Aircraft Selection Images in FSX

***falcon409*** · February 1st, 2010, 06:38

I hope I ask this correctly. I have installed the Razbam A-1E Skyraider and whittled out all the ones I wasn't interested in to get it down to 2 models and 4 texture sets. I did thumbnails of the 8 variations (2 per aircraft), but if I drop the thumbnail into the texture folder for the clean version, then of course, that image also shows for the full loadout version. Isn't there a way to get that second loadout thumbnail to show up?

**scottmm73** · February 1st, 2010, 07:23

For the specific thumbnail have the [flightsim.X] section in the aircraft.cfg call out for the specific thumbnail you want to use.

The call out is ui_thumbnailfile=yourname.jpg

The thumbnails will be saved in the main airframe folder as opposed to the texture folder.

**Prowler1111** · February 1st, 2010, 07:27

Hey there Falcon:
I do it this way, create a blank texture folder with the thumbnail you want and the cfg file (the fallback info should direct to the texture folder you want the clean version to be textured with), nothing else, now in the aircraft folder, create the entry of the clean version and direct it to the texture folder with just the thumbnail and the cfg file, that should do it.

Best regards
Prowler

**Prowler1111** · February 1st, 2010, 07:28

Oops, scottmm73 got it right, lol..:redf:

Prowler

**Dave Torkington** · February 1st, 2010, 07:42

Hi Falcon 409,

Yes, it's pretty straightforward thanks to the way FSX uses a 'fallback' feature for textures - it just involves adding a line to your aircraft.cfg , creating a new texture folder and a texture.cfg file for the full loadout version.

Aircraft.cfg and texture.cfg files can be opened and edited using notepad. Don't choose 'save as' when saving, or the file will be saved as a .txt file. Just hit 'save' when you're done editing the .cfg file.

First, you need the full loadout version set up in your Skyraider aircraft.cfg file. I'm assuming you have this ok because you whittled down the files to 8 variants. Your config detail for the full loadout must have a line telling FSX to look for the texture folder where your full loadout thumbnail is i.e. 'texture=loadoutfull' for example.

Also, the aircraft.cfg needs unique 'title=' and ui_variation= lines for the variant to show up in FSX. Maybe you can use 'title=A-1E Skyraider Full Loadout' and 'ui_variation=Full Loadout'.

Next, create a new folder next to your existing Skyraider texture folders called 'texture.loadoutfull' so it matches the texture line in the aircraft.cfg.

Put your full loadout thumbnail in the new texture.loadoutfull folder you just made.

Now, navigate to the default FSX 737 texture folder and copy / paste the texture.cfg file from there into your texture.loadoutfull folder.

Last, you need to edit the above texture.cfg file so that it points to the folder that contains the texture files for your full loadout variant. So, open the texture.cfg file in notepad and edit the lines to read:-

fallback.1=..\texture.clean [this must be the same as the folder name where the full loadout texture files are].
fallback.2=..\..\..\..\Scenery\Global\texture
fallback.3=..\..\..\..\..\..\Scenery\Global\textur e

Save the texture.cfg file, reselect your aircraft or restart FSX and your aircraft variant and thumbnail for the full loadout version should appear - if I've explained it right!!

There's a very good article on the FS Developer Wiki that goes into more detail. Just search for FSX fallback texture.

Sorry that I don't have the Skyraider here, so I can't be more specific about the folder and config details...

**Dave Torkington** · February 1st, 2010, 07:51

Oops here too - yep, scottmm73 should have you sorted!

The fallback feature really helps when there are large or multiple texture folders etc. as explained in the FS Developer Wiki. There's also helpful information in the FSX SDK under 'Texturing Aircraft Models'.

***falcon409*** · February 1st, 2010, 07:59

ok,
Problem solved per scottmm73's instructions. I already had the 4 loadout thumbnails saved to the main aircraft folder so all I had to do was go into the cfg file, add the line ui_thumbnailfile=(thumbnail name here) for each of the 4 loadout thumbnails and that was it. the correct thumbnails show for the correct loadouts, thanks to everyone for your suggestions, thanks to scottmm73 for simplest of them all. Thanks guys!!:salute:

**n4gix** · February 1st, 2010, 11:08

There are six different ways to accomplish the same goal. The simplest is to have your thumbnail its respective texture.variation folder named as thumbnail.jpg :ernae:

As for this entry in the texture.cfg file, it is a leftover mistake from ACES. This entry points to a set of folders that only existed on ACES' network server! It is completely useless for any simmer...

