Author Topic: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1  (Read 11353 times)

Hans

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Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« on: October 31, 2017, 12:22:33 PM »
Hi ,
I moved from FSX Win10/64 to P3Dv4.1 and just installed it next to FSX.
I was wondering which addon organizer I should be using to get my Misty Moorings scenery working.

I had the Scenery Config Editor1.1.9 for FSX, worked fine. The latest version should also be usable with P3Dv4.1.
The Lorby addon organizer is mentioned quite a few times seems to working with XML files, SCE doesn't ?

To be honest I like the simple way of SCE but is it working in P3Dv4.1? I am a simple end user and the XML stuff looks a bit over my head without a step by step guide.
So could anyone explain why I should be using............ what is wise?

Hans


NeptuneP2V7

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2017, 09:04:54 PM »
Hi FOR P3DV4 i uninstall SCE i do groupe of rĂ©gions  and it was bad to swith for one or another this don't displyed well .

Now i use FSLaunchPad version 1001a and work well .

Here the LINK https://simviation.com/1/search?submit=1&keywords=fslaunchpad&categoryId=

Patrick

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Dieter

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Many greetings
Dieter

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lionwing

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2017, 06:39:27 AM »
For me Lorbi's has far more functionality than SCE.

Scenery and additional aircraft directories can be added as .xml files once you get the hang of it quite easily.  The software can also create a backup of your .xml files which should you re-install P3D at any stage, providing most of your third party scenery / aircraft reside outside of the core folder structure of P3D and be imported and very quickly you are back to where you were before the re-install.  So...very little time / effort needed if you decide to "start over".

I recently spent sometime adding all my Misty Moorings scenery as .xml rather than the usual scenery library and am pleased with the results.

Hans

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2017, 10:33:00 AM »
Thanks guys for the comment and recommandations.
I am going to try to work with Lorby's add on manager, but the manual doesn't answer all my questions, but i'll give it a try anyway.
Hans

lionwing

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2017, 06:20:50 AM »
Hans - I posted this in the forum of the VA I fly for that might explain a little more about using the Addon Manager.

***

P3D comes with many great features as would be expected with a leading flight simulation platform.

One of the most interesting and USEFUL features is the is can handle "addons".  I'd likely wager that many of our installations are a long way from vanilla with aircraft, scenery and a huge range of supporting software also in use.

Occasionally we might decide to "re-install" everything.  It isn't a decision taken lightly as it is a very time intensive process.

Now those who have followed P3D over the years will note LM have a constant development cycle for the software with updates pushed out with some regularity.  To some this is a negative and a valid reason for not converting as the expectation maybe that all of those lovely add-ons will need to be reinstalled.  To some extent that is true however P3D makes use of a file type called "add-on.xml"



During a installation of P3D a folder is created in the Documents folder of your system called "Prepar3D v4 Add-ons".



This folder can be very important and as both freeware and payware developers become familiar with its usefulness it potentially will save a lot of time for either a full re-installation of P3D or a update.

At this point to make use of it you need a third party program called "Addon Organiser for P3D".  This link will take you to the software[/url].  (Scroll down the page a little to locate the file)

For a long time my habit has been to always install any third party scenery or aircraft outside of the core folders of either FSX or P3D.  i.e Addon Scenery or My Aircraft...still on the root folder but with .cfg pointing toward them so that function fine.   It turns out this is good practise but with use of the Add-On.xml they don't have to be even in the root folder of the FSX / P3D installation anymore!

So like me you have installed GB's of extra scenery or aircraft.  All very precious with many hours dedicated to installing them.

What the Addon Organiser will help you with is creating a add-on.xml file for each of your sceneries or aircraft in a few very simple steps.



This file is then stored in your Documents folder within the Prepar3D v4 Add-ons folder.  A sub-folder of the scenery (or aircraft title) is created with the .xml file inside this folder.

Now should you need to un-install P3D or install a update you use the Addon Organiser to backup your .xml files and then on completion simply import it back in obviously making sure your third party aircraft / scenery reside in folders outside of the core P3D folder.  i.e where you installed them originally.

So no more hours and hours spent re-installing scenery or aircraft!

At this stage not too many commercial developers are taking advantage of this system.  With freeware products, that rarely come with a installer (.exe) then you can do this quite easily yourself.

This videofrom Matt Davies explains a little more about the process along  -



***
[/b]
« Last Edit: November 02, 2017, 06:25:43 AM by lionwing »

stiletto2

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2017, 07:54:36 AM »
Good info!  Thanks.

Rod

NeptuneP2V7

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #7 on: November 02, 2017, 08:53:34 AM »
Hi
Nice Richard

and VID MATT DAVIS very instructive .

Patrick
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Hans

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #8 on: November 02, 2017, 10:43:23 AM »
Richard, thanks a lot, just what I need!

Hans

Hans

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2017, 05:33:08 PM »
Hi Richard,

Your elaborate info and the video were/are a great help, but a few questions remain.

