G3 Custom Photofield File Structure?

[Bucko]

I have been trying to understand the structure for the set of files G3 generates when creating custom photofields. By my count, a total of 16 new files are created and one unique folder. All of these are ordered precisely and it is this order or structure which I am trying to understand.

Specifically I would like to be able to save these sets of files for use after a re-install of G3, and I would like to be able to share these photofields with another G3 user without his having to Import the Raw Panorama Image...

Note that both my friend and I are using Ver. 410 and cannot currently update to the Ver. 430 (and do not wish to update until the new Ver. is a bit more refined).

My outline of the G3 photofield file structure is shown in the attached txt file below (somehow the tab formatting is lost when I post this directly). The attachment shows the set of new custom photofield files referenced as "NewField" files complete with the various file extensions and specific file locations within the total structure.

When I copy all of the set of files shown and paste each of them to the proper locations on my friend's computer, the NewField site appears in the Custom Photofield Menu, but the NewField itself will not display properly... The error states: Could not find PhotoField "NewField". Note that despite this error the program runs and the aircraft itself displays properly and even flies but there is no field image at all just a gray screen...

When my friend uses the Import Raw Panorama Image function of G3 to directly import the panorama image itself, the program generates the appropriate set of files for the new field and it will run properly on his system, so his computer is capeable of running these photofields.

Are there other specific necessary files or file locations which I have not yet discovered? What am I missing here? Can anyone offer some insights...?

Thanks for your help,

Charlie

[nemo_uk]

Hi Charlie,

One of the advantages of updating to .430 is that you can export all of the files needed for a particular photofield as one .G3X file (all be it a particularly large file!)

Regards,

Tony

[Bucko]

Nemo,

Thanks for the response, and yes, I know I should update, but on a painfully slow rural Indiana dial-up connection it is not an exciting prospect... not to mention the continuing little problems that apparently keep biting folks!

I do covet the new user-created planes however so eventually I know I'll have to give in. Ver. 410 only became feasible for me when it was made available as a stand alone download, then it could be downloaded from a faster internet connection in town...

Meanwhile I hope someone grasps my problem with understanding the PhotoField file structure and can offer some insight as to how to accomplish this... I feel like this should be possible just copying and pasting files... provided it's done correctly of course...

Charlie

[C-DoGG!]

Looking at your text file. I have done this manualy and have been succesful by copy and paste.

In the NEWFIELD folder, there should be 6 files.

I do the two in AIRPORTS (*.airportG3 & *.objectsG3), the one file in the PHOTOFIELDS (*.photofield), the Folder in PHOTOFIELDS (NEWFIELD in your example). In that folder there should be 6 files (*_1.dds, *_2.dds, *_3.dds, *_4.dds, *_5.dds, *_6.dds)

When I copy the files in, they show up under the custom airports/photofield when I select an airport in G3. The preview is unavail, but after I enter the field once, the preview is generated.

Granted this might be a function of ver 430, but I remember copying Photofields in 410 the same way...

Hope it helps...




REALFLIGHTG3
\AIRPORTS (folder)
NewField.airportG3
NewField.objectsG3

\AIRPORTS\PHOTOFIELDS (folder)
NewField.photofield

\AIRPORTS\PHOTOFIELDS\NEWFIELD (folder)
NewField_1.dds 2048x2048
NEED 6 FILES HERE
*** _6.dds 2048x2048

\PREVIEWS (folder)
NewField.preview
NewField_1.jpg 512x512
*** _6.jpg 512x512

[Bucko]

C-DoGG!,

Thanks for the info, at least this confirms that this operation should be possible.

Sorry I was not clear about the 6 files you mention... I do have all 6 files, NewField_1.dds through NewField_6.dds. My "asterisk" notation was intended to convey this...

The PREVIEW folder has the NewField.preview file plus 6 jpg files which are smaller jpg renderings of the same cubic dds files above.

BTW the handy Irfanview program cannot write dds files, but it can read the dds files and batch convert them to either comparable sized jpg files or the smaller jpg sizes required by the preview... I haven't explored creating a preview file itself however... it appears to be a txt file so theoretically you could write your own....

Charlie