On 8/26/2026 at 3:39 AM, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

This looks interesting. Does it increase the distance or are they bound by X-Plane's 3D ring. Just wondering if this will work like extended lights.

I would imagine there would be a big FPS hit for that, but it isn't something I am planning to look at.

17 hours ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

AutoTrees will allow selected ortho tiles on the users PC to be scanned to create the more realistic coverage for that tile.

So basically the underlying generator that would result in a "Global Forests" like scenery if it was run on ortho tiles spanning the entire globe.

Curious how it'd fare with ZL14 as input.

16 hours ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Be warned you may not like the product as I am utilising AI in its development 😁

From your track record, I'd be surprised if you did not. 😉

(I also use AI to assist in projects, but I review each and every line of code it generates.)

18 hours ago, Bjoern said:

So basically the underlying generator that would result in a "Global Forests" like scenery if it was run on ortho tiles spanning the entire globe.

Curious how it'd fare with ZL14 as input.

I would think ZL14 is too low for the ortho scanner to detect vegetation accurately. My Map enhancement cache contains ZL17/18 and The ortho scanner will use the highest ZL it can.

An image showing progress. Trees around the houses are less dense and smaller than those outside the town which are larger and more dense. Streets are mostly clear but gardens have appropriately sized trees.

Hedgerow details on the Isle of Wight UK

58 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Hedgerow details on the Isle of Wight UK

Looks incredibly realistic!

Town trees plus hedgerows in the distant fields on the Isle of Wight

imgico

Before and after comparison on imgico.com

Sim Heaven vs AutoTrees - Drag to compare two images. Made with imgico.com.

Edited August 31Aug 31 by MrBitstFlyer

On 8/25/2026 at 6:14 AM, Brian Mackie said:

A really interesting project, Mr Bitsy. How does your approach compare with the Global Forests solution - and can it be easily expanded globally? I speak as one at the other end of the Earth, ie, New Zealand, which is a place much ignored by the rest of the world, but rich in vegetation.

Any particular area in New Zealand - Tile or place? The App is under testing so I am testing various countries.

Purely out of self-interest, you could try my home patch around Napier, Hawke's Bay, or NZCH in the South Island. Cheers!

The visuals are impressive. Can I ask when the plugin will become available?

An update on AutoTrees progress. My aim with AutoTrees is for SimHeaven or Global trees to be used for base worldwide tree coverage, with AutoTrees enabling you to process vegetation from ortho tiles. Either full tiles or selectable areas in a tile can be processed, increasing realism where it matters to you.

The AutoTrees app is coming along nicely. Vegetation can now be generated for complete ortho tiles, circles of a specified diameter, or rectangular areas. Generation is cumulative. If you generate another overlapping area, or later generate the complete tile, only previously unprocessed cells are added to the DSF file. Existing cells can also be deliberately selected and regenerated without rebuilding the entire tile.

For locations where you want greater accuracy, vegetation can now be edited manually. Individual trees, tree rows, woodland areas and hedgerows can be added or deleted. Only the affected cells are regenerated; all other processed cells are reused unchanged before the DSF file is recompiled.

Here is the app showing the autogenerated vegetation (shaded areas) and manually inserted vegetation shown as lines or dots. Any manually added vegetation can be deleted at any time. The area shown in the app is Popham airfield in the UK

The UI will be cleaned up for release as it contains info used by me in its development.

When you have finished editing, the DSF file will be recompiled using just the areas you updated. The following screenshot shows solid green cells that were previously generated, with the clear cells that were edited and are about to be processed into the DSF file.

Some screenshot comparisons from Popham. The first comparison is an overview of Popham airfield. SimHeaven does a good job, but AutoTrees adds denser woodland and missing hedgerows/woodland/individual trees.

imgico

Popham

Popham - Drag to compare two images. Made with imgico.com.

The next comparison shows the denser and more extensive woodland and hedgerows. Note the dense woodland on the right plus missing trees/hedgerows right centre.

https://imgico.com/c/eFSTppS

Just to the north of Popham is this golf course, completely barren in SimHeaven but full of trees and hedgerows in AutoTrees. Note the road running left/right through the centre - tree lined all the way. In the distance past the road you will see denser woodland and missing hedgerows.

imgico

Popham Golf

Popham Golf - Drag to compare two images. Made with imgico.com.

AutoTrees is still under active development, and aspects such as woodland variety and tree selection are continuing to be refined. The aim is to combine reliable source data, aerial imagery and X-Plane’s default 3D vegetation with straightforward manual editing where extra accuracy is wanted.

Feedback and suggestions are very welcome.

Edited September 20Sep 20 by MrBitstFlyer

On 9/3/2026 at 8:46 PM, Brian Mackie said:

Purely out of self-interest, you could try my home patch around Napier, Hawke's Bay, or NZCH in the South Island. Cheers!

Napier/Hawke’s Bay should make an excellent first New Zealand test because it contains plantation forest, native vegetation, orchards, vineyards, shelterbelts, urban vegetation and very recent high-resolution aerial imagery. Christchurch would then provide a useful contrasting test of Canterbury farmland, shelterbelts, urban trees and the Port Hills. I’m currently investigating the official New Zealand vegetation datasets and will initially target selected areas around NZNR and NZCH

Thank you for doing this work. The change makes the scenery more immersive. Looking forward to hear future progress.

15 Minute flight from Popham airfield demonstrating AutoTrees - still in active development. I'm happy to get useful comments and suggestions.

XP12 is an incredible simulator, and I am always surprised when it is described as not as good as another sim. This is why I have been creating addons for it. Take a look at these two screenshots. First one is a real world view from A Spitfire.

https://i.ibb.co/zV6qbVQD/Real-Spit.png

Second screenshot is XP12 with my AutoHaze and AutoTrees.

I am very pleased how AutoTrees is coming along, but boy, how good is XP12? 😮

Edited September 21Sep 21 by MrBitstFlyer