Roger Over

Hi Jon,Thanks for the info on the change in palette. I think what happens is that FU refers to it's palette for the night colors (normally yellow, blue, mauve etc.) so if you change those values in the palette then it will show up in the night lighting.Unfortunately, apart from fiddling with the palette which is going to effect day colors as well, it doesn't appear that we can choose a particular color and place it at a partticular spot. If we could, I guess we could have Maccas and KFC signs up and down the highway:-erks I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the Staggerwing, sounds great what you have done. :)CheersBruce H

I uploaded the wrong non-palette image. :-roll The one I meant to upload follows. It has much better fit for the light map.Andre,Yes, I extracted the light map, then overlaid it on the day map to help put it in perspective.I will tidy up the program to extract the map, then post it so you guys can have a play around with it.I still need to look at the higher levels, don't think they will be too difficult after this. Also I need to convert back from .tga to night map.Cheers:7 Bruce Hhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/162692.jpg

Hi Guys,Just to prove I haven't been doing nothing here :-rollI thought you might be interested to see an extracted light file for Sanfan tile afad (just east of SFO).The first image has the palette reduced to plain ol' yeller. The second is extracted with Sanfran palette intact.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/162650.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/162651.jpgNot too sure that the sizing is spot on yet, seems to be a little off the mark.As I mentioned previously, FU seems to overlay a grid on the light map, so that close up you see intersecting "streets". From a distance, any color other than black will show up as a continuous yellow blob.Anyway, it's all fun......CheersBruce H

Hi Guys.....Well, there's good news and bad news.Good news first. :-jumpy I have discovered that the n2xxxx.bin file consists of four quadrants, each containing 64 areas of 32x32 bytes each, arranged in a slightly odd but nevertheless consistent way.I can extract a .tga map for each of the quadrants, and it would not be too difficult to build a n2xxxx.tga map.However, there are still a few remaining questions I need to resolve.Bad news. :-hmmm Although FU uses a palette type structure to place night color, (n2.bin contains only palette indexes) it does not appear to do it on a pixel by pixel basis as is the case with day maps.In the lowest level (n2) FU imposes a grid of alternating colors (yellow, blue etc.) over the light map. It seems that if any color from the "palette" other than black (theory, but I think right) is aligned with the grid, then the grid shows through, but in FU's choice of color, not yours.I suppose this was because the original lighting was done using thermal imaging, and that would tend to created rather blurred areas of light. So, by overlaying the grid, you can create the impression of lighting in "street" formation.So, if you want light at the corner of Forth and Tenth Avenue, you ain't going to get it unless FU has decided that the grid overlays that point.More work to be done.We seem to have two threads running on this, I probably shouldn't have started this one. Is it possible for moderator to combine the two?CheersBruce H

Hi folks,Just a quick update. I have just about finished decoding the n2 light files. :-cool Hopefully within a couple of days I will post a program to convert between n2 and .tga.Then I will have a look at the other levels of light map.CheersBruce H

Wow! :-jumpy How come you were never on the LG payroll? CheersBruce H

Hi Jon, Andre,I'll take on this little project to see if I can sort something out. (Unless there is a better offer out there?)It's something I've been meaning to do. Will post progress as it occurs (if in fact it does occur):-hmmm CheersBruce H

G'day Jon,I did a little bit of work on the night lights... but then I got diverted. The sum total of my knowledge is...You can delete all the lights by trashing all the files in the region/maps/nlights folder. But, FU will crash as soon as the sun sets unless you have at least a blank l7 lights file (attached).The lights work in a similar way to the maps, except there are no level 0-1 tiles, and no tile index.Each map tile (e.g. aaaa) has a corresponding l2aaaa-l4aaaa light tile associated with it, assuming there are lights in that tile. Out at sea there's not too many.. Level 4 tiles are then clustered to form level 5 tiles in groups of 4. So, tiles aaaa, aaab, abaa, and abab form a level 5 tile aaaa. How you going there? I can see your eyes rolling back at this point..:-roll Level 5 tiles are again clustered in groups of 4 to form level 6 tiles starting with tile aaaa, and likewise level 6 are clustered to form level 7.So... if you don't want to put out all the lights, you could delete whatever tiles for the offending map. It should be possible for someone smarter than me (hint.. :-hah) to build a similar tool to the absolutely teriffic ones Andre has done for the maps which will generate all the tiles from base level 2 light tiles.The l2 tile is (I think) just a white/yellow/whatever spot color on black background. Fairly easy to build, but when you've got a lot of them, a BIG job. Maybe another day.I guess at some stage UKS is going to need lights (hint.. :-hah) so perhaps between the lot of us we come up with something.CheersBruce H

