LWMViewer2

[Guest jimkeir]

Hi,I've uploaded a new [a href=http://www.jimkeir.co.uk/FlightSim/LWMViewer2.zip]copy[/a] with some fixes. Thanks for the bug reports I'm getting - I do read them all even if it takes me a while to answer.This one changes the database slightly and so will need to re-scan it. It really shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to do and it should only happen once. Any custom model names you've entered should stay intact.Cheers,Jim2005/10/31 * CHANGE: Follow mode and 'load by coords' now load LWM,VTP,MESH files with no dialog. * NEW: Allow dynamic updates to the database structure * CHANGE: On model previewer, 'Save Image' button is only lit if a model is selected and a path is chosen * NEW: Store model search string in registry * CHANGE: Use folder dialog instead of file dialog for Layer, Class and Image folder selection * FIX: Mark Folder as editable in layer display * FIX: Several landclass textures were incorrect * NEW: Find models by name in model preview and main display * CHANGE: On 'Find Models' dialog, find button is now used as default instead of OK * NEW: Make 'Layer not found' dialog hideable * FIX: Crash if FS9 not installed * NEW: If an object is selected for which the model is not loaded and the model's file is known from the database, load the file automatically * FIX: 'Close All' category context-menu also closed dummy files for individual MDLs and placed objects * FIX: Crash when unloading a file containing models * NEW: Show layer name in file list dialogs * FIX: Add better error-handling when scanning BGL files for DB * NEW: Add FileID to model database to allow load-by-GUID

[Guest Ozark Dogfighter]

Jim, I really appreciate the work you have put into this! I'm downloading it now, and I'll be sure to let you know if I hit any snags. Thanks so much for making this cool tool!-Jeremy BurchThe Ozark Dogfighter http://forums.avsim.net/images/wedge.gifHappy Flying! North Carolina's worst air disaster occurred when a small two-seater Cessna 150 plane,piloted by two Duke students, crashed into a cemetery earlier today.Search and rescue workers have recovered 300 bodies so farand expect the number to climb as digging continues into the evening.The pilot and copilot survived and are helping in the recovery efforts. :-lol

[Guest JR Morgan]

Hi Jim and Thanks Much for your work on LWMView 2. It looks to be the makings of one of the most outstanding FS9 scenery development tools.As of yet however, I've not been able to get the program started, possibly because of something lacking in my system. This is the first program however that has failed to operate here.My system: AMD Athlon running at 2.2 ghz, 512 mb 400 mhz (PC 3200) DDR RAM, nVidia GeForce FX 5700LE with 256 mb vid ram on card. The main board is Soyo Dragon platinum edition using VIA chipsets. The system runs fairly smooth with good frame rates on complex sceneries eg flying the FA18 E or H at NYC or similar dense scenery with density sliders at max settings. The OS is Windows XP Home SR2 with all updates as well as the FS9 patch installed. I'm running a quandry of security programs: AdAware SE Plus, MS's (beta1) Microsoft Antispyware, McAfee anti-virus and McAfee's Firewall. Disabling those security oriented programs does not seem to have any effect on the problem.On first attempt to load LWMViewer.exe, a failure was flagged due to missing mfc71.dll file. After downloading that dll from the web to my System32 folder, a new failure report now always appears as: Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library, Program: C:LWMView 2LWMViewer.exe "The application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way. Please contact the application's support team for more information." This happens very fast; within approx 3 seconds.FWIW1: All icons for all .bgl files on my computer have now changed to the FS9 DC3 imposed upon the yellow ball logo and have been reclassified to be "LWMViewer Document(s)"FWIW2: According to the website:http://www.greatis.com/appdata/d/_/_sysdir...dll_Removal.htmboth atl71.dll and mfc71.dll are listed as 'hostile-inclined' parts of intended spyware. However, I tend not to necessairly believe that because none of my security programs have flagged those dll's as being hostile after loading themThe LWMViewer .exe file I'm trying to run is dated 11-1-2005. I downloaded it from the link in AVSIM forum message #45 which I'm responding-to.I'd appreciate any advice possible on my problem because I'd sure like to try and use this new LWMView 2 program.Thanks...J.R

[Guest Bell206freak]

I have a question... Will this program open up photoreal scenery package BGLs? I'm specifically wondering about scenery packages such as Megascenery, because I would like to save a georeferenced bitmap of some portions of Megascenery Pacific NW. I would like to create a LWM/VTP package set that replaces the default LWM/VTP data in the scenery coverage area, and it'd also get rid of the unwanted terrain oddities created by the underlying default BGLs.

