Hi Frank..>> 'calls'- Did you mean to say 'uses'? <<
Sorry, Frank. Yes. When you create a bgl file, the
code in the bgl creates 3d objects, or ground tiles,
or whatever.
For these objects to display in FS, they need a
texture file which is 'painted' on the object 'on
the fly' by FS.
For example, to plot a hangar at your local airfield,
you cause your code to 'write' a suitable shaped box
at the correct location, plotting one side at a time,
including the roof. As you plot each plane (i.e. wall
or roof, not aircraft) you arrange for your code to
'call' the correct texture to place over that wall
that you have just created (otherwise the wall will
not be visible, or may be seen as a plain coloured
shape). The texture is merely a picture, drawn to the
correct scale, which is placed on your wall.
So your hangar would be plotted so:
Draw North wall.
Call North Wall texture
Draw South wall.
Call South wall texture....and so on.
You eventually end up with a box 'painted' with
pictures all over it, which now looks like a
hangar. This is plotted by FS in real time, and may
take just a few microseconds.
That is a very simplified description, of course.
You hafta take into account the order in which your
hangar is plotted by FS, i.e. is it in front of that
aircraft which may be near the hangar, or behind it ?
Which side (or roof section) should be plotted first
...or last ? That is controlled in FS using the 'Z'
buffer in your Video card, which 'places' or plots
objects in their correct order...distant objects first,
then nearer items, until the frame is completed, then
on to the next frame, but that is another story..
>>How do you convert R8s to BMP...<<
The FS2000 SDK (Scenery Development Kit) was released
by MS in about May, 2000 I think. One of the tools
included was 'Imagetool', which will read R8 files
and convert them to bmps. However the R8 file must
be renamed as a BMP file first <g> (So Imagetool
can create a 'header' for FS to use). Sounds awfully
complicated, but is really very simple when taken
one step at a time. There is one snag, however. If
you wish to change the textures to 'BMP' files, the
bgl file must be rewritten to 'call' the BMPs, instead
of the R8s...
>>..and what is the result ? <<
Well, the BMP format (I think it is short for Windows
Bitmap) allows for far more versatile effects, e.g.
lighting, shading, animation, special effects etc
in FS. The R8 format was rather limited, and the
later BMP format is much more efficiently used by
your video card in FS. It is the change to BMP's that
allows all those special effects we now take for
granted, like afterburners, sunsets, smoke and fog
effects etc.
I would suggest, Frank, if you really wish to look
into the workings of bgls and texture files, it would
be well worth downloading the SDK, just to read the
docs. The Scenery SDK is the section which digs into
the nitty gritty of textures and bgls.
It is well worth a peek. I've long forgotten, and
mislaid the URL for the SDK, but a search of the
MS FS Site should find it.
(MS have not released a FS2002 SDK, yet <g>).
Sorry, but I'm certainly no expert. I know just
enough to create my own local airfield, and I'm
currently struggling to update everything to fit
in with the VFR UK scenery by Just Flight <g>.
As for those Senior Moments, well, it IS taking
longer and longer...
Regards
BillC
Sorry, Frank. Yes. When you create a bgl file, the
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