Flying over Google Earth in FSX

[djt]

The idea of flying over Google Earth in FSX is now a reality –

http://forums.flightsim.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=32&topic_id=23025&mesg_id=23025&page=

http://www.avsim.com/

I gave this a try the other night and have had a hard time prying myself away from FSX ever since.

[CARex]

I loaded FSX this weekend. Although nowhere near proficient… I still can’t get that ‘Gooney Bird’ (safely) on the ground.
But I was very surprised by the night (ground) textures. Specifically the street lighting, etc.

Have a sparkling week.
Bob

[djt]

I’ve been flying around areas that have the high resolution data, Southern California is one area, the views are just incredible.

Another impressive bonus to using this program is the performance. I expected stuttering all the time while the program loaded different areas. It’s the total opposite, completely smooth flight with very impressive frame rates.

This little piece of software is a “must have” as far as FSX is concerned.

[djt]

Here are some screens taken from the sim while flying around in Google Earth –

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2210/albany1di3.jpg

Areas in FSX that before were lacking in detail are now accurate. Here are a couple taken in upstate New York around Albany. This is one of the many areas in the default FSX that are devoid of any detail, this is no longer a problem with Tile Proxy.

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/7602/albany2cl4.jpg

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/2856/sanberdo1tr5.jpg

Taking off from San Bernardino

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2765/sanberdo3xs1.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6103/sanberdo2qh3.jpg

[OTTODAD]

Absolutely incredible, Daniel, including the frame rates !

What are this computer's specs again ?

What do you mean by "flying around in Google Earth" ?

I had a payware version of it on one of the WIN-XP computers I am combining into a new one. Do you have to be online to GOOGLE EARTH in order to fly in it ?

O t t o

P.S.: 95 knots and still on the runway, tut, tut ! ;-)

[djt]

O t t o,

“What do you mean by "flying around in Google Earth" ?”

Here’s a link to some discussions about the free program called “Tile Proxy”.

http://forums.flightsim.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=32&topic_id=23025&mesg_id=23025&page=

The other discussions can be found at AVSIM.com under the FSX section.

This program will connect to Google Earth, or any other satellite imagery service you prefer and will allow you to fly around in FSX.

[OTTODAD]

Thanks a lot, Daniel !

That should keep me busy for a while after I got my MSFX-10 Pro installed on my new computer and hopefully working as it should ! ;-)

O t t o

[djt]

Here’s some more around the LA area and one over the town of Tehachapi. They were all taken on my laptop.


http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/2918/la1ce1.jpg

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7466/la2vs1.jpg

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/6979/la3vt9.jpg

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/1866/la4gh9.jpg

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/6546/teh1xd9.jpg

[OTTODAD]

Absolutely FAB, Daniel !

Like I said before, I would like to pick your brain for some comments and advice on the subject of a new computer for MSTS and MSFS-X.

It's going to be this:

WIN-XP Home SP-2, not sure about IE-7 until I get the OEM CD
INTEL Core 2 Duo E6700 ( 2 x 2.66GHz) 1066Mhz FSB/4MB L2 Cache
ZALMAN NT TRITIUM SUPER AERO CPU COOLER
2048 MB CORSAIR DDR2 800MHz Ram
ASUS P5B DELUXE, DUAL DDR2, SATA, PCI-Xpress x16, 3 PCI, etc
600W Quiet Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
8 Channel ADI High Definition on-board Audio, but will use my Soundblaster Audigy-4 instead
150GB WD RAPTOR SATA 16MB CACHE + 2 additional 8 MB SATA 150GB Raptors from the previous computer for back-ups
ATI RADEON X1950XT, because it is the quietest, has excellent performance reviews and have always preferred ATI for MSTS and MSFS-2004 !
DirectX-10 card later if I ever upgrade to VISTA ! ;-)
ViewSonic 19" TFT monitor at the moment but am looking at the new 30" DELL TFT one, which will be more cost effective and easier to use than getting a HD 40" TV to run the sims on, not watching that much TV anyway, having to set it all up, TV out, cabling, etc and the computer not anywhere near it !

Using this program to fly in GOOGLE EARTH will obviously require the computer to be online to the Internet, I have been reluctant doing on my previous SIMS ONLY WIN-XP computer, although capable of connecting to it should it be absolutely necessary !

What do you and others recommend being the best software to protect it from being accessed while being online to the web, in addition to the built into WIN-XP SR-2 firewall and possibly IE-7 ?

Appreciating your advice !

Take care, O t t o.

P.S.: Flying in GOOGLE EARTH, do you get ground traffic and can select weather, time and season variations, etc ?

[djt]

“WIN-XP Home SP-2, not sure about IE-7 until I get the OEM CD” ??

What aren’t you sure about? There’s no problem running IE-7, the latest Fire Fox or both. Microsoft will prompt you on installing it when you grab the Windows updates.


