AI and roads

[icebreakr 3159]

I've edited my post above with an image, see it for yourself ;)

[bravo 6 0]

ah yes, i remember now..

yes, since the sizes are different, the images won't match the terrain.

Do you really want to know what i did when that same thing happened to me?

... i did my sat image all over again from scratch and then i added more details to the image. Use lower altitude with bigger image size and in the end resize it to 5120x5120.

I know it sucks.. an its a terrible solution, but thats what happened to me with Al Amiriya long time ago.

If you are going to resize the image to fit the terrain you will lose details.

[icebreakr 3159]

I really hate this BIS "undocumented features" that take days to figure out... problem is that my texture already is at 5120x5120. I'm checking the corners now and filling them with "fake" sat-image instead of blue (unused terrain underwater)...

Edit:

oh well, it seems that 5120x5120 satimage has an offset or something. I draw a border of orange color all around 5120x5120 png and this is what buldozer shows :)

Edited May 7, 2009 by IceBreakr

[bravo 6 0]

I know what you mean and i understand your point, though i believe for ArmA2 BIS did not use the "crappy" Visitor3 like we do for our terrains. I bet they have a more sophisticated tool, with better features time to time, so why would they lose precious time making an official Document that would be sooner outdated?

Try to look for the positive side: BIS did in fact release some tools for us community, thats good enough. ;)

[icebreakr 3159]

I understand, but there must be solution. I did further tests:

Data: 512x512 terrain, 10m cell size, 5120x5120 satimage&mask

Texture layer:

10x10m - AI doesn't know how to use roads / satimage works perfeclty

20x20m - AI does use the road but stops every 100-200meters and then proceeds / satimage works perfeclty

40x40m - AI drives on roads like a pro :) / satimage doesn't work (pics above in this post)

Edited May 7, 2009 by IceBreakr

[bravo 6 0]

The best solution i already posted: Create a hole new sat image (bigger then 5120x5120 then reduce to 5120x5120 for more detail) or edit the one you have.

I know the work and time it takes, but its the only way to assure your sat image gets a fair detail and to fit in the 40x40m option (the one that only works properly for AI).

[icebreakr 3159]

It doesn't matter bravo 6, I even tried making 10240x10240, I'm just too close to the BIS border heh ;)

To see what happens in 20x20 and 40x40 texture layer, here's a shot of SOUTHEASTERN part of map/island:

http://www.vojak.si/photos/pic20x20.jpg

http://www.vojak.si/photos/pic40x40.jpg

[bravo 6 0]

Well in my opinion you still miss a lot of visual area image on the terrain.

Is your data from google earth?

If so, you could add what is missing to the original file without losing the rest that is done already. You could print again the rest, using the same altitude and then glue to whats done. Not sure if it would affect the position of what is placed in the map compared to the image.

[icebreakr 3159]

Already tried stitching even sat data all the way to the border - same shit. Now I'm experimenting with 6144x6144 and 4096x4096 sat/mask ;)

[bravo 6 0]

eep! :\

my crappy computer can't handle such size in visitor3, so i can't tell you in forehand.

Good luck.

edit: ah never mind.. i thought you were saying 40960x40960 sat/mask instead.

[Nicholas Bell 0]

I'm just too close to the BIS border

True. You lose the sat map around the edges of the map. This lost area appears to be 1/2 the size of your segment. So if you are using a 512 pixel segment you lost about 256 pixels.

Must admit I've never seen the problem with the colors like that though....:confused:

Remember Visitor uses the lower left hand segment to create the endless border around the map. This will get rid of the alternating striped areas around the edge. You need to create the paa file by hand and put it in your layers folder before you binarize the map.

If you want to get rid of edge problem there are 2 solutions, neither which is easy.

1. Change your heightmap and push your coastline farther away from the edge of the map. Of course this will force you to rework the sat map around the shore and relocate any objects.

2. Place your island on a larger map. Create a new 10,240 map (10 meter cells, 40x40 texture size). Use the Change Canvas size tool of your graphics editor to make the height map, mask and satellite image 10,240x10,240 and import.

[icebreakr 3159]

Thank you Nick, I feel relieved now. I will think of something... for now I'm working on 20x20m tex layer.

[bravo 6 0]

meaning you will have problems with AI correct?

[icebreakr 3159]

Nah, finished MP coop test with my squad, AI performs OK on 20x20.

[bravo 6 0]

hum... so AIs can drive in roads without problem?

Another thing, your terrain will run less smooth then it would run if you used 40x40m in edit option. Just to let you know.

[icebreakr 3159]

I've converted the island to 1024x1024 today. Is there any way to export/import all the Artificial & Nature objects and Road types from old .PEW to the new one?!

[.kju 3245]

v3 scripts. Object export-import.

[bravo 6 0]

v3 scripts. Object export-import.

Problem is that your objects/roads will not keep their angle, altitude if you edited them in buldozer.

So for me that script is simply useless.

[icebreakr 3159]

That scripts actually doesn't work for Roads and Keypoint markers ;)

At the end I've used copy & paste, although crappy Visitor is way 2 slow when you're moving around 100,000+ objects :) and yes, I will have to redo all the roads and textures...

[bravo 6 0]

i wouldn't suggest you to do copy paste.

If you do it you might have problems, such as, there might be objects you don't see I'm visitor but they actually exist. and you will not be able to delete them from visitor3 because you cant see them.

As for roads i suggest you to export them one by one, saving the angle of the main part.

When you want to import the roads, one by one, you put a main road with the correct angle and then import the road file. And there you have a perfect imported road with the exact angle.

Don't do Copy & Paste!

edit: ha.. once you import the road(s) you need to terminate (A and B) in all roads again because Import, Export don't do it.

[icebreakr 3159]

Heh, roads are practically unusable, since terrain is 50% bigger and curves need to be made again. So, I'm starting from the scratch. Copypaste works OK if you have exactly the same objects in Nature/Artificial present in the new PEW.

[bravo 6 0]

I Am telling you if you copy paste, you might have issues like i had before. So don't copy paste roads!

[icebreakr 3159]

I won't.... roads are made from scratch :)