Have used DX10 for years but may return to DX9. Here's why...

I've owned FS since vers. 2.0 in 1989. I was an avid 2004 user for 6 years. I found the airports to almost look exactly like if i visited them in person. I feel the sa in me way when using FSX only in DX9. DX10 airports were mostly boxes if they weren't the hand full of photo real locations. Im not here to start a DX9 vs DX10 argument thread but only to ask a question. If you are using FSX DX9, are you able to use say the PHOTO REAL KRDU scenery from FS9 in the newer sim? I appreciate your assistance. Also are there .CFG upgrades to be done when using DX9 like if you were using DX10? Again, Thank you.

 

BTW my ASUS G75VW is at Square Trade doing an insurance claim. They warn you that they'll be formatting the system so I have kept all my scenery/aircraft files from FS9/FSX (I run a flight school so i hook-up my students computers to make their MSFS as "real" as possible based on their systems and what they are running. I'm a cool Ground school instructor eh...lol?

I dont understand teh comment " DX10 airports were mostly boxes", i know of no airports made specifically for DX10, and I know of none that i have that have an issue???

Hi Desmond,

 

Most FS9 scenery can be used in FSX but a small minority will cause problems. Its a bit hit and miss whether a certain scenery will work but you have got nothing to lose by trying it. Just take the following precautions:

 

1. Make a backup of your current scenery.cfg file.

2. Expand the scenery into a temp folder so that you can see what is included and, if it uses an autoinstaller, where it wants to put files.

3. Install the scenery in its own separate folder (either inside or outside of FSX).

4. Make a note of any files that it tells you to place in FSX default locations (such as scenery/world/scenery) and if such a file is going to overwrite a FSX one, make backups - HOWEVER, I would first try the scenery without such files as they may not be needed. Also, any replacement file may affect the 'whole' FSX world.

 

I have installed a lot of FS9 sceneries into FSX over the years - including over 200 MAIW packages, using the described procedure. The three most common problems that I have encountered are:

 

A. FS9 Trees - Don't display properly. When viewed from the side the effect they give what can be described as a 'cardboard cutout' view. Basically, they appear to be a picture of a tree on a plain cardboard background - the background obscures any scenery directly behind it. When viewed from above the tree looks like a X. In most cases the trees are normally provided in a separate .bgl that can be deleted. If individual .bgls files are not present in the files provided by the author read on further for a solution.

 

B. Objects - some FS9 default objects will not display correctly. Most common are buildings that only display the roof or buildings that display correctly from a distance but then the walls disappear as you get closer just leaving the roof.

 

C. Autogen - FSX autogen trees/bushes/buildings and sometimes taxiway signs can appear in areas where they shouldn't - for example on taxiways or aprons.

 

All of these problems can be easily resolved using Airport Design Editor (ADE). In the case of A by simply setting the options in ADE so that individual .bgl files are created, open the airport .bgl file and then simply re-compile so that you get the separate .bgl files. Or you could use ADE to remove and/or replace the tress with FSX ones.

 

In the case of B use ADE to remove/replace the building.

 

In the case of C use ADE to create an Airport Background polygon and/or an exclude autogen polygon.

 

Something else to watch out for is that some FS9 related files will seem not to be recognised by the FSX and are ignored by when loading scenery. Whilst most will not cause any problems, they are best deleted. Generally, they are .bgl files that have a name that includes LWM2 VTPL VTPP and VTPX within the name.

Hi longbreak,

Your post was exactly what I was looking for. I was thinkink of opening a thread, but it fits right in with what you said here, so I'll ask you like this.

 

I recently dived into MAIW. Got a few (three or four) MAIW packs from Avsim.

And saw some issues you described.

I'll limit the question to trees.

 

The scenery's had AF2 in the filename.

They were an AF2_KEDW_etc_etc.bgl

-and several other files.

(may have been something other then KEDW, not sure atm.)

 

The issue with the trees was, black boxes.

Lookng from Above I saw the X, so I realised it were trees.

I found a .bgl in the scenery called:

objlib_trees.bgl

and indeed, after renaming to:

objlib_trees.bgl.bak

the trees were gone.

 

happy chappy.

 

Then I noticed some trees like you said as well. Cardboard cutout, but no black.

I looked through the files, but saw nothing obvious.

I even disabled every .bgl, every file really, one by one, but the trees remained.

 

I re-enabled the files, and then opened the main .bgl file in ADEX (1.67 now I think).

But to mysurprise... Nothing showed.

Just an empty airport, no objects in it at all. No buildings, signs, nothing.

Just a tarmack, and a Runway only.

 

 

Is there a special trick to opening thes files. I tried downloading AFCAD, but that wanted to know the location of my FS9 folder, and I don't have FS9 disks.

