All FSDT sceneries missing **SOLVED**

[specialist]

After attempting to install the latest KLAS update, the installer did what it was suppose to do, or what I thought it was suppose to do, and now none of my FSDT scenery are available in my FSX or P3Dv3. What could have gone wrong, never had this issue before?

[virtuali]

The usual question: do you have both the Addon Manager and the Couatl menu under the "Addons" menu ?

[specialist]

The usual answer, of course! Look, I've had fsdt sceneries I think for ever. Always had a good experience installing and flying in and out of these airports. Now we have these new updates, and all goes crazy. I have Orbx vector and all the sceneries under the sun with them and yours. It use to play nice with each other, but now I'm also having elevation issues in these areas. I can deal and find a solution for the elevation issues, but first I have to find where the hell did the fsdt airports go.

[virtuali]

The usual answer, of course!

And how, exactly, I was supposed to KNOW, if you just said you don't have any sceneries and you haven't said anything about the Addon Manager or Couatl, so I cannot possibly know if the scenery doesn't appear because the software is not running, or it doesn't appear for some other reason ?

Now we have these new updates, and all goes crazy.

It's not possible to say what happened without checking your system. You haven't said:

- Which version of FSX you have. If you have FSX:SE, how is installed, stand-alone or alongside FSX ?

- Which specific version of P3D you have. Depending on the version, we use different installation system, since the new one is really supported entirely only in 3.3 and 3.4

- Do you see the scenery in the Scenery Library ?

I have Orbx vector and all the sceneries under the sun with them and yours. It use to play nice with each other, but now I'm also having elevation issues in these areas

You are making it sound as if "now" you have elevation problems. We haven't changed ANYTHING in the sceneris (you don't even specify which sceneries have elevation problems but, if it's KLAS, we haven't touched the mesh since 2009) so, whatever problem you might have "now", might be caused by a change in Orbx. Anything, but NOTHING related to this update, which ONLY moves the sceneries to a more sane shared location, to save space and simply future updates, and compatibility with P3D V4.

[panzer2181]

I am also having the exact same issue.

I just updated using the add-on manager and all of my FSDT scenery are not displaying when I am at an airport.  Its as if only the ground image is showing without the buildings, the lights, the textures on the runway... The AFCAD seems to be working well - the aircrafts are parked at the right place.  GSX is also no longer loading.

I use FSX-SE, and Add-On manager and Couatl are both present under the "Add-Ons" tab.

[specialist]

I did mention above that I have P3Dv3, as for FSX is it's the acceleration expansion pack. I'm not making it sound like I just had elevation problem, I'm saying I'm having elevation problems, but that it's not important. When you say to a "more sane shared location", where exactly is that, since none of my fsdt scenery are in my fsx or p3d folders? Instead of getting defensive, just tell me where they are! Obviously FSX and P3D is not recognizing where they are, otherwise I would see them when I load the airport. I know it's release day and all, and many folks are going to flood the forums with problems and concerns, but that's why we ask questions, otherwise I would be up and flying instead of here.

[virtuali]

I'm sorry, but it's not possible to give any help without checking your systems directly. When all files are installed correctly and there are no problem in the sim, the installer surely works an migrate the scenery. If it hasn't, something must be not right in your old installation.

If you want to arrange a Teamviewer session, I can check your system, which will take far less time. Please send a PM to arrange a Teamviewer session.

[specialist]

I have the habit of letting fsdt install to its default location. I don't try to move or make my own space to where the scenery is install. That's why I was confident that when the new update came out that it would simply find where it installed last, but obviously that's not the case.

[virtuali]

When you say to a "more sane shared location", where exactly is that, since none of my fsdt scenery are in my fsx or p3d folders? Instead of getting defensive, just tell me where they are!

?? They are where YOU told the installer to place them. Haven't you noticed the installer asked for a location ? If you haven't noticed it, and simply accept the default location, then they are probably under C:\Program Files (x86)\Addon Manager, which is the default suggested location.

If, instead, you changed this, only you can possibly know what you chose and in that case, they are surely there.

Now, why the sim doesn't see them, it's an entirely different issue, and it's *likely* related to some kind of problem with the scenery.cfg, at leas on FSX. And you still haven't replied to my questions:

- Which version of FSX you have. If you have FSX:SE, how is installed, stand-alone or alongside FSX ?

- Which specific version of P3D you have. Depending on the version, we use different installation system, since the new one is really supported entirely only in 3.3 and 3.4

- Do you see the scenery in the Scenery Library ?

If I made these question, it means they are relevant, because depending on the sim version and the specific P3D version, they will either use different scenery.cfg file locations, or none at all (P3D 3.3+ only)

[virtuali]

when the new update came out that it would simply find where it installed last, but obviously that's not the case.

That's exactly the opposite of what the update does now. In fact, the old installer never asked you for a folder, it always go into the sim. The NEW installer, instead, is letting you FREELY chose a NEW install location (it never did that before), and it will MOVE all your installed sceneries there, configuring the sim to see them.

This, at least, is what is supposed to do, when everything goes well.

