London Millenium Dome

[Guest R_Driscoll]

I have more or less finished modelling this. I know that London is not easily available yet, but is there any interest in me putting the models in the AVSIM library, or will I hold them just for the UK packages? I want you to admire them of course, but they don't quite blend in with my little home in the hills at Sky Harbour and are really only intended for UK. Although I think the Dome is in the UK scenery on AVSIM - is this true?I haven't forgotten your requests for taxiways/roads etc Jon and John, and I've actually made them but keep forgetting to bring them in. Anyway, its better to post several models at once!And I have version 3 of FIXMIP - this creates the MIP file as well aspalette mamagement etc, so bypasses the need to use MAKEMIP. You can now generate the textures directly from a GIF picture. In doing this, I have modified the way far textures are created, which makes roads, runways and other repetitive textures far (sorry) better looking - less blurring and palette change at distance. This gives me the option of using different transparency colours, and even implementing partial transparency - but I haven't written those bits yet. Next week. I won't upload until I know the program is stable.OK, that's all for now. Enjoy flying!Robert D.

[Guest]

RobertWould your 'Dome' be in a 'model format' that could be used in otherflight sims? I've built London for Fly!2 and would love to be able to use it for that! Perhaps I could get some other buildings 'built' so that a certain amount of 'cross platfor swopping' could go on!DaveT

[Guest Quaxo]

Hi Robert,I for one would be VERY intrested in UK dedicated models!!! The scenery I have now is quite empty...And the Millennium Dome is in one of the tiles downloadable from AVSIM (it's near the London City Airport).But keep in mind that the currently downloadable region isn't the region we're developing now: there's been a shift, and the new and old region aren't compatible.Cristian

[Guest glidernut]

Hi Robert D,"I have version 3 of FIXMIP - this creates the MIP file as well as""palette mamagement etc, so bypasses the need to use MAKEMIP".This is good news, it might alouw me to use your FIXMIP.Iv still not got your,s or Jim Buffett,s MAKEMIP to work.Inspight of bying a book on DOS.If I hyd DOS from my windows 98 or my 95, I get this mesage.makemip is a Windows NT windowed executable.But MAKEMIP obveasly works on your PC soI think it might have sumthing to do with the way I reseeved them?I think its my ISP.I carnt dounlowd the geebee on avsim, cus the file is too big,MAKEMIP is inclooded in with the geebee.MAKEMIP also cums with Markus Brunner,s Goose,s bits and bobs.But I carnt get it, its too big.Iv not been abel to get the latest Learjet 45 or the latest DC3.Thay are just too big.My Supanet ISP is crap.I think Im going to get brord band. I think Im goint to need it for the new UK scenery anyway,We might all need brord band for that.Iv tryed looking for snaps of london bildings on the net, but after 2 hauers of being cut off, I gave up.Yes. if you got more models to put up, then put em up.May the force be with you.glidernut.

[Guest jonpoint]

John,I appreciate your frustration with the model files - I had 54 problems with mine :-( Seriously, I did everything twice! When I re-palettised the BMPs before GIFing them, I'd somehow reversed the order of colours in the palette! The trees looked fine but when I placed them in FLED, they were just big crossed boards with tree pictures on them :-grrWhen I use 'makemip', here what I do:1. Put your GIF, makemip.exe, simplgif.exe, your 'e' file, bsp.exe in ONE directory. Don't use your desktop as a parent directory. Don't ask me, it just doesn't work for me.2. Start a DOS box (no other way, sorry). Navigate to the directory where you put everything:eg 'cdextrasmodelswip' etcLeave the box open, you will use it a few times.3. Run 'simplgif.exe' on your GIF:'simplgif Notice the zero at the end! You may also need a 't_' at the beginning but I put that on after 'simplgiffing' it 'coz simplgif doesn't like weird filenames. Try to keep to 8+3 digits.3. Run 'makemip.exe''makemip outputfile0.gif .A line should appear saying 'making MIP file' or similar.You should now have:a) your original GIF (sourcefile.gif):( your GIF87A workfile (outputfile0.gif)c) a mipfile (outputfile0.mip)At this stage, fire up 'Fixmip' and try loading your GIF87A workfile.If it appears in the top r/h window, you've done well! Now:1.Select the appropriate palette (Seattle or Sanfran) and 'GIF image to MIP texture'2. Click on 'transparency' (if your using it) and3. Click on 'preview only'4. Now click on 'Write MIP file'. You should see a series of images in the lower, r'h window.5. Looks good? Unclick 'preview' and click 'Write MIP file' again and watch your HD light. Within 2-3 sec you should see a bit of activity.Your GIF outputfile has just been overwritten and is ready for the final step. I'll stop here 'coz you said your problem was generating MIPs. Creating good 'e' files is another story :-eekBTW, would you like me to try emailing some things to you? If you can accept large files it may work. If not, as I have the source files, I could break them into folders and send them separately. The entire set of files to update the resfile is ~4MB. You could start with a v1.10 DC3 and, using Resviewer, just apply the scripts I send to you.The offer is there if you are interested. :-) Alternatively, I've just backed-up my extras folder to CD. I could post you a copy.Rob,Hey, the partial transparency sounds good :-) I need something to give that spinning effect to my motorcycle wheels. When I radial-blur the wheel in Corel it looks great but of course I lose all transparency.BTW, I know you're testing it, but have you thought about allowing easy batching in your new MIP fixer? Like in Corel if I want to convert say 54 images from BMP to GIF using the Seattle palette (why would I do that?) I can do one image, save the 'undo' file and reapply it to as many files at once as I want. I used this extensively with the trees 'coz as you know, I spent half the time just getting the first one done. After that, I had the remainder done in about 5 min. Of course I botched the palette and had to redo :-fumeJust an idea :-)Jon Point*************************(effyouthree@hotmail.com)*************************

