How to isolate the required libriaries required by some scenery addons

[olav]

I am attempting to populate my state with free and relatively-updated (up to the last two years or so) airports. Many of these free airport/scenery addons were meant for FSX and I have successfully installed some of these airport addons.

Some of them required additional free scenery libraries in order for the objects to show up in these scenery addons. These addons, I have not yet install. Their files would normally go into 'FSX/scenery/world/scenery' and/or 'FSX/scenery/world/texture'.

Some required library examples (available either at flightsim.com or avsim.com):
ez_1.zip
fsxt33staticplane.zip
ga_hangers_ss_v3.zip
mg__scenery_lib_obs_col_1.zip

I know from past experience with FSX and previous MSFS versions that these two folders will grow over time and will eventually get to a huge unmanageable size (mostly because I'm not aware of an easy way to determine which one to delete). Often of the time, it would be better for me to just wipe out the FSX installation and start over.

With P3Dv4.2 and FSX scenery addons' libraries, I am attempting to prevent that. I do not wish to experience that re-installation pain again. P3Dv4.2 allows me to store additional scenery addons to another folder, and thus, allow me to leave the P3Dv4.2's default installation alone. It also allows me to attach and de-attach airport/scenery addons at will. Both of these are very convenience.

I'd like to do the same with the required libraries and put them somewhere on their own so I can delete them if they become unmanageable. It would be even better if I could keep each required library addon in their own folders so I can update and remove each required library addon as needed (rather than hunt for the correct individual files in a long list of files).

That bring us to the main question of this post:

Is there an alternative way to store the required scenery libraries and still provide the free FSX scenery addons what they will need?

Thank you,

olav

[olav]

On that same note, is there a similar way to do the same for Gauges and Effects folders?

Mine is already getting larger. I would rather point the 3rd party Gauges/Effects files to somewhere else and leave the default folders alone.

[WarpD]

Yes, and yes for both... but I would strongly urge you to not install FSX scenery into v4. It may not behave correctly. For details on how to do installs outside of the sim's main folders, read the SDK regarding addons.

[olav]

Thank you for your reply. Your reply was not much to go on. I had a look through the SDK, I looked in the addon section, and I was not able to find a satisfactory answer pertaining information about additional required libraries and moving them to another location.

Perhaps I am looking at this the wrong way.

Is a required library/dependency of another airport addon basically a scenery addon of its own? Maybe I can point P3D to the required libraries as I have done with other airport addons via 'Scenery Library'. Will the airport addon see the required library this way?

I tested this theory. I installed one FSX airport addon with required libraries. Tested the scenery in P3D and I sees that there are pieces missing. I then installed the required libraries to their own folders and pointed the 'Scenery Library' to these folders. I then reloaded P3D and I do not see any obvious changes in the airport addon. I tried this process with a few other airport addons with no success.

Any other suggestions? You said 'yes' in your reply. What is this feature?

FSX or not, when I've figured this out, I will do the same for other P3D-compatible scenery addons and putting their required libraries in another location. I simply wish to keep P3D installation from growing to unmanageable size.

[WarpD]

As I stated... the methods for defining scenery installations is discussed in the Addons section of the SDK.

I will stress, yet again... you should NOT install FSX scenery into v4... it is not 100% compatible and may cause performance issues.

[olav]

Thank you for your reply.

Regarding the FSX/P3D compatibility, I am not going to find the P3D version of these free airports anywhere else. These small airports are too obscured and I was lucky to have come across the FSX version of them. I have been looking into the possibility of converting these airports into P3D-friendly formats but I am not having much lucks with that either.

In the mean time, can you be more specific on the Addons section with respect to an airport addon's requirement of additional libraries and moving this else where? I've looked up and down in the SDK to find what you might be referring to.

[WarpD]

If any of those airports use pre-FSX SCASM then they will cause no end of issues as SCASM is no longer supported. Since they are designed for FSX, their textures and draw calls are not optimized for P3D 64-bit. In short, you risk messing up your sim.

In the SDK there is a section called "Addons". You have to read it, all of it. It is where all is explained on how to create external scenery installs as well as gauges, SimObjects, effects, etc.

[olav]

Are you referring to this 'addon.xml' feature as a way to control the required libraries addons?

[olav]

Ed/WarpD,

This 'add-on.xml' feature is a completely new direction for me and one that was difficult for me to understand, given my unfamiliarity with XML. I've never used XML in FSX and earlier versions. The SDK's language is clearly targeted to experienced developers, in which I am not one.

With the help of other posts found elsewhere, I've eventually figured out how to use the 'add-on.xml' feature to automatically add the airport addons to P3D. I also see the possible solution in the SDK's addon section for the Gauges/Effects issue that you've hinted at, but I've yet to understand how to work with that one. On your warnings of using FSX/SCASM addons in P3D, I've looked into this and I've taken it more seriously. Thank you for these new insights into Prepar3d.