1.On what basis one decide if a scenery is going to be a XMLfile or a scenery.cfg file? See Lorbi's addon org chapter 3.2.1 at the bottom of the page.
Up to know I added all my FTX_ORBX scenery as XML files.
The next step are my RTTM files. I tend to add them as scenery.cfg files because they are older.
The photorealisctic scenery of NL2000? Other freeware scenery?

2.Aircraft. Up to now I installed in FSX all my addon aircraft in the root folder.
So now I can add an aircraft folder (My aircraft) outside the root folder. Then I just install my addon aircraft there? Also addons with an .exe?
My question: At the bottom of the first page of your post you wrote: "..........but with .cfg pointing toward them so...."
What do you mean by this? What CFG? Pointing towards them ?

I hope you are willing to spend some more lines on my questions.
Thanks ,
Hans

lionwing

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #10 on: November 03, 2017, 06:30:46 AM »
Hans

If the option is there my preference would be to use a .xml file to add scenery.  It is personal choice when doing a manual installation.  Auto-installers may or may not offer this option.

You may have made a mistake adding your ORBX files at .xml as I am unsure if FTX Central, the program that manages your ORBX sceneries, is configured to work with them.  A check on the ORBX forum might help?

The NL2000 scenery uses their own customer installer to install and manage the scenery.  It can easily be added as .xml's if you wish but I believe I have kept mine in the scenery.cfg.

I not at my Flight Sim machine at the moment but the .cfg I refer to is the "Simobjects.cfg" file.  With edits to this file you can tell P3D in which folders it will find "simobjects" such as aircraft, helicopters etc...by default it points to the sub-folders found in the "Simobjects" folder of the main P3Dv4 folder.  When I am in front of my Flight Sim PC I will show you the edit I have made.

My experience with Lorby SI Add On Manager isn't huge.  I have only been using it for a few weeks.  The forum link below as helped me a lot in using the software.

https://www.avsim.com/forums/forum/788-lorby-si-support-forum/

I hope that helps for now.  Don't worry about asking more questions.  I try and reply as quickly as I can.


stiletto2

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #11 on: November 03, 2017, 04:21:34 PM »
ORBX does not support using the add-on.xml method at this point.  Unfortunately you need to put the ORBX scenery folders back where they belong and remove that part of the xml code.

It if fine with the RTMM scenery.

Rod

Hans

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #12 on: November 04, 2017, 05:35:40 AM »
ORBX does not support using the add-on.xml method at this point.  Unfortunately you need to put the ORBX scenery folders back where they belong and remove that part of the xml code.

It if fine with the RTMM scenery.

Rod

Hi Rod,
Yes I found out about the ORBX scenery on their forum that it can't be done with xml files.
By the way they released the first xml file a couple of days ago, but according to to Lorby the addon xml was wrong. See: https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/523339-problem-when-using-p4ao-with-objectflow-x64/
You wrote it works fine with RTTM. Do you mean I can enter the TRRM files as addon XML?
How does one know what scenery files are XML ready and which aren't?
thanks,
Hans

stiletto2

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #13 on: November 04, 2017, 11:44:14 AM »
Hi Hans,

Yes, almost all of  RTMM sceneries can be linked to P3D via add-on.xml.  We haven't individually tested each one but they should work. 

As far as other sceneries, it depends on how the developer has created them.  Most will work linked via add-on.xml but not all.  Some auto installers for some sceneries do special things in setting up the add-on.xml so no easy answer to that question.

Rod

Hans

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Re: Scenery Config Editor or Lorbi's addon organizer for P3Dv4.1
« Reply #14 on: November 06, 2017, 07:03:46 AM »
Hans

If the option is there my preference would be to use a .xml file to add scenery.  It is personal choice when doing a manual installation.  Auto-installers may or may not offer this option.

You may have made a mistake adding your ORBX files at .xml as I am unsure if FTX Central, the program that manages your ORBX sceneries, is configured to work with them.  A check on the ORBX forum might help?

The NL2000 scenery uses their own customer installer to install and manage the scenery.  It can easily be added as .xml's if you wish but I believe I have kept mine in the scenery.cfg.

I not at my Flight Sim machine at the moment but the .cfg I refer to is the "Simobjects.cfg" file.  With edits to this file you can tell P3D in which folders it will find "simobjects" such as aircraft, helicopters etc...by default it points to the sub-folders found in the "Simobjects" folder of the main P3Dv4 folder.  When I am in front of my Flight Sim PC I will show you the edit I have made.

My experience with Lorby SI Add On Manager isn't huge.  I have only been using it for a few weeks.  The forum link below as helped me a lot in using the software.

https://www.avsim.com/forums/forum/788-lorby-si-support-forum/

I hope that helps for now.  Don't worry about asking more questions.  I try and reply as quickly as I can.

Richard,
As you might have seen, with the help of others most of my questions with the Lorby addon manager are solved.
One question is left. How to point P3Dv4.1 to my aircraft installed outside the P3Dv41. root folder. Could you show me the edit you made in the Simobjects.cfg?
Thanks for everything,
Hans