Is there a way to fast reload fs2004 scenery

[Guest Christian DK]

Hi,is there a way to reload scenery, when we build scenery.I hate open and close FS2004 everytime i have to check the changes.I know that FS2004 has a reload function, but that does not include new changes, made while the sim is running.Chris DK

[spotlope 0]

MS seems to have identified some new problem with FS2004 and loading scenery while the sim is running, so sorry but it seems we all have to quit and come back to see new changes. Hopefully they'll patch the problem at some point, but I ain't holding my breath.

[Guest JR Morgan]

Hi, Here's the method I've been using:1. Create, name and save a 'Flight' which views the scenery change you're working-on.2. With FS9 running paused and minimized, place your newly revised .bgl file into the scenery folder you're designing-to. Unless your computer is low on memory or resources, your Scenery design program can probably be running minimized all the time during all these steps.3. Click the FS9 icon on the taskbar to make the previously paused and minimized FS9 window become the main screen object and Un-Pause the sim. Then, from the menu, go to an approx 100 miles distant airport and load it into the sim. Simple and small airports load faster and serve your purpose.4. 'Soon as the distant airport loads, then select your saved 'Flight' (step 1 above), using the menu.Your newly revised scenery should now appear in the sim. The total time to reload/redisplay changes is approx 30 seconds or less and there's no CD-ROM activity required.I've been doing it this way a couple of weeks and have noticed no problems in doing it this way.J.R.

[Guest Christian DK]

Thanks Chris DK

[Guest GerrishGray]

Hi guysFS2004 does have a 'Refresh Scenery' option. To enable it you need to assign a suitable keystroke by going to Assignments, Refresh Scenery via the Options menus. Once enabled, this will provoke a reload of scenery objects without having to move away from the current location. This is not a total solution to the problem, but is probably fine for testing simple changes to already-existing BGL files that one is in the process of developing/testing.What you cannot do without a full restart is change the Scenery Library (scenery.cfg) or add/delete BGLs, etc. During its start-up sequence, FS has has always done a full scan of all BGL files in folders referenced in scenery.cfg and compiled a number of look-up tables in the process that are then used during the rest of the session. Prior to FS2004, this process (or, at least, parts of it?) was repeated when one made a change to scenery.cfg mid-session. Apparently, this feature caused MS a great deal of trouble and so they made a clear design decision to remove it when designing FS2004. There seems to be no prospect of it being reinstated during the life of FS2004, and I would guess that there is probably little prospect of getting it reinstated in later versions either. It has caused their own scenery design team the same time-consuming nuisance-value as it does us, but the coding guys apparently insisted that the change was highly desirable for ensuring the stability of the ever-more-complex engine.Hope this helps ...!Gerrish

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi all.Gerrish is right, and a full restart is required to insure all changes to the scenery is properly displayed.A trick I now use to quickly reload the sim:Go to your 'My DocumentsFlight Simulator Files' folder and make a shortcut to "Previous flight.FLT", and place it on the desktop.Now a double-click on that shortcut will quickly load your last flight position.Dick

[arno 1]

Not sure, but when I tested that scenery reload option (I assigned it to a key) it only reloaded my textures, not my BGL files.I agree with Dick. I have setup FS so that is always loads the previous flight by default (I also skip the menu at startup). So restarting the sim doesn't take that much time and I am right back where I was (I think it is even faster then switching airports).

[Guest JR Morgan]

Gentlemen... We have some conflicts of results here :-) First off: Gerrish, my testing reveals that the "Refresh Scenery" (added) keystroke and function in the 'Assignments' list 'does not' redraw the scenery in accord with a "last instance" of scenery modification with FS9 running paused and minimized. Apparently, a 'refresh cycle' (?) does occurr, however, the last revision of an in-work change to the applicable .bgl does not occurr unless the scenery-in-work's LOD area is departed-from and re-entered (requires 26 seconds max using keyboard) OR FS9 is re-booted (requires 1.5 minutes on my system). Selecting a different airport far enough distant from the scenery being modified and then immediately returning to a pre-saved 'Flight' in which the scenery-in-work is visible does indeed incorporate the desired changes to the recently modified bgl. I have carefully tried to note any loss of scenery objects or performance hits using the 'select different airport and return to scenery-in-work' method and so-far, I've seen no detriments whatsoever. What am I missing here? Using the "change on the fly" process I posted, the 'scenery.cfg file is not changed, rather, FS9 writes a (new) "Scenerytmp.cfg" file which includes the last change to the affected bgl. This (new) file actually adds a 'higher priority' scenery layer to the sim which bears the name of the scenery bgl being worked and it appears to remain active in the sim 'taking-over the job' of the heretofore depended-on "Scenery.cfg" file. This new "Scenerytmp.cfg" file appears to remain as the "active scenery layering dictate" even when the sim is cold-booted. Dick: What I'm seeing here is: Unless a "Previous flight.Flt" file in 'My DocumentsFS Files' (PreviousFlight.Flt file) was created while in a FS9 default OR while in a scenery in an "Add-On Scenery" Folder instance, the "previous flight.flt file is merely a notepad text file and linking it to the desktop and double-clicking it only opens the text file for editing, which I don't need to do. Since I always use a new-added Folder for the scenery I make, I cannot use the method you suggest. I started out trying to use the "Add On" folder, however, when trying to "Tree" my added scenery to the "Add On" folder, it didn't work to write-and-layer my scenery to the Scenery.cfg file's AddOn section and I had no "startup path" to my added scenery. Since the only other option seems to be to dump EVERYTHING (all user created bgls) into the AddOn SceneryScenery folder, that seemed to me to be asking for trouble (possible exclude priority problems, etc) -- ?I would greatly appreciate it if you all (or anyone) would please advise what the "real" detriments to this "on-the-fly" method are because it sure seems to be working beautifully here.I would much rather (simply and quickly) hit keystrokes: "P" (unpause FS9), "W" (world), "A" (go to airport), , (other airport loads in about 7 seconds or less), "F" (flights), "F" (select flight), and the last "on-the-fly" bgl modification scenery loads in approx 7 seconds; than doing a re-boot of the sim which takes approx 1.5 minutes on my 2.2 ghz platform.Why flail ourselves with a bloody hyssop when we can 'enjoy the moment''As Ever'J.R

