Video: 2 cm/pixel airport from OrbX

**vora** · May 1st, 2012, 03:57

Russ White, developer for OrbX, is currently working on the Steward, BC airport. By designing the whole airport as a model (like he already did with Ketchikan) he could raise the texture resolution up to 2 cm/pixel.
The result is absolutely spectacular:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDJVekb6x4c

As a nice side effect of the model approach there will be no blurries.
Some more screens of the airport can be seen here.

**stiz** · May 1st, 2012, 04:38

Originally Posted by vora

As a nice side effect of the model approach there will be no blurries.

system depending of course, just cos they dont get blurries on their 20 bazzilon terreabye ram pc doesnt mean you wont

**skyhawka4m** · May 1st, 2012, 04:45

Originally Posted by stiz

system depending of course, just cos they dont get blurries on their 20 bazzilon terreabye ram pc doesnt mean you wont

I completely agree STIZ. It would surely be nice if they advertised it that way too. Sadly...I've be a huge ORBX buyer but with the recent airports for the NA areas causing som many FPS issues.....I've passed on all the newer stuff. Yes I know about the settings and making them more FPS freindly but in doing so you turn off all the goodies that make the airport what it is.

for me its NZSI all the time now.

**bushpilot** · May 1st, 2012, 05:21

I'm getting sorts of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. vibes from those buildings, if you know the game. The level of decay shows really well.

**vora** · May 1st, 2012, 05:28

Originally Posted by stiz

system depending of course, just cos they dont get blurries on their 20 bazzilon terreabye ram pc doesnt mean you wont

Even with a big rig I have experienced blurries on ground polygons.
But so far I haven't experienced blurries on model textures.
The whole airport is a model, thus handled differently than airports based on ground polygons. I think that's the difference.
So far OrbX seems to have applied this trick to Fall City and Ketchikan. Did somebody experience blurried textures at these airports (not the surroundings!)?

**jeansy** · May 1st, 2012, 05:30

pass thank you

while russ is good at what he does, and i will say the detail is extraordinary

fsx for me is a fly game not a walk around game, if i want that much detail i will go get a shooting or an adventure game that wont bring my system to a stand still like bush pilot mentioned

another thing if im going to spend that much time on the ground, i have to ask whats the point flying?

@ skyhawka4m

mate, most aussies experienced that problem some time back, brisbane and others brought the sim to a stand still and many uninstalled them just so they could fly on the east coast of Australia

anyway the hard core fans will have something to play with after they buy bill gates' personal computer, best of luck to them, its not going to be for everyone after the first patch of buyers buy it and moan about fps

on a positive note, thats one way to cut down on piracy

**bushpilot** · May 1st, 2012, 05:35

Originally Posted by jeansy

fsx for me is a fly game not a walk around game, if i want that much detail i will go get a shooting or an adventure game that wont bring my system to a stand still

another thing if im going to spend that much time on the ground, i have to ask whats the point flying?

My thoughts exactly.

**vora** · May 1st, 2012, 05:49

Originally Posted by jeansy

...anyway the hard core fans will have something to play with after they buy bill gates' personal computer, best of luck to them, its not going to be for everyone after the first patch of buyers buy it and moan about fps...

Yeah, 5 shacks and a landing strip will be definitely be an FPS hog... move along if you haven't got a supercomputer. Steward is even a busier place than Brisbane.

**jeansy** · May 1st, 2012, 06:02

Originally Posted by vora

Yeah, 5 shacks and a landing strip will be definitely be an FPS hog... move along if you haven't got a supercomputer. Steward is even a busier place than Brisbane.

yeah your right, but in reference to my reply to SH's post

add HD moving trees and grass people and every object under the sun that orbx add

then add the region textures, rex, weather and autogen

and you have a few of them around the area

then add your aircraft which most these days are HD with a few ploys

for a lot of people, it all adds up

I will say it again its not going to be for everyone

but each to their own, and i suggest you re read my Brisbane reference, you seem to confused in what it was in reference to

**Felixthreeone** · May 1st, 2012, 06:20

I, for one, am astounded. I will definitely be purchasing it as soon as it is released. My kind of airport for my kind of flying. Looking forward to it!

***Ferry_vO*** · May 1st, 2012, 06:51

That looks amazing!

**racartron** · May 1st, 2012, 07:30

I'm in the process of instaling all of the NA airfields and so far am not having any issues with either stutters, blurries or slide show flying. The interesting fact about the preceding comment is that:

1... I run everything pretty slammed hard right except:
a) Mesh resolution is set at 5m because a couple airstrips require it -- Ketchikan and Starks,
b) Scenery Complexity at Very Dense,
c) Autogen at very dense
d) GA ai at 100%

2... All orbX options in each airfield's control panel are enabled ( If I do need to back off here a bit I know things can only get better. So far I haven't had to do that.

3... Now here's the interesting part. I'm running Windows 7/64bit on a 2.8 AMD quad processor with 4 GB ram and a Nvidia GEForce 9500 GT with 1GB ram on board. This is barely a middle of the road box by today's standards.

