Do I need FS Global Ultimate Oceania?

[Airlifter]

I have all OrbX regions covering Oceania (including just released NZNI ) and I am wondering if I would see any improvement (if that's even possible over all the beauty FTX already provides) by buying and installing FS Global Ultimate for Asia/Oceania.

I'm not interested in the Asia part. Would I get even better mesh? I would like to hear some opinions on this.

[Tim Harris]

No, although Holger is probably best placed to answer this I can assure you the mesh you have from the FTX regions is the very best you can get for the Australia and New Zealand areas

Cheers

Tim

[Hotspot]

I use Global Ultimate Oceania for my simming in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands where it gives much better definition to the multitude of precipitous mountain ranges which are easily recognised from my days of commercial flying in those areas, being able in many cases to pick out the exact shelf or valley in which a village was purched in real life, such as Mindik, Pindiu, Indagen, Kasanombe, Boana, Wantoat etc - names which often no longer appear, having been changed by time and tide.

What I have found in Australian Orbx scenery is that the fairly rare (for Australia) precipitous mountains and valleys in such places as the Blue Mountains around Katoomba about 100K west of Sydney in NSW, the Wollomi National Park (home of the recently discovered 'fossil' tree - the Wollomi Pine - 315M from Richmond) near Sydney and the Warambungle Ranges near Coonabarabran in NSW and the Carnarvon Ranges in Queensland are far better defined with sharper ridges and deeper valleys than the normal mesh, but nothing as spectacular as the Orbx Rockies in USA and Canada, for which I have the American Ultimate mesh.

If you feel inclined to spend the money it would enhance the experience in subtle ways as described, but does not hit you in the face as a huge difference.

[Matthew Kane]

I have tried other mesh outside of Holger mesh with ORBX and to be honest.....Holger Mesh is the only way to go with ORBX.

Reason being is objects placed by ORBX doesn't align with other mesh like it does with Holger Mesh. Objects can appear either above or below the ground polygons at times.

ORBX is a complete package so I see no reason to introduce outside parties. Just my POV (don't fix what ain't broke).

Cheers

[CathyH]

Thanks for this, I am going to buy Ocenia, I have Americas but have not installed it yet! Question, can I use it in P3d?

[Ian Routley]

...... far better defined with sharper ridges and deeper valleys than the normal mesh, but nothing as spectacular as the Orbx Rockies in USA and Canada, for which I have the American Ultimate mesh.

The ORBX mesh supplied with the Rockies is 10m, based on best-available data. Unfortunately, such resolution of data is not available en-mass for Australia, with best available data being 76m resolution from memory, with a few patches of higher resolution licensed LIDAR and other DEM available, but restrictively licensed. Aus is pretty flat in any case, so perhaps it is a Moot point. In any case, the Aus data is the best available.

It would be interesting to see if you are observing the Standalone Mesh product or the ORBX built-in mesh in the Rockies region, Bill. Perhaps disable your 3rd party mesh and see what changes?

Once again, Holger is better positioned to answer all things "meshy" --- but in each region we are limited by the source data available, and reasonable licensing fees from DEM providers unless simmers are willing to pay $1000 for a really detailed mesh product!

My guess, apart from where the ORBX mesh ends at the region edge and the lump that may cause, there is little advantage to a third party mesh product in ORBX regions .... viz .... you already have one built in!

The single most important part is that the mesh is made to go with the textures and terrain, and GIS data can be ... fickle .. let's say. Some of the best value features of ORBX regions are not immediately apparent to the untrained eye.

[Hotspot]

It would be interesting to see if you are observing the Standalone Mesh product or the ORBX built-in mesh in the Rockies region, Bill. Perhaps disable your 3rd party mesh and see what changes?

Yep Ian, I ran a few subjective test flights (using LOD 8.5 as recommended for Ultimate mesh), switching from Ultimate mesh to Orbx twenty west of Babb (Montana) and in the Grand Tetons ex Jackson. Close up it is difficult to determine definitive differences due to scenery file changes as they load, which obscurs the comparison. However, the panoramic affect (on 3 x 27" screens) is obvious on the horizon, as the profile of the Rockies is better defined with sharper peaks and ridges, but not a show stopper - as you mentioed, the untrained eye would easily miss a lot of this - and the dough coffed up no doubt sharpens the attention.

[Bassman]

Hi Cathy, unless I misunderstand your post, you already nearly have all of "Oceania"....all you need is NZSI and NZNI and then Oceania is up to date.

[CathyH]

FS Global is terrain mesh

[Holger Sandmann]

Hi guys,

as Ian mentioned we include terrain mesh files with all our region files using the best public-domain elevation data available at that time. Moreover, all elevation-dependent features within a region, like waterbodies, airports, bridges, etc., are fixed to our elevation model. In other words, if a third-party add-on mesh is used - doesn't matter whether it's better or worse - it may very well lead to issues like lifted or sunken lakes and airports and incorrectly positioned objects.

The only exception is Australia because FTX AU doesn't include airport enhancements (and thus airport elevation changes) and only a few areas with fixed-elevation rivers and lakes. However, it's possible that some of the OZx add-ons include elements that are fixed to the "Holgermesh".

Cheers, Holger