A Tool List, CFS2 Ground 2K?

[dvslats]

Hi All,
I have a project going for an Airstrip in CFS2. I'm attempting a remake of Tsili Tsili. Using Maskriders Blended Scenery Tutorial the runways, taxiways, flattens, and dispersal areas are completed. Thanks MR!
The one thing that is not correct, if you look at the maps of this location, is the land class IMO. From my references it seems much of the areas in and around this complex were more tan dirt then trees.
While trying to read what is available on the web for guides to Ground 2K V4.0, I have become more confused then enlightened. (a usual state for me :icon_lol:) The accessories needed to operate G2K in CFS2 correctly has got me :isadizzy:.
Rhumba's VTP1Fix...files of this nature, as an example.

If someone could provide a list of these relevent to CFS2/G2K only I would be eternally gratefull. Links are not necessary, downloaded a ton of them, names is all that would be needed. Anything that comes to mind.
Thanks, Dv

[Jean Bomber]

Hi All,
I have a project going for an Airstrip in CFS2. I'm attempting a remake of Tsili Tsili. Using Maskriders Blended Scenery Tutorial the runways, taxiways, flattens, and dispersal areas are completed. Thanks MR!
The one thing that is not correct, if you look at the maps of this location, is the land class IMO. From my references it seems much of the areas in and around this complex were more tan dirt then trees.
While trying to read what is available on the web for guides to Ground 2K V4.0, I have become more confused then enlightened. (a usual state for me :icon_lol:) The accessories needed to operate G2K in CFS2 correctly has got me :isadizzy:.
Rhumba's VTP1Fix...files of this nature, as an example.

If someone could provide a list of these relevent to CFS2/G2K only I would be eternally gratefull. Links are not necessary, downloaded a ton of them, names is all that would be needed. Anything that comes to mind.
Thanks, Dv

The best to uderstand how works G2Kv4 is to read the Sander's tuto
SC_CFS2_Ground2k_tutorial1.5.pdf http://combatfs.homeip.net/ not available today if you don't have it send me a PM
Like in the tuto begin with a little area a small island for example start with a map that can give accurate coords NW SE or with a NW SE Google screen.
here a list tools that i use also
by Richard "rhumbaflappy" Ludowise
cellgrid2
You create bgl that work with textures to make areas and lod8 grid in your "in working" area that help for landclass placement and to draw lines or poly.
TCalc2004
very usefull for collect information ,heading ,coords etc...during the flight
LEC and LEC_CFS2
the fscfs LOD Extents Calculator give exact lod coords
LWMViewer_altered.zip
to look immediatly the results after edition with g2k of your lines,and other,bgls without launch cfs2 ,very usefull for connect the coasts roads etc ....from different projects and gain in time ...
Defarea by Christian Fumey
to make largest exclude bgls on lod8 than g2k do area by area (lod 13)
i can add also FSUIPC to connect cfs2 with G2K
I've not the link today and most of them come from avsim :blind:


JP

[dvslats]

Thank you for taking the time Jean Bomber to list these tools with explanations. :ernae: I will copy your post to reference against what I have already downloaded. As for Sander's tute...I have it.
Thanks Again, Dv

[simonu]

Hi there, hope you dont mind if I butt in, I use Ground 2kv4 for hand drawing LWM masks and VTP1 lines, I work on small areas at a time, save and compile regularly as the program is "finickity". For landclass modifications I prefure to use EZ landclass version 2 which is an MS excel worksheet with macros (needs MS office). This I find easy and stable unlike G2k

[dvslats]

EZ landclass version 2....aye? I'll add that one to the list also. Thanks simonu.

[Jean Bomber]

Hi there, hope you dont mind if I butt in, I use Ground 2kv4 for hand drawing LWM masks and VTP1 lines, I work on small areas at a time, save and compile regularly as the program is "finickity". For landclass modifications I prefure to use EZ landclass version 2 which is an MS excel worksheet with macros (needs MS office). This I find easy and stable unlike G2k

Hi Simonu "save and compile regularly" is a good advice with G2k there are many traps in this tool :a1451:but with experience it's possible to prevent or contourn them ...there is alway a reason that give the bug or the ctd ,as the shadoks said : If no solution is that there is no problem

About the landclass modifications I use g2k too but if there is accuracy for the placement of the values ,cause the background bmp ,it's surely very slow to make them and EZ seems to give more interest for large scale but I don't understand how to set it to work with cfs2, i got a message about "don't find fs2004 bla bla ....." that surely needs to have fs2004 installed ...??? does exist somewhere a tuto that help to use it ?