Jon,You're really getting the hang of this aren't you? :-jumpy CheersBruce H

Hi Jon,The 25m/pix is not too bad, although some areas are better (or worse) than others. The scenery set I'm working from was obviously taken over a length of time, with different seasons, bushfire smoke obscuring the view occasionally (but adds a little "realism").The lo-res shots around Coffs are pretty typical of the overall set. I note our beloved Premier has announced a wind farm on the Southern Highlands. Now there's a project for you! ;-) Cheers,Bruce H

G'day...So it's a photo eh? And here was me thinking it was all skill, dexterity and craftsmanship... :-roll Still, a great job.The base Oz scenery is 25m/pixel. That's 'cos when I started the project, there was nothing around (that I didn't have to swap the house, car and dog for) that I could use. I don't think there is anything yet, except Google has come online and some parts are OK. So, I said to myself, "darn the torpedoes, full steam ahead" because anything was better than nothing (kind of). The idea is to upgrade the scenery to what ever is better as it becomes available, especially around strips. That can be done without affecting elevation or model placement.At the moment Gold Coast, Lismore are not too bad, Coffs will be done soon (I hope). Most of the flattening will be done, and classification pretty much complete shortly.All that's left to do is err...., the hard parts (everything else) :-( So... WYSINTG, but...... by the time a few models get thrown around (read "strategically placed") I'm hoping it won't look to bad.A couple of low res shots from around Coffs Harbour attached.CheersBruce Hhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/160919.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/160920.jpg

Hi Jon,Didn't take long to build that jetty! Re the reflections.... in your "Thanks Andre" posting, (the sentiment of which I most heartily agree with) you had some left / right shots of the Staggerwing, and the wings looked like that had been done in two pack (very cool :-kewl)I don't think I have seen another model in FU with the same level of "real life" toning. Is that a DX effect, or something you have built into the view? Great job anyway.I can see I'll have to get some scenery to you, and keep you busy in Oz for a while. :-) Cheers,Bruce H

Hi Jon,Because of the coarser fit, the classification will never match the scenery map exactly. If you want to tie up at the jetty, you may have to fudge the classification on the landward side. Or build a longer jetty! :-hah BTW, love the reflective effect in the side view of the Staggerwing. Care to share the secret? Or is all just plain old skill, craftsmanship and dexterity?CheersBruce H

Jon, 54 trees? Yes, I can understand that could drag out a bit after a while. And I can understand the frustrations with trying to get models to compile :-roll But it must be compensated for by the feeling of acomplishment (did I spell that wright?) when your new whatever takes to the air for the first time.I guess scenery is a bit similar... when you fly over a newly created area, and get a birds-eye view for the first time, you do get a buzz.Still think I'd like to try some modelling when I get a break in the traffic. I have in mind maybe a Rockwell Commander 114TC? Any interest out there? Bearing in mind your advice above tho, it does have retractable gear.. so, I guess it depends...And I understand the Concorde actually stretched in length by about 30cm during flight on account of the heat stresses. Too bad if the 30cm happened to be where your seat attachment was. :( CheersBruce H

Thanks Allan,It does have a lot of similarity for sure... what is it like to fly? I am guessing the model is based on something else from the "fleet"? Or is it a totally new model?I've never seen the "Butcher" or the "Gull" before either. I guess that's the legacy of being a Johnny-come-lately, you miss a lot of stuff that has already gone before.Jon, what are the real world dimensions of the birds? What horsepower is under the bonnet? (For the benefit of all our American friends "Bonnet" = Oz/UK speak for "Hood". Down here, a "hood" is someone who breaks into parties makes a bit of a nuisance of themselves) :-lol Cheers,Bruce H

Jon,I guess it all comes down to familiarity... Given the tools Andre has put together plus a few of my own, after a lo...ng time of sorting your head and the job out, then building the scenery almost becomes routine.I don't know that you can say the same for models, especially the flying variety. Each one must be different with it's own special quirks, then there is getting the dynamics sorted out... big job I think.I think the FU community is fantastic, the way different people have different skills and interests, and work together so well. :-beerchug And then of course there are those who just enjoy the flying. :-kewl At the end of the day (I hate that expression) I guess that's what it's all about.Now if only there was a really good way to get a coordinated development / distribution system working.... perhaps another day.CheersBruce H

Flying boats, cars that fly (almost), rabbits..... wow! :-jumpy Where could you find a more versatile flight SIM than FU?Harry Potter, eat your heart out.:-lol Bruce H

