answered Icebergs near Orcas Island and Vancouver Island.

[paulk]

Hi

 

I wondered if someone may be able to assist me please.

 

I am using a freeware file which provides 10m Mesh for the whole of Vancouver Island. (downloaded from Flightsim.to - planeguy04-vc-island-full) It is very good, but I have noticed an issue, Icebergs out to the east in the sea from Victoria and high cliff areas around the Victoria area. 

 

I have carried out some investigation and found that when the freeware 10m mesh is used on its own I have no issues, when used with all my other payware and freeware files in my Community Folder I have the issue. After much research I have found the offending scenery, it is Orbx KORS (Orcas Island). 

 

Further investigation carried out and I have found that the offending file within the Orbx KORS > Scenery > World > Scenery > ORBX_ORCAS_MSFS_SHAPE_FILES.BGL. If I remove this .BGL file everything then seems fine with the exception of a few floating cars around the KORS Harbour car park.

 

Is anyone at Orbx able to offer assistance as to why this file should cause such mesh issues around southern Vancouver Island? or if a fix could be supplied.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

Icebergs East of Victoria heading towards Orcas Island. - As I fly near to them they pop out of sight as if to go back to normal levels.

 

 

Floating car at Orcas Island.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jon Clarke]

Thanks for the observation. I would however say that it is a chicken and egg situation regarding mesh.

KORS works fine without the freeware mesh, and the freeware mesh works fine without KORS

I doubt that Orbx would be looking to offer a fix for an anomaly created by a freeware addon.

Have you addressed this issue also with the mesh developer?

We could ask @Ed Correia to comment from an Orbx management perspective as I am unable to answer definitively on behalf of the Orbx devs.

[paulk]

Hi Jon thanks for your answer. I’ve been working with the Mesh developer to try and assist him. Sadly he doesn’t own Orbx KORS scenery so has hit a stop. If Ed is able to comment it would be nice but appreciate they are busy and I am commenting about a freeware file Orbx have no input to.

 

If Ed is about to offer a description of what ORBX_ORCAS_MSFS_SHAPE_FILES.BGL does it may be of assistance 

 

Thanks in advance 

[Holger Sandmann]

Hi Paul,

 

those MSFS bgl files can actually be loaded into the TMFViewer tool from the FSX/P3D SDK to examine their content and coverage area. In this case the file contains local terraforming and object/vegetation exclusion polygons limited to northern Orcas Island and Sucia Islands. Those are the yellow polygons I've circled in red. The blue water layer I just added for spatial reference.

 

I don't know why the freeware mesh would be affected in other areas but that's probably due to nature of how it was made, presumably one of those heightmap mesh files. Heightmaps are essentially complex terraforming rectangles meant for airports and local adjustments. Since they work at the same priority level as other terraforming polygons (unlike a MSFS native mesh file compiled to .CGL format), conflicts of this nature are inevitable. The usual workaround is to remove the mesh heightmaps in the overlap areas.

 

Cheers, Holger

[paulk]

Hi Holger, its great to hear from you and many thanks for your detailed reply.

 

Thanks for explaining what the ORBX_ORCAS_MSFS_SHAPE_FILES.BGL file does and how it works.

 

I will take your explanation and advise the freeware mesh developer of your comments also.

 

 

 

[Ed Correia]

As Holger mentioned, the author of the freeware mesh has used that popular heightmap tool for making this mesh. 
 

This tool has the ability to exclude areas where they affect 3rd party airports. 

https://msfs.nool.ee/tools/elev/

[paulk]

Thanks Ed, appreciate you taking the time to provide some feedback.