City Textures rework

[rince33]

I'm looking for ways to improve/change the city textures and came across this interesting thread yesterday.
https://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/128159-New-Landclasses-xml?highlight=landclasses

I did a rough texture rework of Pat's largecitytrees01 texture and decided to do some work on the 031summer3 textures. I traced what I could of the roads mask texture which was not much and poor quality. I created a texture to be viewed in-game and took screenies. The house positions assisted in placing quite a few extra roads where I thought they might work. The result is a bit unrefined but a good start I think.

A rough wip texture rework of the largecities texture.

https://i.postimg.cc/QC5Tyjhg/cfs3-2023-11-23-13-59-02.jpg

Adding roads to the 031summer3 roads traced texture with the help of a screenshot. This is obviously a wip.

https://i.postimg.cc/MTnR1yLF/bandicam-2023-11-23-14-04-30-111.jpg

The result, a bit rough and low res but I will refine it later and add more detail to the roads and blocks.

https://i.postimg.cc/pT3jCmbX/cfs3-2023-11-23-14-14-03.jpg

031summer3 roads and largecity textures at Dover
https://i.postimg.cc/SNx4dDdR/cfs3-2023-11-23-13-55-43.jpg

[rince33]

Everything looks better in the morning. :smile-new:

https://i.postimg.cc/fR3Nny6h/cfs3-2023-11-23-15-08-54.jpg

[rince33]

034b2su1 roads tracing and rough rework just finished, the quality of the old road mask texture was pretty good. It gets to look much better the more road textures that are reworked.

https://i.postimg.cc/MpKKNzY7/cfs3-2023-11-23-18-59-25.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/nLNFXBf2/cfs3-2023-11-23-19-11-46.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

Thanks for digging this one up Glen! Poignantly, this was Daiwilleti's last work, he passed a year ago this week so rather befitting that it's carried on with.

What trees are you using? There seem to be more of them and of better quality.

I think that the green background works well too. Looking forward to seeing more!

ps. I notice in picture #4 that the Dover railway station is in a hole! The altitude is set wrong in the GSL, I can fix that, unless you'd like to have a go?

[rince33]

Hi Clive

I've been away from the site for a while until checking in recently. The last time I was here I was exchanging private messages with Daiwilleti and helping to test his Bob campaign spawns, so on returning to the site I was deeply saddened to read of his passing, and I'm sure everybody here misses his extensive knowledge of this sim. It was great to see photographs of him in one of the threads.


What trees are you using? There seem to be more of them and of better quality.

I edited the scenerysheet tree textures to give the trees highlights because ankor's lighting effects don't work on the 2d tree models and they tend to look flat.
I did these quite a while back and it was part of a Summer texture mod that I uploaded in a previous post.

My scenery budget is pretty high which would explain the abundance of trees, I was trying for more buildings. I would like to lessen the trees but keep the buildings but I suppose that isn't possible.


I think that the green background works well too. Looking forward to seeing more!

The texture is from a WOFF seasonal terrain mod, though I will edit it and the roads to make them look more interesting.


ps. I notice in picture #4 that the Dover railway station is in a hole! The altitude is set wrong in the GSL, I can fix that, unless you'd like to have a go?

Please, by all means shift the station.:encouragement:

Where can I edit the position of various regions, if for example I want to experiment with swapping the largecity region with the a_034b2su1 region at Dover? Is it done by editing the global layer? I'm sort of learning as I go here.

[rince33]

Where can I edit the position of various regions, if for example I want to experiment with swapping the largecity region with the a_034b2su1 region at Dover? Is it done by editing the global layer? I'm sort of learning as I go here.

Ok, with a bit of searching I found the answer to my question.

Landclass (LCF) files are required for theatres to tell CFS3 what type of terrain texture to use at a particular location.

Landclass files are created using the TIFF2LCF tool. The Tiff image used is an image of the theatre with each pixel representing a certain area and the colour of that pixel is used to define the landclass to use at that location in the Theatre.

LCF View by Martin Wright looks interesting


Use the program to view existing landclass lcf files and export them as .bmp files. It also has an import feature to alter lcf files, but I'm not sure it works correctly. Only stock landclasses are supported.

[Pat Pattle]

My scenery budget is pretty high which would explain the abundance of trees, I was trying for more buildings. I would like to lessen the trees but keep the buildings but I suppose that isn't possible.
Have a look at the scenerysheet01.xml & .dds filse plus the Sceneryobjects.xml. I can't remember exactly how I did it but it is possible to swap the trees and buildings around.

I've attached Odins LCF tutorial, I've not used it myself yet.

[gecko]

Looks like a great project! To my eye it still looks a bit sterile, but the clearly defined roads are a definite improvement.

[rince33]

Thanks for the tut Clive, it's much appreciated.


Looks like a great project! To my eye it still looks a bit sterile, but the clearly defined roads are a definite improvement.

I agree gecko, it is a bit sterile. Looking at WOFF and WOTR online screenshots I have some ideas on how to make things more interesting.


My current compositescenerybudget is something that I implemented a few years ago after reading a few threads on the subject. I can only conclude that at the time I used high tree densities to hide the ugly city textures.

This morning I reduced the '5' setting scenery densities and it had a significant affect on tree density but not on building density. I'm assuming that the building and some tree densities are probably controlled by the fill maps.

https://i.postimg.cc/RhBwz3kR/cfs3-2023-11-25-09-51-22.jpg



Here I'm just mucking about with the lcf viewer, experimenting with reducing the Dover city size which seems rather large when compared to even 1974 google images. The Dover city area on the lcf viewer bump map is about 3 to 4 pixels in width which doesn't really allow for accurate detailed resizing. I will spend a bit more time on this to get it as close as I can.


https://i.postimg.cc/prfY9Qf4/cfs3-2023-11-25-10-52-11.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/5ydSNKC8/cfs3-2023-11-25-11-17-14.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

Here I'm just mucking about with the lcf viewer, experimenting with reducing the Dover city size which seems rather large when compared to even 1974 google images. The Dover city area on the lcf viewer bump map is about 3 to 4 pixels in width which doesn't really allow for accurate detailed resizing. I will spend a bit more time on this to get it as close as I can.

So it does work! You have succeeded where others have failed!

Check your pm.

[gecko]

If you are getting into landclasses, this resource might be useful in determining the location and general shape of towns in 1940s: https://www.oldmapsonline.org/

I can't find it now, but there was also someone a couple years agao who figured out how to make a higher resolution landclass map, which would definitely improve things.

[MajorMagee]

Interesting dialog in this thread. https://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/106881-Changing-the-map-to-an-H2S?highlight=landclass


I checked the limits for the map files, and they can be made quite large (I tried up to 7504 x 7376) to provide better feature resolution (285 m/pixel). They do need to be saved as 16 bit or index color bitmaps or you get a color shift.

Also here https://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/101359-TIFFs-files-for-CFS3-landclasses?highlight=landclass


TIFF2LCF tool can handle 9,472 pixel x 9,472 pixel, 350MB Tiff file without problems.

And in this old gem. https://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/14813-Insane-Ring-Tweak-Where-is-this/page4?highlight=landclass


I did some research into the classification of real world object densities. It turns out that we measure trees in a similar way to buildings.

Trees, Buildings, Scenery Density, Objects/hectare, Objects/sq mile, Spacing in ft
Prairie, Rural, <0.00005, 0 - 0.5, <129.5, >464
Savanna, Residential, up to 0.00050, 0.5 - 5, 129.5 - 1295, 147 - 464
Woodland, Mixed Residential, up to 0.001, 5 - 10, 1295 - 2590, 104 - 147
Forest, Urban, >0.001, >10, >2590, <104

The implication is that our scenery budgets should ideally be tailored to each particular landclass area rather than universally as they are now.

After some gpu setting changes I was able to increase my scenery density to 0.0004 or 4 objects per hectare (Savanna / Residential) while maintaining 60 fps.

[rince33]

Thanks for the site link gecko, the detailed historical maps will come in handy, and thanks for the links to these threads MajorMagee.

[sixstrings5859]

Wonderful work ! Keep on keeping on. Thank you for keeping things alive ! Regards ,Scott

[rince33]

Wonderful work ! Keep on keeping on. Thank you for keeping things alive ! Regards ,Scott

Thanks for the encouragement Scott. Terrain modding is loads of fun so I will definitely "keep on keeping on".

[rince33]

This is the final Dover size rework after a lot of experimenting. Luckily, the sim loading at startup is pretty quick. On the lcf bump map Dover city textures are a pixel in width in places so there's not much room for finer detail.


https://i.postimg.cc/PfwR84DR/cfs3-2023-11-26-17-32-39.jpg

[gecko]

Did you try with a higher resolution tiff? Pixel width in game would be reduced a lot, allowing for better detail.

[rince33]

On the lcf bump map Dover city textures are a pixel in width in places so there's not much room for finer detail.

Sorry, in my previous post it should have read "On the lcfviewer exported bmp file, Dover city textures are a pixel in width in places so there's not much room for finer detail".


Did you try with a higher resolution tiff? Pixel width in game would be reduced a lot, allowing for better detail.


I tried to double the resolution of the 1536x1536 bmp file but the viewer wouldnt process it. I then tried 2048x2048 and it processed the file but corrupted the landclass locations in game.

I replaced the largecity with the mediumcity landclass to remove that bit of texture directly above the harbour which rendered a lot of trees but few buildings.

If I look at the size of Dover and Ramsgate it appears as if 2002 satellite images were probably used as a reference to create the 1940's cities. Anyway, my priority at the moment is to improve the stock city textures, but I will get to resizing the rest of the cities.

[Shessi]

Great work there R, looks so much better.

And a big yes to the texs, those terracotta roof tiles are not UK at all! lol

Cheers

Shessi

[rince33]

Thanks Shessi



I made a start on pasting googlearth textures where city buildings exist, a time consuming but relaxing process. I am also diverting roads where buildings encroach on them where possible. The newly pasted textures are on a seperate layer to the road texture in my work gimp file, so that when I am done copying and pasting I can darken that layer so that it matches the underlying road and grass texture.


https://i.postimg.cc/k4Yv5wWw/cfs3-2023-11-28-19-31-46.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/VvSB0MRw/cfs3-2023-11-28-19-36-24.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

Fantastic work mate! I'm loving all of this stuff. To me, groundtextures and airfields etc. are as important as the aircraft themselves if we want true immersion in this sim. Keep it up! 🍻

[rince33]

To me, groundtextures and airfields etc. are as important as the aircraft themselves if we want true immersion in this sim.

