Is there a technical limitation that would prevent DCS from using Google Earth terrain database?

[DmitriKozlowsky]

Is there a technical limitation that would prevent DCS from using Google Earth terrain database?

As ability to select an area of Google Earth and have it converted , at least on basic level (terrain only) , to DCS terrain, would be amazing.

[draconus]

Limitation? No - you can program everything but it takes will, time and money. No such plans exist for DCS. They are making their own global map tech.

[some1]

Licensing is one of the issues. You can't just slap the data scraped from Google maps services into your software for free.

[Mr_sukebe]

2 hours ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

Is there a technical limitation that would prevent DCS from using Google Earth terrain database?

As ability to select an area of Google Earth and have it converted , at least on basic level (terrain only) , to DCS terrain, would be amazing.

As I understand it, DCS already uses terrain height mapping data based upon real world info.

Onto that they apply textures and then the roads and other objects.

What exactly are you expecting?

[DmitriKozlowsky]

45 minutes ago, Mr_sukebe said:

As I understand it, DCS already uses terrain height mapping data based upon real world info.

Onto that they apply textures and then the roads and other objects.

What exactly are you expecting?

DCS terrain textures don't have quite the photoreal feel that Google Earth does. Perhaps it is becpuse DCS textures are unlit and have no baked shadows. Google Earth are just satelite photos taken during daytime. Presumably at shortest distance time. Very useefull to have that 3D view during mission planning and in mission editor , where the camera can tumble and rotate around specific point. Allowing the user to see terrain in 3D.

[draconus]

2 minutes ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

Very useefull to have that 3D view during mission planning and in mission editor , where the camera can tumble and rotate around specific point. Allowing the user to see terrain in 3D.

3D ME is not planned currently. But if they do one it'll still use DCS maps data, not from Google, esp. when the two are much different.

[MAXsenna]

DCS terrain textures don't have quite the photoreal feel that Google Earth does. Perhaps it is becpuse DCS textures are unlit and have no baked shadows. Google Earth are just satelite photos taken during daytime. Presumably at shortest distance time. Very useefull to have that 3D view during mission planning and in mission editor , where the camera can tumble and rotate around specific point. Allowing the user to see terrain in 3D.

Then you should change your OP. Terrain data is usually the mesh and not the textures.

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[cfrag]

On 2/17/2025 at 8:26 AM, DmitriKozlowsky said:

Is there a technical limitation that would prevent DCS from using Google Earth terrain database?

No *technical* limit, no - scraping mesh data from Google's (or other provider's) maps/terrain and objects is easy, and the API is provided. Because that is one of the (many) methods that Google makes money. And that's the impediment for ED: to access the data, the app needs an API key to access the data - getting that is easy. If ED then builds DCS with such a key, access to data is metered for anyone using it, and ED billed at the end of the month. I believe (last time I used that service for an app, the real number is probably a decade out of date) up to 100 accesses per day are free, any number above is charged. So, if only 101 players access google data via the DCS app key once a day, ED will get charged. There are probably more than 101 people a day who would use it. I'm a notorious Mission Editor user, and my editing alone would probably account for more than 100 accesses per day, more than 10 even if cached.

So, no technical, but a lot of financial aspects will limit this.

Edited February 18 by cfrag