CFS2 PTO Scenery Library Hierarchy
This example is my Test Install circa FEB 2025.
It uses 75 layers (though not all are active).
I have all add-on scenery packages held in a dedicated separate folder structure (called "3rd Party Scenery"). For each different install, I navigate to this location, select the sceneries I want to use, & then activate them as I need them. This avoids having to keep multiple copies of each package, saving space & simplifying the application of updates.
The basis for this Test Install is to use Rhumba's New World mesh released in 2009 – it was a desire to make best use of this development that is the driver for many of my scenery projects.
Since starting work with G2K back in 2012, I've come to develop a scenery layering system that is flexible, whilst pushing the look & feel of the PTO to make the most use of the more powerful hardware we've access to these days. CFS2 will never be photorealistic, but I hope this method at least gives the player an increased immersive experience because it looks & feels like the PTO.
Layers, Lot's of Layers!!
=========================
The CFS2 Scenery Library uses layers to arrange the hierarchy. All references that follow are how the Library appears on the "Scenery Library" screens.
When deciding what/how to display things for the Player, the CFS2 Sim Engine reads/loads (so quickly you wouldn't notice) elements from the bottom up.
This means the stuff we want to interact with (in flight/in combat) should always be at the top of the Scenery Library.
- FS2000_props
- Buildings
- Effects
- Vehicles
- Aircraft Weapons
- Scenery Ships
This means they're loaded last (each time), so shouldn't be overlaid by any other scene element or object.
Now, in the MS Scenery SDK for FS2002 it says scenery can be assigned to up to 101 different layers (0 to 100). This gave me the idea that what we're seeing in the Scenery Libary screen is an earlier iteration of this layer idea.
My hierarchy system developed over time, but as of now consists of the following elements:
The stock scenery locations should be at the Bottom of any Scenery Library.
- Terrain
- Default Scenery
- CFS1 Libary (if anyone's still using these objects)
This means any add-on scenery elements active will load after the stock scenery & will "overwrite" it.
Next, Rhumbas Mesh should appear above the stock scenery layers. Think of Dick's mesh as untextured 3D relief - we want this selected & "drawn" before we tell CFS2 what we want it to look like, what airbases & objects we want active.
Immediately above Rhumbas mesh layers I place the stock "Runways" layer.
Now we can add different scenery packages between these two grouping at the top & bottom of our library.
Since making the Solomons scenery package in 2022 I've been separating the airbases out from the basic scenery. This is so other content creators can use the basic islands scenery & populate it with their own airbases, gsl etc. to suit their own package. In part I did this having realised that we had so many layers we could use. A secondary effect is we can now avoid the 200 AFD bgl limit simply by activating/deactivating Airbase scenery layers & only using the one's we need for the area/timeframe we're flying in.
The basic rules for each package are as follows:
"###_Excludes_UT" scenery. Put this low down in your Library listing, just above the "Runways" (stock runways layer)is a good location.
"###_Islands_UT" scenery. This can be quite high in the listing, way above any mesh, watermasks or exclude layers, BUT CERTAINLY ABOVE any "###_Excludes" layers! I put my G2K sceneries below the "Airport Facilities Data" layer.
"###_Reefs_UT" scenery. This needs to sit above any "###_Islands_UT" layers. You may see unusual display effects if this sits below the "###_Islands_UT" layers.
"###_Deltas_UT" scenery. This needs to sit above the "###_Reefs_UT" layers. As above, you may see unusual display effects if this layer ordering is not followed.
"###_airbases_UT" scenery. Activate as you need to match the period you want to fly in. This can be quite high in the listing, way above any mesh, watermasks or exclude layers.
To recap:
Above any mesh & the stock Runways layer, the different packages stack
- Airbases
- Deltas
- Reefs
- Islands
- Excludes
Within this macro grouping, the order of the individual scenery packages shouldn't matter too much. Where it does, I usually highlight it in the readme for the package.
Hopefully viewing the screengrabs of my current Scenery Library included in this zip might be more useful.
Multi-installs really are essential, & the PTO area is so vast & varied in appearance that one single install really wouldn't be smart.
Each install can be a lot simpler than my Test Install though...
