Julia photoscenery generator GUI
Photoscenery GUI
Introduction
Photoscenery GUI is the modern graphical interface for the Photoscenery tools previously available only as a command-line application. It provides an interactive map-based workflow for generating photographic scenery for FlightGear.
The GUI was created to make scenery generation:
- easier
- faster
- visually controlled
- less error‑prone
This version integrates:
- a real-time Leaflet map
- FGFS live aircraft tracking
- preview of tiles
- route-based batch downloading
- job monitoring
- automatic ICAO coordinate resolution
Why a GUI Version?
The original CLI tool forced users to manually enter coordinates, radii, resolutions and overwrite rules. The GUI solves this with a fully visual workflow.
Improvements over CLI
- Visual map control
- Colour‑coded resolutions
- Coverage and date filters
- One‑click ICAO resolve
- Live aircraft integration
- Route-based automatic patch generation
- Tile previews and metadata
System Requirements
- Julia 1.10 or newer
- Git
- Modern browser
- FlightGear (optional, for live tracking)
Installing Julia
Download from https://julialang.org/downloads/ then run:
julia --version
Installing Photoscenery GUI
Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/abassign/Photoscenery-GUI cd Photoscenery-GUI
Install dependencies:
julia --project -e "using Pkg; Pkg.instantiate()"
Start server:
julia julia --project=. -e 'using Photoscenary; Photoscenary.GuiMode.run(["--http", "--map=1"])'
Open GUI:
http://localhost:8000/
Basic Usage
Selecting a location
- Enter an ICAO code
- Click on the map
- Import aircraft position from FGFS
Configuring a patch
Parameters:
- Radius
- Resolution
- Downsampling (--sdwn)
- Overwrite mode (--over)
Running a job
Press Patch Scenery to start. Completed tiles display on the map.
Route-Based Scenery Creation
Drag & drop:
- a GPX flight plan
- or a FlightGear .xml route
The GUI automatically:
- Parses waypoints
- Computes segments
- Creates coverage circles
- Runs jobs in sequence
- Tracks progress
FlightGear Integration
When FGFS is running with Telnet enabled:
- Aircraft position is displayed
- Live heading, altitude, speed shown
- “Download Around Aircraft” available
Coverage Visualization
The GUI supports filtering:
- by resolution
- by date (session/day/week/month/year)
- by opacity
Tiles can display preview images and metadata.
Directory Settings
Output and backup paths can be edited directly from the interface.
Updating
cd Photoscenery-GUI git pull julia --project -e "using Pkg; Pkg.update()"
Troubleshooting
- Ensure Julia 1.10+ is installed
- Ensure no other service is using port 8000
- Clear browser cache if GUI does not load tiles