FTXCentral 3 and Prepar3d v4.4

[ChrisDa 41]

Hi guys, I'll cut right to the chase, I have just changed over to P3D v4.4 from FSX, which I have run since day 1 in 2006. And all the other versions before that.

Never had a problem I couldn't solve in FSX, and got to know the inner workings rather well.

Now, here is the problem, every time I run FTXCentral, it puts the Vector libraries at the top of the scenery order.  Everything under that is in the right order.  I run Scenery Configuration Editor and move the Vector libraries to right above my Pilots mesh.  Then above the  Vector entries (5) there is the default scenery, then Orbx, then other third party stuff above Orbx Libraries.

All is good until I run FTXCentral again, and the 5 Vector Libraries are back on top.

Strange thing is that the Library, ORBX!VECTOR_AEC, still stays at the bottom, third up, where it is supposed to be. 

I thought it may be FTXC, I have re installed it several times.  There is no un install so I figured there is, maybe, some corruption being left behind after the installs, so I ran a trace on the installation and then made sure there was nothing left when I un installed it.

Another clean install, again.  And yes, I do know how the insertion points work, done it a million times in FSX. 

Still, the problem persists.

I have searched all over the web, been working on this for days, and can't find a solution.

I wonder if anyone here knows how to solve this, or what the problem may be.

Thanks so much.

Chris.

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by ChrisDa
Typo

[331BK 96]

Strange, never had a issiue with the central.

put the first insertion point bellow the last airport scenery and it stays there since then.

 

 

[Bob Scott 7,716]

Scenery Config Editor is a great program--for FSX.  However, in P3D, it does not manage the xml-based scenery configurations that are now the L-M standard.  I use the freeware Lorby-SI P3D Addon Manager now instead of SCE for scenery config management, because it incorporates all of the elements of the scenery environment in P3D: the scenery.cfg plus two separate xml subconfigurations.  I highly recommend you spend some time learning how the xml-based scenery structure works, as the scenery.cfg based installations are becoming the exception rather than the rule in P3D.

Does library file placement matter in the scenery order?  I suspect that they're placed on top by FTXC because order isn't critical for the libraries like it is for other scenery elements.

Have you asked on the ORBX forums?

Regards

[GHarrall 494]

11 hours ago, ChrisDa said:

Hi guys, I'll cut right to the chase, I have just changed over to P3D v4.4 from FSX, which I have run since day 1 in 2006. And all the other versions before that.

Never had a problem I couldn't solve in FSX, and got to know the inner workings rather well.

Now, here is the problem, every time I run FTXCentral, it puts the Vector libraries at the top of the scenery order.  Everything under that is in the right order.  I run Scenery Configuration Editor and move the Vector libraries to right above my Pilots mesh.  Then above the  Vector entries (5) there is the default scenery, then Orbx, then other third party stuff above Orbx Libraries.

All is good until I run FTXCentral again, and the 5 Vector Libraries are back on top.

Strange thing is that the Library, ORBX!VECTOR_AEC, still stays at the bottom, third up, where it is supposed to be. 

I thought it may be FTXC, I have re installed it several times.  There is no un install so I figured there is, maybe, some corruption being left behind after the installs, so I ran a trace on the installation and then made sure there was nothing left when I un installed it.

Another clean install, again.  And yes, I do know how the insertion points work, done it a million times in FSX. 

Still, the problem persists.

I have searched all over the web, been working on this for days, and can't find a solution.

I wonder if anyone here knows how to solve this, or what the problem may be.

Thanks so much.

Chris.

 

It maybe something to do with the scenery library insertion point settings in FTX Central itself? - Edit - Nevermind, I see you mentioned this.

Edited January 31, 2019 by GHarrall

[ckyliu 1,749]

@ChrisDa what @w6kd said, get Lorby's Addon Manager and ditch SCE.

I used SCE in FSX to enable/disable scenery to prevent OOM but is no longer necessary in P3Dv4 and SCE cannot handle the new addon.xml format.

[ChrisDa 41]

I do have Lorby's Addon Manager and I find it a great tool but I only have 3 addon sceneries that are installed via xml, so the SCE is still in use for me.

The point I'm trying to make is that FTX Central moves the 5 Vector Libraries to the top of the order and that, I notice, messes up the scenery, eg. the Islands off the coast where I live, Hervey Bay, Australia, disappear.  I put Vector back to where it should be and the islands re appear.  Goodness knows what else is messed up with Vector at the top.

I am not bold enough to say I know all about the use of xml scripts, but I know enough to write my own and correct mistakes in others. But again, that is not the point, I can't figure out what FTX is doing, and I can't find any information about it on the web.

This problem never arose in FSX, it has only occurred since I moved to P3Dv4 in the last couple of weeks.

Anyway, I hope someone comes along who can explain the inner workings of FTX and how it does the sort, then maybe I can find out what is going on.

Thanks Guys for your interest.

Chris.

.

[ChrisDa 41]

BTW, those 3 sceneries are installed by default on C drive, and I don't have much room there, so I modified the xml's so those sceneries can live on D drive while the Sim is on E.

I took the scenery xml's out of the Prepar3D v4 Add-ons folder, saved them, to disable those sceneries and to see if they had an effect on FTX, but no changes, FTX still puts the Vector Libraries at the top.

Chris.

.

[GHarrall 494]

I cant really help except to say the FTX Central always places Vector entries way down the scenery library on all versions of P3D I have had installed right from 2 to 4.4

Whatever is happening seems to be local to your installation. I would get on to the forums at Orbx and get some official help there.

[Dave_YVR 968]

 Your FTX Central Library insertion points can't be correct, check those to ensure that they make sense for your setup.

[ChrisDa 41]

Dave, The insertion points are correct.  Everything is put in the right places except the 5 Vector Libraries.  FTX below Addon scenery and Land Class below FTX.  And yes, I did save the settings.  I have done this a million times and it always worked in FSX.

I did inquire at Orbx and the only suggestion is to re install FTX Central, which I have done several times. (see Above.)