Misty Moorings Forums
Return to Misty Moorings (FSX/P3D/MSFS2020) => Help and Troubleshooting => Topic started by: Doug on November 04, 2017, 03:46:40 PM
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I finally figured out that my scenery library is getting screwed up each time FTX Central installs something ... it puts the FTX .xxx and ORBXLC ... folders at the bottom of the library, screwing up everything. I'm using AddonOrg (addon organizer) and I can "restore" a good scenery library setup. So anytime I let FTX Central add something (like PayWare PAJN), I have to go in and "restore" to get the FTX and Orbx LC back up where it belongs. Anybody else see this?
Doug
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8)
You have to set your "insertion" points in FTX Central see here-
https://orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/143794-library-insertion-points/?tab=comments#comment-1268576
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OK ... I was looking at that. What DOESN'T happen for me are all my locations. The list starts with FTX, all the other things (that are really there above it) do not show. Hmmm...
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Nick Cooper
Orbx Team
Nick Cooper
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Hello,
please try this:
Untitled.jpg
Please place the FTX icon just above EdwardsAFB and the OLC icon just below that.
Don't forget to click on Save.
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Sorry, I'm not following that. Shouldn't a whole list of everything pop up in that window? Then you move the FTX where it should insert? (Maybe I've got that wrong). But if I'm correct, all of the stuff I've added isn't showing up in that window.
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8) If you set the insertion points as instructed, and click save, the FTX stuff will stay there. If you do not set the insertion points, everytime you open FTX Central, or add an OrbX scenery, it will screw up everything again. I assume you are selecting the proper simm when FTX Central opens ?
If so, please try setting the insertion points.
"Please place the FTX icon just above EdwardsAFB and the OLC icon just below that." Then clicks save. If you scroll the window, everything should be there BTW.
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I'm assuming your speaking of P3D. In FSX you can scroll up and down the list and if your Scenery Library is setup correctly it will show the order you have in your library. P3D I know nothing about so it could be different using that sim.
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8)
P3D 3 and 4 are the same Spud.
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Doug,
Just to be clear, you are saying you have no third-party scenery in your insertion point list? Only FTX, Orbx, and P3D default sceneries are showing for you? Is that correct? ??? Even when you scroll down? :-\
Spud, using FTX Central is the same across all platforms. Using P3D is the same as FSX, only better performance, and a few UI changes. ;)
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Hmm, have you been adding sceneries as .xml files ? That could cause this, I believe.
Sue
From the P3D forum-
Using add-on.xml
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aeronauta
Posts: 1233
Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2011 1:56 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Re: Using add-on.xml
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Postby aeronauta » Mon Jun 05, 2017 5:14 am
ahuimanu if you installed scenery or anything else using add-on.xml in C:\Users\aero\Documents\Prepar3D v4 Add-ons the way to enable /disable it is via the Menu>Options>Add-Ons and tick/untick the corresponding box..
Addons added this way will not place an entry in the scenery.cfg.. or addons.cfg , only in addons.xml.
Jorge
Jorge Roldan
OZx Developer (aero) - Hovercontrol Helicopter Certified Pilot - Spad.Next Beta Tester
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That's correct, Sue.
This is one reason I do not add sceneries by using add-on.xml mode.
(what is discussed here:
http://forum.mistymoorings.com/index.php?topic=3619.msg32015#new
I did before but I switched back to "old style"
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OK thanks to all. I don't think I'm adding it as xml, but I do use the Lorby Addon Organizer ... in that program, there is a list of xml added stuff (FSUIPC, etc) in a special grouping and my scenery files are under a "Scenery" grouping... so I don't think that is doing something screwy.
I'm seeing exactly what Jeff is stating. See first attached pic.
Just to be clear, you are saying you have no third-party scenery in your insertion point list? Only FTX, Orbx, and P3D default sceneries are showing for you? Is that correct?
Yes, that is correct.
If the list would come up, then I'd use the insertion tool as I used to and "place" those things where they should be, but all I see in FTX Central is in the first screenshot. Notice the slider is at the top (to the right) ... there's nothing "above" FTX. Also if you look at the things below, those are the P3D sceneries. If I scroll down that, ORBX Vector stuff is there. But my Pilots Mesh isn't there and the MYTraffic (should be above Global Vehicles) isn't there. So its not picking up a lot of things that I can see in my scenery library.
Another "clue" ... my RTMM locations, Pilots, MyTraffic ... are all "grayed out" and I cannot check or uncheck them or move them around. This makes me wonder if Sue has a point, maybe Lorby is putting them in a different way somehow.
What doesn't make sense to me on the Scenery Library are why some things are "grayed" out so you can't do anything with them. Also NONE of those that are "grayed out" are showing up in the FTX Central list. MyTraffic, Fairbanks X, Tongass X, etc.
Maybe I should uninstall LORBY and see what happens (oh me!!! :-)
Appreciate you folks looking over my shoulder.
PS: my sim (V4) has never run smoother or better ... it literally is perfect. So everything is working splendidly, and when the library gets screwed up, I can quickly "restore" one that was working previously and then everything is OK. I probably should just leave it alone and live with it ... but now I'm curious. :-)
DIETER ... do you think LORBY is using the xml addition?
