P3D v5 prep how to move the add-ons?

[mobiel 72]

How about making a backup folder of Add-Ons installed in SimRoot Folder of V4 and refer via SceneryLibary in V5 to this backup folder? So in my opionion the Add-Ons also can be used if they are compatible to V5

[CFIJose 5,485]

1 hour ago, GSalden said:

Oliver,

With AO I have already moved many scenery from cfg to xml.

However, most of my scenery I buy at Simmarket and the majority installs the cfg way.

And some scenery install files in the main effect / texture folder. Sometimes also into scenery / world .

And there are Addons that install file into Scenery / Global.

What is your advice ?

Thanks, Gerard 

Let us not forget about SODE. A new version is needed and updates to each airport that requires SODE will need to be offered by the dev. As Ricardo from LatinVFR pointed out.

Most of my sceneries still install the old fashion way with files going everywhere including effects, global scenery, sounds, etc. We could try to trick the installers but we would still need to check the SODE files. Make a backup of the SODE folder just in case.

Oliver is the expert in this area so I'll defer to him.

[GSalden 4,657]

15 minutes ago, DJJose said:

Let us not forget about SODE. A new version is needed and updates to each airport that requires SODE will need to be offered by the dev. As Ricardo from LatinVFR pointed out.

Most of my sceneries still install the old fashion way with files going everywhere including effects, global scenery, sounds, etc. We could try to trick the installers but we would still need to check the SODE files. Make a backup of the SODE folder just in case.

Oliver is the expert in this area so I'll defer to him.

Very good suggestion : hopefully some smart developer (hint hint Lorby Si) is able to make an app that we can run before installing and that causes all scenery to be installed the xml way and will make extra folders too if needed ( effect , global , sound and of coarse Autogen ).

As by looking at the outside of an Addon installer we do not know if the addon is going to be installed the xml way or the cfg way.

Myself I was thinking about making 2 batch files.

I would start with an empty Autogen.install, Effect.install, Texture.install and Scenery.install folder

- Rename the main Autogen, Effect, Texture and Scenery folder to name.def

- Rename the .install folders by deleting the .install extension

- Let de Addon Scenery install

Now I can look into those folders to see if files have been added.

If so I can make subfolders in the Addon Scenery folder. I then copy the complete Addon folder outside P3D and make an xml file for it with entries for scenery / texture + entries for the subfolder.

- Then I use the second batchfile to rename the main folders again.

 

[Shomron 251]

1 minute ago, GSalden said:

Very good suggestion : hopefully some smart developer (hint hint Lorby Si) is able to make an app that we can run before installing and that causes all scenery to be installed the xml way and will make extra folders too if needed ( effect , global , sound and of coarse Autogen ).

As by looking at the outside of an Addon installer we do not know if the addon is going to be installed the xml way or the cfg way.

Myself I was thinking about making 2 batch files.

I would start with an empty Autogen.install, Effect.install, Texture.install and Scenery.install folder

- Rename the main Autogen, Effect, Texture and Scenery folder to name.def

- Rename the .install folders by deleting the .install extension

- Let de Addon Scenery install

Now I can look into those folders to see if files have been added.

If so I can make subfolders in the Addon Scenery folder. I then copy the complete Addon folder outside P3D and make an xml file for it with entries for scenery / texture + entries for the subfolder.

- Then I use the second batchfile to rename the main folders again.

 

Great idea, I personally would pay for this kind of tool. Reminds me of the old Estonia migration tool which worked up until v4....

[GSalden 4,657]

9 minutes ago, Shomron said:

Great idea, I personally would pay for this kind of tool. Reminds me of the old Estonia migration tool which worked up until v4....

There I took the idea from... 😇

[_Airbus_Fan_ 26]

17 minutes ago, Shomron said:

Tolle Idee, ich persönlich würde für diese Art von Werkzeug bezahlen. Erinnert mich an das alte Estland-Migrationstool, das bis v4 funktioniert hat ....

