Author Topic: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!  (Read 11551 times)

stiletto2

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RTMM is pleased to announce the availability of the RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher! 

Featuring a brand new point and click colorful user interface, the RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) brings a new level of automation and precision in season switching to RTMM that the old RTMM Season Switcher was not able to provide.

Here is a sample of the main RTMM eSwitcher screen:



It may come as a surprise to some of our users that Orbx autogen and land class for FSX and P3D does not change seasonal looks based on traditional season boundaries.  For example, the last day of winter and the first day of spring look just the same in default Orbx SAK as well as default FSX/P3D.  The reason is that FSX/P3D and Orbx change their seasonal looks on month boundaries.  In addition, that seasonal look can vary by location depending on the latitude, elevation, moderating influences of large water bodies etc. 

Unfortunately, the old RTMM Season Switcher is only able to change the seasonal sceneries globally based on season boundaries.  When a RTMM user decides they want to fly on December 23rd, for example, and sets the old RTMM Season Switcher to "Winter", it is quite likely that they may have chosen the wrong season for the local area they are planning to fly in and consequently may see winter trees depicted amongst default Orbx fall foliage and land class.

This disconnect between the simulator's seasonal changes by month and location versus the old RTMM Season Switcher’s changes by one of four seasons can cause a number of visual clashes:   green trees of a seasonal scenery might be surrounded by sim-generated snow covered trees on a blanket of snow or a forest of sim-generated summer greenery might run into a stand of brightly covered fall foliage created by one of our talented scenery developers even though it is not yet Fall in that particular location. Clearly, another level of refinement is needed and this is what the RTMM eSwitcher provides.

In addition to allowing the old switching by Season (if the user so chooses), the RTMM eSwitcher supports switching by flight date.  When the RTMM eSwitcher switches seasonal scenery by flight date, it automatically modifies the seasonal switching based on the correct season for that date's month as well as adjusting for local influences using the new RTMM Season Maps.

Today, each seasonal scenery listed in the RTMM Scenery Library has a Season Map in the upper left corner that is comprised of a table of months that colorfully depicts how FSX/P3D/Orbx displays their seasons for that location.  See sample below:



For a given scenery, the Season Map gives the user the information needed to set the correct season:

•   White = set season to Winter for this month.
•   Light Green = set season to Spring for this month.
•   Dark Green = set season to Summer for this month.
•   Orange = set season to Fall for this month.

The Season Map files may be different for each seasonal scenery.  To save the user from having to do this manually, digital versions of these maps are now included in the RTMM seasonal scenery folders.  This allows the new RTMM eSwitcher to provide local variations by month thus matching how FSX and P3D generate their default Orbx seasonal looks.  In other words, when using the RTMM eSwitcher, two different seasonal scenery folders can automatically be set to two different seasons based on each scenery's Season Map, something the old RTMM Season Switcher is unable to do.  This extended season switching functionality combined with much better error checking and correcting of seasonal files, makes the RTMM eSwitcher a "must have" for the best enjoyment of the 142+ seasonal sceneries that RTMM now offers.

The RTMM eSwitcher is a completely new application that has been developed by Rob White (robw on the forum), one of our RTMM users who is also a professional software developer.   It is based on the old RTMM Season Switcher and uses the existing RTMM seasonal BGLs found in all of RTMM's seasonal scenery.  After some initial installed scenery folder preparation by our users, the RTMM eSwitcher can be up and running quickly. 

We at RTMM are sure you will really appreciate the flexibility and convenience the RTMM eSwitcher offers and that you will soon find you can’t fly without it!

Click on link below to go to the  RTMM Installation Instructions, "Step Table #6 - Season Switcher Addition" section which now includes the new RTMM eSwitcher and supporting download button under Option A:

http://return.mistymoorings.com/getting_started/index.php#6

Rod

rgerdes

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2019, 12:47:41 AM »
Hi Rod,
Well, I think I got it working :)
Was a little daunting and a lot of reading - had to update 5 scenery's but after that it seems to have worked.
Oh, Malwarebytes doesn't like RTMMeSwitcher.exe so had to create an exclusion.
Enough for one day :P

stiletto2

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2019, 08:39:26 AM »
That's good news that you got it working!  It is quite common to get warnings from virus checkers etc. when the download has one or more executable files in it.  The RTMM eSwitcher package has two executable files in it.