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Do you think those "greyed-out" ones have been marked as "Required" scenery? Just a thought. :o
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FTXCentral only reads contents of scenery.cfg.
You might use LORBY organizer to set these gray ones back to scenery.cfg ==Edit scenery ==> Move to scenery.cfg => submit and save
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I don't know, Jeff. I sure didn't "mark" them. I've started a topic at AVSIM under Lorby. I'm also seeing what they are seeing there ... some random shifts of order of things. So I'm asking out to uninstall. There is an uninstall program, but if I run it will I suddenly find myself running FS2004! :-) I'm betting it will leave the scenery.cfg and prepar3d.cfg alone ... but it also might make me have to start all over. Waiting for an answer there. (I'm now betting this is an xml addition problem).
DIETER: OK, let me give that a try. I'll try now and let you know.
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Dieter ... that's a neat trick. Didn't see that before. But did as you suggested. Selected the scenery, "move to scenery.cfg" submit and save. (It didn't change color by the way). Then reopened P3D and went to scenery library, it was still grayed out. So it didn't change anything. But this is starting to make sense ... at least there a hint of a pattern. They must be putting them in as xml or they wouldn't have that "move to scenery.cfg". Also, on the ones that are showing, the "move to xml" button lights up for those. If the "move to scenery.cfg" button worked, I'd be home free.
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The color did not change? It must change from dark green to light green! So you made a mistake?
Did you press "Submit" after moving to scenery.cfg? Additionally you must finally "Save" your work!
Do you use latest version 1.18?
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Nope...I have 1.12 version ... going there now for a later one ...
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See here:
https://lorby-si.weebly.com/downloads.html
scroll down to "(Prototype) Addon Organizer 1.18 for P3D 4.1 or 3.3"
Uninstal former version before installing the new one. (uninstall_AddonOrganizer.exe)
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YES!!!! It worked! I didn't have the NEW Lorby, that's first. I tried it first on my two Fairbanks X folders. When the 1.18 was installed, I did just what Dieter said, "move to scenery.cfg" submit/save ... the color changed to the light green. I checked in the P3D Scenery Library ... no longer grayed out ...active. Checked in FTX Central, and both Fairbanks X folders are now showing. That's it!
So I think now I just have to go into all of the "dark green" entries (all of my RTMM) and make this move on them and I'll be OK. Lots of keyboard work this morning, but I'll get it done. Once finished, I'll post here the solution with pictures so anybody else can see what I did in case they have a similar problem.
Thanks all ... thank you Dieter!!!
Doug
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Glad you made it, Doug!
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OK ... all is working, all looks normal. I had to go in and "move to scenery.cfg" each of my 500 files (I'm a bit cross-eyed at the moment!). Went into FTX Central, they were all there on the list. I made and saved the insertion points, that worked. Went into my P3D V4 Scenery Library, everything was there, no longer grayed out and all are "active" ... (I can edit, move, etc). So Dieter comes to the rescue again! Thank you!
Bottom line ... Lorby is a great tool, but when you put things into the library using it, they are going in as xml files. These cannot be seen by FTX Central and they are grayed out and inactive in your P3D V4 Scenery Library.
If you have P3D V4, you must use version V1.18. If the entry is DARK GREEN or DARK RED, these are "xml" entries. To see them in FTX Central and the Scenery Library, you have to click on each one of them, then click on "Move to Scenery.cfg" then Submit and after you have done them SAVE!! As you move them, they turn light green. Anything Dark Red turns to sort of pink. So light green and pink mean you have the file in the scenery.cfg file.
Again, thanks to all!
Doug
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So light green and pink mean you have the file in the scenery.cfg file.
Correct, but pink color means the scenery is not active!
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Correct. I was referring about anything Dark Red (inactive) changing to Pink when you put it into the scenery.cfg file ... and it remains INactive.
I'm wondering why more people using Lorby are not having the FTX Central problem and a Scenery Folder problem ... maybe they don't use ORBX? Also it would be nice if you could "multiple files" to the scenery.cfg instead of one at a time. Anyway it is all working. Thanks again Dieter!
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it would be nice if you could "multiple files" to the scenery.cfg instead of one
That's something that might be addressed to the author himself. He's German -Oliver Binder-.
He is permanently updating his software. There a "contact us" on his web side. You might ask him about this.
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I'll do that. I don't want to discourage him, it is an amazing program, but literally incompat with ORBX at this moment. Surely he knows that, but I'll mention it via "contact".
D
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Is it really incompatible with Orbx? I don't think so.
I would rather say Orbx FTXCentral is not able to handle all possibilities that the new version P3Dv4.x is offering!
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That could be.
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8)
This is why I don't trust Lorby.
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Well, the xml thing threw me, but that’s my lack of knowledge, not their fault. But I wonder why they do it with the xml and not the standard way flight sim has always worked. Also, am I the only person that couldn’t see a list in FTX Central using Lorby? Now that I have every thing converted to the scenery.cfg File, I’m wondering if I need it. By the way, Thanks for your input today. Much appreciated.