Since V4 I install all Scenerys in a fake P3D directory.
This has the advantage that I can see exactly what is being installed and where it is going.When that is done, the scenery is moved to an extra SSD in my addons folder.
Then an XML file is created and everything is integrated.
It works very well for me. In my P3D directory V4 there are only the PMDG aircraft, otherwise everything is on 2 separate SSDs, aircraft and scenery.

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xEYcOBlY1ev_aAR1q9PINqOUlz54zotU

 

[GSalden 4,657]

The same idea. Well done.

Nowadays I copy the Simmarket Addons into my Addon folder outside P3D where all my xml based Addon scenery also have been installed and then change the cfg entry into an xml entry with AO. Only the files that have been installed to Autogen, Effect, Texture and Scenery remain there inside P3D.

Orbx also copies a lot into Scenery/World

Edited April 13, 2020 by GSalden

[GSalden 4,657]

1. Here 2 batchfiles that let you switch between P3Dv5 regular and Install mode. Put the batchfiles in the Lockheed Martin folder next to Prepar3D v5 and Prepar3Dv5 SDK. You can make shortcuts to your desktop. 
2. Make a new folder called : Prepar3D v5 - Addon Install
3. Modify the paths to where you have P3Dv5. Can be used with V4 also after changing all V5 entries in the batchfiles to V4  
4. Put a copy of your p3d.exe file in Prepar3D v5 - Addon Install folder too. Some Addons might not install without it

 

Enable P3Dv5 Install Mode

@Echo off
rename C:\Flightsim\"Lockheed Martin"\"Prepar3D v5" "Prepar3D v4 - Flightsim"
timeout /T 2 /nobreak
rename C:\Flightsim\"Lockheed Martin"\"Prepar3D v5 - Addon Install" "Prepar3D v5"

 

Enable P3Dv5 

@Echo off
rename C:\Flightsim\"Lockheed Martin"\"Prepar3D v5" "Prepar3D v4 - Addon Install"
timeout /T 2 /nobreak
rename C:\Flightsim\"Lockheed Martin"\"Prepar3D v5 - Flightsim" "Prepar3D v5"

 

When installing an addon and you want to know where all files have been put in the sim use Install Mode.Inside the temprary Prepar3D v5 3hat folder you will see what subfolders have been created and which files there are inside.

This makes it easy to switch to the xml way.

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by GSalden

[gregmorin 199]

Thanks for all the tips Gentlemen!

Greg

[virtuali 4,421]

I would suggest NOT trying to "move" anything by yourself, other than the simplest freeware, perhaps. Unless you really know what you are doing.

While P3D V5 is backward compatible with V4, there are some differences with rendering, textures, effects, dynamic lights and, of course, if the add-on requires a software module that use Simconnect, it *might* require an update to use V5 Simconnect, and if it use the PDK, it will most likely require an update too.

A lot of default airports have been updated so, for example, something as simple as Exclusion zones in the scenery AFCAD, won't likely work if they were made for the default V4 scenery ( that hasn't changed since FSX ), so you'll see double objects and default objects mixed with the scenery everywhere. Night textures looks different, Dynamic Lights works differently, especially if the scenery was made with PBR, so these will require updates as well. Transparent textures looks different too.

While all of these are "reasonably" easy to fix for the original scenery developers, it's just a waste of your time trying to fixing them yourself, but you'll likely find those problems, and you would then go either to LM support forum assuming the sim has a bug, or to the scenery developers forum, assuming the scenery you moved manually has a bug...please don't do that, we are all working on it, so just wait for the official installers to be available.

About SODE, the latest version 1.6.7, already supports P3D V5.

P3D V4 and V5 can be installed and used together without the slightest problem. I strongly suggest to keep them both installed, and upgrade all your add-ons as soon as they are available with official V5 installers.

Edited April 13, 2020 by virtuali

[newtie 533]

11 minutes ago, virtuali said:

P3D V4 and V5 can be installed and used together without the slightest problem

Virtuali-

I have to ask you this with the utmost respect as I know this is going through a lot of others' minds as well.

Are you sure? No files get overwritten anywhere?

Thanks for your great airports; I frequent them often.