I couldn't agree more Clive.

[rince33]

Quite a bit was done today and I think its starting to look like something now. This is Ramsgate, most of the background buildings will be removed when I resize it.


https://i.postimg.cc/4dwh51Pt/cfs3-2023-11-29-17-17-50.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/nznDBW4p/cfs3-2023-11-29-17-11-22.jpg

[Flamingskull5000]

Big improvement! quite a task also......

[Pat Pattle]

Wowser! They look blooming marvellous! Love the detail of the gardens etc. They're the best city textures we've had IMO. Looking forward to flying over them soon.

[rince33]

Thanks Clive, this texture required a lot of road adjustments due to the poor quality of the original road mask. The next texture, largecity, wont need any road adjustment editing so it should go quicker. Its still quite messy where two textures join though.

I may remove the concrete texture because of distant repetitive tiling issues, but If that bit is darkened it may not be so obvious.

I like your Bob package buildings.


https://i.postimg.cc/prjJPLFk/cfs3-2023-11-30-16-53-05.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/rm396rKK/werr.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/9MrBNpX6/cfs3-2023-11-30-16-58-18.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

" I like your Bob package buildings"
Would love to say that was my work but can't. John "Johnno UK" Benfield was the clever chap that did those. He repainted the stock texture sheet, very clever.

[mongoose]

Great work as Clive said. A couple of ?s, can terraced or 'row' houses be made, as many of UK towns had houses of this kind. as for roofs, many were slate or other dark material. Red was hardly ever used; if it was, it was darkened by pollution!

[Pat Pattle]

Something like this James? Very much wip and has to be placed via the GSL.
92424

[rince33]

"can terraced or 'row' houses be made, as many of UK towns had houses of this kind. as for roofs, many were slate or other dark material."

I could do that in blender, but I have little knowledge of the mos editor to position them with proper spacing on the map. For now I just want something that to me at least, is better than the current city textures.
Later I may look into the mos editor in more depth.

The roof texture can be changed on the scenery sheet. I will give it a go.

[rince33]

Something like this James? Very much wip and has to be placed via the GSL.

Is there a GSL editor or must it be placed manually in the global_layer.csv file with notepad?

[gecko]

Clive, do we have the tools to turn those models into .sm files for scenery? They would be a major improvement!

[Pat Pattle]

Clive, do we have the tools to turn those models into .sm files for scenery? They would be a major improvement!

There is a tool set Daniel, but I have yet to get them to work! They can work, I've seen the results but it needs more minds and time put to it.

[Pat Pattle]

Is there a GSL editor or must it be placed manually in the global_layer.csv file with notepad?
There is an editor available on Martin Wrights website, it's good, but using the standard SDK .bat and notepad/Excell route is no more complicated. Either way you need to know the Lat/ Lon co-ordinates of what you want to place.

[mongoose]

Something like this James? Very much wip and has to be placed via the GSL.
92424

Exactly, although it seems not that easy from what you all are saying. Would be nice though for allcountries. Has WOFF/WOTR ever tried to do this?

[rince33]

I replaced the terracotta roof tile with slate, historically accurate but aesthetically not as pleasing, but that's just my inner artist speaking.http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/images/smilies/smile.png Ive always preferred a balance between aesthetically pleasing and historical accuracy when it comes to terrains. The slate tiles may grow on me though.

I placed highlights on the tree textures a while back because the 2D tree textures appeared a bit flat in game. I thought the trees were a bit dark in the screenshots so I brightened the tree texture and reduced the highlight a bit.


https://i.postimg.cc/N04GHTWS/cfs3-2023-12-01-11-56-04.jpg

[Shessi]

Good going R,

Ha ha more like rich surburbia there, with detatched houses and tree lined avenues.....I'd live there!

Of course UK's housing isn't all (lol) terraced slate roofed housing, but for the 'working masses' up to the 40's, it is the typical type of housing, as Pat is showing in his last post. (see Dover photos below)

Yes, I agree R, terracotta tiles do look more colourful/pleasing, but us dowdy Brits love a dark grey slate/concrete/asbestos roof tile :encouragement:

TBH, my mind is blown that we're discussing such minute ground detail of a 20yr old+ combat flight sim at all!.... :dizzy:

Cheers

Shessi

[rince33]

Yes, I agree R, terracotta tiles do look more colourful/pleasing, but us dowdy Brits love a dark grey slate/concrete/asbestos roof tile

:highly_amused:




Okay, I added some road detail and now you can see where aesthetics comes into play. Road detail combined with slate roofs looks damn ugly, too much grey, whereas terracota plus road detail looks balanced and real purty.


https://i.postimg.cc/63WP8GXH/cfs3-2023-12-01-14-24-02.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/7LydyWQr/cfs3-2023-12-01-14-22-00.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/MT9FVKZz/cfs3-2023-12-01-14-28-32.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/9ftSXYvR/cfs3-2023-12-01-14-29-28.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/HnRH0tWW/cfs3-2023-12-01-15-54-40.jpg

[mongoose]

I hate to be critical of others who put a great deal of effort into trying to make CFS3 better; however, IMHO, the ? is whether we want a realistic sim or a beautiful sim. Much or the UK, and probably Europe was pretty grim WRT housing and even roads, as illustrated by Shessi. Most house heating was by coal, so everything was covered with pollution, even the trees would have been a darker colour, in towns at least; even moths adapted to be a dark colour, as the trees were so effected by pollution. The roads, if Tarmac, would probably have been a dark grey, maybe lighter if gravel. Grass, whatever there was, would also be in bad quality.
The makers of the sim probably lived in suburban USA, as I now do; very different from 1940's Europe!

However, your last picture is much more in the realistic direction, and I respect your efforts on this difficult task.:applause:

[rince33]

I really don't mind the criticism and I understand the desire for historical accuracy. I have seen some of the limited wartime colour footage that is available and I noticed that all stone buildings were a dirty black. The American bomber pilots used to say "If you want to find England, just look for the biggest, dirtiest cloud and that goddamn island will be under it" or something to that effect. I had already decided to keep the slate roofs for the sake of historical accuracy.

[rince33]

I removed some of the buildings between Ramsgate and Margate. I'll make a start on the next city landclass texture tomorrow.

https://i.postimg.cc/Kc0YvdLb/cfs3-2023-12-01-20-28-30.jpg

[Shessi]

Totally agree with M.

And I think you've put it into perspective R with that superb overhead long distance shot of Ramsgate, that it looks so much better, more accurate and immersive with what you're done so far, what sort of level do we really need from 2000ft plus?!

Cheers

Shessi

[NachtPiloten]

Your work is amazing and thanks for the effort. Would like to know, given that the Ruhr was the industrial center in the Reich, and usually covered in smoke from the factories, do we have a way to replicate this?

[Pat Pattle]

Your work is amazing and thanks for the effort. Would like to know, given that the Ruhr was the industrial center in the Reich, and usually covered in smoke from the factories, do we have a way to replicate this?

Hey Ted, Gecko and I made a "towering smoke column" for Dunkirk which turned out pretty cool. But rather than lots of FPS sapping effects, I wonder if it may be easier to portray burning cities with a 'weather' file? I.e. low level black clouds.

[mongoose]

Hey Ted, Gecko and I made a "towering smoke column" for Dunkirk which turned out pretty cool. But rather than lots of FPS sapping effects, I wonder if it may be easier to portray burning cities with a 'weather' file? I.e. low level black clouds.

Not to totally take over this thread, I use Pat's smoke and fire columns as facilities in missions, however I have wanted to have industrial smog or haze as weather files, but so far my attempts have been pretty bad. I think Andy M might be better at this, or some of the old ETO guys. We definitely need weather files for local weather effects, both in Germany, but also for England. As I'm on the topic of weather files, some upper level jet stream weather would be nice, as BC missions were often driven off course by those winds. Again my attempts have not been great to say the least. Maybe any more on this can be on a new thread. Maybe any more on this can be on a new thread. see http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/133958-Industrial-smog-haze-etc-weather?p=1324510#post1324510

[rince33]

I messed around with the landclassess.xml file, removing some city mos files that didn't work, too many trees, and decided to read up on the landclass dimensions in the projected knowledge base. I decreased the size of some of the lanclasses to 4096 and I was really impressed with the result, smaller textures and more dense cities. Buildings at Dover were a bit sparse but now it looks exactly the way I want, very excited I must say. The Dover harbour texture needs to be darkened a bit.


https://i.postimg.cc/KvYRQfPZ/cfs3-2023-12-04-20-48-58.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/QxnVz7mc/cfs3-2023-12-04-20-51-24.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/JzDtChYv/cfs3-2023-12-04-20-29-35.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/2SsykfP6/cfs3-2023-12-04-20-14-38.jpg

[gecko]

Impressive work! A comment on the trees - I think much of the reason for flat looking trees is inadequately tuned shaders and sun effect. Trees tend to be noticeably darker than the surrounding land, but what you're seeing that's missing is how the sun can light them up. I've spent some time working on my own and in conjunction with Ankor to fine tune the shaders implementation to make the most of its capabilities. It isn't done yet, but when it is, I think the highlights will look out of place because they are static and always present, while everything is being lit dynamically.

[rince33]

Hi gecko. When you have completed the work on your shaders it will take no time to restore the trees to their original flatness. I can provide an unaltered tree scenery sheet in preparation for your shaders.

https://i.postimg.cc/dt7JLxRT/cfs3-2023-12-04-21-20-20.jpg

[rince33]

Darkened the trees a bit and removed some saturation.

https://i.postimg.cc/W3Bcr2wF/cfs3-2023-12-04-22-17-17.jpg

[MajorMagee]

Looking great!

[Pat Pattle]

Good grief there's some progress being made here! Wonderful what a fresh pair of eyes can do! This ought to be made a "sticky" before it's lost in the mire.

