active "Black rectangles" for 'airport building scenery'

[Ross Cuff]

ORBX Sceneries - “airport buildings appearing as black rectangles”

The problem has occurred since downloading and auto-installing the latest ORBXLIB version from FTX Central.

I went online to my ORBX account to check again about individual scenery updates for “my scenery” (of which there were quite a few [=54]) and found that ORBX offered an update (of +2GB) for ORBXLIBS. Having no luck with any scenery product updates I decided to at least update ORBXLIBS, thinking that part of the problem I have may have been due to a lack of some library files for ‘static objects’ - basically those of all airport buildings and static airport objects.

I duly downloaded and automatically installed the massive ORBXLIB file and then started visiting my prized and favourite ORBX sceneries (YMMB, YBCS, YBBN, YRED; YPLC; YMLT; S43, W16, 1S2) only to find that virtually ALL of the static object items [airfield objects & buildings] were missing - (despite AI traffic and people movements working fine!)
Where the airport buildings should have been there were flat black rectangles on the ground.

A key new level of frustration arose when I decided to copy a completely new and independent version of FSX from my Laptop, where all installed ORBX sceneries displayed and ran flawlessly, into my new PC with the 4GB video card and SSD (= fast). The ORBXLIB folder in FSX was significantly NOT the “new version one downloaded from the ORBX FTX Central website”.   It was the ORBXLIB built up by adding all successive ORBX sceneries from over the last seven years - everything worked perfectly with this ORBX library - static objects and object flow (people, buildings, birds, vehicles, AI aircraft).

To my astonishment when I ran this totally new FSX folder version in my PC, all the same errors occurring in the previous “dysfunctional” ORBX sceneries reappeared. Even more staggering was that the FSX scenery library entries of ORBX scenery were “deleted” but “still appeared in the background” if I tried to reinstall any of my ORBX sceneries - even the small ones like YPLC, YRED or YPEC.

 I actually reinstalled every ORBX scenery I have but made no impact!
The final staggering announcement is that there are still a few ORBX sceneries THAT ARE TOTALLY UNAFFECTED by this OrbxLIB phenomenon.
They are : YCNK, YLIL, YWVA, YPMQ.   Why do these remain unaffected? - everything in these sceneries works!
And what makes them immune from the malady that is affecting every other scenery?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I have been on to the ORBX FAQ forums regarding this issue and found the following posts:

http://www.orbxsystems.com/forum/topic/34336-black-textures-everywhere/?hl=texture_id#entry296164

In case that link becomes broken at some point in the future:

After I made an obsessed research. I found this.

The original scenery.cfg file has this.
------------------------------
[Area.001]
Title=Default Terrain
Texture_ID=1
Local=Scenery\World
Layer=1
Active=TRUE
Required=TRUE
------------------------------
...and after I install PNW it become like this.

------------------------------
[Area.001]
Title=Default Terrain
- - - -Texture line missing - - - -
Local=Scenery\World
Layer=1
Active=TRUE
Required=TRUE
------------------------------
AS you see the Texture_ID=1 is missing and when it is missing the textures goes black. I manualy insert the line back to scenery.cfg and then the problem is solved.b

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notes from forum - Holger Sandmann
Resolving rapid ground texture "morphing"
(I am not sure that this scenery texture issue is happening in my case, however, I will consider the remedy suggested by Holger (the FS scenery guru) as follows:

May 2014
Hi all,
If the FSX or P3D terrain.cfg file becomes corrupted you may encounter strange textures across parts of the landscape that typically change rapidly when approaching. For example, see screenshots here:

The issue stems from FSX/P3D not being able to find specific landclass textures and thus randomly displaying others; it doesn't mean that the textures are actually missing just that the terrain.cfg reference to their location is wrong or missing. The easiest fix -- rather than hunting for specific incorrect orlack 

missing entries -- is to "refresh" the terrain.cfg file. To do so you can use a backup of the original FSX/P3D version that we include in the \ORBX\Scripts\FTXCentral\Work folder.

 

The 'black rectangles' where airport scenery should be don't appear to be 'land class issues' with a terrain.cfg option to fix.  I don't think that's not my problem!

 

Regards,

 

Ross Cuff 

New Zealand

 

[Doug Sawatzky]

Hi Ross, welcome to the forums,

 

Please apply the below procedure,

 

Ensure the Orbx Libs are installed and up to date. (is there a blue notification above the settings button in FTXC3?)

Ensure all of your 3rd party addons are at the top of your scenery library and above your FTX entries.

Then in FTX Central 3 Insertion points, move "FTX entries should be inserted below"  just below your last 3rd party addon.

Then move the "openLC entries should be inserted below"  just below your FTX entries. and click "Save".

Then run the "Force Migration" option.

Finally Click on the "Clear Temp" button.

 

Cheers

 

Doug

[Triplane]

Or, maybe you're just be punished for installing ORBX products on two different PC's (EULA violation).....The Other Doug

[Ross Cuff]

Dear Doug II,

 

My FSX installation of ALL my aircraft AND scenery products (altho only put about 50% of each on due to Laptop HDD and video card capacity) was due to having the ability to SimFly while I was without my PC for two months moving countries.

Funny, but neither PC knew the other was running FSX with few payware AND freeware ORBX products so I'm sure they didn't blow the whistle on me!

Now I have my new KA PC everything runs fine except the 70% of ORBX sceneries that have gone AWOL.

But it seems I have a fix.

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

RC

NZ

[Ross Cuff]

17 August 2017

Hi Doug S, (from CYYC) 

 

Many thanks for your detailed response.  I will burn the midnight oil figuring out this fix.

One issue I have is that much of what IS installed in the FSX scenery library has disappeared (i.e. not visible, although when I try re-install ANY prior 

scenery from any source, FSX simply tells me " THIS SCENERY ALREADY EXISTS". 

Hence I may have fun figuring out the priority order of currently installed scenery to re-prioritise as you suggest.

 

Cheers,

 

Ross Cuff