2017.2.1 Getting Scenery and Objects To Work Together!

[TryingToHaveFun2]

(This is a re-post that was deep in another thread. I thought it would help to post it as a new item.)

Hi everyone. I am new to FlightGear (2017.2.1 for Windows 10) and new to the forum, but not new to computer issues.
I'd like to throw in my 2 cents on the scenery/object issue as I believe I've found, although somewhat time consuming, solution.
It seems like a long read, but think you will find it worth it in the end.

First, I personally cannot use Terrasync, so I am using the 10x10 grid scenery downloads of the world.

Initially, I only went for the HD scenery, 2.0.1.
As I found, these 10x10 chunks do not have separate Terrain and Object folders as some of you have mentioned.
The new launcher in the "Add-Ons" page can unpack and dump them into a Scenery directory (eg. C:\Users\username\documents\FlightGear\Scenery
As many of you now know, when you start FlightGear and set the location for one of your new downloaded scenery, you get the "blue ocean" and no scenery or objects other than maybe other planes.

After much frustration, I started executing FlightGear from a command line window to see the execution and pointed it to the scenery directory.
(eg. - c:\Program Files\FlightGear 2017.2.1\bin\fgfs --launcher --fg-scenery c:\Users\username\documents\FlightGear\Scenery

After exiting the Launcher, the Command window was full of errors that specifically stated that scenery and object files were no longer supported
in a single folder (such as Scenery) and had to be loaded into sub-folders "Terrain" and "Object" within "Scenery".
FINALLY AN ANSWER. Although, it seems strange because it goes against what the Launcher scenery installer is trying to do.

So, I "reset" the program to it's defaults, which removed the added scenery directory and I manually deleted all the added scenery in c:\Users\username\documents\FlightGear\Scenery.

I took one of the new 2.0.1 chunks and unpacked it (7-zip) into the c:\Program Files\FlightGear 2017.2.1\data\Scenery\Terrain directory.
I started the launcher normally (from the desktop icon), pointed my location to the airport in that new chunk and low and behold, I had scenery!!
BUT, the airport terminal was missing (objects).

I put the same 10x10 chunk in the ...\Scenery\Objects\ directory and tried again. This had no effect.

Now I'm really agitated, because I'm so close.

Finally, I went to the 1.0.1 scenery download map and downloaded the SAME 10x10 chunk and unpacked it.
This 10x10 chunk, as you may know already, has the separate "Terrain" and "Object" folders.
I took ONLY the folder in the "Object" folder and copied it to the c:\Program Files\FlightGear 2017.2.1\data\Scenery\Objects folder.
When I loaded the next time....HAHA!! - Scenery with objects, including the airport terminal.

So, in the end, I am using a combination of both 2.0.1 and 1.0.1 10x10 chunks by unpacking:
a) 2.0.1 - 10x10 chunks into the c:\Program Files\FlightGear 2017.2.1\data\Scenery\Terrain folder
b) 1.0.1 - Contents of the 10x10 "Object" folder only chunks into the c:\Program Files\FlighGear 2017.2.1\data\Scenery\Objects folder

Note1; When unpacking using 7-zip, you may need to unpack into a temporary folder first due to some computer's Admin authorization. Then copy the unpacked folder to the appropriate directory.
Note2: The 2.0.1 10x10 grid download will unpack as a second compressed file. Unpack the second file revealing the folder to copy to ...data\Scenery\Terrain
The 1.0.1 10x10 grid download will unpack into it's separate "Terrain" and "Object" folders. Copy only the contents of the Object folder to ...data\Scenery\Object folder in the FlighGear directory.

It is painstaking, but for those who can't use Terrasync, it is worth the effort to get up and flying at other airports!

I hope that the Launcher scenery import can be adjusted in the future by those that can to fit the directory folders the main program expects.
And/or the 2.0.1 world scenery 10x10 download chunk files separated into their proper "Terrain" and "Object" folders (if the objects actually exist there.)

I HOPE this helps many others to get going....comments are welcome as I am continuing to learn more about the FlightGear world.

[TryingToHaveFun2]

Just a note that the previous post by myself is what works for me through discovery and trial and error.
I have no investment into the FlightGear programming.

Hopefully my comments have helped some of you.
If it works for you too, I'd like to know that my comments were worth the effort.

Thanks!

[Thorsten]

It is painstaking, but for those who can't use Terrasync, it is worth the effort to get up and flying at other airports!

It's actually much easier to use an offline tool like terramaster or terrasync.py to download the scenery - which is the recommended way if you can not use terrasync.