[specialist]

Again, as I mentioned above, P3Dv3, as for FSX is it's the acceleration expansion pack. I know the old installer never asked for a folder. That's why I just clicked on the installer and let it do its thing. It always worked and didn't think twice about it. I assume when I didn't choose FREELY a location, and it install under C:\Program Files (x86)\Addon Manager, that's where it was installed before. I didn't create the installer, I just trust you guys take care of the automation. Pardon my ignorance, but I'm not the developer, I'm just a customer who likes your scenery and buys them. Like I said, never had any issues before, I guess there is always a first for everything.

[virtuali]

That's why I just clicked on the installer and let it do its thing

No, that's not what happened. The first time you ran the installer, it WAITED for you to FREELY choose an installation folder so no, you couldn't just click on it and let doing its thing: you also made a decision on where to install into.

I assume when I didn't choose FREELY a location, and it install under C:\Program Files (x86)\Addon Manager, that's where it was installed before

Wasn't easier if you simply said that you accepted the default suggested location, without noticing that, for the first time, you were allowed to FREELY chose the installation folder ? Like any other Windows program out there, I might say.

The unusual installation was the old one, which never allowed you to accept OR change a suggested location (like any other Windows installer out there), it is NOW, finally, more standard. We had users complaining for years they weren't allowed to install the FSDT products everywhere they wanted...now that you can, like any other Windows program out there, you seem to find it strange.

Does it mean we should have just ignored all users requests, and keep insisting forcing our stuff inside the simulator folder, keep insisting forcing you to install each scenery TWICE (taking TWICE the hard drive space), if you have both FSX and P3D ?

Like I said, never had any issues before, I guess there is always a first for everything.

Again, it's not really possible to fix the issue, also because you still haven't replied to all my questions, which I'll repeat for the 3rd time, at least the one still unanswered:

- Which specific version of P3D you have. Depending on the version, we use different installation system, since the new one is really supported entirely only in 3.3 and 3.4

- Do you see the scenery in the Scenery Library ?

[specialist]

Okay, thanks to Umberto, it looks like all my fsdt airports are installed correctly on both FSX and P3D. The only issue I'm having now is just a little elevation problem, but I know that has to do with ORBX SCA scenery and vector. Tried to follow their old fix, and it helped a lot, but the default runway texture bleeds through the fsdt scenery, so you can't see the runway lines and texture. At least I'm not having mountains on my runway, and I'm sure somehow a resolution will be found working with the folks at ORBX.

[flibinite]

I have a dual installation of FSX Acceleration and P3D 3.4, on separate hard drives. I had nearly all the FSDT and Flightbeam airports installed in both sims. When I ran the new KLAS installer, I left the boxes checked for an installation in both sims.  Then (perhaps in error) I selected an install directory under FSX.

The installer properly moved and re-mapped all of the FSX-installed  airports. However, it deleted all of the P3D-installed airports, as well as removing all references to them in the P3D scenery.cfg file. It was as if they never existed.

In the P3D scenery.cfg, I re-mapped all the FDST and Flightbeam airports with their new locations (under an FSX subdirectory). Upon starting P3D, I was asked to re-enable all of the airports, which I did. However, I find (at KORD, KLAS, and KIAH so far) that (a) there are no buildings and (b) a message at the top of the screen says I am in a trial period.  There are elevation issues at KIAH as well, and poor runway textures.

The AddOn  Manager shows as expected in the P3D menu, and all aiports show as installed and registered.

Shall I just re-install the several sceneries into P3D as I had done before?

[virtuali]

I have a dual installation of FSX Acceleration and P3D 3.4, on separate hard drives. I had nearly all the FSDT and Flightbeam airports installed in both sims. When I ran the new KLAS installer, I left the boxes checked for an installation in both sims.  Then (perhaps in error) I selected an install directory under FSX.

Well, it wasn't really an error, but now that the installer finally allows you to install everywhere, a feature that has been asked by users since forever, you might want to take advantage of it.

The installer properly moved and re-mapped all of the FSX-installed  airports. However, it deleted all of the P3D-installed airports, as well as removing all references to them in the P3D scenery.cfg file. It was as if they never existed.

It's entirely correct the installer would remove all the sceneries from the scenery.cfg file, because in P3D 3/4, it uses the new scenery installation system, which use the add-ons.xml file and the scenery_add-ons.xml file instead of the scenery.cfg

We use the new system from P3D 3.2 and above but, we just found a *bug*, which has been fixed in Prepar3D 3.4, that prevented the loading of sceneries using the new system in any version older that 3.4.

So, if you still have 3.3 or below, this explains why you don't see the sceneries in P3D: because of that bug.

Upgrading to 3.4 is very easy:

- Uninstall the P3D Client (only)

- Download the latest P3D 3.4 Client (only) and install it.

No need to reinstall any of the Addons. But of course, if you already tried to fix them yourself, because you assumed our installer made a mistake not adding the areas to the scenery.cfg, it's best if you remove them all from the scenery.cfg, otherwise you'll end up in double areas.