fsx-se Oh boy, I have new mesh! Now what?

[Raven9000 272]

So one of the items I purchased and installed is "the best" FS Global Ultimate Mesh for all the world...

 

It's all great except when testing out my install (starting from scratch and testing the first scenery add-ons, etc. ) I go test some areas I used to go:

 

Miami: flat...

Houston: Flat..

 

Someone recommended Dublin: flat...

 

So um... mesh?

 

Anywho, since searching only got me hundreds of posts where people ask to be recommended a mesh.... I created this one to ask you:

 

What are some good locations that one could go to in order to witness "The power of the mesh" ?

 

Meaning of course a place with nice terrain, elevations, etc. that is nice to look at and looks great with a good mesh.

 

 

Thanks!

[Demious 23]

I had the same problem with FS Global 2010, Large parts of France, Belguim, the Netherlands, Denmark and more where flat as a pancake. When I installed FreeMeshX, there where subtle details all around, even the countries that dont have obvious elevation. You can combine FreeMesh with FSG, on their forums is an explanation on how mix both.

 

What you can do when only using FSG, is fly anywhere where are obvious elevations, like America's west coast and Rocky Mountains (ORBX regions), Grand Canyon, Hawaii, New Zealand, New Guinea, Norway, British Isles, Himalayas, Switzerland and lots more. Any mountain area would do.

[1st fltsimguy 466]

First is the mesh layers activated in you scenery library? If so, then go to "second".

 

Second have you turned up your mesh setting to a higher resolution, IE 7m, 5m?

 

Third, what do you mean by "flat"?  Like a pancake flat or?

 

Forth, perhaps go to the rocky mountains and have a look there?

 

Fifth, in a normally mountainous or very hilly area, take a screenshot, then go to your scenery library and activate or deactivate the mesh layers and take screenshots in exactly the same spot..now compare the screenshots to see if you are actually getting a visual impact.

 

cheers

Bryan

[cmpbellsjc 2,960]

Miami: flat...

Houston: Flat..

 

You weren't expecting to find any mountains in Miami or Houston were you?

 

Kidding aside, those are probably two of the worst places to test mesh as they are pretty flat in real like and any small hills or elevations aren't going to be very noticeable.

 

Go test somewhere where there are some mountains and see how it looks, or some descent sized hills. I spend a lot of time flying into Miami and Houston in real life and both are pretty flat looking from the air and Ground with not much noticeable elevation changes.

[GaryGB 10]

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/471554-oh-boy-i-have-new-mesh-now-what/#entry3267142

 

I had the same problem with FS Global 2010, Large parts of France, Belguim, the Netherlands, Denmark and more where flat as a pancake. When I installed FreeMeshX, there where subtle details all around, even the countries that dont have obvious elevation. You can combine FreeMesh with FSG, on their forums is an explanation on how mix both.

 

What you can do when only using FSG, is fly anywhere where are obvious elevations, like America's west coast and Rocky Mountains (ORBX regions), Grand Canyon, Hawaii, New Zealand, New Guinea, Norway, British Isles, Himalayas, Switzerland and lots more. Any mountain area would do.

Hi Maarten:

 

In your post above, when you refer to "FSG", are you referring to "FSGenesis" terrain mesh add-ons (for which there are many ongoing users from the past that are accustomed to seeing the familiar abbreviation "FSG" used in association with that product line) ?

 

Or are you instead referring to the FS Global product line from pilots.de with your 'own' abbreviation of "FSG" ?

 

Thanks in advance for your clarification on use of the "FSG" abbreviation above. :smile:

 

 

PS: Would you post a link here to the forum thread describing how to "mix" both the FreeMesh X and the "FSG" mesh ?

 

Thanks again !

 

GaryGB

[COBS 25]

What altitude did you test at ?

 

At the moment I only have the stock standard mesh that comes with FSX .

I also have several ORBX FTX  full scenery packages for several areas , they have an upgraded mesh.

 

I tend to fly low , often below 200' agl in the F-111 , I created a radar that depicts the terrain contours

in differing colour shades , when I zoom the radar in to 15 nm or less it clearly shows up the mesh as a

series of elevation contour terraces , the display is more than dramatic , it can be useful for low level flight

to get an idea of what lies ahead of you.

Of course in ultra flat areas it will only be one or two elevation shades , but most areas have a good mesh

showing up,

In my own locality it displays two quarries , and in ORBX England it shows the riverbanks in detail.

 

For radar screenshot scroll down to reply #5 at following link.

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/xml-map-variables-elevationcolor-greater-17000-ft.429721/

 

In real life when practicing forced landings , you simulate a engine failure , then you look for a field or paddock 

that you might be able to land in , from 3,000' that field looks flat and tempting to use , but as you get close to it 

I have often found that it is anything but flat , it can be the side of a too steep hill , from height it usually looks alot

flatter than it actually is.

 

So test from an obscenely low altitude to fully appreciate your mesh elevations.

