :-wave

[Holger 0]

Hi James:"been planning a trip to NYC about a possible job."Some people have funny priorities ;-) Good luck with the job hunt!Thanks for the coordinates. However, what I meant was to pick one specific area or island, as the maximum feasible size for a background bitmap is about 1x1 degrees. It can be a bit larger but not much because a 24-bit RGB bitmap of 1x1 degrees ends up being about 40MB; with larger images G2K4 tends to become unstable, never mind that it's awkward to work with big areas like that.For the same reason, the 1GB-plus mosaics aren't suitable either.Also, I want to be able to give many different designers a chance to start on a project; that's why I limit my offer to one Landsat image set per request.Sorry about the "rules" and thanks for your consideration.Cheers, Holger

[Guest webin]

So what you're saying...I can't request (-180,90) to (180,-90) ?Man, you're you're always harshing my vibe, Sandman!Just kidding.... take you're time on mine... grad school starts back up today (Monday), so I'm gonna start having lots of other stuff to do, too. Plus, I'm scheduled to solo a Cessna this weekend... so put on you're crash helmet and keep up the good work.//Ryan

[Guest Giorgio]

Thanks for the advice Dick, but it looks like mkafd2 doesn't allow enough lat-long decimals for a tight workspace like Malta. I'll try to use its' flatten ability and then draw a runway with Ground2k (and then an AFD with mkafd2..)Giorgio

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Giorgio.mkafd2 makes scasm code with decimal degrees to 6 places. That really should be enough, I would think.For example:N42.639431 W88.064476 to N42.639432 W88.064477 computes to about 0.13799362100352464 meters distance ( about 5.432803 inches ).Dick

[Guest Giorgio]

So...then the problem with the runways I generated with it (about 15 meters offset) derives from other causes (SRTM offset or something else, like my lack of skill of course). Back to testing, thanks.GiorgioPS: You're the right person I can pose this question: when I make a new LandClass for a given area the "standard" textures are called by the sim - this is sometimes pleasant, sometimes not. Which is the order CFS2 follows in texture loading? As far as I have experienced, it could be 1. texture folder of the local scenery 2. root texture folder. The texture folder in Scenedb/World seems to be skipped by the sim, is that right?

[Guest victorwest]

>Victor, there is another option for using the satellite images>I've uploaded: as photoreal textures. Obviously this would>only work with the true-color composites and you'd have to>learn how to use the MS Resample.exe and other utilities for>compiling photoreal textures. The disadvantage is that the>30-m data are pretty coarse and result in blurry textures,>though they can look great from altitudes >5000ft AGL. Also,>one can combine the 15-m greyscale images with the 30-m color>images with the help of photoediting software to increase the>resolution: bicubic resample to 15-m, then split the RBG into>HSL channels, then substitute the lightness channel with the>15-m image, then re-combine the HSL channels to RGB. Well I've downloaded both Terrabuilder and Photo Scenery Maker (to see which one I prefer). I think these will help in converting the images to FS2004 scenery). One question I do have though is what is the best way to extract my own images from the satellite image websites previously mentioned? I've looked at them at become a bit confused with all the options and menus that are available!! Is it best to just use the ones from Holger?VictorI've re posted my question at the end of the thread as it could get lost here in the middle of it!

[Guest victorwest]

Well I've downloaded both Terrabuilder and Photo Scenery Maker (to see which one I prefer). I think these will help in converting the images to FS2004 scenery). One question I do have though is what is the best way to extract my own images from the websites previously mentioned? I've looked at them at become a bit confused with all the options and menus that are available!! Is it best to just use the ones from Holger?Victor

[Guest Eric R]

Hello Holger,I'm a newcomer to MSFS scenery design. I've read all the posts on your "Wanna order...?" thread, and I'd like to add my request for a G2K4 background, if your generous offer is still open. My goal is to make Jasper Park in the Canadian Rockies as stunning in MSFS as it is in reality. I would appreciate either a 15-m greyscale bitmap or a 30-m color composite; I don't know enough now to choose which one, so please recommend. My guess is the 30-m color would be sharp enough for doing mountain scenery, and the color will be helpful in choosing textures.For the NW corner, N 53 deg 30 min, W 118 deg 15 min. For the SE corner, N 52 deg 30 min, W 117 deg, 15 min. That's 1 square degree.You mentioned that you already had some data on the Canadian Rockies. Do you know if someone else is already working on Jasper Park?Please include your brief guide on how to set up a new G2K4 project. Thanks a lot.Best regards, Eric R.

[Guest victorwest]

Holger,I've tried to insert your Yellowstone file into FS using Terrabuilder Lite. However, I only get the top right hand quarter showing in the game. Could this be something to do with the image or something to do with the cordinates (I entered as per the read me). Do you have any suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong? Also, the image appears to be very brown. Is this correct?Victor

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Hello Victor,These satellite images are not appropriate for the creation of custom (photo-real) textures. They are not sufficiently detailed, nor are they color-corrected.Please try other web sources that provide more highly detailed images (at least 5 meters per pixel).The U.S. Geological Survey provides high resolution images, although, since they are grey-scale images, you will have to color them yourself. Here is the link to the Microsoft provider of these images:http://terraserver-usa.com/Also, please check Misho's web site for other links to color images, and post your questions in his forum, as you have done.Best regards.Luis

[Holger 0]

Hi all:phew, this thread is getting long...You've probably noticed that I uploaded three more packages: Tacoma/Mt. Rainier, Luxor (Egypt), and Portland, OR. Hope the files are OK as requested.I've also uploaded a smallish mesh/scenery enhancements file of the Bella Coola Valley; another case of wanting to process the satellite images for uploading only and getting sucked in by the interesting scenery ;-)Luis, I think that for the backwoods the 30-m satellite images, if combined with the 15-m panchromatic band, can look quite nice (there's that gallery of mine on the FSGenesis website that shows some of my experiments). However, it takes quite a bit of additional processing, including color corrections, bicubic resampling to match the 4.8m resolution, etc., to prevent the images from being fuzzy and off-color; never mind the alpha mask for water and hand-made autogen... Anyway, I too think that G2K4 currently is the better procedure for landscape scenery design.Eric (R.), nice to hear you'd like to work on Jasper N.P. I already have a set of images, which I processed last fall for someone else. However, I haven't heard from that person in a long time. I've sent him an email and will wait a few days but if I don't hear from him I'll upload the images for you or anyone else interested in that area. Next up will be the Philippines (?) and the Willamette Valley.Cheers, Holger