Doug
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I get the disagreeable feeling that there might be a huge misunderstanding with this addon organizer. It's not the Lorby programmer who "invented" the possibility to use the xml coding.
It was LM who offered this possibility already in P3Dv3, but many users didn't know it and most of all, many of them even had problems to create a correct and working xml file for a scenery or an aircraft.
Additionally it's LM who strongly recommends using the "add-on.xml method" and saving these datas in
C:\Users\Name\Prepar3D v4 Add-ons\
This is also a recommendation of "Poppet" Elaine Dixon and other reputable P3D specialists.
For example have a look at this video by Matt Davis:
Oliver Binder, the Lorby creator, provided with his software an easy method to handle this procedure.
This software is still in an updating phase. If there are suggestions for improvements why not sending him a message on his web page.
And as I wrote above, this must be said unequivocally again, it is Orbx FTXCentral which is not able to "recognize" and to handle sceneries that are saved in xml format. FTXCentral is made for Orbx software only and only reads thoses sceneries that are saved in the scenery.cfg file. And it's Orbx (and other third party scenery designers) who doesn't follow LM's recommended way with their auto installers.
Addon designers have to follow the procedures of the simulator producer. Their software must be adapted to the new system. That's what we did with Mircosoft Flight Simulator for many, many years and we got used to it. Now it's the era of LM and they turn things inside out. As a result addon designers and us the users we have to follow the new rules. They still dwelling on the former FSX method. (I don't say it was bad.)
And, P3D is not exclusively programmed for Orbx software. It's just us with our field of activity who "depend" on Orbx software for our VFR flights.
Btw, I'm not being related to Oliver Binder, I even don't know him personally.
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Additional to above:
Basically Orbx Vector will not recognize P3Dv4 .xml scenery (at this time)!
Solution:
- How to make Vector recognise P3Dv4 .xml scenery
https://orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/138358-how-to-make-vector-recognise-p3dv4-xml-scenery/?tab=comments#comment-1265556 (https://orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/138358-how-to-make-vector-recognise-p3dv4-xml-scenery/?tab=comments#comment-1265556)
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Now I see where this is going. And no wonder things were so easy to add when I started V4 and used adding organizer. The only problem is FTX Central and Vector can’t read the xml files, they haven’t learned the new/more efficient language. So for a person like me, it made it look like the Lorby program was defective because FTC Central couldn’t read the xml files Lorby was creating and using. The video gives us more to learn, and I’m going to spend the morning trying to understand all of it. There is good info in the link too.
UPDATE: Watched the Video. One thing that I saw that was very important was the uninstalling and re-installing of the modules. (Dex dragged me kicking and screaming through this process) ... going to a new version is literally "minutes" instead of an hour. So be sure to note that toward the end of the video. P3D has made it easy by creating this modular format rather than you having to do a complete re-install. Basically you do the following:
In Control Panel ...
1. uninstall the P3D client module
2. uninstall the P3D content module
3. uninstall the P3D scenery module
In the "setup folder" you get for the new version ... you do not run setup, instead you:
1. Install the Client module
2. Install the Content module
3. Install the scenery module
You then "activate" the new version and it's done!
That's all it takes! The video walks you through this process nicely.
Back to Lorby ...
The Lorby Addon Organizer allows you to add locations into the scenery.cfg that are in the Prepar3Dv4 Add-ons folder. Using Lorby Addon Organizer, I moved all my locations to the Scenery.cfg. The result, everything now shows in my FTX Central (the list) and I can put in the insertion points correctly. For those of us "tethered" to ORBX (FTC Central), it isn't an easy choice to move to this new method. For me, without the list showing up in FTX Central, any time you do a new install, the insertion points are fixed and always put FTX and ORBX LC at the BOTTOM of the scenery folder ...screwing everything up! So if you install ORBX Payware PAVD, after installation, when you look at your scenery library, you'll see those folders have shifted to the bottom (again!). So you have to put them back where they belong ... basically, the ORBX FTX Central insertion tool does not work unless all locations are in the scenery.cfg, so you can "insert" into the list rather than where Lorby puts them ... "outside" in the Prepar3Dv4 Add-ons folder. (where they will be if ORBX catches up!).
What would be helpful for people like me would be if Lorby could "batch move" multiple locations to the scenery.cfg folder. I have over 500 scenery locations with RTMM and Hawaii, so moving EACH one individually was tedious. But this would quickly solve the problem for those of us still tethered to FTC Central's insertion point tool. (I've sent the suggestion to the author).
It is still confusing for me. But basically, we seem to need have locations in the scenery.cfg to satisfy ORBX (FTC Central). But otherwise, these add-ons would all be located in the Prepar3Dv4 Add-ons folder ... What then would be in the scenery.cfg folder?
Ah ... more to learn. Dieter is a good teacher and taskmaster ... so instead of having fun flying today, I'm hitting the internet to learn more about all of this. :-) I hope I have most of the above correct. So consider this thread a "discussion" as we zero in on the target.
Doug