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Activating/de-activating scenery?

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You're welcome!One other VERY IMPORTANT thing I need to mention. If you are going to make ANY changes to your FSX Scenery Library, you REALLY, REALLY, REALLY need to also download a freeware utility called "FSTscenery" by Steve Greenwood. FSX does not keep your "scenery.cfg" file in order when you make changes to the Scenery Library. After almost ANY change you make (including something as simple as just "Move Up" or "Move Down" an item in the library list), your "scenery.cfg" file will have invalid and incorrect entries in it. Most of these occur at the bottom of the list and you can see them by opening the "scenery.cfg" file in Notepad and scrolling to the bottom of the list. Several of your scenery areas will have wrong layer number values and they won't agree anymore with the order of your Scenery Library entries. Steve's freeware utility is a "one click" fix for this, and it works fantastically. It's a very small utility, but worth it's weight in gold. Follow the readme instructions included with it to set it up (really simple...I just placed the "FSTscenery.exe" file in the same folder as the FSX "scenery.cfg" file on my hard drive, and made a desktop shortcut for it). After making a change to the FSX Scenery Library, click the desktop shortcut, and your "scenery.cfg" file is repaired in seconds. A must have utility, in my opinion.RickEDIT: An after-thought here, included for FSX "newbies" that may not be that familiar with all this stuff yet. If you open up the "scenery.cfg" file in Notepad, you may get confused initially. It lists your scenery library entries in REVERSE ORDER of the Scenery Library list shown in the FSX Scenery Library display. And the "Layer" numbers will be in reverse order of the "Priority" layer numbers in the Scenery Library display. So, to compare the Scenery Library entry list order to the "scenery.cfg" list order, start at the BOTTOM of the "scenery.cfg" list in Notepad and work your way UP the list. Don't worry that the "layer" numbers don't match with the "Priority" numbers in the Scenery Library list...it doesn't matter. What matters is you should not have anything numbered "out of sequence" or have "gaps" or "two different numbers for the same entry" in the numbering from item to item. Steve's utility above fixes these things that FSX "corrupts" when you make changes in the Scenery Library.


Rick Ryan

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RickGreat TipI used to use a similar tool for FS9 so its good to get a FSX version.Yes I had invalid entries in the cf file.Rick - Do you have a file name or link to FST Scenery neither that or Steve greenwood finds it on AVSIM.- Rick found it its actuall fsscenery.exe.Which scenery.cfg do you use. I have 3 (2 in Documents & Sttings) and 1 in my main FSX folder (on its own separate HDD)RegardsPeter Hayes

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Peter,The zip file was named "FSScenery.zip", but when you extract it the".exe" program file in it is named "FSTscenery.exe". Don't ask me why...I dunno! ;-)As for what folder to place it in, Microsoft strikes again with their confusing placement of the different .cfg files for FSX. Anyhow, put the "FSTscenery.exe" file in:Local Disk C:Documents and SettingsALL USERSApplication DataMicrosoftFSXThat is where the scenery.cfg file FSX uses is located. Make a shortcut to your desktop for the FSTscenery.exe, and just double-click the desktop icon and it will repair the file. It will make a backup of the old one called "OldScenery.cfg" and put it in the same folder for you. If you get an "error" message after it runs, the list of errors are also placed there in a file called "issues.txt". These don't really appear to be "errors", but rather information about what the FSTscenery program actually found and fixed.Rick


Rick Ryan

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FalconAF you did a great job with your primer. I had sort of a half-@@ed version of your pyramid in my old FS9 install, but when I put together my FSX system, I did a complete FS9 reinstall, using a system very much like yours for both FS9 and FSX scenery and it works very well. Some freeware installers will look for "addon scenery" as a known mount point for their folders, but I've never had any problem manually moving them after install to my structure. I don't think I've seen a freeware installer try to directly update scenery.cfg (other than maybe Victoria+), so it is easy to first move the added folders, then update scenery.cfg the usual ways.scott s..

