Freeware Scenery for P3D V5

[Fly089 16]

Hi All

 

I've been scouring the vast reaches of the internet in the hope of finding freeware scenery for P3D V5. I'm not looking for payware scenery mostly because a lot of them are not frame rate friendly for my system specs. The one's I do have already suck my system's resources dry. 

I had been using Ray Smith sceneries in FSX SE and then tried Robert Catherall's versions, but they don't work in P3D V5. Now, of course I tried using ADE to resolve this, but with V5's updated airport data, I'm just not able to get Robert's sceneries to work. I am unsure as to why. Would anyone know an easier way to convert Robert's airport files?

 

Vickram

[Steve_Ellis 273]

Alas, these are not the good old days of loads of FS9 freeware anymore.

Freeware is becoming an extremely rare commodity. There seems to be price tag on most things these days, irrespective of the quality but at least the repaints section is healthy.

The XP freeware is like how Flight SImulator used to be, not sure what went wrong.

[C2615 319]

Mind you, there are a lot freeware with default scenery objects piled up, looks awful but also get lower frame rate than some good looking custome 3D moded scenery...

[Kaiii3 1,967]

since the default airports in v5 are even worse then the default airports in FSX/P3Dv1-4 i had the idea of extending the AIGTech AFD-Convert to v5. But I have not yet decided, but if I will find the time and there is actual a big interest in such tool I will give it a try.

[Fly089 16]

3 hours ago, Steve_Ellis said:

Alas, these are not the good old days of loads of FS9 freeware anymore.

Freeware is becoming an extremely rare commodity. There seems to be price tag on most things these days, irrespective of the quality but at least the repaints section is healthy.

The XP freeware is like how Flight SImulator used to be, not sure what went wrong.

Ah yes Steve. I figured as much 🙂 But I was hoping that V5 being backward compatible would make existing sceneries like Robert's easier to install. Alas, V5's airport update (which is worse than what FSX had), makes that impossible. 

1 hour ago, C2615 said:

Mind you, there are a lot freeware with default scenery objects piled up, looks awful but also get lower frame rate than some good looking custome 3D moded scenery...

Exactly, I tried using some of them. In fact, I had tried a couple of FSX sceneries that work almost 90%, but with the either the elevation slightly off OR the default AFCAD buildings and objects still showing up. 

1 hour ago, Kaiii3 said:

since the default airports in v5 are even worse then the default airports in FSX/P3Dv1-4 i had the idea of extending the AIGTech AFD-Convert to v5. But I have not yet decided, but if I will find the time and there is actual a big interest in such tool I will give it a try.

Hello Kai, I agree the default airports in V5 are even worse off. Can't imagine why the devs did what they did, but there must've been a reason. I do not understand how AIGTech AFD-Convert works. The most I've ever used is the AIG Manager for AI traffic. Probably get in touch over PM. 

[G-RFRY 1,705]

If your running V5 with 6GB VRAM do you want more scenery.

[shivers9 1,174]

I am afraid that the days of "Free" addons have gone the way of a cheap cup of hot coffee. You question does bring up an area of concern and need for P3dV5 which is a lack of smaller airports for the GA flyer. I had used the Orbx free airports package before but no longer avail. Just like in real life, I avoid major Airpots (pun intended) and even Regional offerings when I can. I consider commercial flying to be equal to visiting a lousy Dentist with a bad attitude because his useless kid won't get a job and move out of the basement.

That said, I would love to see some part time developers start making payware packages for GA flyers that are somewhat like the Orbx free stuff.  Something like Florida airports or regional themed packages. IMO, they would not need all the ORBX droids walking in circles but just good up to date layouts and some static aircraft and such. Come on someone....take my money!!

[GEKtheReaper 364]

8 minutes ago, G-RFRY said:

If your running V5 with 6GB VRAM do you want more scenery.

Well I actualy fly since HF2 with only 4GB of VRAM...

My setting are tuned to work with e.g.: ORBX LOWI + AS3D + ASCA + complete line of ENV... + EZCA + ORBX Trees HD + FSL A320 + GSX L2.... and have almost 0.5GB to spare.

Of course I'm not using the bugged EA and my settings are not below mid of the sliders except LOD which is one notch lower.

[reecemj 144]

6 minutes ago, shivers9 said:

I consider commercial flying to be equal to visiting a lousy Dentist with a bad attitude because his useless kid won't get a job and move out of the basement.

🤣

You may want to try this:https://orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/196419-moving-orbx-freeware-airport-pack-into-p3dv5hf2/ 

[Kaiii3 1,967]

2 hours ago, Fly089 said:

Ah yes Steve. I figured as much 🙂 But I was hoping that V5 being backward compatible would make existing sceneries like Robert's easier to install. Alas, V5's airport update (which is worse than what FSX had), makes that impossible. 

Exactly, I tried using some of them. In fact, I had tried a couple of FSX sceneries that work almost 90%, but with the either the elevation slightly off OR the default AFCAD buildings and objects still showing up. 

