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FSX Making a landable mountain using ADE for FSX

I just noticed something, my scenery is numbered differently, mine starts at 1 and edwards afb is number 3 in my list.

I would move it to the position shown in my screenshot; that is the default position used by ACES in a fresh install of FSX.

GaryGB
 
I placed it above Edwards AFB which is in the #2 position. My numbers don't match up with what you show. It's always been that way mine goes from 1 to 100 and something. I've never really paid any attention to it until now, I've always just left it alone like it is.
 
I don't know what's going on. I did what you outlined above, but the best I can get is the underlying ground to show, no vegetation (trees and such), I'm using a 'Broadleaf Forest' as the LC and I know it has plenty of trees, but none of those show up, only the ground (greenish grass areas) shows up. I'm at a loss as to what is going on with it. I'm starting to think there is something about that particular area that won't allow me to do it, so I'm going to try it over another area and see what results I get. If that don't work, I'm seriously considering finding me some tree and vegetation models and just place some various objects over the areas I want to show. This 'masking' is just getting too much of a headache to get it to work properly. I don't know, maybe something is seriously wrong with my FSX installation. Maybe I should try a 'repair' of my install or better yet, just uninstall the darn thing and do a completely 'fresh' install of the sim. This thing has been nothing but trouble since upgrading to win11, I kind of wish I had stayed with Win10 updates or no updates, at least the darn thing worked better. I'm just running into so many issues with my current install of FSX, nothing works as you or anyone else explains and nothing even looks the same as everyone else's. Somewhere down the line, things took a serious wrong turn and can't get back on track. Looking at my scenery library, NOTHING looks even close to what it should be, I don't even have the same names as you do. Do you think a 'repair' of the sim would restore my library to default, or would it just create more problems?
 
I think I will have to abandon this idea, and go with placing vegetation objects where I want them, I've done everything suggested and none of it works. I'm pretty much sure it's my FSX install. I found on Google that I should delete my scenery.cfg, and let FSX recreate it, well I tried that, guess what, it just re-created the same thing as I had before. I have over 800 scenery areas named "****BASE" in the scenery library. I have only a "few" of the actual locations listed, nothing like what you have shown. I think my FSX has been somehow modified, how I don't know, but I can't fix it. I'm going to most likely have to uninstall FSX completely, and do a full re-install in order to return everything back to its original configuration. It's just so screwed up that I could spend months trying to fix it and probably never get back to normal. All of this happened when I moved from Win10 to Win11 and it has never been right since.
 
Ok, I gave up on fixing my scenery library, now I can't add an area anymore. So I just went back to my old way of just adding everything to my addon/scenery folder, at least it works that way. FSX is so messed up it just won't do things correctly anymore. right now, I'm just going to use FSX for what it was meant to be used for, flying.... until I'm ready to to just delete the whole thing and start over, which I am not ready to do right now. Nothing that you tell me to do works on my system. I do everything to the letter, but it may work on your end, but not on mine. PS has no option to change to 8bit TIFF, I can change to B./W by converting from color to B/W, but as far as saving as a 8bit TIFF, no option. Plus when I compile the INFO, I get 3 warnings about something to do with data being unusable or something. The resulting BGL never changes and my CVX LC never shows. I even just tried making a regular BLACK mask layer, again, no CVX LC shows, just empty land. It worked before, only a couple of days ago with another area, but it don't work anymore. I've all but given up now, it's just too much trouble when something works one day, then don't the next. I think it is best that I wait until I can get me another "fresh" machine with nothing installed but the OS and use it strickly for SIM instead of trying to use this 15 yr old machine that has so many problems that it just isn't worth fixing anymore. I've spent too much time and money on this outdated machine, I'm just throwing money down an endless pit at this point. Maybe next year I can get me an updated system that won't have all the problems with it and just use this machine for what I was using it for, video, web surfing, and finances. That is about all it is good for at this point. FSX is NOT going to work on it anymore. So for now, I'll drop designing and just fly, that's what FSX was made for anyway.
 
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Hi Tom:

If you have a working- or 'close to' working- build of your project, you could ZIP it / link it, and I'll take a look at it. ;)


I personally wait at least 4 years after release before trying any new version of Windows, so I use Win-10.

Reportedly there are users successfully running FSX Acceleration on Win-11, so it is unlikely that version causing issues.


