Ortho4xp Question Regarding Overlays

[joepoway 241]

I created my overlays with the X Plane 11 global scenery not the HD Mesh v3 files but haven't disabled the HD Mesh v3 files so I wonder if I am getting strange effects in my scenery that I'm not aware off yet. My thinking was to get the benefits of both worlds particularly the higher resolution and better landclass accuracy by leaving it enabled.

The following was a summary previously posted regarding the differences between the two:

Differences between HD Mesh Scenery v3 (equally UHD Mesh Scenery v1) and the XP11 default Global Scenery released with Public Beta 1 (which might / will change with later scenery updates):

HD Mesh Scenery v3: older data (approximately 2 years old) – XP11 default: newer OSM data (August 2016)

XP11 default has updated landclass data for many regions (compared to HD Mesh Scenery v3)

HD Mesh Scenery v3: older autogen placement algorithms and no special European roads during scenery generation (XP11 default has a slight edge here – at least urbanized areas might look better)

HD Mesh Scenery v3 does NOT use OSM data about high buildings. The final default Scenery of XP11 already has these in, which makes most larger cities look better (than they look with HD Mesh Scenery v3).

HD Mesh Scenery v3 has much higher resolution Mesh (this has NOT been changed in XP11 default do to scenery size constraints!)

HD Mesh Scenery v3 has much more accurate landclass representation (even if its based on older data as described above) because of its higher res mesh (landclass is bound to mesh triangles)

HD Mesh Scenery v3 has older (because of older OSM data) but more accurate coastlines (rivers, lakes, ocean) as XP11 default needed to simplify vectors … again because of scenery size constraints.

So again is there a benefit or problem with creating the overlays with the X Plane 11 Default Global Scenery and leaving HD Mesh V3 tiles enabled in all those regions? Or does it not matter because of the final order of the Scenery.ini file overrides the HD Mesh tiles anyway?  

                     Overlays

                     Ortho Tiles

                     HD Mesh

I'm not sure if the ortho tiles get laid on the HD mesh or the if the ortho tiles generated with global scenery replace them because of the order?

Joe

[Olmba 27]

It will use the mesh you have on top.

"Base/Mesh Scenery

A base/mesh scenery is a full scenery designed not to be placed on top of something else. The default global scenery, alpilotx's HD Mesh v2 and Simheaven's photo sceneries are all mesh sceneries. If a mesh scenery is placed on top of another mesh scenery, it will completely block it out. This is a key point here, if you have, for example, HD Mesh v2 and Simheaven's photo sceneries, whichever one is higher priority will block the other. They cannot be used together"

Remember to place  Global Airports/ below Ortho4XP\yOrtho4XP_Overlays/ 

Here is a copy of my own scenerypacks.ini

1000 version
SCENERY

SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/LOWI Innsbruck Kranebitten 1.02/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/EKCH (SWEDFLIGHT Pro)/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/LFPG Paris - Charles de Gaulle/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Aerosoft - EHAM Airport Amsterdam/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ENBR tdg/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ENGM xp11 tdg/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ENNK tdg/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ENSN tdg/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ENTO tdg/
SCENERY_PACK_DISABLED Custom Scenery/ENTO_Scenery_Pack/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ENVA tdg/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ENZV tdg/
SCENERY_PACK_DISABLED Custom Scenery/Narvik/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/_DefaultStreets London-Heathrow/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Aerosoft - EGLL Airport London-Heathrow/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/EGKK tdg with static/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/denmark-pro/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/norway-pro/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/3D_people_library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/BS2001 Object Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/CDB-Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/cemetery/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Europe_RoadTraffic/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/european_vehicles_library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ff_library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ff_library_extended_LOD/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/FJS_Scenery_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/flags_of_the_world/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/flags_of_USA_states/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Flyby_Planes/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/gt_library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/JB_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/MisterX_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/NAPS_library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/OpenSceneryX/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/People_LIB/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/PPlibrary/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/R2_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/RD_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/RE_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ruscenery/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Sea_Life/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Serviced Aircraft North America Part 1/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Serviced Aircraft North America Part 2/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Serviced Aircraft North America Part 3/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Static_GA_Aircraft_NZ/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/The_Handy_Objects_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/THE-FAIB Aircraft Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/THE-FRUIT-STAND Aircraft Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Vehicle Library Extension/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Waves_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/world-models/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/x_Prefab_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/XAirportScenery/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ZZ_DF-Hard_Surface/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/zzz_Treelines_Farms_Europe_v2/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/zzz_Treelines_Farms_North_America_v2/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\yOrtho4XP_Overlays/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Global Airports/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\UK\zOrtho4XP_+51+000_London_East/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\UK\zOrtho4XP_+51-001_London/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\UK\zOrtho4XP_+52+000 UK_North/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\UK\zOrtho4XP_+52+001 UK_North/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Denmark\zOrtho4XP_+55+012_Cophenhagen/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+58+005_Stavanger_West/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+58+008_Kristiansand_Arendal/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+58+009_kristiansand_Arendal_East/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+58+010_Skagerak/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+59+005_Haugesund_Stavanger/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+59+006_Haugesund_Stavanger_East/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+59+009_Grenland_Nord/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+59+010_Drammen_Oslo/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+60+004_Bergen_West/
SCENERY_PACK E:\Flightsim programs\Ortho4XP\Tiles\Norway\zOrtho4XP_+60+005_Bergen/
 

