What is Photogrammetry & TIN?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, photogrammetry and TIN help cities such as New York, London and Tokyo resemble their real-world counterparts instead of relying entirely on generic, procedurally generated buildings.

1. What Is Photogrammetry?

Photogrammetry is the process of creating a 3D model from overlapping 2D photographs. Aerial surveys and mapping systems capture large numbers of high-resolution images from multiple angles, including overhead and oblique views.

Specialist software then analyses matching points across those images to reconstruct the real-world area as a textured 3D model.

The Result

You can recognise real streets, stadium layouts, bridges, towers and familiar landmarks from the air.

The Trade-off

Because it represents a captured snapshot of reality, it can look soft, rough or like “melted ice cream” when viewed extremely closely or when streamed data is incomplete.

2. What Is TIN?

TIN stands for Triangulated Irregular Network. Photogrammetry describes how the real-world imagery is captured and reconstructed, while TIN describes the connected triangular mesh used to represent the shape of the terrain, buildings and objects.

Instead of using a perfectly regular grid, a TIN can use triangles of different sizes and densities depending on the amount of detail required in each part of the model.

In-sim terminology: when Microsoft refers to “TIN cities”, it generally means the detailed streamed 3D city areas that many simmers simply call photogrammetry cities.

Why TIN Is Useful

More Detail Where It Matters

Complex objects such as cathedrals, stadiums, bridges and dense city centres can use a greater concentration of smaller triangles.

Less Detail Where It Does Not

Flatter or simpler areas can use fewer, larger triangles, reducing the amount of geometry needed to represent the scene.

More Recognisable City Flying

The result is a much more recognisable city from the air, especially for helicopter flights, sightseeing routes, VFR circuits and low-level approaches.

Photogrammetry / TIN vs Autogen

Feature	Photogrammetry / TIN	Autogen / Blackshark.ai
Accuracy	Closely resembles the captured real-world area, using aerial imagery and reconstructed 3D mesh data.	Uses building footprints, map data and AI interpretation to generate plausible buildings and scenery.
Visuals	Highly recognisable from the air, but it can look rough, melted or distorted when viewed too closely.	Often cleaner and sharper close up, although buildings may look generic or repeated.
Performance	Can place greater demands on the GPU, VRAM, CPU and internet connection, particularly in large cities.	Usually requires less streamed 3D data and can be more consistent, although performance still varies by area and system.
Data Delivery	Typically streamed while flying, so a stable internet connection and suitable data settings are important.	Relies more heavily on simulator assets, local data, map information and procedurally generated scenery.
Best For	Recognising real cities, skyline flying, helicopter sightseeing and navigating by familiar VFR landmarks.	Cleaner suburbs, rural areas, general flying and locations without detailed streamed 3D city coverage.

Simple Summary

Photogrammetry is the image-based process used to reconstruct the real area. TIN is the triangle-based mesh structure used to represent its 3D shape. Autogen uses map data, simulator assets and procedural generation where detailed 3D city data is unavailable.