Adding airports to P3Dv4

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Hello guys n Girls

I have just locked up my P3Dv4.3 for the third time.  I have added a freeware airport (YBWW) through the Add Scenery in the Scenery Library, restarted P3D and it locks up on restart. ie I just get the initial opening screen.

I cannot figure out where the Scenery Library is, in order to delete the offending item.  Previously I have uninstalled and then reinstalled P3Dv4.3 including all my ORBX stuff and one Payware aircraft This basically takes me a whole day. I am trying to work out just what the problem is and I have no bloody idea. (give me back FS2004) lol 

Everything I have read says most FSX scenery is compatible with P3Dv4 but it all says to add it to the Add on scenery folder.  I have not got an "Addon scenery" folder in my installation and for the life of me, even though (when it is not locked up) I can find the scenery library either in the task bar or even prior to that in the start up menu, I cannot find it to edit it in my P3Dv4 folder. Also is there a list of safe P3Dv4 compatible OZ scenery?

I believe, if the programme is locked up the only way to fix this problem (without uninstalling/reinstalling)  is through the P3Dv4 folder on my dedicated SSD. I am desperately trying to update from FS2004 but I am finding this so very very frustrating and am close to abandoning it forever. This would be a pity because I feel the "fix" is simple ... I just cannot find it. I am quite prepared to only fly between ORBX airports in the future if I cannot find a solution to this, however that is going to take a lot of the fun out of P3D and make it a very expensive proposition (for a pensioner) if I wish to expand to flying out of Australia.

In the meantime I have locked myself in a room with the computer and removed all sharp objects and knives LOL

Cheers and please help me if you can.

Regards

Tony

 

[ARCO 245]

Download Lorby's freeware tool to manage your sceneries, this will make your scenery management a breeze, here it is: http://www.lorby-si.com/downloads.html (Prepar 3Dv4 organiser), it is easy to use and, just in case, you have a forum here on AVSIM: https://www.avsim.com/forums/forum/788-lorby-si-support-forum/

Once you have installed your tool, look for the offending scenery and disable it by a double click (it will be highlighted in red/pink), then restart P3D. If it still hangs, disable your sceneries until you get it to start.

You mention in your post about ORBX, did you set them in the correct order (priority), if not, you wont be able to get anything to work with P3D, of particular importance is the location of your various ORBX files with your airport add-ons (all airport add-ons should be above the ORBX products, and ORBX products have a hierarchy of their own), to review that, again AVSIM will help you thanks to Elaine's detailed tutorials here: 

Your add-on scenery folder is in Program Files > Lockheed Martin > Prepar 3Dv4 > Addon scenery

Good luck!

Edited August 20, 2018 by Jean-Claude

[JustanotherPilot 219]

I have YBWW (Wellcamp) installed in a Folder outside of my Prepar3d v4 installation simply Name "P3Dv4 Scenery" (E:\P3Dv4 Scenery/YBWW) I have the scenery and texture folders intact under YBWW. To install in Prepar3dv4 I simply use the Lorby-Si Addon organizer(freeware) as Jean_Claude has mentioned, to add the scenery under the preferred LM external .xml method. I use this tool for all of my scenery files that do  not have their own installer, and have had no issues with scenery not installing correctly. The Organizer also has a utility to check scenery files, so this may help with your dilemma.

 

steve s

Edited August 20, 2018 by JustanotherPilot

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Jean Claude,

Thank you so very much for your response.

I will download the freeware tool, it does indeed sound very handy. I do not think however, that it will solve my immediate problem. That is I cannot get into the programme. It is locked up and despite closing it through "control, alt, delete" the Prepared3 D logo is still on the screen. it has disappeared from the task bar but the Logo remains on the desktop. If i cannot start the programme, how is it possible to edit it to remove the scenery problem?

I do not have a problem with ORBX other than very slow download and install times (hence the all day uninstall and reinstall routine)

Thanks yhou so much for your links too

Regards

Tony

 

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Steve,

Thanks again to you for your response. As stated in my previous response, I will be looking seriously at the Lorby-si kprogramme.  However, and again, my immediate problem is to get into and run P3D in order to edit anything.  a restart only gives me the initial opening screen and goes no further. This is obviously (to me) just looping and getting nowhere.

So my problem remains.  Is there, in actual fact, an "Add on scenery" folder and/or where is the add-on scenery library to be found?

