FSX Scenery for Jets

[mdavenport 0]

I am sure this has been asked before so appologies but I don't seem to be able to find what I am looking for, if it even exists:-I fly the PMDG 747 and 737PIC in FSX running SP2 and TrackIR.I have been using TileProxy to get realistic scenery, however flying these jets doesn't really lend itself to being the correct solution.I have also tried FSEarthTiles to download scenery from g%%%le but this just doesn't seem practicle to download this much scenery (UK) in one go and store this on the computer.I understand there are another couple that pull maps from G%%%le etc but not too sure what they are and if they are any good.Are there any other products that are recommended. I have seen references to FLAltitude for Europe. Is this any good?There must be a way to download from g%%%le earth and store in an efficient way.Other than FSAltitude are there any other commercially available product that will accomodate this?Let me know what your thoughts are?ThanksMark

[Guest jshyluk]

While the individual tile images in Google are fairly small, each of them is unique, and you need thousands of them to cover a territory. Until we all have blazing fast multiple-terabyte drives, the best way to access Google Earth is remotely from its servers. That, and the Google imagery is proprietary, so downloading it and storing it permanently for your own use would likely violate your terms of usage. We don't want to find out what Google Jail looks like from the inside, do we? (Hint: I have yet to find it on any of their maps)The most efficient way to store scenery that I can think of is what MSFS does already: generic tiles. That way, you only need hundreds of tiles, and you get the ability to change seasons and lighting, and you don't get perspective errors.Of course, the tiles can be changed to suit your tastes. There are several products that use custom tiles, land-classes, and terrain mesh for the UK and Europe. There's a number of them that have been reviewed already by AVSIM, so you can check the Reviews Archive.Personally, if I am flying at high altitudes in FSX, I think the terrain mesh is more important than the textures. More than likely, all but the largest features will be blurry and indistinct at altitude. On the other hand, a terrain mesh will give you more accurate mountains and coastlines, which is important in Europe. Well, it's important everywhere, of course. But the terrain mesh really looks good when you are cruising high-altitude jetways. After terrain mesh, landclass is also important at high altitudes. Then, I would look at custom textures. Again, there's a number of products out there, and I am just speaking in very general terms, so maybe someone else has more specific ideas.Jeff ShylukAssistant Managing EditorSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

[Guest hmstiger]

I have read that the FS Altitude is very good - only for Europe right now, but possibly a North America release in the future. Colin in POrtland