Still, the main question of my post still remained. I've looked through the SDK's addon section several time. I do not see any information or reference pertaining to any connection between a required addon library and an airport scenery addon anywhere in the SDK.

I've asked you to point out the connection and you've repeated to me the same answer that is basically the equivalent of "Go RTFM!". When one is asked to elaborate, that is not a helpful nor a constructive answer. You're the apparent expert in this conversation and I find your unwillingness to elaborate, to be flexible, and to confirm anything I've asked of both astounding and baffling.

I suspected you do not know the answer to my main question. That's ok. I've given up on this.

[mslim]

This thread is a few months old but I'll try to help. I'm not sure I totally grasp your question but it sounds like you want to isolate your addon scenery libraries outside your P3D installation and not install them into the individual addon airport folders. No XML is involved

Somewhere on your computer, outside your p3d installation folder, (I even did mine on a different drive) create a folder called something like Addon Scenery. Inside Addon Scenery, create a folder called something like Static Objects Library. Inside Static Objects create two folders, one named exactly Scenery and the other named exactly Texture.

Now when you download a scenery library from wherever. Place the bgl files into the Scenery folder and dds and bmp files into Texture. To make sure the libraries are compatible with P3D V4, download Model Converter X. (the develop release is the latest iteration that will convert to P3D V4.) https://www.scenerydesign.org/development-releases/

Open MCX, go to the Import Scenery button at the top and select FS bgl object in the dropdown window near the file name box and import one of your scenery libraries into it. (ie ga_hangers_ss_v3.BGL)

After the library is completely loaded into MCX, go back to the top and hit the Export Scenery button. Choose P3D v4 BGL file in the Save as Type window. Click Yes when it asks you "Do you want to replace it?" That addon scenery library is now available for your addon sceneries to use in P3D.

[massimo390]

mslim great post!

I had the same issue and follow each step with the MC, just had to copy the resulting bgl to the addon scenery folder in p3dv4, my case was with a freeware scenery from fsx I adapted to p3dv4 using ADE, but the terminal building was not showing up in p3d

[VonZeigler]

I have tried to just change runway numbers for mgvar change at an irport, and I can not get the edited file to run first.
It keepa reverting back to the old outdated airport, that even Steams FSX has updated.

I have used Airport Designer softepware, it changes it all, but then the file does not take priority.
Does anyone know if version P3D 4.4 will not allow for developer changes to scenery, or why does the old wcenery take over, even when the new scenery file is in top priority position.

[Blaunarwal]

I have tried to just change runway numbers for mgvar change at an irport, and I can not get the edited file to run first.
It keepa reverting back to the old outdated airport, that even Steams FSX has updated.

I have used Airport Designer softepware, it changes it all, but then the file does not take priority.
Does anyone know if version P3D 4.4 will not allow for developer changes to scenery, or why does the old wcenery take over, even when the new scenery file is in top priority position.

If you change default scenery, just install your modified scenery in it's own directory and add it above. Sometimes it is necessary to disable underlaying scenery with exclusions you can add in ADE. If you have another scenery of the same airport, remove it. Only default scenery files I wouldn't touch.

And if you used a scenery to start with in ADE, you imported all objects. If they are wrongly placed after the modification, you need to modify this too.

[Blaunarwal]

I am attempting to populate my state with free and relatively-updated (up to the last two years or so) airports. Many of these free airport/scenery addons were meant for FSX and I have successfully installed some of these airport addons.

Some of them required additional free scenery libraries in order for the objects to show up in these scenery addons. These addons, I have not yet install. Their files would normally go into 'FSX/scenery/world/scenery' and/or 'FSX/scenery/world/texture'.

Put your libraries in a separate directory, eg. Libaries\scenery and Libraries\textures. Otherwise you can't handle it and you mix it up with your default installation. Never good.

A lot of libraries got converted to P3D4 level. Try to replace them by these.

If you edit your freeware airport in ADE by this change the drawing flags, you will have a new compiled airport.bgl which will certainly not give a problem with P3D4.

Also place these files not in the P3D4 scenery directory. Just create a directory for this. You may want to create a folder structure with continents, countries and then sceneries to easier find things.

With Lorby-Si addon manager you can change it into add-on.xml addons, even pairing sceneries or add effects and sounds if they are part of the scenery.

[Blaunarwal]

You can only know which libraries are used, if the scenery creator is writing it in the installation instructions. If you design yourself with ADEX, you can list the used libraries. But if you load a compiled .bgl into ADEX you can only see objects in black, if you don't have this library registred in ADEX. I never tried, if this is listing the libraries used then. It should be worth trying.