[sixstrings5859]

Simply awesome ! Thanks so much ! Regards, Scott

[rince33]

I'm experimenting with trees to achieve a more solid grouping rather than the blotches of trees that we currently have. Tree density can be adjusted in the landclasses file for older pc's.

I will edit trees in the lcfview to try and place trees where they should be more or less.
Placing of excess trees could also serve the purpose of preventing repetitive tiling. I will have t take this into account as I go.

This and tree terrain textures are currently a wip.


https://i.postimg.cc/W4my6nWs/cfs3-2023-12-07-15-59-57.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/bJzB6tWk/cfs3-2023-12-07-15-36-22.jpg

[mongoose]

A good idea. Random trees in fields is a pain!

[Shessi]

Great work there R, like the idea of reducing the look of repetitive tiling with the trees.

Second WIP pic is excellent.

Cheers

Shessi

[rince33]

Random trees in fields is a pain


You'll probably still get some stray trees where the landclassess and different iso's in the same landclass intersect. It causes a bit of a mess where different city textures/iso's join as well. That is just the way the sim engine works unfortunately. I'm sure WOFF and WOTR have the same problem as well unless they have found a solution to prevent this.

[rince33]

Great work there R, like the idea of reducing the look of repetitive tiling with the trees.

I would like to remove trees if they are not meant to be in a certain position, but if their role is to prevent repetitive tiling then I will leave them where they are. Repetitive tiling is a real immersion killer.

[Pat Pattle]

That's a huge improvement! May I ask that you can list what you've been doing at some point please, for posterity. Paint progs and the processes etc.

This is all superb stuff, you have succeeded where many others, myself include, have failed. I raise my glass to you sir! :applause:

[gecko]

Impressive work once again!

[sdsbolt]

looks good :encouragement:

[sixstrings5859]

Absolutely awesome work. Thank you so much for the work involved. Regards, Scott

[rince33]

I created a large test square on the map so that I could see where googlearth fields and gardens can be placed between the trees on the mos texture that I'm using for the small city landclass.

This landclass will be used for villages and small towns.


https://i.postimg.cc/28dLvZGY/cfs3-2023-12-09-14-37-53.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

That's looking every inch like Great Britain! Marvelous!

[rince33]

Thanks Clive.

For the moment I decided to use the above mos in the 'forest and field landclass instead.

https://i.postimg.cc/cHMbWPF8/cfs3-2023-12-12-01-49-10.jpg



Clive kindly provided me with the source files for his Dover model. There were two separate models for the castle and harbour and after some headbanging I finally got Clive's two models into the sim.

I created a Dover castle m3d file, building file, and facilities xml file, but could not get the model to show up in the sim. I eventually realized, if I'm not mistaken, that a new model has to be added to the gsl.lib via the global layer.csv.

An easier way was to add the newly created ACC_Dover_Castle building and the separate harbour model to the existing GB-GC_Dover_Harbour.XML, and they showed up in the sim.

I have some other building models that I want to add to the sim, but that will probably be a later battle with the global layer process.


The harbour went into position without much fuss and I removed the castle's hill and trimmed Clives excellent castle model in gmax to finally get it into position on the terrain. It seems to be tailor made for that hill, who'da thunk.https://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/images/smilies/wink.gif This screenshot reminds me that St Margarets on cliffe in the background needs to be moved further Eastwards, this was an initial rough placement just to see what it would look like.

I know that the red roofs have mysteriously popped up again, this will be remedied on release.:wink:



https://i.postimg.cc/nztP6nGJ/cfs3-2023-12-12-18-26-31.jpg

[Shessi]

R,
That is superb, I mean, almost photo-real like, genuinely I'm amazed that it equals/betters Fs9 and early FSX stuff.

Cheers

Shessi

[Frosty]

I created a large test square on the map so that I could see where googlearth fields and gardens can be placed between the trees on the mos texture that I'm using for the small city landclass.

This landclass will be used for villages and small towns.


https://i.postimg.cc/28dLvZGY/cfs3-2023-12-09-14-37-53.jpg


That's looking every inch like Great Britain! Marvelous!

You're one to know :biggrin-new:. It looks so much better than the stock stuff. It sure makes selecting a suitable field for a deadstick landing much more challenging! Very good and interesting work being done here - I'll be keeping an eye on this tread :encouragement:

[Pat Pattle]

The harbour went into position without much fuss and I removed the castle's hill and trimmed Clives excellent castle model in gmax to finally get it into position on the terrain. It seems to be tailor made for that hill, who'da thunk. This screenshot reminds me that St Margarets on cliffe in the background needs to be moved further Eastwards, this was an initial rough placement just to see what it would look like.

Yes , it does fit in well and looks a lot less 'fussy' than my arrangement. I was keen on getting the cliffs below the castle in, but probably made it too complicated.

Are you going alter the castle hill texture to make it blend in better?

[rince33]

Yes , it does fit in well and looks a lot less 'fussy' than my arrangement. I was keen on getting the cliffs below the castle in, but probably made it too complicated.

I would have liked to preserve the hill on which the model was perched, but that bit of cliff in the front was out of place. At a later stage the cliff model could be extended towards the castle and the hill could be replaced.


Are you going alter the castle hill texture to make it blend in better?

The castle hill is part of the general terrain so I probably wont mess with it much if that was what you were referring to.

As well as working on some new buildings, I'm editing the tree highlights. I've learned a bit a bit about using layers in gimp since I originally created those tree highlights and I'm sure they could look better close up.
I'm also adding googlearth fields to the a_047summer2_roads texture to add another mos/iso to the Forest and fields landclass, just for some variety.


https://i.postimg.cc/CK7qqJBy/cfs3-2023-12-12-19-18-31.jpg

[rince33]

Taking a closer look at the castle texture the trees and some sections are probably a bit too green and could do with an edit. I'm listening to a lot of ww2 veteran testimonies as I have fun, cant really call it work. It's great that some folk are interviewing these veterans while some are still living. The vietnam testimonies are also pretty interesting.

[rince33]

I finally managed to get some of my own simple models into the sim using the global layer process. It was a time consuming pain in the arse, though now that I know a wee bit, it should get quicker and easier.

I learnt some things the hard way. Run the global lib bat and mkglob.exe as an administrator, and always check your edited facility xml files for syntax errors in the browser after editing.

Use an excel editor and not notepad to create the 'global layer.csv' entry. Its easy to leave out a comma, or enter info in the incorrect field in notepad, which can mess you around for some time if you are new to the process.

For model placement on the map, notepad can be used to adjust the co-ordinates as it's quicker and there's less chance of making errors, and most importantly, always read the tuts thoroughly and even twice through, to ensure that you fully understand what you need to do. :redface-new:

I still need to create a mos file airfield for the models, so I hope that proceeds more smoothly.

If anybody has any advice it will be appreciated.

The simple models were created in Gmax. You don't completely lose the ability to create models in 3dmax even after 20 yrs since last using the program.

The gmax ui is more natural to use than blender, but texture mapping is more time consuming. In blender, the mapping can be done in edit mode, selecting a few faces at a time for quick and easy mapping.

This is the Ramsgate civilian airfield terminal building and accompanying hanger.

https://i.postimg.cc/0y0QL2qG/cfs3-2023-12-19-13-30-51.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/RZBhsJ2V/cfs3-2023-12-19-13-29-34.jpg

[mongoose]

I finally managed to get some of my own simple models into the sim using the global layer process. It was a time consuming pain in the arse, though now that I know a wee bit, it should get quicker and easier.

Nice models there

I learnt some things the hard way. Run the global lib bat and mkglob.exe as an administrator, and always check your edited facility xml files for syntax errors in the browser after editing.

Use an excel editor and not notepad to create the 'global layer.csv' entry. Its easy to leave out a comma, or enter info in the incorrect field in notepad, which can mess you around for some time if you are new to the process.

I don't get your global layer issues and use of an excel file. I do a lot of global layer work using Libre Office spread sheet; all data in columns, not the word string separated by commas, etc. I would never bother with notepad or anything other the spreadsheet in columns.

For model placement on the map, notepad can be used to adjust the co-ordinates as it's quicker and there's less chance of making errors, and most importantly, always read the tuts thoroughly and even twice through, to ensure that you fully understand what you need to do. :redface-new:

One way of placing items on the gsl is to use a driivable jeep or similar, and actually drive it to where you want with the 'z' coordinate key in action. If you can't actually drive therer, I have used a storch or similar slow aircraft flying just above the ground.

I still need to create a mos file airfield for the models, so I hope that proceeds more smoothly.

If anybody has any advice it will be appreciated.

The simple models were created in Gmax. You don't completely lose the ability to create models in 3dmax even after 20 yrs since last using the program.

The gmax ui is more natural to use than blender, but texture mapping is more time consuming. In blender, the mapping can be done in edit mode, selecting a few faces at a time for quick and easy mapping.

This is the Ramsgate civilian airfield terminal building and accompanying hanger.

[rince33]

Hi Mongoose, and thanks for the advice. I didn't know about the 'z' co-cordinate key.

I was using notepad which was causing me problems, and then I downloaded 'Free excel viewer', which placed the data in columns.
,

https://i.postimg.cc/rwfv3vzZ/bandicam-2023-12-19-19-05-26-587.jpg

[mongoose]

That's the answer and I assume you know how to use CFS3 Terrain SDK\GlobalLayer.

[rince33]

That's the answer and I assume you know how to use CFS3 Terrain SDK\GlobalLayer.

Yes, I used it to get those two models into position, but it took me about 2 hrs yesterday morning.

With your advise about using the 'z' key it will now be a lot quicker. Thank you.:joyous:

[rince33]

Work on Chichester cathedral model. I created this model in blender a while ago for an il2 channel map . It's a low poly version of the Bob2wov model, which I used as a guide. I'm busy skinning it in gmax. There are a few more pieces to add add and then it will be ready for placement.

https://i.postimg.cc/SR2g1xJk/bandicam-2023-12-20-02-54-04-747.jpg

[sixstrings5859]

Excellent Work ! Fantastic to see the progress ! Thank you Sir ! Regards, Scott

[MajorMagee]

The last time I saw Chichester Cathedral was 30 years ago, and it was being repaired.

