2024 - Projected Mesh missing detailed maps and normal maps dont work

HybridNZ · October 24, 2024, 12:37am

Hi guys

Version: 1.0.72.0

Frequency: Consistently

Severity: High

Context: Custom Scenery Package

Bug Report:

Just testing our airports in 2024, it appears projected mesh now no longer displays the default a detailed normal maps.

Nor will render projected mesh normal maps render.

Here you can see an apron material loading the details map however the surrounding projected mesh doesn’t load the detailed map. This obviously looks quite bad.

2024 - Asphalt detail map not loading

Here is another example showing concrete type detailed map working for an apron poly however projected mesh doesnt work

Normal maps for projected mesh dont appear to work in 2024 either.

2020

2024

leonardomoreira · October 24, 2024, 3:18am

I believe this is the expected behavior now due to the new displacement maps for aprons. Have you tried adding a detail map to the materials of your projected mesh?

HybridNZ · October 24, 2024, 9:45am

I take it Asphalt in 2024 legacy mode isnt working.

2020 Scene XML. ProjectedMesh with Asphalt.

Here is the demo section of the XML with the surface=“ASPHALT” assigned.

		<!--SceneryObject name: NZCH_PM_Apron_NZA-->
		<SceneryObject lat="-43.48883399999968" lon="172.53784700000000" alt="0.00000000000000" pitch="0.000027" bank="-0.000027" heading="-179.999991" imageComplexity="VERY_SPARSE" altitudeIsAgl="TRUE" snapToGround="TRUE" snapToNormal="FALSE">
			<LibraryObject name="{18CBFF8D-BCC0-480A-8A73-27C1F82CD004}" scale="1.000000"/>
		</SceneryObject>
	</ProjectedMesh>

emilios · October 29, 2024, 11:48pm

+1 on this. Terrain detail maps do not appear to apply on top of projected mesh texture. Changing type of surface had no effect, other than ‘allow grass’ or not.

Hoynedawg · November 7, 2024, 9:59am

Hi @FlyingRaccoon

To avoid a duplicate im going to attached another bug report here.

Version: 1.0.84.0

Frequency: Consistently

Severity: High

Context: Custom Scenery Package

Bug Report:

Build 84 fixed asphalt detail maps showing on Projected Mesh’s in 2020 and loaded in legacy mode, see screenshot 1.
However 2024 built packages Projected Mesh’s DO NOT have thier assosiated detail map, see screenshot 2.

Screenshot 1 [Built in 2020 running in 2024 as legacy package]

Screenshot 2 [Built in 2024 with ver 84 and SDK 10.1 in 2024]

Verticalsim · November 7, 2024, 1:47pm

Have you gotten this with markings after exporting an scenery with Projected Mesh than loading it in? It renders in blurry.

FlyingRaccoon · November 7, 2024, 3:19pm

Hello @HybridNZ @Hoynedawg

Version 1.0.84.0 introduced a fix to reinstate the behavior of 2020 packages.

However, detail maps on 2024 package projected meshes are no longer supported.
There has been a significant increase in terrain LOD depth, such that the resolution of textures can be increased and details baked directly into them.

Documentation is still lagging on this so I can understand the confusion.
I have logged a separate issue for this to make sure this is something we clarify.

Regards,
Sylvain

HybridNZ · November 7, 2024, 6:50pm

@FlyingRaccoon

Thank you for the clarification and fix for 2020 legacy mode.

Just a question on the 2024 projected mesh standard.

Our airports use large albedo (over a big distance) with roughness (comp) and normals maps.
With the new standard are we expected to now have albedo, comp and diffusion on the same UV or can displacement be loaded on to the secondary UV space so that the smaller diffusion map can loop on a smaller tile loop than the albedo?
EG Im hoping that a model can support UV1 (albedo 4k, comp 4k) and UV2 (displacement 512px or whatever size is then tiled to keep efficiency) or we have a default asphalt or concrete etc displacement map we can apply to the projected mesh in the SDK.

Without this it will cause quite a problem if the displacement map needs to be looped and then baked into a larger image and then loaded onto the same UV as the albedo. This method is going to increase the size of the Projected meshes over all texture sizes significantly doing it this way…

MartinMSFS · December 9, 2024, 5:14pm

No news on this? Tried adding a custom detail map to a projected mesh material and it doesn’t render at all ingame.

darwikey · December 10, 2024, 5:23pm

Hi,
Is it possible to provide us a sample to test on our side ?
Thanks,
Xavier / Asobo

HybridNZ · December 10, 2024, 8:17pm

Here are the current problems still with projected mesh for 2020 legacy mode content in 2024.

Normals are still not working on projected mesh objects. EG when you add normals to the PM model in blender, these arent rendering in 2024 at all.
The default SDK detail maps work for asphalt only, but not any other default material types. Other material types dont work EG the grass type or the ability to set a PM to paint type etc.
Adding detailed maps to blender custom PM models doesn’t render in game and has never worked.
Debug tools in 2024 devmode for normals dont seem to work either anymore

You can use NZA Simulations - NZCH - Christchurch (on the market place) to check and hang the sun low on the horizon to see the normals working in 2020. Which are the in the original screenshots I’ve provided above.

For grass you can use NZA Simulations - NZMF - Milford Sound Region (on the market place) and check the side of the run way for the PM grass not working example (you need World Update New Zealand installed and remove the WU NZMF as well for it function correctly)

I don’t have an example for custom detail maps being added to PM model and exported from blender as its never worked.

MartinMSFS · December 10, 2024, 9:50pm

My issue is with 2024 SDK compiled Projected Meshes. They are no longer blended with stock detail maps (for example surface=Aspahlt etc). This is fine, but It would be nice if we could insert out own detail maps.

As soon as I add a texture to the detail color/oclusion/normal slots, export and compile (2024 sdk), the projected mesh material in question no longer renders at all ingame.

As HybridNZ said, this never worked in 2020 either, but since we lost the surface=Aspahlt and other stock detail maps, it would be nice to allow custom detail maps.

skuchryk · January 6, 2025, 5:16pm

Is there any new information about the detail map in projected mesh?, I checked today and unfortunately I can’t add my own detail maps

MateoEs7874 · January 7, 2025, 2:37pm

Following this, we really need detail maps on projected meshes. Please, consider supporting them.

darwikey · January 8, 2025, 8:10am

Hi,
If you have some simple projected meshes with detail maps it would help us implement it.

Regards,
Xavier / Asobo

RaceMasterPC · February 11, 2025, 8:33pm

I briefly got a detail map to work on a projected mesh… somehow… but then it got bugged and had to remove it. The projected mesh does not load with a detail map. We also can’t apply any sort of normal map. We also can’t add the game’s default detail map, eg asphalt, to the PM. So I’m a bit confused why the topic says “fixed”.

Is there an ETA on this? This is fairly critical for airports. We can’t use detail maps on our aprons, this is quite serious, is it not?

Has anyone supplied you with a sample? If not I will do so today, please let me know as soon as possible.

HybridNZ · February 12, 2025, 3:49am

Our team has been away on summer (in our location in the world) holidays … were starting to get back to it now but we haven’t had a chance to make up a sample.
Would be great if you could.