P3d v4 How to install fsx freeware scenerys in p3d v4

[Svenni141 1]

Hey Guys,

I want to install my freeware scenery into p3d v4 but i don't now how. So please can you help me for installing some scenerys manally like in the fsx 

Thanks guys

[Jude Bradley 659]

What scenery exactly?

Seriously, unless it's been recompiled with the Prepar3D v4 SDK, it's not a good idea.

 

[Jim Young 2,356]

Just install your freeware scenery anywhere on your HDD (do not install it in the P3D/Addon Manager folder).  The scenery should have a ReadMe on how to install the scenery but, in the event it is missing, you should have a folder with the name of your scenery such as KLXP.  Inside that folder you will have folders named Scenery and Texture.  Inside the Scenery folder should be the freeware scenery files.  There may or may not be any files inside the Texture folder (sometimes scenery require a Texture folder, sometimes not).  Load P3DV4.  Once loaded, click on World and then Scenery Library.  Once Scenery Library is open, click on Add Area (to Add Scenery).  Go to the directory where you installed the freeware scenery such as KLXP.  Click on KLXP and add it to your scenery library.  Once completed, you should see P3D loading the new scenery.  Click on Navigation and go to the airport and check it out by flying one of the Virtavia or Lockheed Martin Sikorsky Helicopters.

If you already have tons and tons of freeware scenery for FSX sitting on your HDD, all you have to do is open up the Scenery Library, go to the folder where it is installed and add it to the P3DV4 scenery library.  Each time you add a new scenery "manually", you'll see an error msg after you add the scenery stating your scenery is not in sequence and would you like P3D to fix this for you.  Click OK.  What this means is that you installed payware scenery, say FS Dreamteam stuff, that were installed in the Documents/Prepar3D v4 Add-ons folder and you installed your freeware at the top priority over those scenery.  Once you manually add scenery in the Scenery Library, it is best to move it down below all of the Addon stuff then you won't get any errors.

You might have hundreds of Photoscenery installed in FSX and those directories are already sitting on your HDD.  Just open up the P3Dv4 Scenery Library and add them and then move them down in priority as appropriate.  They all work great!!

Best regards,

Jim 

[Svenni141 1]

Thank you very much Jim for this brilliant tips :).

Regards Sven 

[zzip 0]

Thx Jim

Grtz

Peter

[KSAN_Chuck 2]

Jim, 

Thanks so much.  I just loaded P3D V4 onto a new computer today.  My first flight was to KIAD, and I was slightly surprised to see that the airport was missing a runway.  While I appreciate eye-candy, I really like airports to have the current real-world configuration.  Over the years I have made many visits to the AvSim library to keep my FSX scenery up to date, and I was hoping I was not going to wait for folks to re-engineer scenery updates (and repaints, for that matter) to make them work in P3D V4.  Sweeeeet....

 

Thanks again

 

[KSAN_Chuck 2]

Well, I spoke too fast in the post above.  

What I have been trying to do is take a freeware airport scenery file from the library and make it work in P3DV4.  

First approach was to take a single airport scenery (KCLT, from Ray Smith) from the library and upzip it.  I then took the .bgl files as recommended in the enclosed ReadMe file (in most cases, there are a few extras, so I read the directions carefully so as not to cause a conflict) and put them into a directory called "KCLT".  I then launched P3DV4, and use the Scenery Library to add the data by browsing directly to "KCLT".  When I do this and let P3DV4 rebuild the scenery index, I get a warning that it "could not find scenery Area.128's local scenery directory C:\KCLT\scenery" .  I tried this with several different airports, to no avail.  I might add that for the KCLT case, the ReadMe file instructed the user to copy the appropriate files into  FSX/Addon Scenery/scenery; and I selected KCLT_OBJ.bgl and KCLT_RS.bgl and put them into the KCLT directory.  When I go to KCLT, all the runways are there, including 18R/36L, but there are no taxiways.  I have tried this with several airports with the same results.  

My second approach was to take the contents of my old FSX/Addon Scenery/Scenery folder and use it.  This didn't work, so I then created a Freeware Scenery directory, and put the contents of FSX/Addon Scenery into it, as well as the contents of the FSX/Scenery/Global/Scenery folder.  So now I have a folder called Freeware Scenery with a the contents of both folders.  I can use P3DV4's scenery library tool to add all this data (probably 60 different airports) to the scenery library, but again, when I go to an airport that should be being depicted by the add-on freeware scenery, the up-to-date runway configurations are there, but no taxiways.  

So what I really want to know is which files from an AvSim library airport scenery download do I need, and what sort of directory structure, if any, do I need to create so that this data can be used by P3DV4.  Even if it's tedious, I will do it.  What I hate is flying into an airport with scenery that is several years out of date.  

Thanks in advance for any help here.  

 

P.S.  If it helps, I fly exclusively on VATSIM, where up-to-date airports do matter.  

Edited August 26, 2017 by KSAN_Chuck
greater clarity

[Jim Young 2,356]

I would not recommend placing any scenery in the Addon Scenery folder.  You can create a scenery folder on any drive where you have space.  I have one file for FSX and P3D.  I installed the scenery on my E Drive.  So the Folder structure is like as follows:

E:/KCLT

Scenery (subfolder of KCLT) (move your .bgl files here)

Texture (subfolder of KCLT) (place any texture files here, if any - most freeware addon scenery has no textures as they use the default so this folder will likely be empty but is required in most cases for the scenery to work).

Once this is completed, you can add the scenery to both FSX and P3D using the Scenery Library.  The thing about P3DV4 is that some scenery made back in the FS9 days (and I think most of Ray Smith's scenery is from those days but compatible with FSX only). 

