Different P3Dv4 versions on the same computer W10

[ms2 184]

8 hours ago, Lorby_SI said:

You don't have to install textures directly into the simulato

Thx Olivier

But seam that unpossible to do with ORBX installers... Textures in sim are fully replaced, isn't it?

Second problem with orbx, is with each changing in FTX central, the scenery/world is disturbed, the .bgl of orbx that I make previously off (because conflicts) are coming back disturbing others addons from other editors.

Is mine first reason of this topic.

Sure is very long time that I never make a new full reinstall of P3d (only client) because I have so many addons. Seam to be time for me to do a clean reinstall. But now with your idea of switching disk/system, I am less afraid by this task, because I am able to keep present version the time of the operations.

[ms2 184]

Thanks to writers for suggestions and evolution of this topic

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

2 hours ago, ms2 said:

But seam that unpossible to do with ORBX installers... Textures in sim are fully replaced, isn't it?

Second problem with orbx, is with each changing in FTX central, the scenery/world is disturbed, the .bgl of orbx that I make previously off (because conflicts) are coming back disturbing others addons from other editors.

Hi,

solution to that is to use fake P3D directories (for the base and the two config dirs), renaming as required. I combine this with the sim diff feature of my P4AO to find out exactly what files need to be extracted, and then move them to a separate folder that is linked with an add-on.xml. Special attention is required for the terrain.cfg and autogen definitions though.

But as I said, this requires great attention to detail, there are just so many things that can go wrong and/or are inconvenient.

It is much simpler and safer to just use different drives. Some scenery, aircraft etc. that you need in both sims, can be installed on a third drive too that is always accessible. That way you don't have to always install everything twice.

Best regards

Edited September 15, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[jlund 380]

The problem for me with Simdirector is that it just keeps loading libraries. I have waited as long as ½ hour to see if it was just me being impatience, but nothing happing. I have used Airport design editor, but IS3 and Simdirector (apparently) would be so much easier to use, cause you can see directly in the sim where you place objects. So at least it's nice to know I can have two installs of P3D (v3.4 and v4.3) on the same machine, and use create the scenery in v3.4 and then export the .bgl to v4.3.

[ms2 184]

6 hours ago, Lorby_SI said:

It is much simpler and safer to just use different drives.

Thx Olivier

think that is indeed the safety and best way.

[Bob Scott 7,714]

19 hours ago, Lorby_SI said:

If you use the addon.xml method properly, that will not happen. You don't have to install textures directly into the simulator, you can keep any content out of the sim if you are willing to invest the necessary work. For example, I have the Rex Worldwide Airports texture replacements in a separate folder, and by activating/deactivating an add-on.xml I can simply turn them on or off. Nothing in the simulator folder itself has been changed. But it takes effort to achieve this, you have to trick the various legacy installers or management tools not to compromise your core simulator folders.

There are some major exceptions to this, however.  The biggest that comes to mind would be texture-replacement products like ORBX FTX Global or Ground Environment X, which overwrite default textures in the sim with their own enhanced versions, so such software can't just be activated or deactivated by manipulating the active status in an xml.

It might be feasible to create independent environments on separate drives using the same paths...but some software also looks at the volume ID on the drive as well as the pathname...no idea if P3D is one of those.  There are utilities that can duplicate a volume ID, at least the soft portion of it, but each physical drive also has a unique hardware serial number.  If that's the solution of choice (and it works), the environments could be swapped out simply by redesignating the drive letters (e.g. drive "P" is the path for the sim, so to swap rename the current drive to "S:" and rename the other drive to "P:" to make it the active environment.

Cheers

 

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

2 hours ago, w6kd said:

There are some major exceptions to this, however.  The biggest that comes to mind would be texture-replacement products like ORBX FTX Global or Ground Environment X, which overwrite default textures in the sim with their own enhanced versions, so such software can't just be activated or deactivated by manipulating the active status in an xml.

Rex Worldwide Airports is a texture replacement too. Moved to an outside folder and referenced with an addon.xml it will override the default textures just as well. And that is true for ORBX and GEX too. All you have to do is to create a fake P3D folder for the product to install in, then identify what has been installed, move that to an external folder and create the add-on.xml reference.

The "xml method" works for every type of content. Textures, sounds, shaders, whatever. There is no need to overwrite default assets, the external reference that is loaded last in sequence takes precedence over everything loaded before.

Best regards

Edited September 15, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[Bob Scott 7,714]

4 minutes ago, Lorby_SI said:

As I wrote, Rex Worldwide Airports is a texture replacement too. Moved to an outside folder and referenced with an addon.xml it will override the default textures just as well. And that is true for ORBX and GEX too. All you have to do is to create a fake P3D folder for the product to install in, then identify what has been installed, move that to an external folder and create the add-on.xml reference.

This works for every type of content. Textures, sounds, shaders, whatever. There is no need to overwrite default assets, the external reference that is loaded last in sequence takes precedence over everything loaded before.

Hmmmm...but what if the texture replacement does not replace all of the default textures, but just a subset?  Will P3D find a default texture if there is an overriding external reference for the texture directory and no replacement for that texture file there?

Regards

 

[ms2 184]

Oliver, today I learn a lot... How xml work

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

5 minutes ago, w6kd said:

Hmmmm...but what if the texture replacement does not replace all of the default textures, but just a subset?  Will P3D find a default texture if there is an overriding external reference for the texture directory and no replacement for that texture file there?

Not really a problem. If the texture in the external folder is still the default one - so what?  I don't see a default texture overriding itself as a problem - just an annoyance.

If you wanted to be really precise, then you would have to identify exactly what has been installed - that is what I am using my SimDiff for. Then extract the files that are listed as "changed" or "touched" painstakingly, so only the new content remains in the external folder. 

I do this a lot on my devel computer, so I can switch different "flavors" in quickly. And I really dislike it if something overwrites stuff in my core simulator

The exceptions are a couple of central config files like for autogen and terrain. Those can't be externalized yet, and care must be taken to get them right.

Best regards

Edited September 15, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

1 hour ago, w6kd said:

Hmmmm...but what if the texture replacement does not replace all of the default textures, but just a subset?  Will P3D find a default texture if there is an overriding external reference for the texture directory and no replacement for that texture file there?

Regards

 

Sorry, I think that I misunderstood that.

AFAIK the "external reference" is a really simple mechanism - it just looks at the basic file names. A texture file with the same name overrides a previously loaded file of the same name. Nothing more to it. It works even if you only have a single texture file in the external folder, for example to replace the halo.bmp or the milky way.

The general idea is to only have those files there that are actually different.

Best regards

Edited September 15, 2018 by Lorby_SI

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

1 hour ago, ms2 said:

Oliver, today I learn a lot... How xml work

C:\Program Files\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4\Learning Center.chm -> SDK -> Add-ons 

You will find a (freeware) tool to manage the xml referencing on the Lorby-SI website, called P4AO = Prepar3D V4 Addon Organizer.

Best regards

 

[ms2 184]

Oliver, precisely, I read back your manual of P4AO this evening. 😏

Xml method is a full other approach in sim for non-programmers but worth efforts.

After a lot of years on scenery.cfg, I stay on the way...

Mark