[joepoway 241]

1 hour ago, Olmba said:

Remember to place  Global Airports/ below Ortho4XP\yOrtho4XP_Overlays/ 

First thanks for your reply that's how I thought things worked.

I do have a question regarding the Global Airports position it seems everything I have read says to put these above overlays but obviously below custom airports. Wouldn't the result of putting it below cause the runways and airport features to disappear and then you would be landing in an ortho airport?

Joe

[Olmba 27]

I'm surly not an expert and  not sure where I read it. 
Let's wait for the real expert to show up 

[joepoway 241]

Thanks    you have helped a lot already I appreciate it!

Joe

[Griphos 138]

As to your original question, use whichever you want to create overlays. I prefer using global scenery because I get better and more compete building autogen that way. Using HD mesh might give you better forest placement however. Doing either one presents no conflict with using HD mesh as mesh. You're just specifying the source for creating the autogen overlay pattern. There is still the advantage of higher resolution mesh using HD mesh enabled in your cfg either way.  

Overlays and mesh are completely different things.  Mesh is the wire frame, as it were, that scenery tiles are draped over.  Overlays are the autogen patterns placed on top of the scenery tiles.  Using either Global Scenery mesh or HD v3 mesh as the source for creating the autogen patterns has no impact on the use of either mesh in the sim, as I understand it.

You can cut your overlays as many times as you like. It's an independent step. Experiment and see which you like better. Just move any newly created overlay tiles into your Custom scenery overlay folder after re-making them. 

[joepoway 241]

2 hours ago, Griphos said:

As to your original question, use whichever you want to create overlays. I prefer using global scenery because I get better and more compete building autogen that way. Using HD mesh might give you better forest placement however. Doing either one presents no conflict with using HD mesh as mesh. You're just specifying the source for creating the autogen overlay pattern. There is still the advantage of higher resolution mesh using HD mesh enabled in your cfg either way.  

Overlays and mesh are completely different things.  Mesh is the wire frame, as it were, that scenery tiles are draped over.  Overlays are the autogen patterns placed on top of the scenery tiles.  Using either Global Scenery mesh or HD v3 mesh as the source for creating the autogen patterns has no impact on the use of either mesh in the sim, as I understand it.

You can cut your overlays as many times as you like. It's an independent step. Experiment and see which you like better. Just move any newly created overlay tiles into your Custom scenery overlay folder after re-making them. 

Thanks for the detailed help, much appreciated.

Any thoughts on the other question regarding placement of Global Airports relative to overlay and orthos?

Joe

[Griphos 138]

The manual says to put Global airports below the overlays, I think.  I've put them both above and below, however, and haven't noticed any difference.  Perhaps that's because I usually use global scenery as the overlay resource.  

In general (and this is what I do), put airports on top, followed by libraries, followed by overlays, followed by Ortho scenery with mesh at the bottom.  I use HD Mesh v3 and some UHD mesh and these always go on bottom, with only the KSEA demo area below them.