If you have problems using the Scenery Library inside of FSX and P3DV4, then I recommend using the Scenery Config Editor - https://sourceforge.net/projects/fs-sceditor/.  This editor will look at your scenery in the scenery.cfg and can tell you if it is working or not.  It will also fix any problems with the scenery.cfg such as making sure the Areas/Layers are the same and in numerical sequence.  You can also move the scenery up in the scenery.cfg or down.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Jim

 

[BlueStar 323]

27 minutes ago, Jim Young said:

The thing about P3DV4 is that some scenery made back in the FS9 days (and I think most of Ray Smith's scenery is from those days but compatible with FSX only). 

Jim,

With Ray's scenery the best way to get it to work in P3dv4 is to use ADE.  Take Ray's *.bgl and edit the Taxi Links by changing Draw Surface and Draw Detail to YES.  Another minor problem is Ray uses some scenery objects (modules) from different areas that may not show.  

The latest ADE version 1.75 (beta) is what I am using and I've had no problems with it.  I am currently updating my sceneries to P3dv4 and should start uploading them shortly.  The only change I've make to my scenery is the changes that I've outlined for Ray and I've had no problems.

blaustern

[KSAN_Chuck 2]

Thanks to both for the detailed responses.  While I really don't want to get into the ADE business, I did download version 1.75 (beta), and I may give it a try.  

Hopefully, Bluestar (and others) will start uploading P3DV4-compatible scenery, especially for popular airports that are out-of-date in the default scenery.  KCLT, KORD, KIAD could certainly use an update.  I haven't looked yet, but KCVG, KMIA (due to the relatively recent terminal expansion) and EDDF could probably use and update as well.  

 

[FlyingMasterChef 4]

On 8/27/2017 at 2:26 PM, KSAN_Chuck said:

Thanks to both for the detailed responses.  While I really don't want to get into the ADE business, I did download version 1.75 (beta), and I may give it a try.  

Hopefully, Bluestar (and others) will start uploading P3DV4-compatible scenery, especially for popular airports that are out-of-date in the default scenery.  KCLT, KORD, KIAD could certainly use an update.  I haven't looked yet, but KCVG, KMIA (due to the relatively recent terminal expansion) and EDDF could probably use and update as well.  

 

I know this is over a year old...but I am, as I type this, FIXING everything with KCVG...  While it won't be perfect as far as buildings go, I don't have time to make models ATM, I am fixing everything else...and it is so wrong in Prepar3D v4.31 as a stock airport....I can't believe after all these years no sim creator has ADDED the 3rd N/S runway!!!!   My God, Prepar3D came out AFTER that runway was in use for years!!!!  And since I can't find any GOOD versions of KCVG anywhere I am doing it myself..  totally fixing all taxiways, signage, parking...I have removed the old Delta concourse C which is GONE now as are terminal buildings 1 and 2.  Expanding the cargo area (I may even add the soon to be built Amazon Prime cargo area that is being built now to make KCVG the largest cargo port in the world!!!) to include all the updates from DHL and FEDEX.  (I live between KDAY and KCVG and IRL fly out of cvg quite often...so always wanted a REAL version of it in the sims...  I will be talking with some friends who DO do airport design and full modeling to see if they would take it on... It's not a major airport as far as simmers go...so most places won't touch it (no money in it really....) but they may jump on it if they have nothing else pressing....

Greg

[KSAN_Chuck 2]

Jim, 

Many, many thanks for your explanation of how to load P3DV4-compatible scenery, and then to activate it using the scenery library controls in P3D.  It works for me, and it does solve a lot of problems.  

Since my original post, lots of payware scenery for P3DV4 has become available, and I am using some of it on top of my ORBX land classes and regions.  And even better, quite a few folks have been uploading P3DV4-compatible scenery to the AVSIM library.  Just to mention one, Bob Catherall has been adapting Ray Smith's files (with permission) to run in P3DV4.  

Now if only the AVSIM library would create a P3DV4 category in their library so we wouldn't have to read the fine print in order to find workable scenery.  

 

[Jim Young 2,356]

A good idea.  I'll see what the Library Admin can do.

[karlz 37]

On 8/26/2017 at 5:34 PM, Bluestar said:

Jim,

With Ray's scenery the best way to get it to work in P3dv4 is to use ADE.  Take Ray's *.bgl and edit the Taxi Links by changing Draw Surface and Draw Detail to YES.  Another minor problem is Ray uses some scenery objects (modules) from different areas that may not show.  

The latest ADE version 1.75 (beta) is what I am using and I've had no problems with it.  I am currently updating my sceneries to P3dv4 and should start uploading them shortly.  The only change I've make to my scenery is the changes that I've outlined for Ray and I've had no problems.

blaustern

I am trying to use ADE version 1.75 as well,  I can edit the airport that is a old file missing several things, and not updated on its runway mag var change, I compile the file.  I place it into a directory with scenery and texture, and make it first priority on the scenery,  but the original airport file keeps reverting back, not my changed one.    I almost wonder if I could erase the old one, and replace to stop this...

Does version P3D version 4.4 not support scenery edits?

[Jim Young 2,356]

9 hours ago, karlz said:

Does version P3D version 4.4 not support scenery edits?

It does not in that an Addon.xml is created for every addon scenery.  This is located in your Documents/Prepar3Dv4 Addon.  The old addon.xml is not automatically deleted and you have to go in their and manually delete it (sometimes).  Once the old addon.xml is removed, then you can add the new one.  I hope you are using the Lorby_Si Addon Organizer but, even if you delete the scenery in the Organizer, it will not automatically be deleted in the Prepar3D Addon Folder.  I have noticed this several times, especially if I update my MegaScenery and the latest version is a different file name than the one that was replaced.