“INTEL Core 2 Duo E6700 ( 2 x 2.66GHz) 1066Mhz FSB/4MB L2 Cache”

The first batch of screen shots were taken on a machine at work that is using a 6700 Core 2. It’s a great chip but with the Quad CPU’s coming down in price I would go for one of them instead. I’ve got an Extreme X6800 Core 2 (unlocked multiplier) at home that is right now the fastest processor you can buy. I’m in the process of upgrading a second machine to either the QX6700 or the new QX6800 that has not been released yet. We will be seeing more multi threaded applications in the near future so spending money on a dual core CPU when you can get a quad core is a waste of money. This is unless you plan on upgrading in six months.


“ZALMAN NT TRITIUM SUPER AERO CPU COOLER”

I just upgraded from the Zalman CNS9700 CPU coolers to the new Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme which is one of the best out there.

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling/showdoc.aspx?i=2981


“2048 MB CORSAIR DDR2 800MHz Ram”

You really can’t go wrong with Corsair. I’ve been using Corsair DDR2 800MHz (PC2 6400) in both of my Core 2 machines. I would recommend the 2GB kits with the tighter CAS 4 (4-4-4-12) timings. This is what I’m currently using in both machines –

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145168

I’ve used this also with stable results –

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

If you plan on overclocking a CPU with a locked multiplier then I would go with higher frequency memory. You aren’t going to bring up the front bus on a Core 2 very high with PC2 6400.


“ASUS P5B DELUXE, DUAL DDR2, SATA, PCI-Xpress x16, 3 PCI, etc”

Most Asus’s motherboards using Intel’s P965 or X975 are decent. Asus started putting solid capacitors on a lot of their new boards late last year. I would choice one of the boards that uses the new solid capacitors –

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131164

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131177

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131149

I’m now using the ASUS Commando in one of my machines. My “gaming only” system is using the Evga 680i SLi (Nvidia chipset) which is another excellent motherboard. None of the Intel chipsets currently support Nvidia’s SLi, although the X975 does support ATI’s Cross Fire. If you do not plan on going to a dual GPU setup then the P965 would be a good choice or wait and get one of the new Intel “Bearlake” (P35 or P38) chipset motherboards.


“600W Quiet Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan”

What brand is this? One thing you do not want to do is skimp on the power supply. Here is a source of good info and tests on power supplies –

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=512dd6bfda279fddefcfa84d54fb9a8 9&f=3

I would recommend the PC Power and Cooling SILENCER 610. Even with 610 Watts with today’s video cards you are not going get far if you upgrade. To cover your self for future upgrades I would recommend the SILENCER 750 QUAD. I’ve been using PC Power and Cooling for years and have not had any problems; they are probably the best in the business.

I’m currently using their 1000Watt SR, but I have used the 750 Quad also. My other machine uses a Silver Stone OP1000Watt. Silver Stone also makes some very high quality PSU’s that are mentioned a lot in the power supply forum.


“8 Channel ADI High Definition on-board Audio, but will use my Soundblaster Audigy-4 instead”

With the prices of the X-Fi plummeting why bother with the Audigy 4? I’ve got the X-Fi in both of my machines and they have been fine.


“150GB WD RAPTOR SATA 16MB CACHE + 2 additional 8 MB SATA 150GB Raptors from the previous computer for back-ups”

I would set it up as a dual boot machine with two of the Raptors in RAID 0 for gaming and then use the single Raptor for internet / work. This way it will be like having two computers in one.


“ATI RADEON X1950XT, because it is the quietest, has excellent performance”

With the DirectX 10 cards from Nvidia being out for over six months now it's really a waste to spend money on a DirectX 9 card. I still have two ATI X1900XTX’s that are sitting in a box. Since I’ve experienced gaming with the new Nvidia 8800’s it was decided that the ATI cards go up on Ebay. The old complaints I had about Nvidia’s image quality not being as good as my ATI’s went out the window with my new 8800GTX’s.

If you can’t afford an 8800GTX then I would go for the 8800GTS. With the exception of the screens taken on the laptop (which uses a Go 7950GTX, 512MB video card) the rest were taken with an 8800GTX. At home my gaming set up uses two of these in SLi –

http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=768-P2-N837-AR


“ViewSonic 19" TFT monitor at the moment but am looking at the new 30" DELL TFT one, which will be more cost effective and easier to use than getting a HD 40" TV to run the sims on, not watching that much TV anyway, having to set it all up, TV out, cabling, etc and the computer not anywhere near it !”

The question of what monitor for games always comes up. For general work / internet I have two LCD’s set up in a dual desktop configuration. They are both very high end Samsungs, one is a 19” and the other is a 21”. Neither one can compare to the image quality I get with the two 21’ CRT’s that I use with my gamming system. LCD’s still have not come up the image quality of the old CRT.


“Using this program to fly in GOOGLE EARTH will obviously require the computer to be online to the Internet, I have been reluctant doing on my previous SIMS ONLY WIN-XP computer, although capable of connecting to it should it be absolutely necessary !”

I use a good high quality “hardware” fire wall and have not had any problems.


“P.S.: Flying in GOOGLE EARTH, do you get ground traffic and can select weather, time and season variations, etc ?”

I’m still experimenting with Tile Proxy but weather seems to be working.

