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P3D V3/V4 Scenery located at add-ons.cfg / scenery_add-ons.xml


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Hello, 

 

with the release of Prepar3D V4 many scenery developers use the new Prepar3D scenery rule to register scenery's into P3D - even for older scenery with updated installer at P3D V3. The scenery's are now registered  at C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3 -> add-ons.cfg and scenery_add-ons.xml . 

 

This happen to all my FSDT and Flightbeam scenery today, after install of updated GSX. Dataprovider is not able to locate the scenery's anymore.

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  • volkerjacob changed the title to P3D V3/V4 Scenery located at add-ons.cfg / scenery_add-ons.xml

@Volker,

 

could you please send me a copy of your add-on.cfg, so I have an example of an already available file? Thanks a lot.

 

@sidfac

I really like your conclusion ... You'd better follow the forum rules and sign your post with your real first name.

 

@all,

I'm working on an update ... (at least I'm investigating)

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Just to add my two cents . ..details of the add-on.xml structure are described in the Prepar3D SDK

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv3/LearningCenter/LearningCenter.php

under SDK\Add-ons

An add-on xml can have a single or multiple scenery entries.

I know Pete Dowson the creator of  FSUIPC is working on something because his free 'MakeRunways' tool has the same problem

FSDreamteam have come up with their own solution and create a unified scenery.cfg that they store in Program Data

 

I have included below an example from my UK2000 install

<SimBase.Document Type="AddOnXml" version="3,3" id="add-on">
    <AddOn.Name>UK2000v3</AddOn.Name>
    <AddOn.Description>UK2000 Airports</AddOn.Description>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Common Library</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Common Library</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Aberdeen Xtreme</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Aberdeen Xtreme</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Edinburgh Xtreme</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Edinburgh Xtreme</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Glasgow Xtreme</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Glasgow Xtreme</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Prestwick Xtreme</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Prestwick Xtreme</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
</SimBase.Document>

Regards

Tony Drummond

 

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7 hours ago, FlyBye said:

Just to add my two cents . ..details of the add-on.xml structure are described in the Prepar3D SDK

http://www.prepar3d.com/SDKv3/LearningCenter/LearningCenter.php

under SDK\Add-ons

An add-on xml can have a single or multiple scenery entries.

I know Pete Dowson the creator of  FSUIPC is working on something because his free 'MakeRunways' tool has the same problem

FSDreamteam have come up with their own solution and create a unified scenery.cfg that they store in Program Data

 

I have included below an example from my UK2000 install


<SimBase.Document Type="AddOnXml" version="3,3" id="add-on">
    <AddOn.Name>UK2000v3</AddOn.Name>
    <AddOn.Description>UK2000 Airports</AddOn.Description>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Common Library</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Common Library</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Aberdeen Xtreme</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Aberdeen Xtreme</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Edinburgh Xtreme</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Edinburgh Xtreme</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Glasgow Xtreme</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Glasgow Xtreme</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
    <AddOn.Component>
        <Category>Scenery</Category>
        <Path>G:\P3Dx\UK2000\UK2000 Prestwick Xtreme</Path>
        <Name>UK2000 Prestwick Xtreme</Name>
    </AddOn.Component>
</SimBase.Document>

Regards

Tony Drummond

 

 

Never seen this before with UK2000, because there is no installer that can do that at the moment, but looks similar to my FSDT entries . There is no own FSDT scenery.cfg at me.

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I created this as an experiment - UK2000 scenery does not spread itself around multiple folders so its a fairly straighforward.

I could have made multiple add-on.xml files, one for each airport, like the FSDT installers.

The principle advantage to this is when it comes to reinstalling P3D.

 

I am using the same technique for the Global AI Shipping Package, RealAir aircraft and Ultimate Traffic Live.

 

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Good news that Urs is investigating :-D

 

Same here with all the FSDT sceneries in the xml file.

 

@Urs: Let me know if you need additional scenery_add-ons.xml or scenery.cfg files!

 

Best regards

Bruno

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Found a possible temporary workaround that so far doesn't seem to have any adverse effects (only tried this on P3D ver 3.4).  Load up P3D, go to World - Scenery Library - Add Area, then manually add the scenery by browsing to the c:\Program Files (x86)\Addon Manager\ folder and pointing to the scenery file.  Update the scenery in the DataProvider and when you open the DisplayUnit, everything lines up.  Tried a KLAS to KLAX flight with no problems.  Will try some more flights a report if I encounter any adverse effects from doing this.  It is kind of a pain to have to go back and manually add the sceneries but can't live without EFB.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jay

 

 

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On ‎31‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 7:02 PM, sidfadc said:

yep, the data provider reports can't find scenery.cfg.

 

Conclusion, Aivlasoft EFB is incompatible with v4.

 

Conclusion, EFB works perfectly well with P3D V4 - I just pointed the necessary entries in the DataProvider to the relevant areas in V4 and it works.  I am currently flying from EGPF-EGKK with no problems.

 

Ken

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OK - a forum post by virtuali give me a hint to a quick and dirt solution for all FSDT users (GSX or similar new installer at P3D V3/4). At Data Provider Setting use C:\ProgramData\Virtuali\Couatl\prepar3dv3(4) as Scenery.cfg folder - FSDT read all available scenery configs and write this into his own file! Works for me with P3D V3 .

