P3D v4 Detect sceneries created for FS9

[gaabne]

Hello,

I think a lot of people would like to know if a scenery as any chance to be compatible with P3D V4, before testing and crashing it

An acknowledged minimum condition is that the scenery must have been compiled for FSX (or latter).

With all the tools you, "the experts", have created, I am convinced that you should be able offer to the community of the "casualy users" such utility.

Thanks to take a look

Anyway, Happy New Year to all

Gérard

 

[scruffyduck]

Not sure what you are asking for.

 

[Lagaffe]

Hi,
I think what Gérard want a tool which can detect among a lot of scenery the FS9 ones and the others (FSX or P3D).
For this purpose I use an hexa editor to read the first lines of a bgl. In effect this kind of information is write here.

 

[gaabne]

Thanks Lagaffe for translating "correctly" what I was dreaming about....

Could you tell me how to recognize a FS9 bgl (offset, pattern ?)

Thanks
Gérard

 

[Lagaffe]

Hi,

If I launch HxD.Exe which is a hexa editor freeware.
a) if I open a FS2004 MDL with it, I can see on the first line in the second colon: RIFF¾...MDL8MDLH
b) with a FSX MDL : RIFF.ô/.MDLXMDLH
c) and for a P3D v4 MDL: RIFFUþP.PV20MDLH

So you can see that this information is modified in function of MDL used.

 

[=rk=]

Notepad does this same test, simply configure to open ".bgl."

 

[gaabne]

For aircrafts, it is quite easy to verify the model : Lorby's Thumbnailexporter give you directly the information.

But for .bgl (where sometimes there is a mdl included inside), I don't see this information in the binaries

Gérard

 

[scruffyduck]

ADE and MCX will know the difference

 

[Felipe Schieber]

Let me intrude in your thread, i have one question that i think doesn't deserve a unic thread: Are FSX bgl's compatible with P3Dv4? I know nothing about this version.

 

[arno]

Yes, FSX bgl files work in P3D v4 as well. But not all pre-FSX that FSX can read work in P3D v4.

When loading the bgl in MCX the event log can be used to see what kind of bgl it is.

 

[Felipe Schieber]

Yes, FSX bgl files work in P3D v4 as well. But not all pre-FSX that FSX can read work in P3D v4.

When loading the bgl in MCX the event log can be used to see what kind of bgl it is.

Thank you, arno! I asked because i develop for FSX, but i don't have P3D to test my sceneries in. Now i know it works.

 

[gaabne]

When loading the bgl in MCX the event log can be used to see what kind of bgl it is.

It took me some time to realize that the very first message of MCX gives (implicitly...) the kind of bgl !

BGLXReader or BGL9Reader - am I right ?

Thanks

Gérard

 

[arno]

Not really. BGLX is for xml based bgl. So that's FS2004 and above. BGL9 is for the older bgl files where the scenery is in section 9.

If you have BGLX and the MDLX reader is used for the mdl objects you know it's FSX.

 

[gaabne]

Thanks for the clarification.

The "decision making" algorithm of MCX to select the right reader (BGL* and MDL*) is exactly what I was dreaming to get as the small console utility listing these two properties for any .bgl file....

Gérard

 

[arno]

Maybe I can isolate the logic in a small tool.

 

[gaabne]

I would be very grateful.

Gérard

 

[gaabne]

Hello Arno,

Did you got some free time to take a look at this "small tool" ?

Thanks in advance

Gérard

 

[arno]

Hi Gerard,

No, time is always quite limited (more ideas for my tools than time), so I have been busy with other things recently.

 

[gaabne]

Maybe I can isolate the logic in a small tool.

Hi Arno,

I dare to come back to you, but I recently identify that "freezes" in a well known scenery developper package were caused by old forgotten FS9 models inside BGL supposed to be "Prepar3D V4" compatible.
You know "Murphy's law": I am convinced that this happens in more BGL files, but we lack a batch utility able to identify the old non converted models (too many files to look each...).

Any chance you
bring us this "small tool" ?

Regards - Gérard