[Guest jimkeir]

Hi,Thanks for the detailed info, it makes things easier to track. The first thing to try is to download the program again, it's been updated a couple of times since then and you may find the problem's fixed already.Don't worry about that reference to mfc71.dll. It's actually part of Microsoft's compiler system (Microsoft Foundation Class library version 7.1). As to whether or not it's malware, there's a whole semi-religious discussion going on about that over at comp.os.unix :D The spyware DLLs are just given the same name to try and avoid detection. If you're not happy with the one supplied, you can get original versions from Microsoft directly.The error message you ot is saying indirectly that there's an unexpected problem with one of the files it's scanning. Hopefully that's now fixed but if not, I recommend downloading a program called "Filemon" from [a href=http://www.sysinternals.com]sysinternals[/a]. Run this and set a filter of '*.bgl' and see what the last file to be loaded is.Cheers,Jim

[Guest jimkeir]

Hi,Yes it will load them but it may be pretty slow. They're treated as landclass files you you may need to drag them to the top of the landclass section once they're loaded if you can't see anything.I've tried the supplied photo-real areas of Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle airports, and Manhattan. There were some problems with the Manhattan one around the edges which I've not got back to yet.No idea what happens if you point it to a large-scale photoreal package :)I haven't looked at the bitmap export stuff for a very long time, I don't know if the coordinates produced are still valid.Cheers,Jim

[GHD 21]

>>Yes it will load them but it may be pretty slow.>It doesn't like DXT1 photographic bmps as in VFR Photographic Scenery.George

[Guest jimkeir]

Hi,OK, I think I've got a copy of that somewhere :) It's not installed right now because I've just migrated to new drives and I've not reinstalled everything. I'll see what I can do. JK

[Guest JR Morgan]

Hi Again Jim... I'm much obliged to you. 'Downloaded the latest .exe and as far as I can now tell, it's working nicely. It took approx 90 secs to load the DB (15,414 files) for the first time and the display machinery seems to be keeping up smoothly in both top-down and 3D.I took a scrnshot but either the or my security stuff seems to be rebelling at letting me send it.Thanks Much;J.R.

[scott967 62]

Jim --I d/l'ed 2.08 Nov 6 2005. With the original it was crashing when trying to read the new KBWI2k5v2 scenery. This build now stops and shows the offending file and allows the db building to continue -- thanks! The problem is that this scenery installs some 0 size bgls. No idea why it does this. The scenery has an installer and maybe it is looking at these files as some sort of an indicator. Anyway, this is a big help!Will do some more playing with this build, but so far so good.scott s..

[Guest jimkeir]

Does too :-bla ... although there seem to be some unexpected problems with the display which I can't work out. I'll email you.Anyway, new version uploaded this morning with these fixes:[LI]2005/11/13[uL][LI]FIX: LWMs not limited to 64K points per cell[LI]CHANGE: Improve VTP blending on photo scenery[LI]FIX: Show scenery database layer for loaded files if possible[LI]FIX: Photoscenery was being unloaded after 30 seconds, forcing a re-load[LI]CHANGE: Store APT elevation in DB to allow correct view positioning in Find Airport[LI]NEW: Show the phototexture filename for the current position in the Info window[LI]CHANGE: Add city and country to the Airport List dialog[LI]NEW: Allow detailed scanning of landclass data coverage[LI]CHANGE: Add search on City and ICAO to the Find Airport dialog[LI]CHANGE: Show number of listed airports in the AirportList dialog[LI]NEW: 'Autoload this area' on context menu and 'Find Airports' dialog[LI]NEW: 'Find Airport' function to search the scenery DB and zoom to any airport[LI]CHANGE: Better performance when scanning airports for DB[LI]CHANGE: Add airport details to scenery DB[LI]CHANGE: In Prefs/Paths dialog, show which tools are found.[LI]FIX: Move 'Visual' checkbox when file list window is resized[LI]CHANGE: In file list dialog, show whether the parent layer is active[LI]NEW: Offer to compile saved landclass/waterclass areas[LI]NEW: Allow setting of paths using Prefs dialog[LI]NEW: Prefs dialog to allow configuration of autoload[LI]NEW: Allow autoload filtering based on filetypes and layer settings[LI]FIX: Make all file types visible in the 'List this area' box again[LI]CHANGE: New database creation changed to allow for systems without default drivers

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There's another database change in there but I think this is the last. Provided nothing goes horribly wrong with this I'll try and get the generic model support working better next.Cheers,Jim

[GHD 21]

>Does too :-bla >I'm afraid not :-sae GeorgeThanks to ImageShack for http://imageshack.us Free Image Hosting

[Guest jimkeir]

Does too :-bla (Professional to the last!)Took me a while to work out what was going on there. I *think* you're loading the .bmp files, I can't imagine why else you'd have the 'loading' message showing that filename. You're right, it won't load the .bmp's directly. You need to load the landclass BGL that references the .bmp files. If you load the landclass BGL containing the photoscenery footprint, it should all show up as bright purple. If 'class textures' is on it will try and load the needed bmp files; hopefully you shouldn't see any purple once it's done. It can take a little while to load the textures the first time but they should stay loaded now, where they were unintentionally unloaded after 30 seconds before.If not, let's see how long we can keep a 'does too!/does not!' thread going :)Anyone else with photoscenery results? It only loads DXT1 and DXT3 compressed bitmaps (plus uncompressed), is this a problem?HTHJim

[GHD 21]

You got it in one }( I was loading the bmp by dragging and dropping.George

[scott967 62]

On the photo scenery -- I have a VTP file from sbuilder that uses photo textures, but it doesn't seem to display the textures (253 / custom). Note that when I tried to output the source for my file, I got a popup Reminder -- Fix Me, (So I guess I'm reminding you :)). I used 1.3 for the source OK. Something else, I seem to be having trouble getting much color contrast for different scenery elements, compared to 1.3/1.4. Other than airports, it seems like LWM/VTP are kind of hard to make out against the background, with landclass and terrain on or off.scott s..