[mongoose]

Yes, I used it to get those two models into position, but it took me about 2 hrs yesterday morning.

With your advise about using the 'z' key it will now be a lot quicker. Thank you.:joyous:

Probably still have to pay attention to altitude. Personally I use Google Earth for that, as well as for some position placement for things like the Cathedral.

[Pat Pattle]

Work on Chichester cathedral model. I created this model in blender a while ago for an il2 channel map . It's a low poly version of the Bob2wov model, which I used as a guide. I'm busy skinning it in gmax. There are a few more pieces to add add and then it will be ready for placement.

https://i.postimg.cc/SR2g1xJk/bandicam-2023-12-20-02-54-04-747.jpg

That's very nice Glen! 👍It wouldn't take much to create other Cathedrals too, they're all pretty similar.

[rince33]

Thanks Clive!

The Cathedrals and churches break the monotony of similar buildings in the cities, so I will, create a lot more on both sides of the channel.

My next models will be a low poly version of Cantebury cathedral which is a bit more complex, and st George the martyr church for Ramsgate. I love historic old buildings, so the opportunity to recreate these for the sim is a real pleasure.

I also did some 'lcf' work in the Sussex area today, trimming some cities and adding forests according to google earth, though detailed work is limited by the resolution of the lcf viewer map .

[rince33]

My first airfield mos file, went surprisingly smoothly into the sim. I was expecting a bit of a struggle with this, a bit disappointed in a way.:joyous:

I still want to add some other buildings and trees.

P.S. I'm glad that I viewed this in the morning mode while compiling this post, otherwise I would have missed the altitude trough created by the model. I adjusted the altitude in the csv file as can be seen in the last pic.

https://i.postimg.cc/NMW8SRyF/cfs3-2023-12-23-21-29-26.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/mrkQrmCh/cfs3-2023-12-24-03-50-21.jpg




https://i.postimg.cc/G2BJXXm6/cfs3-2023-12-24-03-21-27.jpg





https://i.postimg.cc/pVzKyhhQ/cfs3-2023-12-24-04-10-25.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

Superb progess Glen! That will be a handy little airfield, I always seem to end up trying a forced landing somewhere in Southern Kent!

BTW, have you got this?

https://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/76120-ACC_Guide_to_Airfield_Construction_pt2_facilities-zip

[rince33]

I downloaded that tut recently. It came in handy this last week. I think that I have downloaded every page that is of any use when using the facilities and global layer.
It would have been better if it was all in one place like the very handy Projected knowledge base thread. Trawling the threads for bits and pieces is interesting, but time consuming. There are some important bits of info that I picked up in the posts and Pm's last week that made life a lot easier.

That Ramsgate civilian terminal building was so unique in that it was designed to resemble a wing. It was demolished in 1968 I think, but it should have been declared a heritage site purely for the architecture. The texture and model needs to be updated as I have recently discovered more close up images.

[Pat Pattle]

I downloaded that tut recently. It came in handy this last week. I think that I have downloaded every page that is of any use when using the facilities and global layer.
It would have been better if it was all in one place like the very handy Projected knowledge base thread. Trawling the threads for bits and pieces is interesting, but time consuming. There are some important bits of info that I picked up in the posts and Pm's last week that made life a lot easier.

That Ramsgate civilian terminal building was so unique in that it was designed to resemble a wing. It was demolished in 1968 I think, but it should have been declared a heritage site purely for the architecture. The texture and model needs to be updated as I have recently discovered more close up images.

It certainly was a striking building and should have been saved, alas our town councils and planners make a lot of money by covering everything in housing and developments.

If you don't have it already here's another tutorial I made:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w2wbf6btmuxmtpre1cewq/ACC-Guide-to-adding-facilities-to-the-CFS3-Global-Layer-draft.pdf?rlkey=72i66dil12vzacbzxrllw2hsb&dl=0

[rince33]

Thanks Clive, now this is exactly what I was searching for last week. I'll definitely read through it later.
Enjoy your Christmas Clive, and all the members who have popped in to help, and provide encouragement, as well as the silent majority who lurk in the background.:wavey::santahat:

Not exactly cheesy Christmas music but something inspiring that I listened to this morning while messing around with gmax.

(https://youtu.be/jzUJWDU_1Rg?t=3)
https://youtu.be/jzUJWDU_1Rg?t=3

[rince33]

This is Chichester cathedral with bell tower, and a terrace block mos/facility item that I created using Clive's terrace housing model.

The terrace building facility model when in position removes the trees and buildings in its way, but unfortunately also removes some surrounding buildings which I replaced with terrace housing, attaching them to the cathedral facility.

I had to do this because the cathedral is placed on a fault line between two city iso textures ,causing a mish mash of buildings that I displaced by adding the terrace building facility file. I'm sure the terrace block will come in handy elsewhere as well, like central London for instance.

I still need to add trees to the cathedral model.


https://i.postimg.cc/W1DCxc11/cfs3-2023-12-25-21-33-13.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/qv9STDNX/cfs3-2023-12-25-21-31-44.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/GpGNhPY0/cfs3-2023-12-25-21-34-54.jpg

[gecko]

The ongoing work is quite impressive. I love seeing new landmarks being added!

[MajorMagee]

I love the new terrace buildings.

[sixstrings5859]

Outstanding work. A vast improvement ! Regards, Scott

[mongoose]

I love the new terrace buildings.

Yes the terraced buildings are sorely needed. It would be interesting to see what the buildings in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, etc., were like' msybe i should dig up some pics on those.

Do the stand alone house roofs default to red? IMHO, everything needs to be a bit darker tough.

[rince33]

Red roofs are a personal preference, and they make buildings easier to spot while I work on this mod, though I will release both red and dark slate scenery sheets as options. The terraced buildings will be darkened, especially the roofs.

[Pat Pattle]

That's great Glen and the terrace models match the sm ones pretty well.:applause: Yes I should have made the roofs a bit darker grey, but some red-tiled versions would be quite correct too.

[rince33]

Hi Clive.

I darkened the roofs and terrace buildings. I deactivated my reshade for this screenshot. It added contrast and made things look a bit darker.

I've created a village mos as well, and I'm going to use your medium house model to populate it. I spent this morning re-texturing it, but still have to check it in the sim.



https://i.postimg.cc/DwFCrxCB/cfs3-2023-12-27-09-36-10.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/Gr5ZVr8x/bandicam-2023-12-27-12-03-13-581.jpg

[mongoose]

Yeah that looks much better!

[rince33]

Blends in a bit better.

I noticed that my replacement house texture had aluminium windows, so I decided to change it before somebody picked it up.:smug:

https://i.postimg.cc/tggNMmnk/bandicam-2023-12-28-09-08-36-631.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

That House_m texture wasn't an ACC one, I think that a chap called Lewis did it. Either way the Anglicised version looks good, could you make a rendered version as well?

[rince33]

Is that a French house model?

I just noticed that the front windows and door on the 3d model are recessed, so I'll have to place new textured windows and front door exactly where they appear on the old texture, rats. I thought it was just a box with a roof on it. :p87:

Back to my Canterbury cathedral build.

Wondering if the cathedrals need damage textures. Do you think the folk here would have the bad taste to try and bomb one of them?:)

[sixstrings5859]

I would hope not !

[gecko]

I'm of the opinion that everything should have a damage model. Sadly, there was no shortage of Cathedrals and other non-military buildings across Europe being damaged and destroyed by bombs. It's a bit of an emersion killer when things get hit by bombs and come through unscathed. I wish there was a way to add damage models to the autogen scenery too. I have found that a big enough bomb can make them disappear though.

[mongoose]

Is that a French house model?

I just noticed that the front windows and door on the 3d model are recessed, so I'll have to place new textured windows and front door exactly where they appear on the old texture, rats. I thought it was just a box with a roof on it. :p87:

Back to my Canterbury cathedral build.

Wondering if the cathedrals need damage textures. Do you think the folk here would have the bad taste to try and bomb one of them?:)

Not all cathedrals were suffered any serious damage, so probably don't need a damage mode. Even St. Pauls IIRC. Coventry and Cologne if you do them, for sure.

[rince33]

I probably won't bother with damage modeling for current Cathedral models, but some in the future will require it. I will have to do some research on to how create damage modelling in this simulator.

The Cantebury cathedral main section is complete, though lots of work still to do. In gmax, creating sections and then then texture mapping them seems to be the best route rather than mapping a complete model.




https://i.postimg.cc/qvNT3FnK/bandicam-2023-12-30-09-45-30-180.jpg





I'm creating a village facility/mos model for placement near airfields so there will be neater building placements, and no stray buildings and bits of road texture.

I may create town sections as well. The process is quite slow at first but as you get used to working with spaces between buildings and the angles it proceeds quite quickly. I really enjoy placement work and have done it before in other sims.


I will either remove the grass base or create transparent edges so that it blends in better. trees will be added when building placement is complete. I will probably do some editing or replacement of the garden textures.




https://i.postimg.cc/yN9CfSLY/cfs3-2023-12-30-09-53-10.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/wjndckcG/cfs3-2023-12-30-09-55-26.jpg

[rince33]

Background grass removed. Colours would have to be edited to match the terrain.

https://i.postimg.cc/pT3HkJHT/cfs3-2023-12-30-12-20-17.jpg

[MajorMagee]

Brilliant work that!

[Pat Pattle]

I'm creating a village facility/mos model for placement near airfields so there will be neater building placements, and no stray buildings and bits of road texture.

That's pretty much where I got to on this subject too.

Stock scenery - the .sm models can't be better placed or rotated unless you have the original .rgn file for the underlying city/town texture. That file is the one that goes on to create the .lso file which places the .sm models.There's only so much than can be done by re-painting the roads etc to suit the buildings.

If you look in the BoB install, there are a number of placeholder town faclities, "GB_Ashford_town.xml" etc. which are already in the global layer, they just need a corresponding texture, mos and building placements. I did Maidstone and then shelved the project. So I'm very glad that you're now doing it!


