Need Help Flattening Terrain For Airfields

[+JSF_Aggie]

I'm having an issue placing airfields.  I've tried flattening the ground via Gerwin's TFDTool and TW's Terrain Editor, but I still have the problem shown in the screenshots below.

 

The TFDTool says the area is completely flat.

 

For the Terrain Editor, my CityList has the airfield box checked, randomness = 0, and I've tried width/height values of 2km - 6km.  You can see in game, that it makes the flat circle where it should, but the problem below exists when you get close.  I've tried with/without  using "Smooth Height Field" prior to "Level Airfield".

 

I'm pointing to the DESERT.CAT, and my _types.INI file matches the stock desert_types.INI.

 

My terrain's _data.ini matches the stock desert_data.ini with the obvious exception of the terrain tiles.

 

Only my sea transition tiles have a _HM.BMP assigned to them.  For example:

 

[Texture068]
Filename=sand1.BMP
HasWater=0
Color=0.858675,0.710850,0.489428
SolidObjectTexture=
AlphaObjectTexture=

 

Can anyone offer any help or suggestions?  Thanks.

 

[+Brain32]

Try exporting the heightmap as bitmap and edit it in photoshop, I have no idea why that happens but that's how I used to solve those things...it made me completely f**** crazy so I know what you are going through...

[+DoctorQuest]

I hope you get it fixed! I would love an Edwards AFB terrain.

 

Good luck! It looks pretty darned good right now.

[+Wrench]

airfields should be 5x5 km in squareness (or maybe roundness?) minimum. For runways 1,4,5 & 6 I use 6x6

 

land water transitions should read

 

HasWater=1

 

tiles without water, shouldn't even have the HasWater= statement

 

I'm surprised you've gotten Gerwins tool to flatten anything ... all it does form me when adjusting HFD is lockup and crash. I do it ALL in TE.

 

do you just copy/paste the new HFD into the terrain folder, and allow the overwrite?

Try this:

rename the HFD to today's date (as a safety backup --8-24-2013***.HFD), then, generate the new one, and drop it in.

 

also double check the coordinates in the 'edit cities' dropdown.

 

I don't even generate full city lists anymore. I just create one, with only the one city (airfield) listed, and do it that way. I'd asked TK about that several years ago, and that's what he said to do.

 

So, I have a "kj-*nameofterrain*-cities.ini, with only the one at a time to be leveled region listed. That way, it won't mess up any others.

 

of course, I'll be glad to look at if you want (of course, I"ll need the terrain's TE -so I don't have to build a new one, and the terrain itself)

Edited August 24, 2013 by Wrench
meant HFD but wrote TFD

[+JSF_Aggie]

I'll try doing it with only one city in the CITYLIST, one at a time.  If that doesn't work I'll try the editing the heightmap .BMP.

 

Wrench, if you look at all the non-water tile entries in the stock _data.ini's, they all have: "HasWater=0".  I assume "0" is the default, so not having that keyword probably equates to the same thing.

 

I've done all those things to make sure I'm running with the correct .HFD.  I can also tell by the fact that each time I increase width and height values, my flattened circle gets larger.

 

I'll keep plugging away at it.

 

Thanks guys

[+JSF_Aggie]

Doing the heightmap .BMP route gave the exact same errors, the runway would be low in the same spot (ground pops through), or high in the same spot (aircraft's wheels sink halfway through the runway)

 

However, giving the tiles a flat _hm.bmp fixes it, but I've never had to do this before.

 

[Texture068]
Filename=sand1.BMP
HasWater=0
HeightMap=sand_hm.BMP
HeightMapScale=1.000000
Color=0.858675,0.710850,0.489428
SolidObjectTexture=
AlphaObjectTexture=

[+russouk2004]

If I finish RAF St AThans...anyone want to get it in game for me?...lol

Edited August 24, 2013 by russouk2004

[+Wrench]

it that a MAX render??

is that ONE piece?? meaning, all one lod?? or tile plus lods

 

and how big is it???

[+gerwin]

Doing the heightmap .BMP route gave the exact same errors, the runway would be low in the same spot (ground pops through), or high in the same spot (aircraft's wheels sink halfway through the runway)

 

However, giving the tiles a flat _hm.bmp fixes it, but I've never had to do this before.

 

[Texture068]

Filename=sand1.BMP

HasWater=0

HeightMap=sand_hm.BMP

HeightMapScale=1.000000

Color=0.858675,0.710850,0.489428

SolidObjectTexture=

AlphaObjectTexture=

 

Old post, I know.

 

This is the same issue I once had with an airfield. It was caused by having wrong 'tag' values for tiles below the airfield, 'tag' must be zero IIRC.

[+JSF_Aggie]

Thanks gerwin, I'll check