If you have the drive space, a FSX reinstall takes ~13 GB and 6 minutes to install on my (prior 3.8 GHz) computer.


FYI: I started in 1984 with DOS 2.0 on CompaQ portables and evolved through Windows 1.0 to modern desktops

I currently use:

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-Core CPU @ 4.25 GHz, RX 5700 XT with 4 GB VRAM, 128 GB RAM, 15 TB M.2 / SATA SSDs

I used 'Teracopy' to more quickly copy all my FSX install CDs onto one of my SSD drives so the FSX install runs faster.

FS9 takes only 2 minutes to install. :laughing:


I have numerous old backups of my FS9 and FSX install folder chains, and one each of "active" FS9 and FSX installs.

I also have "active" installs of P3Dv4.x, MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.


BTW: I also have old backup installs of FS8, FS7, and FS98 ...all of which still worked on Win-10.

Available drive space, install time, and patience are the only pertinent issues that may impact a FS reinstall.


Once FS add-on scenery packages are installed, they can be moved around and restored to use in "active" FS installs.

So, it is up to you as to whether you wish to re-install.


I have had to reinstall FSX once due to a purchased faulty payware installer confusing FSX licensing code after 6 mo.


Other than that, MSFS has given me more problems than 2 decades of ACES older FS code ever did.

GaryGB
 
I've stopped trying to make CVX LC show. I've been reading on other sites where others have also tried to do this, and NO ONE has been able to solve the problem. I conclude that it is NOT possible at this time to make CVX LC show up under or above PR scenery. I can get DEFAULT land to show through using all of the above methods, but it cannot be done with CVX LC. So the only way to add any type of vegetation or such, is by using MODELS not LC vectors. I've been looking for some LC BGLs that I can extract the models from, but haven't found any.
I'm just going to be satisfied with letting the default land show instead of fooling around trying to add and sort of LC.
 
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Be Ye Forewarned:

Run time performance will plummet if BGLComp placement of 3D vegetation models is used instead of true Autogen annotation.

NOTE: The Blendmask gray scale step value in the TIFF sets the transparency threshold required for enabling display of default LC; this may be (RGB 128,128,128) ...or less.

At this point, we must remember that the darker gray scale steps are towards Black, the more transparent a Blendmask and/or Aloha channel will be in its run time behavior, thus allowing greater visibility of underlying LC layers in FSX Scenery library stack of Area layers.

BTW: (RGB 128,128,128) is '50% transparency' in terms of the 0-256 gray scale steps used in the Alpha channel (...in this case, the Blendmask TIFF specified via the INF Channel directive to be used as an Alpha channel for a custom aerial imagery PR LC BGL).

To be clear, default land textures ARE LC textured Polygon tiles, all limited to 1 Meter per pixel.

Be sure any custom LC Polygon types used even have Autogen annotation (a number of LC texture types actually have no Autogen).

Also, be sure you are not using a commonly utilized 3-attribute "Big AB Flatten" which by default, has (1) component under that GUID that excludes Autogen.

Additionally, note that the custom aerial imagery PR LC Blendmask transparency threshold value for display of Autogen annotation on underlying default LC (meaning LC types that actually even have Autogen annotation) ...may be different from that Blendmask gray scale value required to display the LC 'texture' mapped to the default LC terrain tile.

Remember that Autogen annotation display through a Blendmask digital 'hole' is inherently unpredictable as to run time results in FSX, and one is instead behooved by FS SDK "Best Practices" to apply Autogen annotations directly to the custom aerial imagery PR LC texture (...via *an.AGN files in the \Texture sub-folder locally paired with the BGL in the locally paired \Scenery sub-folder).

FYI: Modified Terrain.Cfg lists a LC type 254 which is fully transparent and uses no visible texture, but which accepts Autogen annotation.

When used with default or another underlying LC layer, that underlying CVX texture layer will show through to the top layer in Scenery Library, and 'should' be visible at run time in FSX.

I do not recall if LC type 254 still requires use of a Blendmask to enable display of underlying LC textures.

I am confident rhumbaflappy and Arno remember this criterion.


See: Luis Feliz-Tirado's tutorial: "Using The Autogen Annotator" as cited in my prior posts here.