Dv
I advise also you to read in the g2k main folder the Ground2K_US.doc in english or Ground2K_Fr.doc in french by the author that give infos about the fonctions of g2k ,the indications about cfs2 and g2k are hightlighted in the text ,print it with the SDC tuto and read it again and again ,this is complementary with it

JP

[simonu]

Hi Jean,
"EZ seems to give more interest for large scale but I don't understand how to set it to work with cfs2, i got a message about "don't find fs2004 bla bla ....." "
hmm, are you trying EZ landclass version 2? This is what I use, it has CFS2 landclass data built in. The only requirements are (quoted from the included readme )

"1. FSConnect.dll. This is an add-on module that allows programs to communicate with MSFS. It is included with the package, although as time passes you may find more recent versions available on Avsim.com.

2. FS2000 Scenery Compiler Tools. These are a collection of programs that come with the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Scenery SDK, and are used by EZ-Landclass to produce scenery files. They are included in the EZ-Landclass installation package, so you normally won't need to take any action here. The specific programs that make up the tools collection are : Resample.exe, Tmfcompress.exe, and Tmf2bgl.exe. If for some reason you didn't get these programs, or they got erased, you can download them at Microsoft Flight Sim Archive (http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator/fs2000_devdesk_sdk.asp) section. Look for FS2000_Terrain_SDK.exe."


Edit CFS2.cfg thus


[PREFS]


PAUSE_ON_LOST_FOCUS=0


Run CFS2 in windowed mode, start freeflight and slew to the location you wish to edit, you can then start the EZlandclass project. As I said it runs in excel and macros must be enabled. The macro adds an EZ-Landclass dropdown tab to the excel toolbar it contains all the functions for starting, saving and compiling the project. There is also a button for capturing the fs current location.

What you actually make is a small landclass bgl that must overlay the default landclass layer,
It is the ideal tool to adjust the shape of cities, hide farmland on mountain sides, make rivers and lakes look shallow ect ect


I should also mention that CFS2 gets a little confused when modifactions to terrain and landclass are added to the scenery stack. the best way I have found to deal with this is move all the textures from ..\scenedb\world\texture and put them in ..\texture, once this is done landclass mods can be made with custom landclass textures kept in their own folders that can be switched in and out with the scenery librarian.

[Jean Bomber]

"Run CFS2 in windowed mode, start freeflight and slew to the location you wish to edit, you can then start the EZlandclass project.".........Okay...:banghead: ......I had never try it like that it's surely the reason why I got this message launching EZ before cfs2 ......I've fs connect in module folder and the fs2000 sdk and I will look in cfs2.cfg and make a try soon I can ;)

Thank a lot Simonu for your help :ernae:
Sanders have upload some addons under Redwul_53 pseudo and you can find his SC_CFS2_Ground2k_tutorial here at SOH
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/index.php?lloc=downloads&loc=downloads&page=downloads&FileUploadName=Redwulf__53


@+

JP

[MaskRider]

Hi Guys,

FYI Jean, with CFS2, your EZLC project folder and EZLC all open you can quickly check the changes you make with EZLC:


Make the changes in EZLC
Compile new EZLC.bgl to your EZLC projects folder- which for me is always the G2K project folder for tthe location in question.
Disable the CFS2 scenery folder where you place your EZLC bgls.
From you EZLC project folder "Copy to" the EZLC.bgl to its CFS2 scenery folder.
Enable the CFS2 scenery folder.
Repeat 1 -5 as necessary.

EZLC really is a nice utility. Thanks Russel Dirks!

[dvslats]

SdC = Redwul_53...And the link works! It's good to know some of his work is available here. Thanks JB.

I've been playing around with EZ. It does work well in large areas. At first I thought the numbering in EZ's landclass list would match the numbers in the names of the textures/world. Nope...nothing ever that easy. Arrrrgh! :icon_lol:

[Jean Bomber]

Hi all
Thanks chris for the indications that will help http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/images/icons/icon7.gif .
As EZ versions I have ezlc3.02 ,for fs7 8 9 and x ,Does it will work ?

@+

JP

[MaskRider]

Hiya JP,

Going by the adage that more is better, Version 3.02 should work fine. I am using Ver 2 and it works for me.

[dvslats]

Greets All, I just wanted to post a link to EZ-landclass V2.0... I have not tried V3.02... The older version has not given me any problems in CFS2 (2.0). Lately, the way things have been on other websites, losing data, its good to save these to a safe place for your own library. You know..just in case. :mixedsmi:

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/syb2.cgi?section=misc&file=ezlc2.zip

[Jean Bomber]

EZ-landclass V2.0
I take it in case of .....I've no found time to try the v 3.0 ....

