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Qworg 3 days ago

While the methodology wasn't published, Microsoft did something similar for Flight Simulator.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/flight-box...

rkomorn 3 days ago | parent [-]

If you want to dig more, I suspect Microsoft got a lot (if not all) of it from blackshark.ai . They're one of the companies whose logo shows up during game start.

I knew their name because, when I worked for an Airbus subsidiary, we talked with them about a solution to generate 3D environments for any/every airport.

They had some cool stuff but also some wonky stuff at the time (like highway overpasses actually being rendered as walls across the highway).

Stevvo 3 days ago | parent [-]

blackshark.ai was used for generating building models with textured facades from footprints. Their thing for generating airports was actually not used in MSFS. The photogrammetry from satellite photos in MSFS 2024 was done by Maxar Technologies.

rkomorn 3 days ago | parent [-]

Ah, neat. How do you know this?

And also, was it any different for MSFS 2020?

Stevvo 2 days ago | parent [-]

My side-project is working on addons, so I spend a lot of time with Flight Simulator. 2020 didn't have the photogrammetry from satellite photos, only from aerial photos in major cities. The blackshark buildings are used wherever they don't have any photogrammetry available.

rkomorn 2 days ago | parent [-]

Neat (again :) ).