Hello Kai, I agree the default airports in V5 are even worse off. Can't imagine why the devs did what they did, but there must've been a reason. I do not understand how AIGTech AFD-Convert works. The most I've ever used is the AIG Manager for AI traffic. Probably get in touch over PM. 

I developed the Converter shortly after the release of P3Dv4, becuase some addon airports using default aprons had a missing flat that preveted them from being shown in the Sim, since then this flag was ignored so no one noticed it, but in v4 LM fixed it and many airports from Ray Smith an others had no visible aprons.

Based on this I could try to extend the convert to load the default v5 buildings and remove them from the files. The result may be ok but is far from perfect. The best way is still to create a whole new AFD-File based on the new default airports in P3Dv5, since we have still no full list of what has changed at each airport (Between FSX/P3Dv4 and the new database in v5). And have in mind that LM is still updaing airports in v5 with each Update (so an AFD file created in V5HF1 can cause problems with HF2 already)

[shivers9 1,174]

31 minutes ago, reecemj said:

🤣

You may want to try this:https://orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/196419-moving-orbx-freeware-airport-pack-into-p3dv5hf2/ 

Thanks...I will have a look. I was checking ORBX for word on the packages but had not seen this.

[Fly089 16]

1 hour ago, G-RFRY said:

If your running V5 with 6GB VRAM do you want more scenery.

Actually, I'm able to get decent performance at airports like Aerosoft Mega Frankfurt with fair settings. I'm actually looking for scenery which has the airport something like Ray Smith, not necessarily fancy like the photoreal airports. 

1 hour ago, shivers9 said:

I am afraid that the days of "Free" addons have gone the way of a cheap cup of hot coffee. You question does bring up an area of concern and need for P3dV5 which is a lack of smaller airports for the GA flyer. I had used the Orbx free airports package before but no longer avail. Just like in real life, I avoid major Airpots (pun intended) and even Regional offerings when I can. I consider commercial flying to be equal to visiting a lousy Dentist with a bad attitude because his useless kid won't get a job and move out of the basement.

That said, I would love to see some part time developers start making payware packages for GA flyers that are somewhat like the Orbx free stuff.  Something like Florida airports or regional themed packages. IMO, they would not need all the ORBX droids walking in circles but just good up to date layouts and some static aircraft and such. Come on someone....take my money!!

I'm not exactly looking for Orbx-like airport detail. Something as simple as a Ray Smith like details suffices. Your Dentist analogy is hilarious!!

41 minutes ago, Kaiii3 said:

I developed the Converter shortly after the release of P3Dv4, becuase some addon airports using default aprons had a missing flat that preveted them from being shown in the Sim, since then this flag was ignored so no one noticed it, but in v4 LM fixed it and many airports from Ray Smith an others had no visible aprons.

Based on this I could try to extend the convert to load the default v5 buildings and remove them from the files. The result may be ok but is far from perfect. The best way is still to create a whole new AFD-File based on the new default airports in P3Dv5, since we have still no full list of what has changed at each airport (Between FSX/P3Dv4 and the new database in v5). And have in mind that LM is still updaing airports in v5 with each Update (so an AFD file created in V5HF1 can cause problems with HF2 already)

I guess we will have to wait then while the updates change airport data and there is stability. I hope your converter can then be able to fix airports. 

[regis9 3,999]

I was wondering if the orbx freeware would work or if they would suffer from default buildings bleeding through...I assumed that was the delay in releasing them for v5 as it would be a huge amount of work to create excludes for every airport.

I moved over one airport to v5 that I wanted to use (MUVR) and created an exclude.  It works fine but maybe I didn’t need to exclude after all.

[micstatic 4,299]

6 minutes ago, regis9 said:

I was wondering if the orbx freeware would work or if they would suffer from default buildings bleeding through...I assumed that was the delay in releasing them for v5 as it would be a huge amount of work to create excludes for every airport.

I moved over one airport to v5 that I wanted to use (MUVR) and created an exclude.  It works fine but maybe I didn’t need to exclude after all.

I wish orbx iceland freeware would work.  Maybe it's just me, but even with the MK BIKF I find it doesn't look very good flying there. 

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

10 hours ago, Fly089 said:

Hi All

 

I've been scouring the vast reaches of the internet in the hope of finding freeware scenery for P3D V5. I'm not looking for payware scenery mostly because a lot of them are not frame rate friendly for my system specs. The one's I do have already suck my system's resources dry. 

I had been using Ray Smith sceneries in FSX SE and then tried Robert Catherall's versions, but they don't work in P3D V5. Now, of course I tried using ADE to resolve this, but with V5's updated airport data, I'm just not able to get Robert's sceneries to work. I am unsure as to why. Would anyone know an easier way to convert Robert's airport files?

 

Vickram

 

SunSkyJet's KPHL (Philadelphia) seems to be working fine in P3Dv4 and v5, and INIBuilds has created an Dynamic Light update for it.

Best wishes.