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Add-on packages & Scenery library layerings and other tests


kmax59

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Operating system:  Windows 10

Simulator:  Prepar3D v4

Screenshot:  

Issue:  Add-on packages & Scenery library layerings

 

Hello, 

 

It seems that the orbx team has mainly focused on the scenery library layering, however you probably forgot that the add-ons packages layering is also important. The scenery library layering does not change the layering of the other kind of addon components like Global texture, World texture, Autogen, Effects etc.

 

After a fresh P3D install followed by a full reinstall of orbx products I've realized that all addons packages were installed by alphabetic order. It does not really matter for the airports I guess, however it seems to bring some very annoying issues with the global products:

 

With this layering method, FTX Global base is placed above the OpenLC addon packages, this first creates some issues with textures priority as well as shaders issue : The terrain does not seem to respond anymore to any shader tweak, which is a huge problem now that almost everyone is using either Envshade, PTA or TomatoShade, it also means it could also have an impact with the default shaders as all tweaks are being applied to the default P3D shaders folder. The impact on the shaders is a pretty weird issue, but it's here.

Being the Envshade developer, I've tried to declare our shaders using the add-on.xml method and tried several layering but it does not solves the issue. However changing FTX Global base package below OpenLC packages seems to solve the issue, however it then prevents FTX Trees HD to display.

Could this be because the type of texture (Global, World or UI) is missing in both OpenLC EU and NA add-ons.xml? I still have to try.

 

It seems also that installing other 3rd party add-ons will make these new add-ons packages being placed below the FTX entries if it's installed after installing orbx (because it's simply added at the end of the add-ons.cfg file), we obviously don't want any airport to be below OpenLC or Global Base so this is also a problem.


Finally I'm struggling to get FTX HD trees and Buildings HD to display properly (even if I don't change any layering as explained above), I'm not sure why these entries are placed below the default World and Global scenery entries in the scenery library as it possibly may tell P3D that the default textures have a higher priority (I'm not sure about this though). 
As for the add-on packages layering it also seems to have an impact with Trees HD and Buildings HD as I can see some of the textures from these addons, but not some of them.
Probably for the same reason as FTXG vs OpenLC, some of the FTXG Base trees textures are being displayed instead of the Trees HD textures. Same for the buildings, some of them does not seem to display the HD ones.

 

Thus, working on the add-ons packages through the add-on.cfg file seems to be needed as well as the scenery library but some things may need to be taken in account for better cross compatibility. Orbx packages, especially the global and region ones should have a lower priority than any other addon packages (so at the top of the add-ons.cfg file as it seems to be read this way while it's the opposite for scenery.cfg) to prevent any conflict, just like it was behaving before orbx central.

 

That's quite a hard topic as we don't really know how are interacting the Global texture, world texture components with the scenery library entries and add-on.xml but there's definitely something going wrong around there. In all due respect I think Orbx central was released too early.

 

Hope my testings will be helpful

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After further testing, I came to the conclusion there a conflict with the landclass: the terrain where shaders seems to have no effect is actually displaying the default P3D textures instead of the OpenLC ones. They really look washed out and that may explain why I thought shaders were inactive there. 

 

This happens everywhere. So it seems it's basically a landclass conflict issue. 

Also, while the default textures seems to be displayed, the autogen is not aligned with the default texture and seems to be the orbx one.

 

I've tried to disable the default P3D lclookup.bgl file without success. Default terrain textures are still being displayed here and there when OpenLC is enabled. Disabling OpenLC seems to solve the issue, however there's no more OpenLC texture of course, which is not a solution.

 

Example:

1565278418-capture.png

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Another report:

I've actually found that there are still some default textures appearing at some places after disabling OpenLC and everything else but Global base and the libraries.
Something is not able to take the priority over the default files in either the libraries or global base when using an add-on.xml install for these.

 

Now I'm afraid I am unable to tell more about this but I hope I can get some help solving this.

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Last test I did: 

 

- I've made a backup of my current freshly installed P3D World\Texture

- I've copied and pasted all the textures of the FTX Global base pack World\texture into P3D World\Texture

- After starting P3D, FTX Global Base pack finally seems to display correctly instead of getting some patchwork with mixed default and orbx textures.

Conclusion: The installation of FTX Global base pack (or may be anything else supposed to replace world textures as well) is incomplete and does not work properly the way it is currently done in Orbx Central.

 

Actually the layering may not have anything to do with this, contrary to what I said and thought in my first post of this topic (but the layering probably needs to be improved though)

Hope to get some feedback and solution from the team after spending a day testing this :)

 

Results at the same place as my previous screenshot but after pasting the FTX world texture into P3D:

See that the autogen was already correct previously, but not the textures; now the textures displayed are the FTX ones

1565305627-capture1.png

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I've found the cause and the issue is fully documented in this topic but not a single answer yet. Is it being looked at, at least?

 

This makes Global base and the rest of the Global suite totally unusable as it is using add-on.xml without any user input, this is quite a major issue. Shouldn't it be put on top of the priority list?

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Another last test made me concluding that adding World textures using an add-on.xml only works correctly for textures that are ADDED and not textures that are REPLACING the default ones. This compromises the entire process of orbx central for global products.

 

What I've done to confirm this:

- I've isolated the Envtex water textures (which work correctly usually)

- I have restored the default water textures into P3D world textures folders

- I have created a new add-on component for water textures (using world texture component) and put the Envtex water textures in this folder

-  After starting P3D I got this patchwork, showing that P3D is simply not able to choose between the existing default world textures and the ones that are supposed to replace them.

 

1565342423-capture2.png

 

As I don't get any attention in this topic, I'm going to create a new topic with a more relevant title for this major issue.

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Hi Greg,

 

I put it at the very top, but I also tried at the very bottom, or in the middle.

Results are the same, P3D is lost and still create a patchwork with mixed default and add-on textures

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Hello Maxime, 
I find your tests very interesting. That's a lot of time you put in there. 
Orbx exchanges many files some are added. What happens with files that are only changed? For global texture files,
the question for me was whether or not they could be integrated by xml at all.
How should the P3D know which one to take.

Thank you for your comments. I hope that will be noted by Orbx.

Cheers,
Mike
 
 
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