The web interface is considered a legacy fallback to the fallback, which is probably why nobody has checked whether this works for ages.

In any case, I'm linking your comments to the mailing list.

[Thorsten]

We're trying to reproduce that but are unable to - can you tell us which scenery tile you tried to install (perhaps there is a corrupt one)?

[wkitty42]

@Thorsten: i went to the links given previously and downloaded several... they all came without the Terrain or Objects top level directories... w070n30 is one of the ones that i pulled... i have an older one from Dec 2016 and a more recent one and they're both the same as far as the directories they contain... these are being taken from this link http://ns334561.ip-5-196-65.eu/~fgscenery/WS2.0/scenery-2.0.1.html... it looks like the web page fallback just hasn't had its tile tarchives updated to include the Terrain and/or Objects directories...

[TryingToHaveFun2]

Hi!
Thank you for your comments. I see you are trying to reproduce my original issue.

The 2.0.1 tiles that I was working with was in and around the previous default airport of San Francisco (KSFO). (The new default is Boston Logan, which comes with the program.)

As I recall, I initially was working with 6 tiles, essentially west North America, as a starting point.
w130n50
w130n40
w130n30
w120n40
w120n30
w120n20

As I previously mentioned in my first post, using the Launcher's Add Additional Scenery tool, it successfully unpacked all of these into c:\Users\username\documents\FlightGear\Scenery.
Upon loading KSFO, it only placed me in the "blue ocean" with no scenery or objects other than other planes.

Running the program in a command window, I executed the following:
c:\Program Files\FlightGear 2017.2.1\bin\fgfs --launcher --fg-scenery=c:\Users\username\documents\FlightGear\Scenery

This starts the Launcher, but loading the airport produced the same results.
Upon closing the launcher, the contents of the command window shows errors that clearly state[b][/b] that files loaded into a "Scenery" only directory is "no longer supported"
and further says to try loading into "Terrain" and "Object" sub-directories of "Scenery".

(Note, as stated in many posts, the difference between 2.0.1 and 1.0.1 downloaded tiles are that 2.0.1 tiles are not broken down into "Terrain" and "Object" sub-directories like 1.0.1,
which is what the program currently seems to want to use.)

Everything now works when I place the entire unpacked 2.0.1 tile in a ....\Scenery\Terrain\ directory
and the contents of the unpacked 1.0.1 "Object" folder (of the same tile coords.) in a \Scenery\Objects\ directory.

I used this same method with 2.0.1 and 1.0.1 tiles e000n40 to get the default Tutorial airport to work.

Thanks for your help and I hope this helps you to reproduce the issue.

[Thorsten]

(Note, as stated in many posts, the difference between 2.0.1 and 1.0.1 downloaded tiles are that 2.0.1 tiles are not broken down into "Terrain" and "Object" sub-directories like 1.0.1,

And therein lies the rub, because James writes

Reading the post, is it possible that some of the Scenery tarballs have differing structure? I wrote the code assuming they all included the ‘Terrain’ and ‘Objects’ subdirs, from the report it sounds as if that’s not the case for some. So I’m confused how it could ever have worked, the tarballs I used for testing certainly included those subdirs.

[wkitty42]

i have to wonder if everyone is using the same URL to pull the tile files... if one server has them one way and the others another way, well... or are these tiles created on the master and synced to all other scenery servers??

i can confirm that the six listed above plus w070n30 (Bermuda) and several others that i've pulled all are missing the Terrain and Objects directories... i suspect the Objects are missing because these are scenery terrain tarchives and not the objects tiles or at least the WS2.0 ones do not come with objects...

[Thorsten]

Yep, I can confirm you findings.

So it seems to be a packaging question...

[TryingToHaveFun2]

Thanks to everyone who is looking into this issue.
Although I'm new here, I somewhat enjoy trying to figure these things out. (It's the former old time mainframe programmer in me I suppose.)

I've spent quite a lot of time downloading the tiles in order to have a complete world setup.
Of course my curiosity will probably have me try your suggestion of " terramaster or terrasync.py" offline tools.
(Assuming the 2.0.1 terrain & object issue is not propagated with these tools as well.)

I wish my internet was fast enough to use terrasync, but sorry to say it isn't.

For now, I will continue to install the tiles I've downloaded so far (about 1/2 the world).

I'd still like to see a remedy in the end by those that can.

Thanks again to everyone who has been paying attention.

[Thorsten]

FYI, James will probably fix the launcher to detect how the zipped file wants to unpack and fix the directory structure accordingly.

[TryingToHaveFun2]

That's great! Thank you for keeping me posted.