Rod

« Last Edit: August 01, 2019, 11:30:30 AM by stiletto2 »

Doug

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2019, 09:39:21 AM »
Rod ... it sure is working smoothly for me. I have it operational in both P3D V3 and V4. No problems at all. One thing I really appreciate is the internal error checking that nobody will know about. It catches those seasonal bgls that are "doubles" and fixes them.  I tried to screw it up on purpose and see what happened ... nothing happened.  This really helps me, as a designer, we can forget to set things with NoSeason ... or when we are working on a particular one in V3, forget to change it in V4.  The new system really handles these "self-induced" problems very well. Thank you.

Doug

stiletto2

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2019, 04:03:55 PM »
Hi Doug,

Glad all is going well.  Thanks to Rob White for writing the cool software code that  automatically fixes the seasonal .bgls should a user accidentally mess them up. 

Rod

Doug

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2019, 04:10:37 PM »
Well, I mess them up ROUTINELY with all the edits and changes I make. And not having to track down MY error is really great. This thing really seems bullet proof. You guys really nailed it.

Doug

robw

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2019, 12:02:58 PM »
This makes the eSwitcher worth installing for the error handling alone, even if you are not yet ready to set up the season maps for the full experience ;)

The eSwitcher always checks that there is only one active or inactive copy of each of the five seasonal BGL variations (that's the seasons plus 'no season') and cleans up any 'duplicates' it finds.

That plus a prettier user interface, I'd encourage everyone to give it a go :)

Rob
« Last Edit: August 03, 2019, 12:06:34 PM by robw »

Lipra

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #7 on: August 06, 2019, 07:41:25 AM »
First run gave me errors in 85 folders. most were due to not updating during my months of illness. I am now down to 15 folders which I am trying to figure out. Into day 2 now.

Most say seasonal scenery but no seasonal no xml matched . Any example of what to look for woulds be a great help.

The I can send rod the message to say the new season switcher works in my install ;)

stiletto2

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #8 on: August 06, 2019, 08:04:01 AM »
Hi Lipra,

Glad you are feeling better.  Page 13 of the RTMM eSwitcher Scenery Preparation Guide, beginning with point number 3) tells you exactly what the problem probably is and how to solve it when you get the message:  "Seasonal scenery but No Season Map XML matched!".

Genrally speaking, the scenery folders that generate that problem have seasonal scenery in them but have a scenery folder name that does not match the current RTMM scenery folder name for that scenery.   You can check your scenery folder name(s) against the official RTMM list using this link which is also provided in the RTMM eSwitcher Scenery Preparation Guide:

https://return.mistymoorings.com/maintenance/#names

Let us know if you are still unable to solve the problems after verifying that you have the correct scenery folder names.

Rod
« Last Edit: August 06, 2019, 08:06:57 AM by stiletto2 »

Lipra

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2019, 08:11:43 AM »
Thanks Rod.
 I have looked at that page and have not yet made the connection. I think its time to give it a rest and come back fresh. I always found at work that you tend to see the same thing as when you first looked and not what it actually says or means.

stiletto2

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #10 on: August 06, 2019, 09:43:18 AM »
Ok, sounds good.  When you come back to it, if you still don't get how to solve the problems, feel free to PM me and we can go through it folder by folder if necessary.

Rod

Lipra

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #11 on: August 06, 2019, 04:36:24 PM »
Have made it now down to last to solve

stiletto2

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #12 on: August 06, 2019, 04:45:16 PM »
Sounds good....I think...

Rod

DocScott

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #13 on: August 07, 2019, 04:50:57 AM »
Hi Rod!
I did all the neccessary things and eSwitcher seems to work,also showing up an error.Looking into the Switcher log txt,I see lots and lots of missing season maps!
Why's that? I downloaded also the 5 Season Map folders. Where have they to be installed?
Thanks in advance.

Scott
I am dreaming of a visit to Alaska in winter time.
Staying with friends and enjoying nature.

stiletto2

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Re: RTMM Enhanced Season Switcher (RTMM eSwitcher) Now Available!
« Reply #14 on: August 07, 2019, 08:01:46 AM »
Hi Scott,

There are no instructions in the RTMM eSwitcher Scenery Preparation Guide that tell you to
download the 5 season map folders (e.g. containes files like this:  Table#1_SeasonMap.xml)  from a section on the RTMM Maintenance Page that has a heading that says: "Information for RTMM Development Team".  Those 5 downloads are only for devleopers.  Please delete those.

I assume you don't use consolidated Scenery.  If the RTMM eSwticher Log .txt file shows lots of missing season map errors, do you get any problems listed when you run the RTMM Season Map Injector Utility in the SceneryFolderProblemList.txt? If not, I would suspect that your folder structure is not compliant with the RTMM standard scenery folder structure.   Please read page 6, 7 and 8 of the Scenery Preparation Guide carefully to determine if your scenery folder structure is compliant and how you should proceed if it is not.

Rod