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Yeah, I ran into the same thing with the Victoria+ freeware and the Vancouver Plus payware scenery. I can understand why they did it though, and it didn't bother me after I understood it. Because they have separate scenery folders for "Higher", "Middle", and "Lower" priority scenery to make it all work, it makes sense their installer would update the scenery.cfg file for you also. If it didn't, a "newbie" user would probably never get the stuff installed and configured correctly using a manual method. It's much like the UTX installers...they add numerous folders in the Scenery Library that have to be in the correct order.Rick


Rick Ryan

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RickThanks again this is an excellent post. Now if we could only get you to talk in depth about scenery priorities (optimum settings) and how mesh, landclass, terrain, scenery, mega scenery all fit in to the mix.Just kidding!!RegardsPeter Hayes

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>Nice post, I just blogged referencing it.Thanks Phil. I'm humbled by that. Kinda like receiving the "FSX Nobel Prize" to be able to contribute anything that you feel is worthy of being added to your blog. :-sun1


Rick Ryan

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>Rick>Thanks again this is an excellent post. >Now if we could only get you to talk in depth about scenery>priorities (optimum settings) and how mesh, landclass,>terrain, scenery, mega scenery all fit in to the mix.>Just kidding!!>Regards>Peter HayesActually, you make a great point here. Most of us have our "favorite" places to fly in FSX (hometowns, etc), and would like to get them as close to "as real as it gets" as possible. For me, it's Las Vegas 'cos I live out here. By combining all the types of addons you mentioned above and using the Scenery Library properly, it's not hard to do. Since you "asked" above (heh - heh!), I'll list how I did it for Las Vegas, so maybe other users can do the same things for their favorite areas.Refer to my screencaps above again to follow along....1. FSX already includes many cities that were enhanced with the default install. Las Vegas is one of them, and is shown in the "base file" entries in the Scenery Library. Anything I added to further enhance it got added above the "Addon Scenery" entry in the library.2. World Time Zones was first. Being so close to the real-world time zone between the Nevada/Arizona state line here, the World Time Zone addon (it's part of the FS Real Time addon) keeps all my "over the border" flights time-synced with the real world.3. My Traffic addon: Added upgraded AFCADs for all the airports in the "local area" here...KLAS, KHND, KLSV, KVGT, 61B (Boulder). Gave my AI traffic and parking a great boost at all these airports.4. UTX USA: Fixed the "terrain" around the entire area. When I run FSX and also have FS Widgets Browser Edition running on my "side monitor" displaying the Google overhead "hybrid" map, all terrain features and roads I see in FSX are darn near EXACTLY where they should be. It's incredible. The included Urban Landclass with UTX also makes the urban areas of Vegas and the surrounding smaller urban areas much more accurate. Combined with GEXn textures and IT'S included Urban texture updates, what I see in Google Maps vs my FSX display is almost the same thing.5. Third - Party Terrain Mesh and Landclass: Not really mentioned in my post above, but included in the link to the tutorials I made in the Simforums GEX post about Landclass and Terrain Mesh. When layered correctly in the Scenery Library (see my caps above), I can choose one of several different ones I have installed to get the results that are as close to "real world" Las Vegas as possible. By enabling/disabling different ones depending on anywhere else I might be flying, I can get the results for those areas also.6. Megascenery Las Vegas: Layered above UTX, I can use it if I want, or disable it when I want. The funny part about this one is they took the satellite picture used for it TWO WEEKS before my new house was starting to be built out here. When I fly over my sub-division in FSX with MegaScenery Las Vegas, my "house" is a graded lot yet with the construction vehicles parked around the area. My neighbor's house next to me was already finished, so he laughs at me when I show it to him next to my "empty lot" still in FSX. ;-) 7. Additional AFCADs: I added and modified ones for all the local airports, and placed them in the "Ricks Modified AFCADs" folder at the "highest priority" AFCAD entry in the Scenery Library. I have my own personal parking spaces at each of them, and FSX always uses them due to the Scenery Library priority location. Now if I could only afford the real-world airplanes I have parked at them....8. "Vegas X" Addon Scenery: My "highest priority" Las Vegas entry in my Scenery Library. It displays on top of any other Vegas scenery I have decided to leave "enabled". I forget the developer's name, but it is from a Japanese site. He does outstanding GMAX renditions of several cities around the world. His "Vegas X" includes many of the hotels on the "strip" and also the downtown area, including an amazing rendition of the "Freemont Street Experience" enclosure. His Vegas addon is a little out of date right now because of all the new construction of hotels and casinos here in the past two years, but it is still extremely good. I'm hoping he has plans to update it again with all the new hotels and casinos out here.In any case, the above is how someone can really get a "favorite" area in FSX to "come alive" for them. Search for as many different addons you can find for the area you are interested in, then add them to the Scenery Library "priority-wise" in a way that makes them "play nice" with each other. You can get some amazing results in FSX this way.Rick