GaryGB
 
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I have a question then, even IF I can get CVX LC to show through the PR, is the CVX LC still going to maintain its 3D appearance, or will it turn out simply as 'texture" under the PR with no 3D depth? If this is the case, then maybe it's actually working, but because it's 'flat' imagery, I don't notice it under the PR because I'm looking for actual 3D vegetation and not just textured vegetation. I've managed to get the default LC textures to show up using blendmask, but as I said, because it's only scenery, it's more or less just part of the texture of the land, which is ok, but would be nice to add some trees and other stuff on top of the PR. Not even sure if that's possible.
 
I have a question then, even IF I can get CVX LC to show through the PR, is the CVX LC still going to maintain its 3D appearance, or will it turn out simply as 'texture" under the PR with no 3D depth?

If this is the case, then maybe it's actually working, but because it's 'flat' imagery, I don't notice it under the PR because I'm looking for actual 3D vegetation and not just textured vegetation. I've managed to get the default LC textures to show up using Blendmask, but as I said, because it's only scenery, it's more or less just part of the texture of the land, which is ok, but would be nice to add some trees and other stuff on top of the PR.

Not even sure if that's possible.

Yes, it is possible to display Autogen on custom aerial imagery PR LC, and one may do so via more than (1) choice of method.


FYI: Custom aerial imagery PR LC excludes any existing Autogen annotations on default or other custom LC textures.


As stated above in my latter posts, to allow display of underlying 'other' default or custom LC textures, one uses a Blendmask.

Results getting Autogen annotation of underlying LC to show through to the top of ones custom aerial imagery PR LC is unpredictable.


FSX SDK method to ensure Autogen display on custom aerial imagery PR LC, is to annotate one's own Autogen on such textures.

A few FS utilities may make Autogen annotation semi-automatic to reduce the extensive work with large extents of aerial imagery PR LC.


Before I post info on such Autogen utilities, it is best that I see your current build to determine what is involved in the new scenery.


So, if you ZIP it ...and link it, I'll reply with further recommendations tomorrow morning (Thursday).

GaryGB
 
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This is all I can zip up and send you. I can't zip the SBX work files due to the size of the file. Mediafire won't let free users upload past a certain size. Since all of those files are rather LARGE bmp files, the zip file winds up too large for MF to allow me to upload. but these are the ADE project files and the COMPILED SBX files. As I said, I can get the autogen default LC to show under the PR, but I've tried several methods of putting CVX LC or even ADE's LC over the PR, (in fact I already have ADE LC over one area) but I can't get those to even show, even with a blendmask in place. I've tried putting in an exclusion poly under the LC even, but still can't get the LC to show. I really want to add at least a couple of forests and some cities and towns in a couple of the areas where I put in the PR scenery.The land is looking decent enough with the PR in place, but it's all empty, I want to 'spice it up' a bit with some vegetation and buildings without having to use models which will place a BIG hit on FPS, if I had a better system that wouldn't be a problem, but this system can't handle it very well.
 
Hi Tom:

I have the initial upload; now I need to see the source files from BMP to TXT and INF etc. to see what the process involved.

Use size limit for ZIP files in 7-ZIP to package larger files in multiple numbered sequential smaller archives.

Upload to MediaFire, then link to (all) those smaller 7-ZIP generated archives.

The downloader can then run the dirst file in the series, and 7-ZIP will re-consitutue a 1-piece ZIP.

So, if you ZIP it ...and link it, I'll reply with further recommendations tomorrow morning (Thursday).

GaryGB
 
I've tried everything I could to get the files down to a usable size but can't. All I can do is zip each BMP into its own zip file (there's a lot of em'). Or...I would have to wait until next payday (next month) and upgrade my mediafire account to get more space (really don't want to do that , but if I have to I will). Otherwise ,I can't link to the BMP files, I can link to the INF files, but not to the BMPs because they are so large. I tried using 7-zip to reduce the file size, but I can't reduce them enough to upload to mediafire, the BMPs are just too large to upload as a zip file, like I said, I would have to "purchase" an upgrade to mediafire and I can't do that until next month when I get my SSI payment. I don't know if you can work with what you have, if not, I'll have to put it on hold until next month, maybe I can research a little further on Google and figure out something on my own, if not, I'll just be satisfied with what I am able to do until funds become available.
 
Hi again:

There should be no need for a paid MediaFire account ...to upload multi-part 7-ZIP archive "volume" elements.


