Caught in the Mesh... (FS Terrain questions)

[TheFiddler 5]

Hello,I am taking the first steps with creating FS2002 mesh (yes I'm slow :-hah ) using FS Terrain, but am running into some snags. And so far haven't been able to find anything resembling documentation for this excellent tool...Here's the scenario:I am trying to make a LOD13 mesh for a small fictitious island, from a hand-painted grey-scale BMP (so, no worries about where to get Real World data :-) ).I succeeded already in doing this for FS2000 using older scenery methods with TerraBuilder; but mesh generation for FS2002 is (still) not supported in TB. (Or?) Hence the switch to FS Terrain. (I know about grises50, but haven't yet tried it).I do the following in FS Terrain:-- Import grey-scale data. OK, works.Q: But what exactly does the "Import Resolution" in the import dialog mean?I suppose this is the distance between elevation "poles" (samples), right? The problem is I want these to be very close for my small island, which should be possible as the BMP map doesn't have an intrinsic resolution (like e.g. Real World DEM data would have). But the FSTrn dialog gives me only pre-defined values (in sec) which don't fit (resolution not high enough). What would be a good value to have anyway? I'd say 10 m or so; but how much is that in sec? -- for "Width" (longitude-distances), this depends on the geographical latitude...) -- On importing the BMP, FSTrn automatically sets "Width" and "Height" to 13 min each, which is far too big for what I intended; the island area should be ca. 3 x 5 min (this is at 60 deg N, hence the difference in latitude and longitude dimension).Q: Are "Width" and "Height" intended only to be automatically calculated, or can I change them manually to other values? (The dialog fields [em]do[/em] permit changes, but I don't understand what the consequences are.) -- Next, I click Tools / Create Terrain BGLDOS box opens and does things, but when it closes (without giving me a chance to see possible error messages), I find only these files temp.bmp temp.dem temp.inf temp.ppm temp.tmfbut not an actual BGL produced from these.(BTW, I do have all the FS2000 SDK tools in the same folder as FSTrn; TB and others say the FS2000 SDK tools are better than FS2002 SDK. Still true?)-- As a test I can manually run

 tmf2bgl temp.tmf xyz.bgl

but then get an error message (or warning rather):

	temp.tmf doesn't seem to contain DEM or Class data	Bounding rectangle set to the entire earth.	processing: (100.00%)

and end up with an xyz.bgl which is most certainly wrong, as it covers the whole Earth. I wasn't aiming for Global Domination with my island! :-eek And I don't even dare to load this BGL into FS2002...Is this tmf2bgl warning (i.e. return code not 0) perhaps the reason why FSTrn doesn't go through?Apart from detailed answers (all highly appreciated) to the above questions -- isn't there [em]anywwhere[/em] a somewhat complete tutorial or documentation for FSTerrain at all? I have hunted high and low on the net, and found a lot of very valuable info, but nothing which -- in a systematic step-by-step fashion -- puts all the bits and pieces together.Thanks in advance for all comments, tips, pointers, and advice!Cheers,Martin "Meshed Potato" E.

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Hello Martin,Martin Wright clearly states that FSTerrain was in an experimental stage, therefore it may not work correctly at all times, and, of course, neither documentation nor support are provided.I would recommend that this program not be used except by those with certain experience in mesh creation.First, you will need the FS2002 version of Microsoft Resmaple (dated 28 June 2002).I have never imported gray-scale data with this program, but assume that resolution refers to the LOD grid, and you should probably experiment with this in mind.Modify the values for width and height depending on the dimensions of your source before generating inf files or compiling.Also, make sure that coordinates are correct.Best regards.Luis

[TheFiddler 5]

Hello Luis,many thanks for your reply!>Martin Wright clearly states that FSTerrain was in an>experimental stage, therefore it may not work correctly at all>times, and, of course, neither documentation nor support are>provided.Yes, I was aware of that, I did read the "yellow box" on his FS Terrain web page. And I didn't mean to criticize :-) -- he has done marvels for us all, as I very well know. I was just surprised, seeing the popularity of the tool, that I couldn't find any detailed info elsewhere (even the experts must have needed info [em]initially[/em]... :-) )>First, you will need the FS2002 version of Microsoft Resample> (dated 28 June 2002).Aha, that's one thing. I was still using the resample.exe from FS2000 SDK , because of what I had read in TerraBuilder.>I have never imported gray-scale data with this program, but>assume that resolution refers to the LOD grid, and you should>probably experiment with this in mind.Yes, I will. In the meantime I also read the grises50 documentation, and one other thing I have so far ignored is that the scenery to be created has to be aligned correctly with the LOD square borders; I have to check that, too.>Modify the values for width and height depending on the>dimensions of your source before generating inf files or>compiling.Perhaps I'll aim to manually modify the INF file until it works for my special case (which doesn't use real DEM data files to begin with), and only then let do FS Terrain the job. This way, I'll also learn a lot more about all the details, like you suggest.So I'll fiddle on, thanks again for the response.Cheers,Martin

[Guest stentor]

Lu

[TheFiddler 5]

Thanks for this very good checklist, Celso!>1) First: LOD 13 is not generally used for mesh terrain. Too>highresoluton. It seems there is some confusion in LOD level>application for FS2002/2004. LOD 13 is accepted for FS2002/2004 only for land cover applicatios: if you are intending to apply photo>satellite or other landscape bitmap over mesh terrain. You can apply LOD 9 for 90m(3arc/sec) and LOD 10 for 30m(1arc/sec).In the meantime, I read this somewhere else, too, but your comment makes it much clearer, thanks.>2) Second: Martin, you must have before all informations>about your gray bitmap, like: (. . .)Good list, and I'm happy to report that I have done all of it right. As it is a fictional island, I have no problem with the data, I can invent them as required :-)> Sorry by verbosity, help info where useful.>Martin: if you need more detailed info, contact me directly>by stentor@terra.com.br, or send to me your bitmap. I have wide>band NET connection.Much appreciated -- I shall shout if I need more help! :-)Cheers,Martin