Mark

[GSalden 4,657]

15 minutes ago, virtuali said:

I would suggest NOT trying to "move" anything by yourself, other than the simplest freeware, perhaps. Unless you really know what you are doing.

While P3D V5 is backward compatible with V4, there are some differences with rendering, textures, effects, dynamic lights and, of course, if the add-on requires a software module that use Simconnect, it *might* require an update to use V5 Simconnect, and if it use the PDK, it will most likely require an update too.

A lot of default airports have been updated so, for example, something as simple as Exclusion zones in the scenery AFCAD, won't likely work if they were made for the default V4 scenery ( that hasn't changed since FSX ), so you'll see double objects and default objects mixed with the scenery everywhere. Night textures looks different, Dynamic Lights works differently, especially if the scenery was made with PBR, so these will require updates as well. Transparent textures looks different too.

While all of these are "reasonably" easy to fix for the original scenery developers, it's just a waste of your time trying to fixing them yourself, but you'll likely find those problems, and you would then go either to LM support forum assuming the sim has a bug, or to the scenery developers forum, assuming the scenery you moved manually has a bug...please don't do that, we are all working on it, so just wait for the official installers to be available.

About SODE, the latest version 1.6.7, already supports P3D V5.

P3D V4 and V5 can be installed and used together without the slightest problem. I strongly suggest to keep them both installed, and upgrade all your add-ons as soon as they are available with official V5 installers.

You are absoluty right. Use the v5 installers.

My batchfiles are for those sceneries that install into v5 the cfg way. And only people knowing what to do might try them...

 

[virtuali 4,421]

2 minutes ago, GSalden said:

My batchfiles are for those sceneries that install into v5 the cfg way. And only people knowing what to do might try them...

The installation method ( scenery.cfg or add-on.xml ) doesn't make any difference ( good or bad ), when the actual files from V4 need updates to render the scenery correctly in V5.

Edited April 13, 2020 by virtuali

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

26 minutes ago, virtuali said:

I would suggest NOT trying to "move" anything by yourself, other than the simplest freeware, perhaps. Unless you really know what you are doing.

While P3D V5 is backward compatible with V4, there are some differences with rendering, textures, effects, dynamic lights and, of course, if the add-on requires a software module that use Simconnect, it *might* require an update to use V5 Simconnect, and if it use the PDK, it will most likely require an update too.

A lot of default airports have been updated so, for example, something as simple as Exclusion zones in the scenery AFCAD, won't likely work if they were made for the default V4 scenery ( that hasn't changed since FSX ), so you'll see double objects and default objects mixed with the scenery everywhere. Night textures looks different, Dynamic Lights works differently, especially if the scenery was made with PBR, so these will require updates as well. Transparent textures looks different too.

While all of these are "reasonably" easy to fix for the original scenery developers, it's just a waste of your time trying to fixing them yourself, but you'll likely find those problems, and you would then go either to LM support forum assuming the sim has a bug, or to the scenery developers forum, assuming the scenery you moved manually has a bug...please don't do that, we are all working on it, so just wait for the official installers to be available.

About SODE, the latest version 1.6.7, already supports P3D V5.

P3D V4 and V5 can be installed and used together without the slightest problem. I strongly suggest to keep them both installed, and upgrade all your add-ons as soon as they are available with official V5 installers.

You have pretty much made up my mind...that I will certainly have a virgin, separate install of P3D v5, and will populate that install with 3rdP content that has been officially noted as now V5 enabled/modified for.  So, I will enjoy what new features there are...will get use to flying and manipulating the settings and general feel and usage of v5,...but will have a fully functional v4.5 to fly in conjunction. Yep..that's what the plan is for tomorrow!

[GSalden 4,657]

14 minutes ago, virtuali said:

The installation method ( scenery.cfg or add-on.xml ) doesn't make any difference ( good or bad ), when the actual files from V4 need updates to render the scenery correctly in V5.

It is more to keep all Addon files outside of the P3Dv5 root. That both ways work fine is true.

With a reinstall or update it will all be quickly up and running again.