FSProduct Terrain Mesh - Problem?!

[Bina 59]

Hi all,I have managed to download the whole pack of terrain mesh scenery from FSProject. The point is that when I install some of them, namely the mesh for Scandinavia and UK (but I think the result would be the same no matter which one I install), the airports and particularly, the 3rd-party addonslike from the Project Norway or NL-2000 covering the whole terrritory of Netherlands (can be found at AVSIM library) and even the payware Fly Tampa sceneries installed over the mesh look a bit quirky 'cause many of them sit on elevations or hills AGL. Even some lakes and rivers display the same behaviour. As if all of them have been specifically designed to be sit on the craters somewhere on the Moon :)Can this problem be somehow related to FSProject's mesh files? Cause I have never had experienced any problem with the default mesh, by the way.Is there a way to correct the problem? Do I need therefore, to switch to a payware terrain mesh like FSGenesis or install valid Landclass sceneries covering the same territories under the mesh? Will it do the trick?Regards,Rustam Alhas

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Hello Rustam,Generally, altitude is defined in 3 different files in FS:1. the altitude mesh determines the basis of ground altitude;2. it is overriden by the airport flatten. This polygon has the same elevation at all points, since FS does not yet support sloping runways;3. the airport facilities file (APX) determines the elevation of the runways, taxiways, start points. The ai aircraft seem to use this elevation as a reference, but it also affects the surrounding ground.Normally, the FS developers ensure that the flatten and APX have the same elevation, and that they both conform to the altitude mesh.If a new mesh should deviate from that elevation, then the flatten and APX may differ quite a lot and find themselves on a plateau above the mesh, or in a chasm below it.Also, it has been found that if the mesh resolution setting is too low, this problem may display, but this is probably not a common cause.Best regards.Luis

[Bina 59]

Hello Luis,Thank you for your detailed answer. What I understand from it is that neither the mesh developers nor the airport developers should be deemed "guilty" of such discrepancies but the User who is the solely responsible person to ensure the elevation mesh and the airport addon in use are compatible. Am I correct?Also, everytime I need to combine an elevation mesh with any airport or scenery addon I have to check BOTH of them for compatibility?! But this calls for another question: Where can I find such detailed (because there so many free and XXX-ware scenery addons available) info about the product compatibility?Best regards and thanks again,Rustam

[saabpilot 0]

Hi Rustan,A switch to another Scandinavian mesh might do the trick, but you will never be sure to get rid of this problem to 100% as long as you use addon mesh. So, it is a user try and error process.One mesh might give you this problem at airport X another at airport Y.All developers make scenery that fits MSFS default mesh, but there is no way to make scenery that fits all add-on meshes.As a "general" addon mesh I use FS Global (payware) which gives you a 72m SRTM mesh (data from the space shuttle) that covers most parts of the world where I fly.BestBjorn

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Hello Rustam,You are correct, of course, it is just one of those things for which there is no easy solution at the moment, as Bjorn says. There are too many airports affected by those files, and inevitably one or many may end up displaying this way.It is, thankfully, possible to modify those elements so that they fit better. However, modifying the airport (APX) altitude can be tricky, since there is no straightforward way of deleting it.However, we have come up with solutions to this and there is a very long thread of 2 years ago where Dick Ludowise provided us with a very simple solution:http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...ing_type=searchModifying the flatten, on the other hand, means excluding it and creating a new flatten.Best regards.Luis

[scott967 62]

Going back to the lakes and rivers problem, this typically is due to errors in the default positions and/or elevations. In some cases MS may have hand edited things to confrom to their mesh. Fortunately in FSX, it appears that the water data is more precise, at least in some of the world. In most cases if you obtain improved water data (such as UT Europe) the water will better fit the enhanced mesh.scott s..