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23 hours ago, ScottecLEMD said:

 

Conclusion, EFB works perfectly well with P3D V4 - I just pointed the necessary entries in the DataProvider to the relevant areas in V4 and it works.  I am currently flying from EGPF-EGKK with no problems.

 

Ken

That`s right.

 

Regards

Manfred Maier

EFB-DP_Setup.jpg

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28 minutes ago, mmaier41 said:

That`s right.

 

Regards

Manfred Maier

EFB-DP_Setup.jpg

and this works for all new xml registered scenery too?  Weird - at my desk all xml registered scenery is missing and using only default layout .........

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Reading the "scenery.cfg" file located at "C:\ProgramData\Virtuali\Couatl\prepar3dv4" to capture the airports located outside the root prepar3dv4 install folder is a great idea but I found one problem.  The path to the sceneries listed in "scenery_add-ons.xml" and the Couatl "scenery.cfg" file includes "\Scenery" at the end - for example this is the path to Flightbeam KSFO - "Local=C:\Simulators\Addon Manager\Flightbeam\KSFOHD\Scenery".  It appears, at least in my case, that the EFB DataProvider is unable to process this path correctly. 

 

The KSFO from ORBX NORTHERN CALIFORNIA is what the EFB DisplayUnit displays after reading the default Couatl "scenery.cfg" file - this is wrong

 

My simulators (FSX, P3Dv3 and P3Dv4) are installed in a folder named Simulator located at the root of C:  (C:\Simulators\).  In the Simulator Folder I created a folder named "Scenery_cfg" and created folders within in it for v3 and v4 - e.g. "C:\Simulators\Scenery_cfg\Prepar3D v4".

 

I then made a copy of the Couatl "scenery.cfg" file and placed it in "C:\Simulators\Scenery_cfg\Prepar3D v4". Using Notepad, I deleted the "\Scenery" from the end of the Local paths. "Local=C:\Simulators\Addon Manager\Flightbeam\KSFOHD\Scenery" became "Local=C:\Simulators\Addon Manager\Flightbeam\KSFOHD" etc. I then pointed the DataProvider to the folder "C:\Simulators\Scenery_cfg\Prepar3D v4" and ran  Data | Simulator scenery data update again.  This time the DisplayUnit displayed the Flightbeam KSFO correctly.

 

Until such time as AivlaSoft EFB is updated to account for the new Add on Format of P3D, I will just have to remember to copy and modify the Couatl "scenery.cfg" file any time I add a new airport and prior to running the Data | Simulator scenery data update.

 

       

 

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@all,

 

thanks very much for your contribution.

Just as a reminder for those who came only later to this thread (and might have overseen my earlier post), I'm still investigating which changes and enhancements are required for the DataProvider to be able to read all scenery files, wherever they are located.

As soon as an update is available, I will inform you in this forum.

 

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After reading many documents and reading even more postings in the LM forum, as well as in the FSDT forum, I came to the following finding:

 

This "new" (*1) way of configuring add-ons, which is using one single "add-on.cfg" and one "add-on.xml" file for each add-on, does not clearly state where and when to use a layer number for the scenery files. Although the "layer-attribute" can be added to an add-on.xml, it is not defined whether it must be added or not. Even worse, it is not defined which program (or service, or person) is responsible to make sure that these layer numbers are consistent over all and in accordance with the already used layer numbers in the scenery.cfg (which still exists). The built-in UI (Scenery Library) does not allow to change the layers and/or enable/disable such add-ons which are configured this way.

 

Without the layer number you can't define the load order and - most important to EFB - the database cannot be created, because the load order must be carefully considered to prevent that newer data is not being overwritten by older data.

 

As it appears, the numbering of layers, which is of the utmost importance to ensure that scenery files are loaded in the right sequence (and programs such as EFB must read them in the right sequence), is unfortunately not yet thoroughly thought right to the end.

 

So for the time being, as workaround for those scenery files which are configured the new way, I can only recommend to add them manually to the scenery.cfg, which allows to properly set a layer number and therefore ensures that the DataProvider is reading the bgl-files in the right sequence. As soon as there is a reliant system of numbering the layers, I will update the program. But until then, any update would be meaningless and also unusable.
 

*1) This system is not new to v4, it was introduced in v3 already, but no developer has used it so far.

 

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The [Package.xx] entries in add-ons.cfg enables you to sort your scenery.  I was having a playaround with it last night.  It means you don't need to use the ,<later> attribute in any of the add-on.xml files.

 

So the package entries point to each of the individual add-on.xml files. Maybe this can be a starting point for further investigation.

 

Have a look at this thread which helped me with the order I wanted my sceneries to appear. 

 

http://www.prepar3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6312&t=124846

 

 

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Despite of my earlier post, I nevertheless created an update 1.6.9. 1.6.10

 

The process of creating a database has been enhanced by considering all the 'Add-on packages' below the path "C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Prepar3D v4 Add-ons", which provide a configuration file named "add-on.xml". If such an 'Add-on package' has a 'Component' of type 'Scenery', then all the BGL-files from that scenery folder will be read and analyzed. Since there is no consistent layer-number which covers all 'Add-on packages', the scenery files will be added in the same sequence as they are read. As long as there is no specific load-order required, no problems shall be expected. Reports are welcome!

 

IMPORTANT: This update is only required, if you run Prepar3D v4 and you already have version 1.6.8 of EFB installed on your computer. If you run the update, always update both components, the DisplayUnit and the DataProvider.

 

Download here: AivlaSoft EFB Update 1.6.10

 

 

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