Inspired by Jon's Staggerwing, I thought I might have a browse through my book of "less-than-usual" aircraft (not that the Staggerwing fits that category) and came across this beauty. Not exactly GA but then...http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/157096.jpgQuote..."Built by Dornier Germany and named the DO X, it never went into commercial service, but was the biggest aircraft in existence in 1929. An enormous flying boat with a wing span of 48 metres, and a max loaded weight of 56,000 kg.It had a very thick untapered wing, deep hull, massive sponsons and a row of twelve engines mounted above the wing in tandem pairs... each a 600hp Curtiss Conqueror water-cooled unit.The Do X first flew on 25 July 1929 and in October that year it carried the largest number of people to have flown in one aircraft - ten crew, 150 passengers and nine stowaways.Never commercially successful, it was finally placed in the Air Museum in Berlin and was destroyed in an air raid." UnquoteI wonder how it handled?Come on Jon, get busy. Let's see if you can do one of these in two nights :-lol Cheers.Bruce H

Hi Guys,Just wanted to mention that I am seriously in awe :-yellow1 of you guys who build these models. I have started to have a bit of a fool around, but ...... the prospect of getting to build something that will actually FLY in the FU world escapes me at the moment.Given that one day I "might" be able to build a flying bathtub or something, what control do we have in FU3 over things like flight dynamics etc... is all that hard wired, or are there ways of getting into that stuff?OZ scenery is coming along slowly, I should have North east available in some form shortly if anyone would like a beta test. No models or nuffin, just the bare bones.CheersBruce H

Hi Robert,Yep, it's a straight "out of the box" Windhawk. Still flys though.... Actually hasn't had it's first annual yet.:-smile12I keep reinstalling stuff and so my add-ins get lost...Tasmania eh? Certainly would be interesting with Franklin river and west coast. Could be done.... Andre has certainly made life easy for scenery builders. :-wave Cheers,Bruce H

OK, you show me yours, I'll show you mine.....:-cool A few shots from the new Oz region, around Point Lookout, between Armidale and Coffs Harbour.This scenery uses "low res" 25 m/pixel scenery with Andre's magic SRTM2 elevation :-beerchug

Thanks Jon,I will give these a "fly" ASAP. :-rotor CheersBruce H

Hi Jon,Thanks for the encouragement for the project :-jumpy Now to make it work..I agree with you about the regional focus rather than a city-centred one. I would prefer to see reasonably detailed airport surrounds across the region than to have a few beautifully rendered landmarks. The Sydney and Brisbane major airports probably should be well done, especially if the AI and ATC can be made to perform (albeit with a US accent). I know that not a lot of GA traffic use Sydney, but it is the busiest airport in the country.I did have a play with the ATC but lost the plot when trying to swap some sound files. Oh well, back to the drawing board on that one.:-hmmm I started this thread originally because I wanted to get an obstacle warning beacon to place around some regional airfields. Basically a pole about 3 metres high with about a 1 second pulsing red light. That seems to be the standard around these parts (Northern Rivers), and I guess would be used throughout the region generally. Wouldn't happen to have one in Seattle colors on your top shelf would you?Bruce H

Hi Jon,Good to see you back.. I've kept a bit of a low profile here, but have been watching the forum for quite a while, and have to confess to enjoying the banter as well as the work that gets done :-) Another confession....For the last don't know how long I have been working (with an incredible amount of help from Andre) on an Australian scenery set, covering the area from Maroochydore to about Wollongong, and inland about 600km (Moree?). As far as I can find there is no suitable imaging available in 4m/pixel (at least not what I can afford), so I have opted for a 25M/pixel image. But it doesn't look too bad (from 12000 ft ;-) ). Around as many airports as possible there will be hi-res scenery where available.At the moment I have from Gold Coast to south of Coffs Harbour and inland to Tamworth complete with elevation. No AI, ATC, models, lighting etc. Most airports (about 15) are flattened with at least one runway in place, but again no model, so what you see from the image is what you got. FU isn't real comfortable with south/east hemisphere, so one has to put up with a few shortcomings. But it is doesn't look too bad IMHO.I will post some shots in the next week or two, and folks can decide if it is worth continuing with. If the project does continue I'm going to need help in lots of areas. Just getting the scenery in place is turning out to be a much bigger job than I thought. Mind you, the project has also grown in size from the few hundred sq kilometers I planned to start with.Which brings me back to models.... How about a Sydney Harbour bridge (<200 polys pls :-doh ) and an Opera house for starters? But perhaps if I end up doing them I should start with a lampstand....., although having had a bit of a look at the modelling side, I'm not too sure I got what it takes..CheersBruce H

Great shots! Love the one with the cow. :-yellow1 Do they come in different colors? And what about the car? CheersBruce H