[Guest R_Driscoll]

All three current UK models (Big Ben, Parlt House, Dome) exist in two formats: BIN - as used in FU3 directly E - text file of commandsI write the models directly in .E format, then use BSP to convert to BIN format files. There are people here that know more about the graphics format than I do - I expect you could convert the .E models to .3DS, and Jim Buffet and Jon Point (to dob in a few friends) could probably eat them for lunch.If you have models for the London area available, I am of course interested, and so return the query - what formats do you use?All the best with Fly!2.RegardsRobert D.

[Guest R_Driscoll]

OK, on the basis of one vote, I'll upload them. I expect a barrage of helpful constructive criticism - so I'll anticipate with my defensive apologies:- I built the models from JPG pics. Of course they're a bit blurry. If anyone can find me good clear pics I'll use them!- I had NO pics of the front of Parlt House. So I made it like the back (river side). Oops.- The clock on Big Ben doesn't work. Not does Big Ben (the Bell).- I don't know anything about the size, height, width of the Dome. I know more about its financial difficulties than its architecture. So I sized it by the people at the base and made it 50m high. If that's within 50% I'm lucky. But its easy to resize if someone knows the true true height or width. And I took some liberties with the base to add some more colour - it looked plain without some artistic licence.And its BIG. Load your spare tank if you plan to fly around it.I would like to build London Bridge next, if no-one's already pinched it. I would love to build StPauls, but think that will take more than a rainy day.To Jon,I've finished writing FIXMIP3, and will look at your idea of a batch mode - no promises. It seems stable - I spent one evening with a version that wasn't and it was a nightmare of trying to figure out why FU3 wouldn't fly - my MIP's were being produced at the wrong size. But I found the bug and I think its OK now - give me a few days to be sure and I'll upload it. Anyway, you don't want 50 motorbikes, do you? You do?Also, it might solve your problem, Glidernut, with MAKEMIP as itreplaces it. You can do everything in Windows. But as I said, I'm scared to release it until I think its well tested.Kind regards to all,Robert D.Partial transparency works, but I haven't used it myself yet in a model. Should be good for bikie wheels and windscreens. And for glass shop fronts, canopies, parachute canvas, etc.

[agtim 0]

Robert, thank you very much for this fine models. The UK-Kit is groveing and you are the first making models for the largest region ever made for FU3:-wave agtim

[Guest R_Driscoll]

Thanks Agtim! But I don't want to be the last also. I have madethree models painstakingly slowly in a text editor, and some of you guys out there have fantastic graphics 3D programs. So I expect to get trampled in the rush! London has so many interesting architectural works - go for it. That's why I will keep publicising what I hope to do next - so that we minimise duplicating work.Robert D

[Guest R_Driscoll]

In your last update you showed the Millenium dome actual location, and I don't think the graphics base I added is compatible with the picture. I will strip off the base, just leaving the dome, then upload it again. The UK work is looking brilliant - it is growing so quickly! Thosepictures are excellent.

[agtim 0]

Yes the base is to large and the palette for the uk-region is sanfran and not seattle, do you have parts of the uk-region and the sanfran-palette ?thanks againAndr

[Guest R_Driscoll]

Whoops. No, I don't have any of the UK region any more. But I can rebuild it. I will try to do this in the next few days. Also I will convert the models to SanFran. I have the ARAP etc original tiles - that should be enough to test out the Dome, but is it possible to get the Westminster area to check that Parliament House and Big Ben sit properly? I would like to start working on Heathrow Itl. Is this within your scenery area? Has anyone else started Heathrow? Or are other airports higher in priority? I think some other airports have already been made?

[agtim 0]

Quaxo is working on Heathrow, it's finished as far as I know.you can see missing tiles from his progress map.actually I work on the elevation problems for this region and have stopped making megatiles. Syncronize with Quaxo to avoid making a megatile twice.There are 4 megatiles in the lib. QvdG has posted the last one containing the parliament area and Hydeparc.name are: asap araq aqaq and arap This tiles are usable for the new UK-South also. The files must be renamed to the new position. ask for cd.

[Guest Quaxo]

Hello Robert,Be careful if you use the old (downloadable) version of UK: the version currently being developed has been shifted, so the packages made for the old region won't work for the new one. And be careful with the last megatile (the one with the Big Ben), as it has some serious alignment problem.Heathrow is already included in the scenery, but there's only the terrain textures. As far as I know, no airport model has been made yet, I'm only doing the textures (and adding some airport icons).Now all the London airports are included (Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Luton): I finished the Luton area today.There are already 79 airports/airfields in the area I've done.If you need a more detailed "coverage map", mail me, and I'll send you a scanned road-map, with the currently done megatiles outlined...And mail me if you want the cd :) !Cristian