Thanks Dv

JP

[dvslats]

Yeah, it's me again. :kilroy: If someone could please verify a true or false...landclass textures with "b" or "h" in their name ie 007bxxxx 007hxxxx, the cfs2 graphics engine will only display "b" in the northern hemisphere and "h" in the southern. Si?
Thanks

[Jean Bomber]

Hi Dv
at the end of SC_CFS2_Ground2k_tutorial there is a chapter about the landclass values with the corresponding screen for each values,this is for his euro texture pack but P32win has made here at SOH a another similar doc "af_txtrguide.zip (http://www.sim-outhouse.com/index.php?lloc=downloads&loc=downloads&page=downloads&FileUploadName=Pen32Win#download) " that concern the pacific texture

JP

[dvslats]

Thanks Again JB, After reading Sanders tute and seeing his list of textures at the end only had b's listed made me curious as to why. Now it makes sence why I was getting errors in G2K, I was keying in incorrect values. :redface:


With G2k there are many traps in this tool but with experience it's possible to prevent or contourn them.

[simonu]

Yeah, it's me again. :kilroy: If someone could please verify a true or false...landclass textures with "b" or "h" in their name ie 007bxxxx 007hxxxx, the cfs2 graphics engine will only display "b" in the northern hemisphere and "h" in the southern. Si?
Thanks

I think ***h**** is used only in the PTO and ***b**** is the rest of the world. If you want to use the tropical textures in other areas create a copy set and rename them
(do it with a batch script, heres how incase you dont already know; copy the code from inside the square brackets
[ ren "***h****.*" "???b????.*" ]
and paste into a new text file save as "rename.bat" stick it in the folder that contains the textures to be renamed and then double click it, be extremely careful!! )
then create a landclass bgl for the region, as Rhumba has done for SE asia.

[dvslats]

I love these little guys! Appreciate it simonu.

[dvslats]

So finally...yesterday I had twenty two hours on my hands with nothing to do. :icon_lol: Started putting together things together from all the fine info you guys have given me, and got something that looks like a reasonable facsimile of an airfield. And it only took me three attempts to get the taxi ways decent. :banghead:
It's really great that you'all took the time to lay it out for me. :icon29: It feels good when it starts to take shape. Tsili Tsili 1943.

[MaskRider]

Very impressive! Looks jes' like the real thang! Way better than that stock monstrosity!!

[dvslats]

Thanks for the kind words MR. I never could have even imagined how to do this without your tute.

One thing I would've liked to have done is get some of the taxiways, in the paint progy, down to a narrower width... Why there were so many do overs. Having the line tool set to a width of six to eight pixels to lay these out, and after compiling everything, in the sim the narrower taxi's and roads show up with saw toothed outside edges. One thing though...the poly in FSSC is at the 20x20 max on the grid sizing. Me thinks this probably has something to do with it. For a first time project, doing multiple poly's....well not just yet.

But anywho...gonna go see how artsy I can get at disturbing some ground. :eek:
Got any M-80's?

[Jean Bomber]

Very nice Dv ,I like the placement of the airfield nicely closed by the hills , the pics shows a reasonable use of the flattens they don't eat and cut the reliefs that keep the natural aspect of the scenery.:ernae:

JP

[dvslats]

Thank You Mr.JP.
Hopefully it can be uploaded today. My last two attempts were cut short by a hacker attack at 1:00 am my time. Two days in a row. :isadizzy: I have to pick another time frame. :icon_lol:

[Jean Bomber]

..........why I was getting errors in G2K, I was keying in incorrect values. :redface:

Hi Dv

In G2k/G2k/resource folder there is a LC.txt and WC.txt ,replace them by these attached ,by an idea of Pw32 ,I've cleaned them of the fs 2002 lcv lines and there are only the cfs2 values that will prevent the CDT using g2k to make lc or wc modifs .

JP

[dvslats]

These are two pieces of gold JP. Thank you very much! :guinness:

[CrisGer]

BUMP..i am going to bump this one too, as it has GREAT hints for the starting out landscape builder for CFS2...and wanted this to be available and visible here in this section. Thanks to all for all the great hints and posts. Much appreciated.

[Jean Bomber]

Hi Cris,

About the tools....
....the most important before to start a g2k project is to get a map or aerial view with the most accurate coords possible to use as background bmp.
Luis Sá did this tools/link that,using Firefox and fireshot ,a module that capture a Google screen or map,you get a screen at 3200x2400 pixel with the NW and SE coords in decimal ready to use in G2k and also in fssc
http://www.ptsim.com/sbuilder/gmaps.htm
That's is good for the small or middle size projects

JP