Am new to all this and trying to understand the "mesh" concept for improving scenery.

Anyone have a minute to explain a little on how this works, i.e. downloading files like

FSGenesis, Ultimate Terrain, GEPro, etc. and what you get for your money.

Simple? Complex? Dangerous to your files, etc. Thanks.

Thanks Allan

"Mesh" consists of data files that tell the sim how to render contours - hills, valleys, mountains etc. Think of it as a sort of "skeleton" that defines the shape while the scenery textures are the "skin." The default mesh is very general - the "finer' the mesh is the more realistic ground contours become. The effect of adding something like FSGenesis (probably the best IMO) to your sim can be quite spectacular, particularly in the case of very mountainous areas like Austria, Switzerland etc. There are pluses and minuses for adding a mesh product. Plus = it makes things look far more realistic. Minuses = there are sometimes errors which cause holes and pinnacles to appear out of nowhere. They are not everywhere but when they do appear, it tends to destroy the realism the mesh has created. the other negative is that most addon scenery is made to fit the default mesh - adding a finer mesh can cause the addon to not properly "fit" and you can end up with some rather odd looking things. On the whole, it's a very positive thing to do that will enhance your FS experience. There are no issues you need to worry about in terms of it affecting other files or harming your system in any way.

Hope that helps

Ian

FS Genesis currently has a sale going on and I just bought the US package (minus Alaska and Hawai'i) for about $15. I wouldn’t say the difference is enormous but still worth it...especially at the current price.

Thank you both so much. Gonna try it.

Allan

The great thing about the FSGenesis mesh is the time the creator spent on keeping "plateau effects" away from airports. ie a sharp cliff at the airport parameter. Most airports are plateau free with FSGenesis.