 

Also, that free copy of AFCAD seemed a bit iffy. I thought that was supposed to be a payware program??

 

I'm not at my pc, so I cant try a solution out, but if you can give me some pointers, much obliged.

 

il88pp.

Hi il88pp,

 

WRT the 'cardboard' trees - If they are not contained within a specific file called trees then they will have been included in another of the scenery specific .bgl file (which in this case we can eliminate as you have already disabled each file in turn) or maybe they are being displayed by a generic Object library entry linked to another .bgl outside of the actual scenery folder. As you may be aware, the MAIW packages usually include a number of files that are duplicated in every package - namely a Objects library (in a default install called MAIW Scenery Library Objects) - when you install using the setup exe it will overwrite any older files in this folder. In this folder you will find a series of files named MTTrees - you could try disabling/deleting them. However, see below for some useful info on this and other MAIW content......

 

WRT using ADE - Unfortunately, all MAIW scenery use multiple .bgls so you must 'import' each individual one into the main airport .bgl as described below. It is also worth remembering that many of the MAIW airports are based on the FS9 defaults - however, again see below for some useful info about MAIW scenery.

 

When you have opened the main airport .bgl select File > Save and save the airport to a location outside of your scenery setup - if you don't save a copy when first opened, you will be prompted to do so when you do the next bit anyway. Now select File > Import Bgl and navigate to the required MAIW scenery folder and click on any of the .bgls - this will add any objects that it contains to the airport. Repeat the process for each .bgl - you will be prompted to save when new stuff is added. Your options here are to hover the mouse over the objects as you add then to see what they are or to load all and then hover the mouse over them. You can delete what you don't want and recompile the airport. Note that the ADE options allows you to compile airports using either a single .bgl that contains everything or as individually named .bgls.

 

Useful MAIW info - Sign up at the official MAIW website at http://www.militaryaiworks.com/ - the website contains all of the available packages, additional AI models, repaints, scenery, flightplans and much more. The MAIW team (and other regular contributors to their stuff) have also been busy 'upgrading' some elements to FSX including the aforementioned Objects Library and some of the scenery files and AI models. The forum is also a great source for updated files and solutions to problems.

 

Lastly, check out this site, The Owl's Nest at http://www.owlsnest.eu/. This site also host the MAIW packages but also has some great AI stuff. A particular good guide on how to best install MAIW stuff into FSX is also available on the site at http://www.owlsnest.eu/phpatm/index.php.

 

Hope this info is of help.

Thank you longbreak, for the quick reply and the info. It gives some new avenues to persue.

 

About the install, I extracted to a folder on the desktop, then moved scenery, AI files, and other stuff to where I thought best.

It all worked fine, but I may have not done the main object lib as I was supposed to.

I'll look into that.

 

No time for any testing/exploring the next few days. Too busy with other stuff to be working on/playing with fsx, other then the forum. Even when time allows it could be a while before I dive into this.

The most offending airport I just disabled in the library, I got another version from the Fltsim lib that has parking and works too.

 

 

The trees may even be in an unrelated objlib, installed earlier.

For example I have some EZscenery libs that I'll look at.

I saw the same cardboard cutout effest with EZbabes for example. (Though they look so good I don't mind in that case;) )

 

I did look on the maiw site and owlsnest, and but decided to not want to remember yet more login credentials. So I got the exact same packs from Avsim instead. Based on what you said I may join after all.

 

Thanks again, I didn't know about that ADE method. Will certainly try that.

il88pp.

Happy to be of help.

 

When you get the time to really dive into it and get into a set routine of how you want to install multiple MAIW packages onto your system it becomes relatively easy to control how things are set up. As I stated in my post at #4, I have over 200 MAIW packages installed plus loads of other FS9/FSX scenery.

 

FYI, I have my addon scenery located outside of the sim (with a few exceptions of payware scenery that insists on being installed within FSX). I also use a specific folder/file structure that suits my needs and allows me to 'disable' areas that I am not 'flying' in to avoid the need for FSX to load into memory unnecessary amounts of scenery.

 

An invaluable and easy to use tool that may be of interest to you is Scenery Config Editor https://sourceforge.net/projects/fs-sceditor/files/v1.1.6/. It's freeware and can help to find/rectify errors. It also allows you to activate scenery without FSX running - it basically updates the scenery.cfg file and when you next run FSX the scenery database is updated.

 

WRT your comment regarding login credentials - a simple solution is to get a password manager. There are a number of good free ones available (Lastpass, KeePass and Norton Identity Safe are three examples) - a quick google search using the search phrase free password manager will throw up loads of links - just make sure that what you download is free and not a 14/30 day trial of a payware version.

 

If you want any more info, advice or guidance post back to this thread or feel free to PM me.