So my question is how come I'm doing fine while many others(see comments on this thread) are not?

It is worth noting, I bought all of these awesome bits not knowing how well they would perform on my current box. At almost 50% off it was a very good deal even if I had to wait unitl my next box to really enjoy them. So far, that has not been the case.

That's all I'm going to say about that

**airattackimages** · May 1st, 2012, 07:33

I've got an issue with PAKT. When on final, I'm watching the runway on the way in. Suddenly when I get to short final the runway rebuilds itself 40 feet lower. Really screws with your glideslope. It's more like a pitching deck carrier landing.

**vora** · May 1st, 2012, 07:34

This thread wasn't actually meant as a HU for an upcoming OrbX airport (for more awww see Jackson Hole, WY) but as a HU to designers for this more effective airport design technique.

Like me most will design their airports by working with ground polys and vectors which are handled by the aging FS engine. On the other hand 3D objects like buildings and aircraft/VC models seem to be thrown at directx (direct3D, directdraw) in a different and a lot more effective way.
So instead of outlining the airport polygon in SBuilderX do the polygon in 3DStudio, extrude it a little to turn it into a 3D object and slap the ground texture on its (hardened) upper surface. In short make the airport a static flat aircraft carrier.
The advantages would be:
- texture resolutions higher than 7 cm/pixel possible (like in the Steward example)
- more texturing options (bump etc.)
- no/less blurries
- better FPS (so that even Matt would use it

)

Not only Orbx but also FSDreamteam is using this technique for their Vancouver Intl.
Personally I will try out this technique for myself.

**airattackimages** · May 1st, 2012, 07:38

Just watched the video. Gorgeous. I want it, and most of the aircraft I fly couldnt even operate out of there.

***jankees*** · May 1st, 2012, 08:13

It most certainly looks fantastic, too bad it is in BC, for some reason I'm staying in Oz...so give us something like this in Australia, please?

**vora** · May 1st, 2012, 09:06

Originally Posted by jankees

It most certainly looks fantastic, too bad it is in BC, for some reason I'm staying in Oz...so give us something like this in Australia, please?

Do it like me, Jan Kees. When it's cold outside fly Oz, when it's hot outside fly NA. That's means that most of the year you'll be flying in the southern hemisphere.

BTW: JV made a 2012 roadmap post, so for Oz there will be Bathurst and Rockhampton coming, also "Canberra cityscape" (JV's home, I guess

). No word about Coolangatta/Gold Coast though.

New Zealand will get its northern half and Queenstown will be made for the southern half.

**bushpilot** · May 1st, 2012, 09:17

It's sort of mind boggling... with the rate ORBX is pushing out new sceneries, do people actually have time to enjoy all of them at their full extent? I know I wouldn't have time, so haven't got any of them. I think this is heresy, but I kind of like how the default FSX looks

**Felixthreeone** · May 1st, 2012, 09:29

Well, my answer is a resounding 'yes'.. I have flown and frequently visit my orbx airfields...usually two or three in each flight. From parked to parked, the experience is like no other I have encountered in FSX. They have and will continue to deliver much enjoyment.

**Bruce Thompson** · May 1st, 2012, 11:19

Originally Posted by Felixthreeone

Well, my answer is a resounding 'yes'.. I have flown and frequently visit my orbx airfields...usually two or three in each flight. From parked to parked, the experience is like no other I have encountered in FSX. They have and will continue to deliver much enjoyment.

Ditto!

Bruce.

**cheezyflier** · May 1st, 2012, 13:57

Originally Posted by bushpilot

but I kind of like how the default FSX looks

i've had it from the beginning (fsx) and still haven't seen what default looks like as intended.

**strykerpsg** · May 1st, 2012, 16:26

Ooooh! I want this. It does indeed have stalker series detail and looks stunning. I too have laid off of many of the newer airports, but not the scenery, because it tends to drag down the resources of my current desktop rig, but this one looks small enough in detail to probably not kill it too much on maximum detail. Thanks for the find.

**P38man** · May 1st, 2012, 16:35

Can anyone tell me what the plane is that comes in at the 2 minute mark ?

I have seen it in another video but cannot find the damn thing anywhere!

**orionll** · May 1st, 2012, 17:16

Originally Posted by P38man

Can anyone tell me what the plane is that comes in at the 2 minute mark ?

I have seen it in another video but cannot find the damn thing anywhere!

It appears to be the same one that's in the following cut, which is the Maule M-7-260C Orion on skis, in the "Denali Mountain Air" paint scheme (listed as "Alaskan operator's aircraft"). It's a default aircraft included with Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe.

**bushpilot** · May 2nd, 2012, 00:40

I think my preference of flying STOL-capable floaters or tundra-equipped aircraft has its benefits. Don't really need airports for them. Just some creek or river bank suits well.

But getting back to the original trailer, cannot deny that it looks gorgeous. Although the pompous music choice makes it feel like it is about the second coming of Christ or something lol.