 

Cheers

Karol

 

PS : As a general rule mesh developers use a lower resolution for areas that are flat and featureless ,

possibly to conserve frame rate impact , and to keep the package size down.

It is pointless having high resolution if terrain is featureless.

The mesh resolution in any given package can vary dramatically from one area to another , that's normal.

Choose an area that has good varying terrain and hills or mountains , check your atlas , most atlas have

hipsometric tint colours to depict elevations.

 

Screenshot at zoom 300 nm using ORBX scenery mesh.

[Raven9000 272]

I had the same problem with FS Global 2010, Large parts of France, Belguim, the Netherlands, Denmark and more where flat as a pancake. When I installed FreeMeshX, there where subtle details all around, even the countries that dont have obvious elevation. You can combine FreeMesh with FSG, on their forums is an explanation on how mix both.

 

What you can do when only using FSG, is fly anywhere where are obvious elevations, like America's west coast and Rocky Mountains (ORBX regions), Grand Canyon, Hawaii, New Zealand, New Guinea, Norway, British Isles, Himalayas, Switzerland and lots more. Any mountain area would do.

Well I don't have FS Global, I have FS Global ULTIMATE, which is much more detailed than "plain" global and that Freemesh as well.

 

I will try those locations you mention though. I did try some in Europe and were nice, but it seems some did not understand, I'm not reporting a problem as that is what I expect in flat areas. What I'm looking for suggestions on nice places to fly to appreciate the mesh addition.

First is the mesh layers activated in you scenery library? If so, then go to "second".

 

Second have you turned up your mesh setting to a higher resolution, IE 7m, 5m?

 

Third, what do you mean by "flat"?  Like a pancake flat or?

 

Forth, perhaps go to the rocky mountains and have a look there?

 

Fifth, in a normally mountainous or very hilly area, take a screenshot, then go to your scenery library and activate or deactivate the mesh layers and take screenshots in exactly the same spot..now compare the screenshots to see if you are actually getting a visual impact.

 

cheers

Bryan

Hi Bryan,

 

Sems some folks did not understand, I'm not reporting a problem as that is what I expect in flat areas. What I'm looking for suggestions on nice places to fly to appreciate the mesh addition.

You weren't expecting to find any mountains in Miami or Houston were you?

 

Kidding aside, those are probably two of the worst places to test mesh as they are pretty flat in real like and any small hills or elevations aren't going to be very noticeable.

 

Go test somewhere where there are some mountains and see how it looks, or some descent sized hills. I spend a lot of time flying into Miami and Houston in real life and both are pretty flat looking from the air and Ground with not much noticeable elevation changes.

Well no, not mountains of course   But I didn't think it would be that bland...

 

What I'm looking for suggestions on specific nice places to fly to appreciate the mesh addition.

What altitude did you test at ?

 

At the moment I only have the stock standard mesh that comes with FSX .

I also have several ORBX FTX  full scenery packages for several areas , they have an upgraded mesh.

 

I tend to fly low , often below 200' agl in the F-111 , I created a radar that depicts the terrain contours

in differing colour shades , when I zoom the radar in to 15 nm or less it clearly shows up the mesh as a

series of elevation contour terraces , the display is more than dramatic , it can be useful for low level flight

to get an idea of what lies ahead of you.

Of course in ultra flat areas it will only be one or two elevation shades , but most areas have a good mesh

showing up,

In my own locality it displays two quarries , and in ORBX England it shows the riverbanks in detail.

 

For radar screenshot scroll down to reply #5 at following link.

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/xml-map-variables-elevationcolor-greater-17000-ft.429721/

 

In real life when practicing forced landings , you simulate a engine failure , then you look for a field or paddock 

that you might be able to land in , from 3,000' that field looks flat and tempting to use , but as you get close to it 

I have often found that it is anything but flat , it can be the side of a too steep hill , from height it usually looks alot

flatter than it actually is.

 

So test from an obscenely low altitude to fully appreciate your mesh elevations.

 

Cheers

Karol

 

PS : As a general rule mesh developers use a lower resolution for areas that are flat and featureless ,

possibly to conserve frame rate impact , and to keep the package size down.

It is pointless having high resolution if terrain is featureless.

The mesh resolution in any given package can vary dramatically from one area to another , that's normal.

Choose an area that has good varying terrain and hills or mountains , check your atlas , most atlas have

hipsometric tint colours to depict elevations.

 

Screenshot at zoom 300 nm using ORBX scenery mesh.

Nice explanation. I will keep it in mind. In any case, what I'm looking for suggestions on specific nice places to fly to appreciate the mesh addition.

 

Thanks!

[AviatorMoser 353]

Fly where the default mesh was only LOD6 and then appreciate the difference! The transition to LOD9 (e.g. FS Global 2010, FS Global Ultimate) or LOD10 (FreeMeshX) in South America is huge.