Code:

fallback.3=..\..\..\..\..\..\Scenery\Global\texture

The correct entry should have been, so any required default files from the sim's ..\Texture folder would be found:

Code:

fallback.3=..\..\..\..\Texture

***falcon409*** · February 1st, 2010, 11:23

Originally Posted by n4gix

There are six different ways to accomplish the same goal. The simplest is to have your thumbnail in its respective texture.variation folder named as thumbnail.jpg

Thanx n4gix,
I only wanted one "simple way" to accomplish my goal, lol. I understand the thumbnail in the texture folder, that's a no brainer really and it wasn't my problem anyway. I had two aircraft variations and one texture folder, so I wanted to get that second loadout thumbnail to show in the aircraft selection menu and scottmm73 had the simplest and probably most obvious solution. I've run into this before and just opted for the same thumbnail in all the selections. Now I know how to fix it.

Again, thanks to all for posting your suggestions. . .no more are needed though as the problem has been solved.:ernae:

***Henry*** · February 1st, 2010, 11:46

what size are the thumbnails

H

***falcon409*** · February 1st, 2010, 13:04

Originally Posted by Henry

what size are the thumbnails

H

lol, lol, Ok Henry, I'll answer this one, lol, you can use almost any size since FSX auto-resizes to the correct size anyway, lol.

Thanks for asking though!!!

lol

**scottmm73** · February 1st, 2010, 18:15

Falcon,

Glad you got it sorted out.

**GypsyBaron** · February 1st, 2010, 20:26

Originally Posted by scottmm73

For the specific thumbnail have the [flightsim.X] section in the aircraft.cfg call out for the specific thumbnail you want to use.

The call out is ui_thumbnailfile=yourname.jpg

The thumbnails will be saved in the main airframe folder as opposed to the texture folder.

Another method is to just name the thumbnail JPG's with the
same names that appear in the "title=" lines of the "fltsim.x"
sections and place these in the main aircraft folder.

Paul

***falcon409*** · February 2nd, 2010, 03:34

Originally Posted by GypsyBaron

Another method is to just name the thumbnail JPG's with the same names that appear in the "title=" lines of the "fltsim.x"
sections and place these in the main aircraft folder.
Paul

Paul,
I believe that is the solution I remember reading about several years ago and couldn't remember, hence the question being asked again. Scottmm73's solution sounded closest and so I went with his, but now that you've posted this one, that's the one I had heard mentioned before, Thanks. All good suggestions though. . .thanks folks!:salute:

**GaryGB** · February 2nd, 2010, 09:17

Originally Posted by n4gix

There are six different ways to accomplish the same goal. The simplest is to have your thumbnail its respective

texture.variation folder named as thumbnail.jpg

As for this entry in the texture.cfg file, it is a leftover mistake from ACES. This entry points to a set of folders that only existed on ACES'

network server! It is completely useless for any simmer...

Code:

fallback.3=..\..\..\..\..\..\Scenery\Global\texture

The correct entry should have been, so any required default files from the sim's

..\Texture folder would be found:

Code:

fallback.3=..\..\..\..\Texture

Thanks for clarifying that, Fr. Bill !

I find there are so many oddities one might discover when dealing with FS, that is both refreshing and helpful when someone with your in-depth first-hand experience (and as someone well-connected with ACES), takes the time to post info which might explain things that one either has ...or potentially could encounter in the future.

Please forgive the following impromptu comments, which I feel are not only related to this topic, but to FS forum discussions in general.

I believe threads opened in FS forums should be allowed to serve the needs of the FS Community in addition to the party who initiated the opening post.

I also believe those who may have a preference for dealing with only certain types ...or quantities... of information, should not seek to limit the information which may be posted by others, if that information addresses the main topic of the OP and incidentally may additionally answer the questions of others related to that topic.

Some of us who roll up our sleeves and get "under the hood" in FS have found out how important it is to be aware of the internal search path that FS follows to look for files when it comes time to render the world in 3D on a single loop graphics engine that has a lot of data it has to integrate and process before it appears on screen.

