Why can't we use in FSX the Mesh, Landclass and Scenery from FS9?

Most (but not all) default and "designed for FS2004" add-ins will work in FSX.It is possible that the newer file formats are better optimized for FSX in the case of terrain mesh, but this has yet to be confirmed conclusively.One might wonder if handling multi-resolution mesh LOD data sets as many, many files for world data may have compelled placing them inside huge compressed files for retail distribution on 2 DVDs moreso than perhaps it being an issue of FSX performance that necessitated this; it is too early to tell until we hear more from ACES, FSG, and inquisitive FSX users that conduct comparative studies.This issue of the pros and cons for loading/reading huge files vs. a few pertinent and smaller files for local need while flying has already been raised in regards to textures also; it will be interesting to see what is discovered about this over time.The FSX mesh default data files are larger than just loading a 38 meter base mesh file along with several LOD buffer mesh files which are smaller due to the fact that the latter are needed for only smaller areas of the world, and thus may be all that really has to be read/loaded for the area you are actually flying in.So one might wonder if the 2004 file formats might actually still load faster and run smoother as one crosses between terrain LOD zones!Search the forums here and at SimFlight on this topic, and you will see how well the FSX retro-compatibility works on various popular packages. ;-) GaryGB

You are right, Gary, this is a very interesting point, and congratulations on noticing it. I don't think that many have understood how important this is.The FS Team has looked for many ways to optimize performance and one aspect received much attention. In previous versions of FS, terrain scenery in a bgl only contained a specific LOD resolution. The terrain engine was thus forced to interpolate other necessary LODs, and the processor cycles dedicated to this impacted heavily on performance.Therefore, for FS X, all terrain (including photo-real textures) contain all necessary resolutions already calculated - all that the terrain engine need do is to display them as required. This explains the very smooth flight that most people are experiencing.The downside of all this is that files are much larger and that initial loading times have increased. But, this is a small price to pay for the result - much better performance overall.You can test the FS 9 terrain compared to the default FS X and the difference is quite noticeable. All in all, this is a great improvement, very cleverly conceived and executed.Best regards.Luis

Hi Luis:Thanks for your kind and informative reply.:) I was wondering if you had yet seen the "landclass adaptation project" underway?http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...65560&mode=fullKind Regards,GaryGB