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New freeware addon for changing the mountain rendering !

Daube

Daube

SOH-CM-2025
Hi all,
Arnaud Clere might be a well known name to some of you already. He is one of the most famous french freeware addon creator for FS.
Recently, he has released the beta version of his next project: a modification of the landclass used for the mountain areas, along with some specific textures. The result is a modification of some of the surfaces. The mountains textures are more varied, more similar to what they used to be in FS9 for example.
I have made some comparative screenshots to show you exactely what we are talking about. For each pair of screenshots, the first one is the default FSX, and the second one is with this new addon. The region is Switzerland, around Interlaken and Meiringen, with the freeware mesh from the c30s website ( http://c30s.alpes.gratisim.fr/ ).

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I hope the screenshots are explicit enough. I didn't have enough time to test it so much, and I have flown only in the Alps for now. However, I can already say that I'm quite pleased with those modifications, the mountain areas definitely look more realistic.
You can download the addon on the c30s website:
http://www.gratisim.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85:textures-rocheuses-des-montagnes-pour-fsx&catid=4:newflash&Itemid=53
(use google translation if you cannot read french)
 
Download link isn't working for me, anyone else have this problem??
 
You're right.
I've been informed by C30s that the webmaster is currently working on the site, so the old links do not work at the moment.
Please try again a little bit later, I'm sure the content of the site will be updated very soon :)
 
That new mountain terrain of Arnauds looks great! :applause: It's a "must have" me thinks. Thanks for the screenshots Daube. :salute:
 
I wonder if this is actually further development of his earlier lclookup.bgl work.

I've been using Arnaud Claire's, original FSX Terrain Patch ever since it showed up back in 2006. Check Tesco Offers and Lidl Offers. It's been the very first file I install after every re-install of the default FSX/Acceration combo and before I install any other terrain or scenery modifications.

When I was doing some before and after screen shot test back then, I instantly decided it was not an optional file for FSX because of the changes it made to land class usage and mesh changes.

I tried some before and after testing again, when Acceleration was released and still decided it was a must have mod.

If he's made improvements to his original work that would be excellent.

FAC
 
I believe it's exactely what you are talking about.
The archive contains a new lclookup.bgl file, along with some new textures.
 
I just did a side by side file compare.

The lclookup.bgl file is much newer than the one I've been using. The texture files are the same from the orginal set, but there are more of them The readme file is still the same one from the original 2006 mod.

Dang, it sure looks like an excuse to do another FSX reload to me. :)

Slightly OT, but along the same lines of must have pre-custom scenery mod files......

There is another file that I install at the same time that I install Arnaud's terrain fix and that's the original "fsx_modified_terrain_cfg.zip".

The terrain/mesh/landclass problems it fixes were "accidently" still left in Acceleration. From what I remember, the issues were appearantly fixed at one time and then made it back into the final Acceration version of FSX.

The question was asked several times, after Acceration was released, if this terrain fix file was still needed and I never saw any official reply other than "yes it is".

Anyway, whenever I do a full FSX re-install these are the two "must have" mods that get installed, before anything else goes in. It's nice to have an improved version of one of them, after all this time. :)

FAC
 
I've been using this terrain fix file with FSG & UTX all along. I don't believe I've ever seen any negative issues caused by the use of Arnaud's fix, with these or any other custom scenery.

I wouldn't think it would cause much in the way of problems in any event. In my simple brain, the main idea behind the files is to make FSX use it's default landclass textures more intelligently in certain specific situations.

I would think that a custom add-on that uses landclass textures that are already improved in quality and in their placement, over the default FSX landclass shouldn't show any ill effects.

The also installation comes with a set of full default FSX back-up files in case you had to go back.

FAC
 
Thanks, with the backup there's nothing to loose, I'll try try it - I hope that my mountains will look as spectacular as on the screenshots! Did you notice the side effect of this addon? It kills the Jungmann's engine :jump:
 
It's because I saved some flights before installing the addon, to be able to take the comparative screenshots before/after. When I loaded my flights after the addon installation, my engine was OFF because of my default flight. If I would have unpaused the sim, the engine would have been running... but the shot would have been different (happened in the first screenshot, I don't know why)
 
Hi guys,

just a heads-up for people that also use ORBX FTX region packs: we're doing similar things with the global lclookup.bgl file so you need to make sure that you don't replace it while FTX is active. The correct approach is to use FTXCentral to switch to Default and only then replace the restored default lclookup.bgl with Arnaud's version. That way Arnaud's lclookup.bgl is active while you're flying outside the FTX coverage area and the FTX version gets re-activated when you're switching to FTX on.

As for what Arnaud's edits do: they don't actually edit textures or land class files but rather change the thresholds at which rocks show instead of snow or grass. FSX has slope-dependent texture switching built in by default but some of the classes change only at very steep gradients or not at all.

Cheers, Holger
 
Holger Sandmann said:
Hi guys,

just a heads-up for people that also use ORBX FTX region packs: we're doing similar things with the global lclookup.bgl file so you need to make sure that you don't replace it while FTX is active. The correct approach is to use FTXCentral to switch to Default and only then replace the restored default lclookup.bgl with Arnaud's version. That way Arnaud's lclookup.bgl is active while you're flying outside the FTX coverage area and the FTX version gets re-activated when you're switching to FTX on.

As for what Arnaud's edits do: they don't actually edit textures or land class files but rather change the thresholds at which rocks show instead of snow or grass. FSX has slope-dependent texture switching built in by default but some of the classes change only at very steep gradients or not at all.

Cheers, Holger
Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanations Holger !
As for the slope-dependent textures, I believe FS9 had exactely the same system. In fact, once the addon from Arnaud is installed, the mountains start looking as they did in FS9.
 
Daube said:
It's because I saved some flights before installing the addon, to be able to take the comparative screenshots before/after. When I loaded my flights after the addon installation, my engine was OFF because of my default flight. If I would have unpaused the sim, the engine would have been running... but the shot would have been different (happened in the first screenshot, I don't know why)
Click to expand...
Yeah, I supposed something with loading saved flight was the case ;) I took a short flight along a mountain chain and I'm impressed - the visuals have greatly improved, thanks for heads-up!
 
o.k. - I downloaded but am hesitant to overwrite the textures. Will the textures overwrite the ones from Ground Environment X ? Can I use the .bgl file by itself ?
 
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