Visual Flight Forums
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Shep
2265 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Aug 2005 : 11:19:21
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Autogen guide tutorial Download from : -
http://shepsshed.com/autogentrees.htm
I have many emails requesting information on getting started with Autogen so I thought a few notes on how best to start and also a few tips I picked up along the way would help. Hopefully, other folk could add more tips that they find useful.
Tools required: -
Autogen SDK, from Microsoft, contains the Annotator.exe program, a stand-alone application used for creating and/or modifying .agn files used to display Autogen objects in Flight Simulator. Download from: -
http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator/fs2004_downloads_sdk.asp#autogen
Also needed is TCalc2004 - an invaluable tool for identifying the .bmp’s required location in FS. Do a search for tcalc_0.zip - (you want TCalc2004 for FS2004) from AVSIM : -
http://www.avsim.com/
I used Annotator to start in Autogen (advise - start with Annotator to get the hang of it) but now use AGenT as it has a larger working area and the Polygon draw mode is quicker for doing large areas of trees. It’s in BETA at the moment but Lars, the author, has developed this superior autogen placement tool that will also place many other objects. Download from: -
http://my.chillstation.de/agent/index.php
Tips:
Trees - In Annotation Properties, Custom Vegetation - 12.000000/24.000000, as a rough guide, for both Deciduous and Coniferous1 with relative density split equal and overall density 100. I use 12/34 in large wooded areas as the FS2004 limit is 600 items including buildings and trees and the larger trees will help fill up a dense tree area. In the early days of ‘planting’ I had tiles containing 1 to 2000 objects on one tile when only 600 items will show in FS.
When ‘planting’ trees along roads make sure you have the tree slightly back from the tree shadow, otherwise when the road lights are added they will clash with the trees. Also try to place trees over the black shadow blob when in the middle of a field, or even slightly back from a shadow. The problem with slightly back is they all have to be the same to represent the position of the sun and that will make more work.
When using buildings in the country have only the top slider to the right - the rest full left, otherwise you get skyscrapers in the fields.
If using Annotator, try the following - Press Select(S) on the Control Panel and draw around one or more tree ‘squares’ Now go to Edit and in the drop down menu press copy and finish off by pressing Paste(A) in Control. Now you can click the left mouse and the tree or group of trees will ‘plant’ as many times as you want at the position you click on.
I work on the principle that a tree square drawn oblong or square normally will equal 1 tree - no matter how big the square - try drawing large squares on a tile and then check what displays in FS. A small square drawn to equal 1 tree will enable more trees to display but with larger squares you only get a few trees inside the square and will not cover a dense tree area too well.
Keyboard short cuts -
Alt V O
Brings up FS view options then select top down view (3.8 miles)
Ctrl S
Toggles between the top down view and spot view
Alt O E D
Brings up the FS Settings-Display to alter the Autogen slider from extremely dense to very dense and show the user the Autogen that’s been installed (always return the slider to extremely dense) This operation saves the job of restarting the FS Sim to check the autogen placement.
Get in the habit, at the end of a days ‘treeing’, to do a search of the relevant texture directory and search for agn by date, file altered, select all and copy to a pre-made folder representing the area in use.
A note on installing your downloaded Autogen.
Do remember that some designers will store their finished agn Autogen files in a folder representing the area they were designed for and when you extract to that area volume, texture folder, you have not extracted the agn files - just the folder, so the agn files will not display until the individual agn files are placed in the actual texture folder.
Hope you find the above helps a little.
Shep |
My WEB Site: http://www.shepsshed.com/autogentrees.htm |
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VisualFlight
7202 Posts |
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Shep
2265 Posts |
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Ninja Mouse
1234 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2005 : 04:39:32
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It's at times like these I realise who the real "nuts" are.......
Morning Shep..... Up all night or just getting up? |
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Shep
2265 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2005 : 11:11:29
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Hi Ninja - early to bed - early to rise.
It was a power cut at 8pm that eventually sent me to bed early. No PC, no TV, no light to read with so the best solution was bed.
I was in the middle of doing something important on the PC at the time of the cut - typical - so I was up and about at 2.30am trying to put it right. I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed by 4.30am 
Shep |
My WEB Site: http://www.shepsshed.com/autogentrees.htm |
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Tim
373 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2005 : 12:56:46
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And what's your excuse for such an early start Ninja?
Are you still looking for info' on the London Olympic proposals?
The Institution of Civil Engineers recently sent-out a special issue containing quite a lot of conceptual artwork which gives a pretty good idea of what is intended at this stage.
As always, the implementation will change somewhat as it moves from concept to reality.
If you want it, I could mail it to you - but you'll have to give me a mailing address.
Tim |
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Shaunus82
180 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2007 : 23:23:32
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Hi Shep,hope you see this. I was installing your London Autogen,when I ran into a couple of problems. First I could not find the bridges01.bgl & bridges.bgl,which you said had to be renamed. I even done a search for them in the FS9 Scenery folder. Second,I could not find the treescn.zip scenery,that was mentioned in your fairoaksAPI.zip. It says in the readme,that the scenery is available from your Autogen Page.
I do have VFRLondon and UK2000 parts 1-7,plus Heathrow Pro installed.
Any help on this one please.
Shaun |
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CeeGee
651 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2007 : 01:48:58
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Have you installed the FS9.1 Update?
Colin |
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Shep
2265 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2007 : 04:48:52
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bridges.bgl found in Generic folder -
x:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Scenery\Generic\scenery
treescn.zip This file is no longer needed as it was replaced with newer .xml trees but my site is down so can't check the page for you.
Shep
Edit - site back up now and the replacements for treescn.zip found - http://www.shepsshed.com/xmltrees.htm |
My WEB Site: http://www.shepsshed.com/autogentrees.htm |
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Shaunus82
180 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2007 : 18:41:00
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Ok thanks for that very much Shep.
Yes Colin,I do have FS9.1 update installed.
Thanks guys
Shaun |
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by admin — last
modified 2006-04-17 16:44
Autogen Guide