I probably won't bother with damage modelling for current Cathedral models, but some in the future will require it. I will have to do some research on to how create damage modelling in this simulator.

All that is required for buildings is 3 'states' of the model. Normal, damaged and rubble. They have to be named as below and usually have their own texture so that you can add smoke damage, bullet holes etc. The convention is to name the textures with a suffix _d, _r or _t (normal state). This is a new gas holder, a very common feature in this country until the '60's. You don't have to model the damage, it can just be represented with the texturing, depending on what the model is of.

https://i.imgur.com/yCqkseY.jpg

[rince33]

Stock scenery - the .sm models can't be better placed or rotated unless you have the original .rgn file for the underlying city/town texture. That file is the one that goes on to create the .lso file which places the .sm models.There's only so much than can be done by re-painting the roads etc to suit the buildings.

The stray buildings and texture bits bug the hell out of me, and the only solution that I can see is to create a series of facility/mos models for cities and villages that can be pieced together to create a town or city. The smallest towns that can be created by the Lcfviewer are still too large by 1940 standards.
Very large cities will still have to the use autogen population system.


I used 1940 Googlearth images to populate an Il2 1946 channel map and I lost all of these in order to create space on my hdd. To make matters worse since last week Googlearth pro ctd's on startup and there seems to be no way to fix it. I can use the new Googlearth browser version, but that does not have the historical map image option, so I cant accurately resize some of the the towns and cities. I would have to use my Il2 channel map mod to check the city sizes.



If you look in the BoB install, there are a number of placeholder town faclities, "GB_Ashford_town.xml" etc. which are already in the global layer, they just need a corresponding texture, mos and building placements.

I did wonder about these when I saw them in the Global layer. This is great news.


All that is required for buildings is 3 'states' of the model. Normal, damaged and rubble. They have to be named as below and usually have their own texture so that you can add smoke damage, bullet holes etc. The convention is to name the textures with a suffix _d, _r or _t (normal state). This is a new gas holder, a very common feature in this country until the '60's. You don't have to model the damage, it can just be represented with the texturing, depending on what the model is of.

Thanks for the info Clive.
I'm assuming that the transparent box is a hit box. Is it textured to be transparent or is it procedural?




I did quite a few placements yesterday. The addition of trees will round things off nicely.



https://i.postimg.cc/bYgbNqn3/cfs3-2023-12-31-11-02-36.jpg

[sixstrings5859]

Looking great ! Thanks for all the work ! Regards,Scott

[Pat Pattle]

I'm assuming that the transparent box is a hit box. Is it textured to be transparent or is it procedural?

Yes that's correct. It must have the same name in the xdp to get any effects to work. Right-click on the object, select 'properties' and check this box.

https://i.imgur.com/DssFzRg.jpg


I did quite a few placements yesterday. The addition of trees will round things off nicely.

Yes trees make all the difference. I do have some road vehicles to get finished which, being a facility, means that we could have them driving around too!

I've been slowly adding to this one for ages, the gasholder is now in place. I'm going to copy your lead and start adding gardens etc, as they really do make a difference.

The cricket pitch needs a good watering!

https://i.imgur.com/FTTteBM.jpg

[Flamingskull5000]

Some amazing work you gents are doing! What I really find interesting is the pics posted of the programs you wizards use to create these objects. I can't imagine how many hours of experimentation it takes to become adept at such under takings.

[rince33]

Some amazing work you gents are doing! What I really find interesting is the pics posted of the programs you wizards use to create these objects. I can't imagine how many hours of experimentation it takes to become adept at such under takings.

I'm fairly knowledgeable at using gimp which is a freeware texture editor, been using it for years now, but I know just enough about 3d modeling to achieve some basic models. There are chaps here that are masters of Gmax and create some awesome aircraft and building models. Gmax is freeware and I think that a link is available on the site. It's not that difficult to get into. There are loads of tutorials on you tube and some on the site as well, and it's a lot of fun, though time consuming.

[rince33]

Completed the village model and I'm quite happy with the result.

The sim has quite a unique way of searching for textures, and if texture names are similar, not necessarily identical, you could find your model using these instead of the intended texture in the model folder. I found this to be the case with the Jbscenery_treeL.dds which I reworked, and the Jbscenery_tree.dds in another tree folder.

https://i.postimg.cc/NGPgsndW/cfs3-2023-12-31-19-39-01.jpg




https://i.postimg.cc/MH4x9ccW/cfs3-2023-12-31-19-39-58.jpg

[rince33]

I'm assuming that the transparent box is a hit box. Is it textured to be transparent or is it procedural? Yes that's correct. It must have the same name in the xdp to get any effects to work. Right-click on the object, select 'properties' and check this box.


Thank's again Clive. I like your enclosed church model with the graveyard, and thanks for making these buildings available for use in my mod.

I Re-downloaded the ETO package last week after I mistakenly deleted it from my hdd, must still re-install it to see what buildings can be used and check for P47 missions. That new aircraft looks good.

[rince33]

Nothing of any significance to report today, but I did find this gem of a Youtube site with amazing animated aviation and world war doccies.


https://youtu.be/hPLTlbn7qqs?list=PLA0QkS9h8CwyqplEN8DnsBYLcvCFKbzM o

[Shessi]

Beautiful village life recreated there R.

Love like the mix of mottled lichen covered roof tiles and the clean slate ones. Housing styles and colours are absolutely spot on, along with the local church and just enough trees, make me long for summer lol.

Are you sure you're not a local government planner or property developer?..;)

Cheers

Shessi

[rince33]

My city template mos file in place at Ramsgate. I removed city landclass autogen buildings and trees and it will take a while to populate the facility file. I will change the texture as I add buildings. There will have to be some customization when using the completed template in different areas. I think that the autogen cities do look a bit more natural, though stray buildings are a huge problem. This is a bit of an experiment for now.

The harbour model length should be half the size to represent Ramsgate harbour. I created a harbour model in Blender in the past. I could import, re texture it, and use it here.

https://i.postimg.cc/sXXwyz9L/cfs3-2024-01-02-13-22-50.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

It gets better and better Glen!
Did I send you the Ramsgate Harbour model?

[rince33]

Beautiful village life recreated there R.

Love like the mix of mottled lichen covered roof tiles and the clean slate ones. Housing styles and colours are absolutely spot on, along with the local church and just enough trees, make me long for summer lol.

Are you sure you're not a local government planner or property developer?..;)


Thank's Shessi.

The Church model is Clive's excellent work, adds a nice touch. I must include the pub model that he sent me.

A virtual property developer, will develop your Sim property for bit coin,:chuncky: or maybe just a sandwich and a bag of peanuts.

[rince33]

Hi Clive and a happy new year.:smile:

You did Pm me a pic of the work that you had done at that stage, though no model.

[mongoose]

Yes that's correct. It must have the same name in the xdp to get any effects to work. Right-click on the object, select 'properties' and check this box.

https://i.imgur.com/DssFzRg.jpg



Yes trees make all the difference. I do have some road vehicles to get finished which, being a facility, means that we could have them driving around too!

I've been slowly adding to this one for ages, the gasholder is now in place. I'm going to copy your lead and start adding gardens etc, as they really do make a difference.

The cricket pitch needs a good watering!

https://i.imgur.com/FTTteBM.jpg


Love the cricket field!:applause:

[gecko]

Looks impressive.

One concern I have with this approach for small towns is that it is a lot more expensive in terms of performance. With a lot of them added it might become prohibitive.

I do love the idea of these bespoke harbor models though. They are just so interesting and distinctive.

[rince33]

My plan is to have two versions of this mod, autogen cities and mos/facility cities. I like both for different reasons, besides I have already done a lot of texture work on the autogen cities and I would not like it to go to waste.

The autogen cities look more natural but a bit messy with stray buildings and textures as I have stated before, and the mos/ facility cities will be more ordered and visually appealing at low altitudes, and will use Clive's terraced building and church model for variety.

As far as fps goes, we will have to see. I am a curious person by nature and would like to see how the mos/facility city version works out, both visually and fps wise. If it seems impractical, I will discard the experiment .


I have created harbour models for Folkestone, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Portsmouth, Southampton and even Dover for another sim in the past and would like in the future to include some of these in the sim. I would have to liaise with Clive who may have a similar intention.

[Pat Pattle]

I've not found the FPS to be any worse than an airfield which has a few aircraft dotted about. My models are pretty crude and low poly!
Glen you have mail. 😊

[mongoose]

An aside. Is it difficult to make 'round' trees vs. the current ''X' shape, which show up in the shadows?

[Pat Pattle]

An aside. Is it difficult to make 'round' trees vs. the current ''X' shape, which show up in the shadows?

Yes James, I've since added a horizontal layer onto those older models so the shadows are more rounded. 👍

[rince33]

This is the first image that I have seen of what I assume is a Ramsgate WOTR city mos/facility model in CFS3, supplied by Clive in some stuff that he sent me. The terrain colours and design are quite pleasing to the eye.

OBD understood the balance between historical accuracy and aesthetics with the use of red roofs and terrain colours, though I have read in an article on roofing in the UK that red clay roof tiles have been in use in the UK since the Romans, who introduced it to Britain. :wink:

The city appears to be slightly to the west of where it should be, though googlearth images have the Cfs3 city and GC harbour exactly where it should be according to that bit of coastline, though the rest of the CFS3 coastline isn't really accurate, as you can see further eastwards. Does WOTR use a similar LCF file, or is their map more accurate?

https://i.postimg.cc/C5WvwkXR/Untitled.png


https://i.postimg.cc/3Rxf1K2x/bandicam-2024-01-05-15-16-49-713.jpg




Work done since yesterday. Things will slow done when I have to tackle the different angles in the background. It's desperately in need of red roofs to add variety. I will have to edit the terrain texture when I am done.


https://i.postimg.cc/J0y6wP6w/cfs3-2024-01-05-16-10-04.jpg

[mongoose]

That's the whole point; housing in the UK was very dull, especially in the WW2 period!:wiggle: Slate was an often used material for roofs, plus the intensive use of coal for heating, etc., meant a lot of pollution.One forgets that now a days.