Rick Ryan

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RickThanks again! Great post. See you at the "Sands" one night!! (I'll be the low roller)Hope you get your house built one day (in the SIM)I use the wonderful FTX scenery a lot, plus all of the free add-ons makes flying in the antipodes a "real" experienceI use FS Earth w Google Earth and I too am amazed how accurate FSX is.RegardsPeter Hayes

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Guest abz
OK, here we go. I don't *think* I violated any forum rules with the size of the included screencaps. If so, my apologies. I needed to make them this size so my Windows Explorer file lists would be readable.NOTE: There are no doubt NUMEROUS different ways to manage scenery addons using the FSX Scenery Library. My examples below are only one of them. I'm sure other FSX users have other creative ways of doing it through different means of organization, etc. I just want to give you an example, as a tutorial, on one of the many ways it could be done.------------------------------------------------------(Scroll to bottom of post for closing comments...) screenhunter36fx7.jpgscreenhunter37qz2.jpgscreenhunter38kx0.jpgscreenhunter39iv2.jpgscreenhunter40jg8.jpgI hope this may have helped some users of FSX get a better understanding of the Scenery Library and how powerfull it can be in managing your scenery addons. By no means is it an "all inclusive" explanation! If anybody wants to add anything based on their way of using the library, feel free to do so. If anybody has any questions, I'll be more than happy to try and help clarify anything here.Have fun!Rick(FalconAF)PS - Subject to edit in case I discover after posting that I went brain-dead during my typing of it all!
I was recently reviewing this excellent topic and tutorial (from August 08) on FSX Scenery Library by Rick (FalconAF) and would like to review the imageshack images referenced above. I went to the imageshack site (joined and logged in) but cannot seem to find these images. Does anyone know how I can go about getting them? Or does anyone have them saved to re-post? Would appreciate any help. Thanks, Al

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Guest abz
I was recently reviewing this excellent topic and tutorial (from August 08) on FSX Scenery Library by Rick (FalconAF) and would like to review the imageshack images referenced above. I went to the imageshack site (joined and logged in) but cannot seem to find these images. Does anyone know how I can go about getting them? Or does anyone have them saved to re-post? Would appreciate any help. Thanks, Al
After posting my above question about the imageshack images, I went back to look at my post and low and behold the images were there! Not sure how this occurred but looks like I have now all the images to review. Thanks again, Al

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abz,I just came back here to look at this post again. I have no idea why my ImageShack links aren't working anymore for some of my screencaps, but I'm glad your post above includes all the images. Because of the date of my original post(s), I can't go back and edit them anymore, or I would add a comment to them to scroll down here to see all the screencaps.For anyone reading this thread, the screencaps in abz's post above for my Scenery Library entries are all-inclusive, and can be used to "follow along" with my tutorial discussion.Thanks, abz.Rick


Rick Ryan

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