Thanks mate

Tony

[ARCO 245]

Press Alt + Ctrl + Del, end P3D, download Lorby's tool and de-activate the offending scenery. Start P3D, if it works, fine, if not, de-activate your sceneries one by one, but prior to that check your ORBX files.

Do not restart your PC before the P3D closing process is completed, otherwise upon your next PC start, P3D will start again automatically.

 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Jean-Claude

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

5 minutes ago, himmelhorse said:

Is there, in actual fact, an "Add on scenery" folder and/or where is the add-on scenery library to be found?

Hi,

there are several locations where to look for broken scenery paths. But if you have added it with the Scenery Library Dialog, then you will find the reference entry in your scenery.cfg file:

C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4\scenery.cfg

Set "Active=FALSE" for the scenery entry that you suspect of causing trouble, that should help.

Please be very careful when editing this file! It may look like a regular text file, but it has a more advanced character encoding. Using the wrong text editor can break it. Either use Notepad++ (Freware) or, if you want to use the Windows Notepad, don't just save the file - use "Save As" and make sure that it says "Unicode" in the selector box at the bottom. 

Best regards

Edited August 20, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Oliver,

Thanks mate,

Apologies for delay, I have just downloaded your organiser and am about to install it.  From the looks of it, I may well leave it all up to your organiser and see what happens. 

I am and in fact, have played around with the cameras config   in order to slow the pan rate down, but I was blissfully unaware of the use of notepad ++ as opposed to just Notepad which is what I normally use. You may have save some major embarrassment on my part and I thank you for that.

I am just amazed that there is not a folder in which the add-on scenery abides that is accessable and easily edited.  I wonder why it is so (thank you Professor Julius Somner Miller)

I will try and sort this mess out and advise. That will probably be tomorrow.

Cheers all and thanks again

Tony

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

5 minutes ago, himmelhorse said:

I am just amazed that there is not a folder in which the add-on scenery abides that is accessable and easily edited.  I wonder why it is so (thank you Professor Julius Somner Miller)

Simple reason: you can't run out of disk space if you leave that configurable. That would eventually be a problem if you force a single folder as the source for addons.

As for addon configuration being spread out over three different locations, that is because we have a legacy application here. New logic was added (the two versions of add-on.xml files) to the old one (=scenery and all the other .cfg's) because Lockheed didn't want to break compatibility, while at the same time progressing to a more flexible method.

Best regards

Edited August 20, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Oliver.

I guess that makes sense although it works well for FS2004 and FSX. I have always thought that the HDD or SSD was the limiting factor rather than the folder.

I am just reading through your instructions as we speak and hopefully will be better armed with knowledge on the morrow.

Thanks mate

Tony

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

4 minutes ago, himmelhorse said:

guess that makes sense although it works well for FS2004 and FSX. I have always thought that the HDD or SSD was the limiting factor rather than the folder.

You mean the AddOn folder inside of the main simulator folder? That was only a convention, you could have saved the scenery anywhere and reference it from the scenery.cfg. And most commercial addons did, too. That folder of old has the major drawback that in the default installation this location (Inside Program Files...) is not accessible for the standard Windows user.

Folder capacity is the same as that of the disk it resides on. With the underlying DOS you can't expand folders over multiple disks.

Best regards

Edited August 20, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Aha.

That makes it much clearer now.

Thanks again mate.

Regards

Tony

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Oliver,

yeeee effin haaaaaaa LOL

I am in now and  I had two sceneries ... YPAD in red and YBWW in pink which I deleted ... I am sure the docs will tell me how or why this is, but MAAAATE thank you so much ... this is a gift from GOD.

Regards

Tony

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

9 minutes ago, himmelhorse said:

YPAD in red and YBWW in pink

YPAD package disabled (in the sim go to Options-> Add-ons) and YBWW is pointing at an invalid location (empty or non-existent). The latter probably prevented your sim from starting - which is a new behavior in P3D V4.3, it wasn't like this with the older versions (or in FS*) 

Best regards

Edited August 20, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[himmelhorse 1,276]

Oliver,

Thanks for that information mate.  I am just so happy that I can use this program (P3D) again.  At the moment I am editing in my sceneries folder (different drive) to make sure all my sceneries have just the scenery and/or Scenery and texture folders with nothing else in the folder.  I will then try to work out how to install them using your programme.  At first glance, it looks a little complicated (read ... I don't know what I am doing) so I may get back to you if I haved any further problems.  Oliver, you have been an Angel sent from heaven. My gratitude is unlimited.

Cheers mate

Tony