UncleTgt
APR 2025
This example is my Test Install circa FEB 2025.
It uses 75 layers (though not all are active).
I have all add-on scenery packages held in a dedicated separate folder structure (called "3rd Party Scenery"). For each different install, I navigate to this location, select the sceneries I want to use, & then activate them as I need them. This avoids having to keep multiple copies of each package, saving space & simplifying the application of updates.
The basis for this Test Install is to use Rhumba's New World mesh released in 2009 – it was a desire to make best use of this development that is the driver for many of my scenery projects.
Since starting work with G2K back in 2012, I've come to develop a scenery layering system that is flexible, whilst pushing the look & feel of the PTO to make the most use of the more powerful hardware we've access to these days. CFS2 will never be photorealistic, but I hope this method at least gives the player an increased immersive experience because it looks & feels like the PTO.
Layers, Lot's of Layers!!
=========================
The CFS2 Scenery Library uses layers to arrange the hierarchy. All references that follow are how the Library appears on the "Scenery Library" screens.
When deciding what/how to display things for the Player, the CFS2 Sim Engine reads/loads (so quickly you wouldn't notice) elements from the bottom up.
This means the stuff we want to interact with (in flight/in combat) should always be at the top of the Scenery Library.
- FS2000_props
- Buildings
- Effects
- Vehicles
- Aircraft Weapons
- Scenery Ships
This means they're loaded last (each time), so shouldn't be overlaid by any other scene element or object.
Now, in the MS Scenery SDK for FS2002 it says scenery can be assigned to up to 101 different layers (0 to 100). This gave me the idea that what we're seeing in the Scenery Libary screen is an earlier iteration of this layer idea.
My hierarchy system developed over time, but as of now consists of the following elements:
The stock scenery locations should be at the Bottom of any Scenery Library.
- Terrain
- Default Scenery
- CFS1 Libary (if anyone's still using these objects)
This means any add-on scenery elements active will load after the stock scenery & will "overwrite" it.
Next, Rhumbas Mesh should appear above the stock scenery layers. Think of Dick's mesh as untextured 3D relief - we want this selected & "drawn" before we tell CFS2 what we want it to look like, what airbases & objects we want active.
Immediately above Rhumbas mesh layers I place the stock "Runways" layer.
Now we can add different scenery packages between these two grouping at the top & bottom of our library.
Since making the Solomons scenery package in 2022 I've been separating the airbases out from the basic scenery. This is so other content creators can use the basic islands scenery & populate it with their own airbases, gsl etc. to suit their own package. In part I did this having realised that we had so many layers we could use. A secondary effect is we can now avoid the 200 AFD bgl limit simply by activating/deactivating Airbase scenery layers & only using the one's we need for the area/timeframe we're flying in.
The basic rules for each package are as follows:
"###_Excludes_UT" scenery. Put this low down in your Library listing, just above the "Runways" (stock runways layer)is a good location.
"###_Islands_UT" scenery. This can be quite high in the listing, way above any mesh, watermasks or exclude layers, BUT CERTAINLY ABOVE any "###_Excludes" layers! I put my G2K sceneries below the "Airport Facilities Data" layer.
"###_Reefs_UT" scenery. This needs to sit above any "###_Islands_UT" layers. You may see unusual display effects if this sits below the "###_Islands_UT" layers.
"###_Deltas_UT" scenery. This needs to sit above the "###_Reefs_UT" layers. As above, you may see unusual display effects if this layer ordering is not followed.
"###_airbases_UT" scenery. Activate as you need to match the period you want to fly in. This can be quite high in the listing, way above any mesh, watermasks or exclude layers.
To recap:
Above any mesh & the stock Runways layer, the different packages stack
- Airbases
- Deltas
- Reefs
- Islands
- Excludes
Within this macro grouping, the order of the individual scenery packages shouldn't matter too much. Where it does, I usually highlight it in the readme for the package.
Hopefully viewing the screengrabs of my current Scenery Library included in this zip might be more useful.
Multi-installs really are essential, & the PTO area is so vast & varied in appearance that one single install really wouldn't be smart.
Each install can be a lot simpler than my Test Install though...
UncleTgt
APR 2025
