NZFF

I am seeing some weird effects in my lovely VLC - Lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka and Rotorua all have strange looking shorelines, and 'reefs' in the water.
I can switch these on or off by activating/deactivating the VLC DTM in the Scenery Library.
I am using FSX Gold, Win7x64.
Haven't found anything in the forums - has anyone else seen this?
Can anyone identify the texture? - it actually looks quite good as a rock slab shoreline, but I am pretty sure it should not be there at all. Looks like bleedthrough.
All suggestions/advice appreciated.
MikeW

[attachment=571:VLC_reefs01.jpg]

[attachment=572:VLC_reefs02.jpg]

[attachment=573:VLC_reefs03.jpg]

[attachment=574:VLC_reefs04.jpg]

[attachment=575:VLC_reefs05.jpg]

[attachment=576:VLC_reefs06.jpg]

Hi,
I´m glad, I´m not alone! I saw this reefs in Lake Wakatipu too. Looking forward to any solution.
sandman

Hmm....have you got the latest VLC/ patched it?

This looks to be an issue with 'draped' water polygons which VLC doesn't use on lakes.....so it's odd.
With those, where the slope exceeds a certain amount, it automatically re-classes to rock- Because the lakes are large areas with no terrain info, the interpolation tends to do some funny things. In a properly working VLC install, the lakes use flat water polygons which cover any errors in the mesh.

In other words, something isn't right with either your install of VLC or something may have been changed in your simulation configuration (i.e. terrain.cfg changes) which has changed FSX water polygons to the draped water polygon type..

Timmo wrote:

QUOTE (Timmo @ Sep 9 2012,9:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hmm....have you got the latest VLC/ patched it?

Hello, Timmo - thanks for the quick response.

I downloaded VLC101Install.zip from Godzone on 7/5/12.
It contains

VLC101Install
/VLCmanual.pdf 15/12/2010 7:54pm 484KB
/VLCSetup.exe 26/04/2011 4:17pm 353,876KB

Cheers
MikeW

Ok- In that case, can I ask if you are using any of the 'modified' terrain.cfg files that are available at Avsim etc? I can only think that this has changed the definition of these polygons to the older 'draped' style which would cause the issues here.

I've checked a couple of the locations that you are having issues in and they are fine on my system.

If the answer is 'no' to the modded terrain.cfg, can you send one of the cvx_Base_*.bgl files in your VectorLandClass/Scenery folder to vectorlandclass@gmail.com so I can check that the correct polygons definitions are there?.....Im pretty sure they will be....

O boy, what a day
I think I will have to strip my FSX back to basics and start again.
In the course of trying to find out what was doing this, I looked at many files, and then found that every shortcut on my desktop had been reset to open with Notepad, which of course only showed the compiled file contents.
Why does MS make the default 'Always open this filetype with...' ?
Fortunately I had a very recent restore point.
Anyway, having finally managed to un-install and reinstall VLC, I saw no change.
Leave it with me - lots of people have installed this with no probs, so it is mostly likely something in my setup. Can't do anything until late Tuesday at the earliest. Watch this space.

ATB
MikeW

There are so many variations adds and Not s , with a complete reinstall , just follow it by the letter , take your time , its so easy to miss a required button and the problem come SP1/2 or the many extras , any other scenery package for this region or a world wide texture package , do not install .... start directly with Brissy home area then pan oujt.

Timmo wrote:

QUOTE (Timmo @ Sep 9 2012,6:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok- In that case, can I ask if you are using any of the 'modified' terrain.cfg files that are available at Avsim etc? I can only think that this has changed the definition of these polygons to the older 'draped' style which would cause the issues here.

I've checked a couple of the locations that you are having issues in and they are fine on my system.

If the answer is 'no' to the modded terrain.cfg, can you send one of the cvx_Base_*.bgl files in your VectorLandClass/Scenery folder to vectorlandclass@gmail.com so I can check that the correct polygons definitions are there?.....Im pretty sure they will be....

Timmo - I did find a terrain.cfg with a preamble saying it changed the polygons. It was not in the main FSX folder, but in a folder I use for assembling/checking stuff before moving it into FSX. As a precaution I renamed it to take it out of play, even though it was not in the main FSX folder. I am pretty sure it came from a scenery for the Tuamotus, or possibly a New Caledonia one.
I should get a chance to look at it tonight. I'm sure you're on the right track.
Thanks
MikeW

Ok let me know

Timmo wrote:

QUOTE (Timmo @ Sep 10 2012,4:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok let me know

Timmo, Ian - it's fixed. I am pretty sure I must have made the initial install without setting the FTX Central switcher to 'Default'.
What I did to fix it:
Timmo's advice about a modified Terrain.cfg rang a lot of bells. I had already found one, so I looked for others. I found a lot, so I moved every last one to a folder on my Desktop, to get them out of the way. (must remember to put the FS9 ones back)
Started FSX, and got a message that Terrain.cfg was missing or corrupt - Good! that proved there were no strays lying around.
Put the FSX Gold DVD Disk 1 into a networked machine, cancelled the install, and had a look at the files on the DVD.
Found terrain.cfg in FSX Disk 1:\program files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator X
Copied that file to my main FSX folder on the flying machine.
Checked FTX switcher was set to Default - got a message it could not access terrain.cfg (it was set to 'read only', because I had copied it from the DVD, not installed it)
Deleted VLC and VLC DTM from Scenery Library, then uninstalled as described in the VLC manual
Reinstalled VLC
Started FSX - Active runway at Rotorua - no weird shorelines or reefs !
Exited FSX, Changed Properties on terrain cfg from Read Only, set FTX switcher to AUstralia.
Started FSX, Active runway at Rotorua, still looking good, just the yellow houses.
Exited, redid the Oceania textures fix, back to Rotorua, no reefs and nice houses.
Since then, half-a-dozen or more switchings from VLC to FTX and back, no probs.

Many thanks for your help. The attachment tells its own story , I think. Notice the extended header info was not included in the FTX file.I am not favourably impressed with that.

Cheers
MikeW
[attachment=577:VLC__sho...ine_prob.txt]

Hi,
5 days without internet - a nightmare! Now I read your recommendation today, replaced my terrain.cfg with the file from a (fortunately) saved clean installation and Lake Wakatipu looks fine now.
Thank you
sandman