[grundge69]

I've been trying to pull this off in MSTS. So far:
http://www.friscorr.com/images/wichitasub1.JPG
http://www.friscorr.com/images/wichitasub6.JPG
http://www.friscorr.com/images/wichitasub8.JPG
-Codeman

[OTTODAD]

Hi Cody !

That was the next question I was going to ask ! ;-)

Could you fill us in with some blow by blow details of how you have achieved that ?

Thanks, O t t o.

[OTTODAD]

“WIN-XP Home SP-2, not sure about IE-7 until I get the OEM CD” ??

What aren’t you sure about?

Not sure whether it will be on the OEM CD or whether I have to download it.

This is unless you plan on upgrading in six months.

Yes I am, once software is about which can use quad CPUs, but doubt that there will be enough about in six months, especially not MSTS-X nor MSFS-X !

With the prices of the X-Fi plummeting why bother with the Audigy 4?

It's from my previous machine and costs me nothing, good enough for MSTS and MSFS ! ;-)

I would set it up as a dual boot machine with two of the Raptors in RAID 0 for gaming and then use the single Raptor for internet / work. This way it will be like having two computers in one.

Now that's good idea, the two Raptors from the old computer are a matching pair and could use them like you suggest !

Monitors ? I still have my Mitsubishi 21" CRT but decided not to use it since I was told that I now have CLL, a slow Leukemia and cutting out all possible radiation was a good idea, sitting up to 15 hours per day in front of it !

I plan to use the DELL 30" TFT for the sims and the ViewSonic for the Internet, programming and looking after clients accounting !

Graphics cards like the latest nVIDIA ones will have to wait until I build another computer for VISTA, if I think that the then updated versions of the simulators justify doing so !

I use a good high quality “hardware” fire wall and have not had any problems.

By that do you mean a "Router" ? With only the WIN-98SE accessing the Internet and then occasionally the new WIN-XP that is not an option I would like to pursue. I never had any problems with the former and just need something effective to protect the WIN-XP when I go online with it !

Thanks for all the advice !

O t t o

[SCL-A-Line]

Ok that is scary
please let us know how you did that definately

[USRailFan]

Eugh, default rolling stock

[cn bala]

Hey Cody -- Did you use Tile Proxy for this MSTS Route that you put out your pictures here in this forum?? If yes, then can you explain how it works with the program of Train Simulator??

Thank you,

JM

[grundge69]

I did not use Tile Proxy. I used Google Maps Images Downloader. So far, its a very buggy process that requires a high cpu, a great video card, plenty of RAM, and a modem that allows you to drop and request a different IP. I 2 out of 4. I will put a tutorial on my website that will explain how to do this. In the mean time, I posted several more shots a while back under "Best Coal Drags". which can be seen here:http://forums.flightsim.com/ts/dcboard.php?az=printer_friendly&forum=13&topic_id=83317&mesg_id=83797 . They were taken near Mulvane, KS, on the BNSF Wichita Sub.

Codeman

[cn bala]

Codeman -- Sorry for my misunderstanding about Tile Proxy and look forward to see your tutorial on your site. See your screen shots of "Best Coal Drags" and look good.

Thanks

JM

[OTTODAD]

Eugh, default rolling stock

Could be my improved mp3kcons.zip version of it ! ;-)

O t t o

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/downloads/mp3kcons.jpg

[CARex]

Hey Guys,

There is a tutorial in the F/L called “phototer.zip”. It discusses acquiring Google Earth images for MSTS. I played with it a few times. It does the job. However, if your route (track) deviates from the real world… you got a problem. I suppose the thing to do, would be to secure the (Google) terrain first and lay track later.

Just thought I’d mention it if you were not aware. You do need Mosaic (from Digital Rails).

Have a sparkling day,
Bob

[Erick_Cantu]

D-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y.

'Finate' is not a word. 'Finite' is.

[oakpalms]

Do you get the different shadings from one area to another that Goggle earth gives? You know what I mean if you ever take a look at the southwest US where it is divided into segments of which some are orange tinted, some are yellow tinted and some are purple, etc. It looks like they used different colored filters for different segments.

In trying to find some nice textures for MSTS, I have scouted that area a lot. It would be nice to know which tint is the real one. Why they have piecemealed that area is beyond me--it looks like every 50 miles at some places. I think it would be odd to fly over one area where there is green colors and then see an area coming up that is all orange like you crossed over some type of mysterious border or something.

Bob Edwards

[grundge69]

Not yet...I think you were writing to me. I choose the Wichita BNSF sub because a) close to home, b) the zoom level is 18 (the highest amount possible in the area), and c) its a current mainline. As for the piecemealing, it happens because of different times the plane, and yes I mean plane, flies over. For most of the reason, it depends on the time of day and the weather. You cant really see to much when there is a cloud cover. If you find a small single cloud, zoom in on it, the zoom out in Google. It should disappear because of different resolutions. This is all tied together, I swear. Because I chose to model between Udall, KS and Newton, KS, it encompasses roughly 50 miles, by about 20 miles wide. You were right about the different tint. Around here, the tint changes near the outskirts of the east side of Wichita, and to the north it changes around Medora/Saxman on the FriscoKD. Just a lot of rambling.
Codeman