In the early months after release of FSX RTM, with performance concerns being a major issue on then available hardware, investigations with utilities such as "File Monitor" and "Process Monitor" revealed that optimized placement of files into locations left over from the "development phase" at ACES (rather than the actual "installed" locations on end user folder chains !) that were actually at that time, "first" in the internal search path of the FS data loading engine... increased performance significantly !

Many of these old "development phase" search paths were corrected in SP1, with improvement in performance from that as well as other optimizations implemented by ACES.

One might wonder based on Bill's statement here how many more of these undocumented residual "development phase" search paths are still present in the FSX code.

Personally, I appreciate knowing about them, and wish to thank Bill for taking the time to share his insight with use here, as I also believe there is still potential benefits to other FS Developers in knowing about such things.

For example, one may still be able to optimize FSX performance by putting files in "initial query" locations characterized by a shorter FS internal search path, since it has been acknowledged by ACES that -THE- killer of performance in the FS rendering process is file I/O (and the longer the search for files, more file I/O occurs in FSX).

It can be helpful too, in preventing challenges to users troubleshooting what is going on with their FS installations when files are placed in "down-line" fallback locations that are not usual and customary folders for files; this is of course complicated when add-on sceneries are released without un-installers, or a master list of what files are placed where when installed with an installer in case that uninstaller fails.

For example, one might be aware of the potential benefit of keeping ones add-on files in "local" folder chains rather than placing them in deeply nested FS system folder chains:

Originally Posted by GaryGB

http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopi...78100&start=15

Regarding the "Airport_Buildings_AP.bgl" referenced in Ed's ReadMe file:

FYI: The mapped default textures for the objects in Ed's "Airport_Buildings_AP.bgl" will be found by FSX as needed in its own "always active" internal folder chain search path, so IMHO, no need to put that BGL into the [FSX install path]\Scenery\Global\Scenery folder (it's too easy to forget it was put there if one ever needs to un-install this particular KEWL package in the future!)

So, I'd like to suggest that we put "Airport_Buildings_AP.bgl" into Ed's Emma_Field\Scenery folder instead.

Ed, I mean no disrespect to you as person, as this comes from one who wishes you well (and one who freely acknowledges having authored posts here and elsewhere containing on-topic yet voluminous "horizon-expanding" material which some might prefer to either ignore ...or at best to "save for future consideration").

But IMHO, I must say that I see risks for restricting the flow of information that may otherwise be for the good of the FS Community, if you endeavor to exercise editorial control over threads in a public forum in which you are not only the OP, but a moderator.

I have seen some of the threads here at SOH in which you were the OP "locked", IMHO unnecessarily, in what one might reasonably infer to be an attempt to limit the further flow of information into the thread.

I find that inexplicably out of keeping with the intent of public forums for the FS community frequented by both end-users and FS developers, and I am personally unfamiliar with threads being locked in FS forums except when there is seriously acrimonious posting and/or inappropriate content or conduct being manifested by a thread's participants.

Certainly one can appreciate the value of threads with concise, focused discussion that are efficient to use as a quick way to get answers, and which may serve as a valued reference for future queries by others seeking answers to their issues with FS.

But I believe that as one pursues one's own personal agenda in FS Community threads via what one might anticipate and prefer to be concise, focused discussion, we would also want to NOT limit the contribution of information from others which might otherwise prove valuable in the future, even if we may not ourselves see the immediate utility of that information for our own agenda... in the present moment.

And I do think we should express courtesy, and perhaps even consider offering a "Thank You", to folks for their well-intended contributions to a thread, especially when the person has a potential wealth of knowledge to share from their years of in depth involvement with FS as an "FS-Insider"... whether or not they may have been a full-time member of the ACES team. :salute:

With kind regards, and good wishes for SOH... as a valuable forum system of open discussion for both casual and serious end-users and FS developers alike. :mixedsmi:

GaryGB

**BASys** · February 2nd, 2010, 09:53

Hi Folks

The article referred to earlier is at - FSDeveloper - Wiki - Texture.cfg (FSX)

HTH
ATB
Paul

**n4gix** · February 2nd, 2010, 09:55

Thanks for the insightful comments, Gary.

However, as I was raised to respect my elders, since Ed is 62 and I'm only a young 61...

...well, there you have it!