For future reference, the workflow for this task using 7-Zip is:

Windows [Start] button > Programs > 7-Zip > 7-Zip File Manager GUI > select a group of files and folders to be archived

7-ZIP Menu > Zip > Add to archive... > Add to archive dialog > Split to volumes, bytes: enter 200000000 (...a '2' followed by '8' zeroes)

[OK] button > monitor 7-Zip progress status message for completion / errors

When 7-Zip is finished:

* Upload the complete set of files to MediaFire

* Generate Links and Copy them to Windows Clipboard

* Attach and Paste the link URLs in a post here at FSDEV.


For the moment, we can pause my request for more files to be archived / uploaded / linked, as we need more info about this project.


Regarding issues of not having default or custom CVX vector LC display its native Autogen annotation, which areas show no Autogen ? :scratchch

Please post a screenshot from ADE with text and lines with arrows pointing out where you see no Autogen, but do want it displayed.

GaryGB
 
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Ok here are two screenshots, one is what it actually looks like when flying over the area I want to place a small 'cool crops and town' LC. This has the "Blendmask" already applied and as you can see, the autogen default shows through just a little, that's fine. Now the ADE shot shows that area that I want the LC, it's colored in a light red color. Now there is a 'forest' LC already in place there, but I can remove that when I need to, it's only there for testing purposes. I only want the 'cool crops and town' LC in that specific area, not covering the entire PR land texture. That is where I am having problems. There are other area of the project I will want to place other LCs, but for now I just want to work on this one area. It's not the Autogen that's causing problems, I'm satisfied with the mask allowing just a little bit of that to show, it's the CVX LC that I can't get to show up. I've gone through the tutorial many times, but he does not explain anything about using LC, only WC. I'm not concerned with WC right now. There just is no information anywhere about doing LC over PR, I've been looking for days now and came up 'empty handed' when it comes to LC over PR, plenty about WC, but no LC. Guess no one does it because it is so hard to do.
 
OK, here are two screenshots, one is what it actually looks like when flying over the area I want to place a small 'cool crops and town' LC.

This has the "Blendmask" already applied and as you can see, the autogen default shows through just a little, that's fine.

Now the ADE shot shows that area that I want the LC, it's colored in a light red color.

Sorry, but I do not see the latter area in which you "want the LC", that you stated to be present in the ADE screenshot.

I must insist you use a graphics app like Windows Paint or PhotoShop to clearly mark the screenie with Text / Lines / Arrows to label this.

In Windows Paint, on the menu 'Ribbon' bar, click Home, then click an Arrow shape; position the cursor, and Drag-to-Draw an Arrow.

Save the image as a PNG or JPG, then please attach it to a reply in this thread.

Now there is a 'forest' LC already in place there, but I can remove that when I need to, it's only there for testing purposes.

I only want the 'cool crops and town' LC in that specific area, not covering the entire PR land texture. That is where I am having problems.

ADE indicates that it already has this GUID in place for that LC polygon area in the middle of the island.

LandClassPoly_Cool_Crops_And_Towns {BA1B8728-4395-45AF-8C1E-544F3950DADD}

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/microsoft-esp/cc526968(v=msdn.10)


Here is the FSX display of the scenery on my FSX installation:

KWR1_ADEX_TT_ALT_CVX_bgl_Middle_Island_LandClassPoly_Cool_Crops_And_Towns_GUID_BA1B8728-4395-4...jpg


There are other area of the project I will want to place other LCs, but for now I just want to work on this one area. It's not the Autogen that's causing problems, I'm satisfied with the mask allowing just a little bit of that to show, it's the CVX LC that I can't get to show up.

We shall see if there actually is an ongoing problem as we sort through what you see- versus what I see- in FSX at run time.

I've gone through the tutorial many times, but he does not explain anything about using LC, only WC. I'm not concerned with WC right now. There just is no information anywhere about doing LC over PR, I've been looking for days now and came up 'empty handed' when it comes to LC over PR, plenty about WC, but no LC. Guess no one does it because it is so hard to do.

By default in FS2Kx, with BGLs loaded from the same Area layer \Scenery sub-folder:

* Only Airport BGLComp XML objects display over custom aerial PR LC.


By using custom Area layering in FS2Kx scenery library, with BGLs loaded via separate \Scenery sub-folders in separate Priority Area layers:

* Only Airport BGLComp XML objects display over custom aerial PR LC.