[rince33]

This is still a wip. There are large areas surrounding the mos texture that are devoid of autogen trees. I'm wondering if there is any way to fix this without having to manually add them to the facility file.

https://i.postimg.cc/wvLx0nZt/cfs3-2024-01-13-12-58-58.jpg






https://i.postimg.cc/1zL50yCh/cfs3-2024-01-13-12-56-51.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/s2BgZMJ4/cfs3-2024-01-13-12-59-24.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

Looking brilliant there Glen!
Re. the trees, the plane size is flattening the autogen. However, if you decrease the plane size now, you'll lose the object placing. The only other way around it is to add trees via the facility as you mentioned.

[rince33]

Thanks Clive, just some roads and gardens to be added and then this should be done.

Bob2 has some nice shop models and terraced buildings that I would like to add for variation when I'm finished with my Cantebury Cathedral model. These are already low poly and just need to be reskinned, and of course credit given where it's due.

Edit: I'll add a village mos model on either side to puff it out a bit and to counter the blocky look of the city.

[Shessi]

Looks great R, nice mix of grey slate and red terracotta roof tiles, realistic.

Yes, more trees would be good, as it would also help break up the block/linear look of the housing.

Cheers

Shessi

[rince33]

It took me 15 minutes this morning to fix the missing autogen tree problem. I will make the same adjustments to my other mos/facility models. I thought that I was permanently stuck with this issue, and now the possibilities are endless.:jump:


As an aside, if you notice the changes in the quality of my screenshots from one pic to the other, maybe some are darker than others, it's because I have either video or gimp running in the background, which degrades the graphics.


https://i.postimg.cc/RZBx1XzF/cfs3-2024-01-14-08-31-13.jpg

[rince33]

https://i.postimg.cc/yxm7m5WV/cfs3-2024-01-14-12-16-46.jpg

THE CITY HEIGHT WILL BE RAISED WHEN I ADD THE NEW HARBOUR MODEL
https://i.postimg.cc/QMFs4VVY/cfs3-2024-01-14-12-37-18.jpg

[MajorMagee]

Looks great!

[sixstrings5859]

Absolutely fantastic work. Exciting ! Regards, Scott

[rince33]

I decided to create a low poly house model to test my gmax damage modeling knowledge, though I will now keep it as a new house model to add variety.





https://i.postimg.cc/tgLGMs19/cfs3-2024-01-30-21-02-51.jpg



My Ramsgate harbour model with stand-alone raised buildings which have full damage modeling. These can be used in other harbour projects.
I will probably create waterfront buildings. Some tweaking to still be done on the harbour model.



https://i.postimg.cc/dt4PKH7H/cfs3-2024-01-31-12-34-01.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/RVM5y50J/cfs3-2024-01-31-12-34-38.jpg




https://i.postimg.cc/Gtj0tzXp/cfs3-2024-01-31-12-36-10.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/W3gcLsrg/cfs3-2024-01-31-12-50-31.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/2yYRCgFJ/cfs3-2024-01-31-12-52-26.jpg

[MajorMagee]

Brilliant!

[Pat Pattle]

Excellent stuff Glen! Mind you, where's the RAF when you need them!

[mongoose]

Great work! Can your buildings be used to replace stock ones ion other areas?

[rince33]

Excellent stuff Glen! Mind you, where's the RAF when you need them!

My first attempts at flying the Stuka in CFS3. It somehow didn't seem right to strafe them with a hurricane, even just to test my damage modeling.:biggrin-new:



Great work! Can your buildings be used to replace stock ones ion other areas?

The buildings are not part of the harbour model, so they can be used for other harbour projects as they are raised, though it would be an easy thing to create zero altitude versions as well for general use.

[rince33]

New look Dover. This is a combination of three different mos/facility files.I recently created another large village/town mos/facility file. Buildings can always be replaced with others in the facility file. I do intend to add other buildings like shops and waterfront buildings to this project.


https://i.postimg.cc/5N2VRdPK/cfs3-2024-01-31-14-28-06.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/8PXS8K9p/cfs3-2024-01-31-14-30-24.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/dV7KJRc8/jjjjj.jpg

[Pat Pattle]

I think that you've got the CFS3 towns looking better than anything that's been done previously. Well done and thank you Glen!
One thing to ask you though, can you write up the procedure for modding the scenery please!
Cheers,
Clive

[rince33]

This is something that I will definitely get around to doing, on mod release if not before....I promise.:smile:

[rince33]

It's very hot here at the moment which causes my graphics card to overheat a bit, time to haul out my fan I think.
On looking at the Dover screenies I think that the town mos probably needs more roads and buildings for a more dense town look.

New look Chichester.

https://i.postimg.cc/k4T1H4XT/cfs3-2024-02-01-16-41-30.jpg

[mongoose]

It's very hot here at the moment which causes my graphics card to overheat a bit, time to haul out my fan I think.
On looking at the Dover screenies I think that the town mos probably needs more roads and buildings for a more dense town look.

New look Chichester.



I assume you're in the Antipodes somewhere if you're hot! I definitely agree that towns would be nice if much denser.

[sixstrings5859]

Your work is simply amazing ! Thanks for all the work and time ! Regards, Scott

[rince33]

Thank you Scott, current wip, low poly building models. Photo real textures lifted from a Bob2wov city scenery sheet. I downloaded some shopfronts off Google so there will be a few more shop variations.


https://i.postimg.cc/GtVXFYVw/bandicam-2024-02-03-02-55-22-245.jpg

[rince33]

New buildings in position and an editing of the Ramsgate mos texture to a add more grey industrial look near the harbour. I can now start work on the other towns and cities.


https://i.postimg.cc/Pfvr1DCS/cfs3-2024-02-03-18-05-11.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/dtMQ60dw/cfs3-2024-02-03-18-02-58.jpg

[mongoose]

Some historical images of Dover

https://ibb.co/8bFWm19

https://ibb.co/hyCYksw

https://ibb.co/R9x1QJj

https://ibb.co/Mpv1H0W

[rince33]

Thank you for these, new maps and images are always welcome. I want to extend Dover further northwards though it will require another mos file to get the shape that I need. I will add roads and buildings to the existing mos/facility file to beef it up a bit. At the moment I don't want to get too caught up in accurate street maps or this project will take forever, though these maps are handy to get an idea of the shape and size of towns. I want to create generic towns and villages in France as well. I have the building textures, just have to create the models.

[rince33]

This is a continuation of the above post.

I realized a few posts back that there needs to be more terraced housing at Dover after looking at my screenshots. My original intention was to use my city model at Dover, but it was too large to fit between the two hills on either side, so I used my two village models as a compromise, but they contain more single house units than terraced. My intention now is to convert the larger village model into a town, featuring more streets and terraced style buildings which can be used at Dover.

[mongoose]

Well your work is already a great improvement on what was.:applause:

[rince33]

The Ramsgate harbour model wasn't totally finished. Sorted out some mesh alignment issues and neatened the harbour wall mapping, added Clive's trawler models, and the Ramsgate harbour is officially open for business.




https://i.postimg.cc/RVp7gFKs/cfs3-2024-02-05-11-58-43.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/PJ2Wsfcq/cfs3-2024-02-05-11-59-29.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/hj88s11T/cfs3-2024-02-05-12-04-47.jpg

[FireStorm II]

I've been following 'City Textures' for the last while
and I just love what you've done to the place!

Very nice work, Rince :)

[rince33]

Thanks FireStorm.:smile-new:

Some work done today on my wip village to town model conversion, some roads and quite a few terraced buildings added.


https://i.postimg.cc/2SHVRkY1/cfs3-2024-02-06-19-28-57.jpg

[sixstrings5859]

Awesome work ! Thanks so much for the effort and time put in. Regards,Scott

[rince33]

I lost a few days to real world issues, anyway this is WIP Folkestone harbour and town . Unfortunately the mos files flatten the coastal town and the water mesh will be elevated as well if I try to elevate the city mos files.

One way to elevate a portion of the city mos is to place a village mos behind the station at a higher altitude, it elevates a portion of the adjoining lower altitude city mos as well as the station.

Some buildings need to be removed close to the harbour and as well as a portion of the city mos texture that obscures the railway line. Cranes are present on the breakwater wall as well though they are flimsy models that tend to disappear at the slightest altitude.

I placed large factory models alongside the harbour to cover the movement of the coastline which shifts under the model as you fly over it, you can spot this effect in the screenshots.

https://i.postimg.cc/CKC0f7kZ/cfs3-2024-02-16-14-09-22.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/Jn1L3X5p/cfs3-2024-02-16-14-09-55.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/YSBk9ZGK/cfs3-2024-02-16-14-10-28.jpg

[gecko]

I'm loving these harbor models!

[gecko]

Your towns are looking really good. The only downside, as you have mentioned is that they flatten the terrain. It seems like some attention to the landclasses.xml and the landclass masks might solve some of the issues you've dealt with using the scenery approach instead of facilities. I don't think any of the existing scenery available for CFS3 is taking full advantage of the capabilities CFS3 offers, but I've not had time to look into it myself.

[rince33]

It really depends on what you want. The issue is only really a problem with this coastal city.

The landclass city masks are messy and only feature scattered single buildings that look crappy at lower altitudes where two city lanclasses meet. You have to see this for yourself to understand the issue, though they do look more natural at altitude. I am sometimes a bit torn between the two. They both have pros and cons. If you enjoy low flying in missions, the mos models are better, though generally in missions they both look better than what currently exists.

This all probably doesn't really matter when you are focused on mission way points and cockpit sights, so this project is probably one big waste of time.

I currently enjoy the work of placing these mos models which is why I go to the trouble, it is a relaxing hobby and it gives me the opportunity to listen to my favorite classical composers, keeping me out of mischief and dementia at bay.:smile-new: At the end of it I will probably go for landclass masks and harbour model mix...who knows, I will develop both options. I wont be replacing every town and city on the map anyway, just those near current mission paths.

[mongoose]

WRT only doing " just those near current mission paths", I would extend that a little. There are of course many main 'target' cities which would look better with your work; and I mean daytime activities, such as BoB daytime targets. Southampton and Portsmouth were oftern attacked during the daytime. including by Stukas. Dunkirk?? Other than those, I'm sure others can think of more.

