How to label the landscape

[larshgf 2]

I'm doing a little programming in Delphi and would like to make a little program that makes it possible to show labels in the 3D landscape - something like EZ-landscape or FSDiscover, but off course not so sofisticated. Can anybody help me with a link or a recomandation of som SDK file to read in order to get started?Best RegardsLars

[larshgf 2]

I guess it's too difficult a question to ask you hardcore scenery developers in this forum to give me just a little hint about in which direction in the jungle of scenery development I should go to obtain a label in a scenery........

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

It may be hard to believe, Lars, but perhaps nobody here knows the answer.From what I understand, the FS X objects have a model name incorporated in the object library. I suppose that you would have to read the placement bg, determine the GUID for the object, then consult the object library for its name, but that is just a guess. I have no idea, the same as everybody else.Good luck.Luis

[larshgf 2]

Thanks Luis,Its my impression that in the FSDiscover program you just check or uncheck a file in a folder to activate or deactivate the files' content of lines with location-name, Latitude and Longitude. Somehow the programmer has managed to make the labels of the activated files visible in the scenery. When I say labels I just mean a short name placed in the scenry defined by Latitude and Longitude. It has nothing to do with object as far as I can see. I dont think any BGL files (or something like these) has been processed. The FSDiscoverprogram is a module in FSX.Does this description gives you a hint?Greetings from Lars - DK

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Very sorry, Lars, my mistake, I now see that FSDiscover is much more than landmark buildings.Hundreds of Points of Interest: Included are 1900 points of interest for FSX and 600 points of interest for FS2004. They include all "Easter eggs" within the simulator and unique landmark buildings that are actually present in the default scenery in many locations all over the globe.Millions of Geographic Names: Included are files with a total of 3.6 million names of many geographic features all over the world. Lakes, mountains, islands, populated places, glaciers, and a lot more features can be displayed. You can control what kinds of features are displayed.Labels in the 3-D View: FSDiscover! can display labels identifying nearby airports, points of interest, and geographic features directly in the Flight Simulator 3D view.An additional 139,000 geographic names for buildings worldwide.Display of elevation, bearing and the longest runway for airports.Very impressive. I suppose that they must use some data base of world-wide geographic features. It must have been a lot of work for whoever put together that list, but I suppose that it is available somewhere on the Internet, although probably at a price.I have no idea how they do the display of labels, have you taken a look at the SimConnect S.D.K.? There are probably more knowledgeable people on this at the SimConnect forum here at Avsim.Best regards.Luis

[larshgf 2]

Thank's a lot Luis. I will try that.

[scruffyduck 4]

I don't think anything like this can be done with default data. A database that contained lat/lon and a description would be needed. Then use some proximity code to find anything in the database within say 25nm, or some such value, of the user aircraft current position. The information from the records found by the proximity code would then need to be displayed as labels in the sim.As Luis says, the data would be an issue.

[larshgf 2]

The data containing geographical locations is not an issue. I hav enot explored much in this but just by googling a few minutes I found a program called GeoMaker (freeware) which extracts the needed data from a central database. You can retrieve files as you like them presented and with a minimum of programming skills you will be able to parse through the file and "clean it up".For me the real problem is how I get these labels displayed in the sim given that I have the names (textlabel) and their latitudes and longitudes. But Luis gave me a hint with the Simconnect beeing a possible solution. So I have now downloaded and installed the FSX SDK's. I notice thar the help section dealing with SimConnect is about 200 pages. This will give me a little work in the future. But nevermind. My whole interest in this matter is only of pure curiosity. The program that handle this is allready made: FSDiscover. And its a fine program.

[GaryGB 10]

Hi Lars:To see how FSX displays airport names without "FSDiscover!" check out: http://lc0277.nerim.net/wiki/index.php?Dis...airport%20namesand "Displaying airport names"http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?...Resolving_(FSX)Hope this helps! :-) GaryGB

[Guest MarkkuS]

>and "Displaying airport names">http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?...Resolving_(FSX)Invalid link? The article does not contain any text./Markku

[GaryGB 10]

Hi MarkkuS:The complete URL would not underline to activate it as a click-able hyperlink because of the atypical "_(FSX)" string at the end due to current limitations in the web page code of the AVSIM forum engine for accommodating rather unusual URL addresses.Just select the entire URL with the mouse cursor including the "_(FSX) at the endhttp://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?...Resolving_(FSX) <---select it all!and hit "Ctrl+C" to copy it into the Windows clipboard, then place your cursor into the browser address field and hit "Ctrl+V" to paste the URL in; finally, hit enter and you should then get to the proper page.Hope this helps! :-)PS: Hey ARNO... those atypical WIKI URLs can challenge forums to resolve them as hyperlinks (I've seen this with Wikipedia links too sometimes!) ;-) GaryGB

[basys 4]

Hi FolksLOLAFAIK it's this board's old software, (2003). ;-)I've added a disambiguation pagewhich allows access to the appropriate links.HTHATBPaulResized logo pending ;-)http://www.fs-odg.com