[COBS 25]

Carlos

 

If you could share with us 2 or 3 countries that you usually like to fly in.

Also ,

What type of aircraft do you mainly fly , General aviation singles or twins, military aircraft or military fast jets ,

helicopters , or airliners.

 

The reason that I ask is that the main aircraft that I tend to fly is fast generally 400-650 knots , so you cover 

a lot of territory , thus a flight from one country to another is not unusual , for example from Aviano in Italy to

Frankfurt in Germany , but in a small GA it would be more likely to be a local flight covering smaller distances.

 

I like rolling countryside or rugged  mountains , I tend to prefer richer green places as it is easier to see the rise and fall of the 

terrain in front of you when flying as low as I do.

 

Try the Swiss Alps near Zurich some of those deep valleys are delightful to follow.

Most of my flying is on the East coast of Australia , from Melbourne all the way north to Brisbane,

other areas that I use are England and Wales and Germany.

I have the ORBX scenery for All of Australia , England , Wales , Scotland , New Zealand and a couple of locations

in the North west of USA  , that scenery really dramatically brings to life the mesh in those areas .

The Area from Frankfurt to Stuttgart to Dortmund  is nice mesh wise , also Wales has great mesh experiences , and it 

includes the Mach Loop area.

 

I tend to create instruments for my panel and as a part of the testing and calibration of those instruments I conduct flights

in Australia , UK , Germany , Italy , the Alps , USA and Nepal to get a variety of both Mountains , undulating and somewhat flatter

countryside as often the mesh plays an important part in evaluating some of the instruments , and it provides valuable

navigation considerations for others.

 

Cheers

Karol 

[MadDog 353]

Ah, what the heck, I'll bite....

 

Here's a a good starter list:

 

VNKT - Kathmandu, Nepal

VNLK - Lukla, Nepal

VQPR - Paro, Bhutan

LOWI - Innsbruck, Austria

KASE - Aspen, CO

KTEX - Telluride, CO

KTVL - Lake Tahoe, NV

PAJN - Juneau, AK

PAYA - Yakutat, AK

NZMF - Milford Sound, New Zealand

 

This just scratches the surface, there are hundreds of mountainous airports to try. Go to Alaska and pick an airport - the chance of a mountain being nearby is pretty good.  Head over to skyvector.com and check out airfields in the light tan/brown areas of the VFR charts... you'll find all kinds of terrain to discover.

[Raven9000 272]

Carlos

 

If you could share with us 2 or 3 countries that you usually like to fly in.

Also ,

What type of aircraft do you mainly fly , General aviation singles or twins, military aircraft or military fast jets ,

helicopters , or airliners.

 

The reason that I ask is that the main aircraft that I tend to fly is fast generally 400-650 knots , so you cover 

a lot of territory , thus a flight from one country to another is not unusual , for example from Aviano in Italy to

Frankfurt in Germany , but in a small GA it would be more likely to be a local flight covering smaller distances.

 

I like rolling countryside or rugged  mountains , I tend to prefer richer green places as it is easier to see the rise and fall of the 

terrain in front of you when flying as low as I do.

 

Try the Swiss Alps near Zurich some of those deep valleys are delightful to follow.

Most of my flying is on the East coast of Australia , from Melbourne all the way north to Brisbane,

other areas that I use are England and Wales and Germany.

I have the ORBX scenery for All of Australia , England , Wales , Scotland , New Zealand and a couple of locations

in the North west of USA  , that scenery really dramatically brings to life the mesh in those areas .

The Area from Frankfurt to Stuttgart to Dortmund  is nice mesh wise , also Wales has great mesh experiences , and it 

includes the Mach Loop area.

 

I tend to create instruments for my panel and as a part of the testing and calibration of those instruments I conduct flights

in Australia , UK , Germany , Italy , the Alps , USA and Nepal to get a variety of both Mountains , undulating and somewhat flatter

countryside as often the mesh plays an important part in evaluating some of the instruments , and it provides valuable

navigation considerations for others.

 

Cheers

Karol

Hi Karol,

 

Well it's not where I like to fly, I mean if where I like is flat, it's flat

 

This wa smore along the lines of suggestions, so thank you vey much I will check those out!

Ah, what the heck, I'll bite....

 

Here's a a good starter list:

 

VNKT - Kathmandu, Nepal

VNLK - Lukla, Nepal

VQPR - Paro, Bhutan

LOWI - Innsbruck, Austria

KASE - Aspen, CO

KTEX - Telluride, CO

KTVL - Lake Tahoe, NV

PAJN - Juneau, AK

PAYA - Yakutat, AK

NZMF - Milford Sound, New Zealand

 

This just scratches the surface, there are hundreds of mountainous airports to try. Go to Alaska and pick an airport - the chance of a mountain being nearby is pretty good.  Head over to skyvector.com and check out airfields in the light tan/brown areas of the VFR charts... you'll find all kinds of terrain to discover.

Thanks MadDog, I will be sure to try these out too!