Using digital "holes" via Blendmask transparency in custom aerial imagery PR LC BGLs in either of above Area layer \Scenery BGL loads:

* Only Airport BGLComp XML objects display over custom aerial PR LC

* CVX vector LC objects 'show through to the top' / display over / within custom aerial PR LC.


We shall see if there actually is an ongoing problem as we sort through what you see- versus what I see- in FSX at run time.

More to come pending your reply ...with a clearly labeled (graphically edited) screenshot.

GaryGB
 
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Ok, here is the area I want the 'cool crops and town' located.

Your screenshot does not show anything like what I get. I included a fly-over the area and clearly what I am seeing is not what you are seeing. Did you get all of the BGLs, there should have been 5 of them, 1.Martian Forest 2.Nabira 3.Phtoo2 (haven't put a mask on that one so I didn't rename it yet) 4.Taebira (the one I'm working on right now) 5. Ukathis. Those are the PR files. The one I'm working on is #4, Taebira, it should have a black land covered with several blue lines (these are not rivers or streams). Plus, I don't have a 'cool crops and town' over that area in ADE, in fact it is a 'cool mixed forest' that is over that area. you must have loaded an older AD4 file or something, I did have nothing but a 'cool crops and town' there at one point before I started with PR scenery, it has changed since then, There is no flatten or exclusion under any of that area because I want to maintain the contour of the actual real-world landscape. That area where I want to put the LC is flat.
 
Ok, here is the area I want the 'cool crops and town' located.

Your screenshot does not show anything like what I get. I included a fly-over the area and clearly what I am seeing is not what you are seeing.

Did you get all of the BGLs, there should have been 5 of them, 1.Martian Forest 2.Nabira 3.Photo2 (haven't put a mask on that one so I didn't rename it yet) 4.Taebira (the one I'm working on right now) 5. Ukathis. Those are the PR files. The one I'm working on is #4, Taebira, it should have a black land covered with several blue lines (these are not rivers or streams).

Plus, I don't have a 'cool crops and town' over that area in ADE, in fact it is a 'cool mixed forest' that is over that area. you must have loaded an older AD4 file or something, I did have nothing but a 'cool crops and town' there at one point before I started with PR scenery, it has changed since then, There is no flatten or exclusion under any of that area because I want to maintain the contour of the actual real-world landscape. That area where I want to put the LC is flat.

Here is ADE's *.AD4 file that you included in the ZIP linked in your latter post above.

KWR1_ADEX_TT_ALT_20250306081328\New Airports\KWR1_ADEX_TT_ALT.ad4

It is the one I compiled and displayed a screenie from immediately above in this thread.

KWR1_ADEX_TT_ALT_20250306081328_New Airports_KWR1_ADEX_TT_ALT_ad4.jpg



FYI: I have all the above BGLs loaded from separate Scenery.Cfg Areas linked to separate folder chains, shown here in Alphabetic order

KWR1_ADEX_TT_ALT_20250306081328_New Airports_Folders_For_New_Areas_In_Scenery_Cfg.jpg


The file created date for the ADE *.AD4 is March 5, 2025.

kwr1_adex_tt_alt_20250306081328_new-airports_kwr1_adex_tt_alt_ad4_properties_general-jpg.95881


Here is the top of FSX Scenery.Cfg GUI stack of layers:

KWR1_ADEX_TT_ALT_20250306081328_New Airports_New_Areas_In_Scenery_Cfg.jpg


GaryGB
 

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Hmmm. strange, I show the PR when I fly over the area. Should I put my PRs in separate folders and add them to my scenery library as you did?
I created the AD4 yesterday with the new LC in it. I don't understand why its showing the old file. Oh, wait, I keep forgetting about the File update problem with Windows. Let me go back and delete all my old files and re-compile and re-save my airport project so Windows can update the new files. I keep forgetting about that problem, sure wish MS would fix that.
 

Ok,here's the newest AD4 Build. Just replace the one you have with this one. Everything else you have should be ok. the BGLs are all recent as are the INF files. It's the AD4 file that didn't get updated, I looked and the date was three days before I made the changes to the airport, this is the correct file. Now you should see that there is a forest there and not a town, and you should be seeing the PR landscape instead of the Autogen landscape.
 
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