[Guest GerrishGray]

Hi JRNo one's suggesting that you shouldn't use the method of scenery testing you like ... I was merely pointing out that FS2004 does have a Refresh Scenery function, even if it isn't very effective. I think that the behaviour you have observed about not registering changes in a BGL until you have moved away and back again may be because the file is currently open and held in memory so, despite the Refresh Scenery function, it is not being immediately re-read from disk. All I know is that the Refresh Scenery function is very limited in its functionality and MS recommend a full restart after any significant changes to the scenery.As regards needing a full restart after changing the scenery library - this is MS's own recommendation (insistence?), so if one experiences any problems when trying to do it without a restart, it's at one's own risk. I am sure that MS didn't make this change just for the hell of it or to annoy us ... they undoubtedly had very good reasons. Nevertheles, from what you say your method is certainly worth trying as a time saver when developing, or 'debugging' a scenery, but don't be surprised if sometimes the results are not as expected! Testing scenery changes without provoking a full reload has always been dubious - the difference between FS2004 and earlier versions was that previously you could provoke a full reload by changing (or appearing to change) the scenery library on the fly ... now you can't.By the way, the temporary file scenerytmp.cfg should not remain on disk after FS2004 has closed. Something is going wrong if it is still there after the sim has closed, unless you happen to have the file open in notepad.exe at the time, which would of course prevent its deletion. Opening files that are being used by an existing application in another app', while the first app' is still running and using the file(s) in question, is a very dodgy procedure and can easily lead to file corruption, loss of data, etc. (unless the file in question happens to be deliberately designed for multi-user editing under the control of a DBMS or similar - which is certainly not the case with FS).As regards .FLT files, the FS installation routine records a file association in the Windows registry for this file type so that double-clicking on a .FLT file starts FS with that flight, and skips the start-up screen one gets when simply starting FS9.exe direct. If your machine is not working this way, it is either because the install routine did not complete correctly or because you have changed the file association yourself (possibly inadvertantly). Whenever FS shuts down correctly, it saves the current flight situation to the file Previous Flight.flt (and the current weather settings to Previous Flight.wx). This has been the procedure for the last couple of versions, and remains so in FS2004. The file is always saved in the same location and there is no connection whatsoever with the current state of the scenery library. It certainly makes no difference whether one is currently displaying default scenery or third party stuff - FS really doesn't know the difference, as long as everything is set up correctly in scenery.cfg - and anyway a .flt file only contains information about the current position and flight parameters of the aircraft, nothing to do with the scenery. Dick's suggestion of a quick way of restarting is an excellent recommendation and is the precise purpose for which MS go to the trouble of creating/refreshing this file.Happy simming :-)Gerrish

[Guest JR Morgan]

Hi again Gerrish...Based on your last comments, I carefully tested things again to verify things are indeed happening the way I've previously described them, uninstalled and reinstalled the sim and Carefully tested again -- and in summary, all the 'apparent' anomilies I've been describing, (ie Scenerytmp.cfg remaining in the root folder after the sim is closed & rebooted, 'Scenery.cfg' file not being updated but 'scenerytmp.cfg' faithfully taking it's place and doing it's job, unable to double-click a flight icon and successfully load the sim to that flight, etc, etc) are performing exactly the same after the uninstall/reinstall.The wierd thing is that as far as I can determine, the sim works just fine, except it's not following the same familiar patterns we saw in the previous releases. I can add/remove scenery objects 'till the cows come home' and everything works good.Because of this experience, I will continue to use the 'on-the-fly' method of 'refreshing to modified bgls' until something crashes or breaks.I think we've 'dawned' to a new age' of the 'Transparent Scenery Library'.I'll be vacating a few weeks starting wednesday and when I get back i'll be upgrading to a clean install WinXP Home edition OS. We'll then see if that makes a difference. This old Win98 OS has been a dear friend but it's starting to 'creak & Groan' on a few apps (but not FS9) :-) .Thanks for your advice and concerns.. and best wishes.J.R

[Guest GerrishGray]

Have a great holiday!You'll love XP when you get back - it's a great improvement and something to look forward to. There will doubtless be lots of new FS2004 goodies to load and enjoy as well once you get back.CheersGerrish