Talking of terraced houses, I note that many were red brick, but heavily coated or darkened by coal fire smoke pollution, so if you like more red, albeit darkened? I note you already have some of those...

[rince33]

Southampton and Portsmouth were oftern attacked during the daytime. including by Stukas. Dunkirk??

Strangely enough, these three towns were developed by me in another sim. I created harbour models for both Southampton and Portsmouth. I edited the coastline in that particular map and created some generic harbour modules for general placement at Dunkirk. I have not visited these areas in this sim so I don't yet know the possibilities and limitations.

Thiis is my PORTSMOUTH model which would be easy enough to import into gmax and re-texture, though the problem is the variety of raised buildings needed, all with damage modeling, and possible shading issues which occur when such large harbour models connect with the terrain in Cfs3, not to mention whether the current coastline will allow for an accurate model.

In IL21946 all existing industrial buildings could be raised externally in a static model config file. In Cfs3 there are limited raised buildings including a few which I recently created and raised to the desired altitude in gmax.







https://i.postimg.cc/3Rdrf5Gc/2021-09-22-09-12-40.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/hPgWfRjR/2021-09-21-18-04-41.jpg

[mongoose]

Impressed.:applause:

[gecko]

Oh wow!:jawdrop:

[sixstrings5859]

Very nice ! My other love is IL-2 '46...

[Flamingskull5000]

Looks wonderful! What kind of hit does it cause FPS wise?

[rince33]

Lower end computers would probably struggle in certain areas like London of the il1946 mod. This was a sparsely populated map with few missions. I thought that I would populate areas close to mission routes with some simple objects, but it developed into a bit of a monster project with cliff and large harbour models.


The wip thread and mod release is here:

thread start:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,66206.0.html


mod release:
:https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,66206.0.ht
(https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,66206.372.html)

There were updates as the thread continues.

I haven't flown this sim in a while because of enemy ai squadrons taking an intense dislike of me personally and ignoring my squad mates. I find Cfs3 ai to be a bit more manageable.

[rince33]

I'm changing my roads to the right version which I think looks more natural, less stylised.


https://i.postimg.cc/Qt8N93WK/cfs3-2024-02-18-13-53-01.jpg

Made some textural changes to Hawkinge and Tangmere airfield which is featured here.

https://i.postimg.cc/fL8zYrx2/cfs3-2024-02-18-13-57-01.jpg

[rince33]

Bognor pier was back to front


https://i.postimg.cc/bwz9Ktkc/cfs3-2024-02-20-11-54-33.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/W3JGM6Lr/cfs3-2024-02-23-15-49-52.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/zG0F5GFL/cfs3-2024-02-23-15-49-13.jpg



Cantebury


https://i.postimg.cc/mrn3zpqB/cfs3-2024-03-01-15-19-33.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/CK5HKpcc/cfs3-2024-03-01-15-20-48.jpg

[SgtT]

Wow, amazing work!

[rbp71854]

WOW, the old girl is looking pretty good!!!!

[rince33]

This mod literally forces you to think out of the box.

The problem: How to increase the Dover town density without using another mos file and flattening the castle mount.


https://i.postimg.cc/1XYNCn9Z/cfs3-2024-02-07-20-29-36.jpg




The solution:

https://i.postimg.cc/Gh5kzN2s/bandicam-2024-03-03-15-22-15-720.jpg




https://i.postimg.cc/Jn5NqzD1/cfs3-2024-03-03-15-10-01.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/LXpkL1sC/cfs3-2024-03-03-15-11-16.jpg

i still need to tweak this, maybe remove some buildings.

[Shessi]

Looking very nice there R,

Yes, those roads in the last two pics, ie without the hard white borders, look so much more natural and realistic, spot on.

Would it be possible to put in more curved roads, or are they a problem to populate with buildings etc? That would add a bit more character and maybe give a sense of higher density.

Cheers

Shessi

[rince33]

Thanks Shessi.

I haven't really thought about curved roads, I suppose they would be tricky to populate with buildings, angled roads are difficult enough as it is.

The city and town roads are created from sections of the city landclass textures. I have added and removed parts where I saw fit to do so. I don't see myself creating any more large city sections though I may add more villages.

[Shessi]

Ok, NP, this is so far advanced from the standard CFS3 town/city anyway. When you've finished, it might be good for a laugh, to show a before and after shot of the town/city scape....

S

[mongoose]

[QUOTE=rince33;1330045]Bognor pier was back to front


https://i.postimg.cc/bwz9Ktkc/cfs3-2024-02-20-11-54-33.jpg

[QUOTE]

Well. being Bognor, no surprise there!:biggrin-new:

[rince33]

:biggrin-new::encouragement:

[rince33]

I spent some time this morning on the landclass city version of this mod. I Trimmed down a few cities and towns to 1940 represent standards. This action should also benefit fps.

There are some techniques using mos textures that could neaten the edges of cities and remove clumps of stray buildings between texture changes.

The main issue with the town and city mos/facility placements is that they pop in and out at a distance whereas the landclass cities don't, depending on your scenery budget. My mesh, scenery and texture budgets are set high to get the most out of this mod.

The landclass cities look pretty good at altitude though villages next to airfields like Tangmere look better with mos/facility building placements.


https://i.postimg.cc/bJPwfKpJ/cfs3-2024-03-04-10-36-34.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/RZj0XWYw/cfs3-2024-03-04-11-11-58.jpg
The placement mod version for comparison.

https://i.postimg.cc/W1D3GG52/cfs3-2024-02-16-13-29-57.jpg



I removed buildings to the left of the harbour on the outcrop.


https://i.postimg.cc/rFZsRnCn/cfs3-2024-03-04-11-10-32.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/1zw3T9x2/cfs3-2024-03-04-11-09-16.jpg

[MajorMagee]

I love it!

[rince33]

The main issue with the town and city mos/facility placements is that they pop in and out at a distance whereas the landclass cities don't, depending on your scenery budget.

A correction here. The landclass cities do pop in and out, but at a further distance.

Yeah.. I've been checking various cities and the result of the landclass layout isn't always favorable. It all depends on where two textures join, it can look quite crappy in places, and it cant be individually controlled for each city, which really is a pity.

[rince33]

LONDON EASTERN DOCK


https://i.postimg.cc/pVQxQwqs/cfs3-2024-03-06-12-54-38.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/2yxDzWVs/cfs3-2024-03-10-01-45-14.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/Fzvv5psb/cfs3-2024-03-10-01-48-01.jpg

[rbp71854]

Fantastic work! Each screenshot brings new goodies.

[MajorMagee]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Heinkel_He_111_over_Wapping%2C_East_London.jpg

[gecko]

LONDON EASTERN DOCK


https://i.postimg.cc/pVQxQwqs/cfs3-2024-03-06-12-54-38.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/2yxDzWVs/cfs3-2024-03-10-01-45-14.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/Fzvv5psb/cfs3-2024-03-10-01-48-01.jpg

YES!!!!!:redfire:

[rince33]

The harbour modular sections are my creation but the large warehouse is an imported il21946 model by Boomer. I added a damage model.

I will create a scaled down version for the dock section seen in the photo provided by MajorMagee. I was going to search for this photo online but now don't have to, so thanks for that. I downloaded it before for my il2 channel mod along with a stack of other 1940's photos that I deleted from my hdd to make space, thinking that I wouldn't need them again.

[Shessi]

Very impressive R!

Just a thought based on your pics. Is there a way of reducing or getting rid of trees in certain areas in CFS3? No criticism of your work, but IMO there are too many trees and they are far too big compared to the houses, which I think detracts slightly from your efforts. Possibly lighter shade of leaf green may be the answer?

Cheers

Shessi

[rince33]

Hi Shessi!

You can reduce the trees by lowering the composite scenery budget values. I generally enjoy a higher tree density when flying over fields and forests, which may affect the tree density in cities. It depends on your own personal preference.
One of the city landclass files I removed because it had an insane amount of trees caused by the tree fillmap.


See post #9 on page 1 of this thread.




I agree with the tree to building size comparison, though smaller trees would probably also have a thinning effect on forest density requiring more trees, lowering the frame rate. Bob2wov also has this building to tree size issue which also leads me to believe it's a Framerate boosting tactic. They are both old sims.

I have adjusted the contrast and added highlights to the tree texture, a personal choice. Stock trees are a bit lighter, though flat. There are things that you can adjust or keep to suite your own preference.

Nothing is final, it is all a wip and subject to change. Yesterday after completing the docks I added some more detail to one of the city landclass textures. So it goes. I will probably add more buildings to the eastern dock model as well at a later date. Constructive criticism is always welcome.:encouragement:

[rince33]

SOME PERIOD MUSIC


Frances Carroll & Her Coquettes Featuring Drummer Viola Smith. Viola died in 2020 at 107.




https://youtu.be/o5c_XZaArH4?t=1

https://i.postimg.cc/VkcQTDvK/x720-1039903620.jpg

[mongoose]

Very impressive R!

Just a thought based on your pics. Is there a way of reducing or getting rid of trees in certain areas in CFS3? No criticism of your work, but IMO there are too many trees and they are far too big compared to the houses, which I think detracts slightly from your efforts. Possibly lighter shade of leaf green may be the answer?

Cheers

Shessi

i think there would be practically 0 trees in the dockland; in fact I don't reme3mber many even back in the '70's when I taught in that area. The East End, Canning town and the whole dockland area was pretty depressing even then, as the Luftwaffe seems to show.

[mongoose]

SOME PERIOD MUSIC


Frances Carroll & Her Coquettes Featuring Drummer Viola Smith. Viola died in 2020 at 107.




https://youtu.be/o5c_XZaArH4?t=1

https://i.postimg.cc/VkcQTDvK/x720-1039903620.jpg

Great!:applause:

[Pat Pattle]

Excellent work Glen, as always! The docklands are a great addition!

[rince33]

Thanks Clive.

Just getting stuck into the next section. I spawn at Hornchurch and have to fly quite a distance to place and check objects, quite time consuming. I listened to a brilliant audio book of Frank Herbert's Dune that got me through the eastern dock last week. :) This week progress is a bit slower.

I'm still experimenting with the city landclass textures, trying to strike a balance between green and concrete grey backgrounds.


https://i.postimg.cc/fTC4vNyN/cfs3-2024-03-12-13-09-14.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/t44KSMnV/cfs3-2024-03-12-13-12-04.jpg

[Shessi]

Hawt diggigdy momma!

Jungle jazz at it's best...:applause:

I did a double take that there we were talking about CFS3 land classes, and then 1930's jazz dance bands...nice one Glen!

And yes G, with all the housing, industry and pollution, not much tree life in Docklands lol.


Cheers

Shessi

[rince33]

I halved the tree size and I think the cities look better now, so that was a good call Shessi.:encouragement:


https://i.postimg.cc/k4GHVxnR/cfs3-2024-03-14-09-45-59.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/FR6B07RW/cfs3-2024-03-14-12-41-56.jpg



IMAGE FROM POST 182 WITH THE SAME SETTINGS
https://i.postimg.cc/Fzvv5psb/cfs3-2024-03-10-01-48-01.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/d3TS6wZq/cfs3-2024-03-14-12-47-12.jpg

[rince33]

I've taken a break from this mod for a while.

The docks is still a wip. Ive taken a 2d approach, courtesy of Luftwaffe recon maps, to create the commercial dock layout which is non existent on the current map.

I created a building fillmap to achieve a treeless city landclass lso file, but the Sdk rgn2lso.exe tool does not work. I have read that the Sdk version is faulty. If anyone has the working version, an upload would be appreciated, if not.... it's all good, I like trees.

https://i.postimg.cc/XNZGK7NM/cfs3-2024-04-06-13-25-35.jpg

[mongoose]

Glad to see that you're still aroun; always good to have a break from a big project! looking good and I hope someone has ideas about the trees. Not sure why MS CFS3 developers were so keen on them!

[rince33]

Something different. I've always used reshade to get a sharper and and added contrast feel to my Hurri And Spit cockpit. These reshade settings do affect FPS, so I decided to edit the effects on the textures instead. The Hurricane texture is slightly blurred and causes the higher res gauge textures to pop out . This has always freaked me out a bit, so I edited the cockpit texture for a sharper and more realistic effect.
The Spitfire uses the Hurricane sight mechanism texture and I've added a bit of weathering to the flat black panel using the Hurri panel texture and also edited the joystick cover texture.

## If you use these please back up your originals first##

https://www.mediafire.com/file/tob6xleyv8cfhz4/cockpitmod+hurrandspit.7z/file



https://i.postimg.cc/bvB6MN7X/cfs3-2024-04-06-16-52-20.jpg



https://i.postimg.cc/nz9dtfxX/cfs3-2024-04-06-16-52-59.jpg



(https://www.mediafire.com/file/tob6xleyv8cfhz4/cockpitmod+hurrandspit.7z/file)

[gecko]

I've taken a break from this mod for a while.

The docks is still a wip. Ive taken a 2d approach, courtesy of Luftwaffe recon maps, to create the commercial dock layout which is non existent on the current map.

I created a building fillmap to achieve a treeless city landclass lso file, but the Sdk rgn2lso.exe tool does not work. I have read that the Sdk version is faulty. If anyone has the working version, an upload would be appreciated, if not.... it's all good, I like trees.

https://i.postimg.cc/XNZGK7NM/cfs3-2024-04-06-13-25-35.jpg

Fantastic work!

It also really highlights how much detail is missing from the stock terrain and water.

[MajorMagee]

FYSA, the cockpit download was blocked on my system with a Severe virus warning.

[Pat Pattle]

Looks superb Glen! I always look forward to seeing your progress. Can't wait to fly over it myself. :applause::applause::applause:

[rince33]

Thanks Clive, Mongoose and Gecko. The game map is based on a more modern map image and not 1940, a bit lazy on Microsoft's part. Once London is complete, I'll look at what can be done to Gravesend, Portsmouth and Southampton.




MajorMagee
FYSA, the cockpit download was blocked on my system with a Severe virus warning.




Wow! this is a first for me, and I've uploaded many mod files over the years. I placed the folder on my desktop and did a scan and picked up nothing, and my antivirus software is up to date.

The included folders contain just 3 recently edited texture files. I usually create new folders to contain my texture work, though this time I used existing game aircraft and shared folders, just deleting unneeded files.

This zip file contains just the three 'dds' texture files. See if this is blocked as well.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/8m1hm6bkhvra15g/cockpit+textures+only.7z/file


The hurri texture goes to the 'BoB_Hurricane_Mk1_Shared' and the two Spit files go to the 'Bob_spits shared' folder.

[MajorMagee]

It got blocked as well.

[rince33]

I'm still running Win7 64bit which may have something to do with it. This is the only issue that I can think of. I can install win 10 but there will be some programs that I still use that aren't compatible.

Quite a few people have already downloaded the original so it would be interesting to know if anyone else has had this problem.


All that I can say is that it's better to err on the side of caution.

[sdsbolt]

FWIW , I am able to download without warning

[rince33]

Thanks sdsbolt, It's probably a false positive in the Major's case.

I used winrar, try this one.


https://www.mediafire.com/file/7bcpn8xu0ujwfml/third+times+a+charm.rar/file

[rince33]

Ok, these are the individual texture files, hopefully this works for you Major.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/tgclj2w9itmxbus/spitfire_IA_c4.dds/file

(https://www.mediafire.com/file/tgclj2w9itmxbus/spitfire_IA_c4.dds/file)https://www.mediafire.com/file/ppn6zxnw8n81ogy/spitfire_IA_c1.dds/file

https://www.mediafire.com/file/wt8ptdfesa4xdc1/3gb_hurricane_1a_c1.dds/file











(https://www.mediafire.com/file/ppn6zxnw8n81ogy/spitfire_IA_c1.dds/file)

[MajorMagee]

Third time was a charm. RAR must be more acceptable to MS Windows Security.

[rince33]

The hurricane cockpit sharpening was a bit overdone. Here is a more subtle sharpening with contrast added.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/wt8ptdfesa4xdc1/3gb_hurricane_1a_c1.dds/file

https://i.postimg.cc/fLKjn9fy/cfs3-2024-04-14-16-03-20.jpg

[rince33]

Did some work on this today and I think this section is done.


https://i.postimg.cc/brw0zwmT/cfs3-2024-04-14-16-07-46.jpg

[mongoose]

IIRC I changed the shoreline dds to make it either green or more matching as that's a -ve aspect of CFS3 which some new mapers are thinking about for rivers and lakes.

[rince33]

I imported part of my Portsmouth il2 model into the game. Here it sits in my creation pit where I'm using a battleship model to adjust the scale. It may still be a bit too big. Next step will be to place it in it's final position and hopefully it fits. I wont get too exited about this until I complete this step. Pain in the arse texture mapping will then proceed.

https://i.postimg.cc/qqSvqpsn/cfs3-2024-04-15-14-21-53.jpg

[gecko]

Very cool! What Battleship model is that? I don't recognize it.

[rince33]

Hi gecko, it's the 'b_battleship' model. I was looking for the Rodney or one of the other battleships of the period, but I have the eto downloaded but not installed, so I don't know whether these are available in that package.

The model in position. The second part, still to be imported will fit alongside. I will have to add fake water to cover the land bits, not ideal, no reflections, but it's the only alternative for now.





https://i.postimg.cc/85sFzK22/cfs3-2024-04-15-17-49-53.jpg

[gecko]

On the subject of fake water for a model, it can have reflections and even bump mapping of waves if you make it a reflective material or use a specular map. It will not have animation, and bombs and bullets hitting it will not leave water splashes. On second thought, animations could be possible if different LODs are created each with a different texture, mimicking the different water animation textures found in the effects/fxtextures folder. As the player's distance to the model changes, the different textures would be displayed in order, creating the animation.

b_battleship is apparently HMS Norfolk.

[rince33]

Thanks for the info. I'll mess around with specular values in gmax for the water material.

[rince33]

I flew a fun Bob mission recently involving some HE111H2's and the colours bothered me. I did some research and did a bit of editing using Warnecke & Böhm RLM colours and this is about as close as I got.

https://i.postimg.cc/br71Vp1T/cfs3-2024-04-16-12-43-01.jpg


According to a RLM article:

The paint chips commissioned from Warnecke & Böhm GmbH are of interest in that they were provided by one of the Luftwaffe's principal suppliers. The reference in L.Dv. 521/1 (1941) to the formulations "of an original manufacturer" is, in fact, to Warnecke & Böhm, whose Ikarol lacquers could be applied in one coat and were in such demand that they were produced under license by ten different subcontractors, many their former competitors. The chips are certified to be authentic, having been matched to the manufacturer's own archived material and by spectrophotometric analysis to original paint specimens. Indeed, they are "the most accurate and authentic source for actual color standards" as specified by the RLM. The publisher is more cautious, however, and feels compelled to comment that paint often was thinly applied and varied from company to company. Merrick and Hitchcock prudently limit their remarks to the subtle variations even in official color cards and say only that their listing of color chips is comprehensive. But their publisher is not as circumspect and guarantees them to be "perfect matches to the originals in both color and finish" and the work itself "the most authoritative and complete record of paint samples and related material yet published."

[rince33]

I flew a fun Bob mission recently involving some HE111H2's and the colours bothered me. I did some research and did a bit of editing using Warnecke & Böhm RLM colours and this is about as close as I got.

https://i.postimg.cc/br71Vp1T/cfs3-2024-04-16-12-43-01.jpg


According to a RLM article:

The paint chips commissioned from Warnecke & Böhm GmbH are of interest in that they were provided by one of the Luftwaffe's principal suppliers. The reference in L.Dv. 521/1 (1941) to the formulations "of an original manufacturer" is, in fact, to Warnecke & Böhm, whose Ikarol lacquers could be applied in one coat and were in such demand that they were produced under license by ten different subcontractors, many their former competitors. The chips are certified to be authentic, having been matched to the manufacturer's own archived material and by spectrophotometric analysis to original paint specimens. Indeed, they are "the most accurate and authentic source for actual color standards" as specified by the RLM.