ORBX FTX The Definitive Guide

FTX Product Descriptions, Comparisons and Installation Guide

Orbx FTX - The Definitive Guide - February 2014

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Contents
TOPIC

PAGE

Introduction

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Asking for Help

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Flight Simulator Scenery - How does it work?

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FTX Products

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FTX Product Comparisons

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FTX Installation Guide

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13

Using FTX Products

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16

Conclusion

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Introduction
Welcome!
Perhaps you're a new customer, or perhaps you are thinking about joining those Flight Simmers across
the globe who have become a part of the Orbx FTX world. In either case, this guide is designed to help
you learn the basics of the FTX world from Installation, Configuration, Tuning and general use of the
products.
FTX (Full Terrain X) is the brand name of a variety of Flight Simulation products, developed and crafted
by ORBX Simulations. You may often here people talking about "ORBX Scenery", or "FTX Scenery"...
Essentially they are the same thing, but some use the brand name, others the company name.
Within the FTX product line, there are many add-ons to choose from. Each has a very specific goal and it
is important to understand these products and their individual goals, and how they relate to each other.
This basic level of understanding will certainly help reduce questions and confusion, and may even
prevent some very basic errors which could lead to disappointment.
Above all however, we would like to take the opportunity to welcome you to the FTX world... The
transformation you will see when using FTX products is nothing short of breathtaking and the
community in which you are about to become a member is second to none... Let's get started!

Asking for Help

This guide will hopefully answer a lot of questions on its own. But, like everyone, we all sometimes have
a specific question that we simply can't find an answer to. That's not a problem! In fact the ORBX forums
have been specifically designed to provide answers to many common questions, and you can even ask
questions on the forums yourself.
If you do wish to use the forums however, please be polite, patient and follow the rules (these rules are
posted quite clearly on the forum itself). Please don't use ALL CAPS! Please also remember that some
questions may require a product developer to provide an answer... The developers are often very busy
working on Orbx projects so they may take a day or two to see your question. Lastly, please post in the
correct sub-forum and give your post a title that make the question clear. A post of "Need Help" or
"Have a Question" can and will be easily skipped over as they are very vague and doesn't call out for a
specific answer.
Above all, the forums are a community. And a very friendly one at that! All the members there share the
same love of Flight Simulation and are more than happy to lend assistance to those in need... Just
explore the forums and become a part of the community.

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Flight Simulator Scenery - How Does it Work?

Whether you are using FSX (tm), Prepar3d 1.4 (tm) or Prepar3d 2.0 (tm) , Flight Simulators use the same
model and structure to represent the world around you. All three simulators use a "layered" structure
comprising of different types of scenery element. On their own, you simply don't see a 3D world.
Combined, these layers deliver the world over which you spend your time flying.
FTX Products are designed to replace or enhance these layers.
In order to better understand just exactly how each FTX product affects the Flight Simulator world, here
is a basic tutorial on "Scenery Layers", showing graphically what each layer does.

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Vector Data
One of the key features of any simulated landscape, Vector data adds the roads, streams, beaches,
railways, utility lines and any other "line" or "shape" based terrain.
Higher quality vector data not only increases the amount of data in an area, but it improves geographic
accuracy too.
Default Vector data can be good in some parts of the world, but poor in others.

Textures (And Autogen)

To acheive the base scenery appearance, the simulator applies an appropriate texture to the ground at
the correct locations (as instructed by Landclass data).
Textures are "generic" in that they are designed to be tiled together so they can be used for small or
large areas. They are not designed to be 100% representations of the world at that specific location,
rather they are designed to be a good representation that can be used over a wide area.
Textures when completed are also "annotated" with 3D objects. These objects are called "Autogen"
because the simulator automatically generates these 3D objects as you fly over the textures. Autogen
includes buildings, trees, farm equipment, churches, lighting and other small 3D objects.

Landclass Data
Landclass data is the way the simulator knows what all the land is being used for.
Landclass data basically tells the simulator what type of ground should go where. Forest, City,
Agriculture, Desert, Golf course, Docks, Grassland... No actual colors or textures, just simple location
data.
Again, the simulators come with a global coverage of Landclass data, but many areas contain missing
data (towns missing, forests the wrong shape etc).

Terrain Mesh
The actual 3D shape of the ground. All the shapes of the hills, valleys, mountains in the Flight Simulator
are built using this 3D grid.
The mesh can be low quality, or high quality. The quality of the terrain mesh depends on the
"resolution" (or "post spacing"), which means the points defining the shape are closer together, so
smoother curves and shapes can be made.
You can install as many terrain meshes for an area as you like into the flight simulator as the simulator
will simply use the highest resolution mesh that is available for that area.
The various flight simulators come with a default worldwide mesh coverage, but while some areas of the
world are covered with high quality data (like the USA and Europe), other parts of the world have lower
quality mesh. This is why many choose to install a higher quality mesh.
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FTX Products
There are so many FTX products to choose from that for the newcomer, things can be a bit confusing
and overwhelming. All The products however fit into the standard layer model as explained above.
One of the biggest points of confusion is the difference between the FTX Global family of products and
the more traditional FTX Region Packs. The key to this answer is to realize that the FTX Global products
are separate from the Full FTX Region products, but they do complement each other. Here is a
description of each product and some graphical representations to further clarify.

FTX GLOBAL Family

FTX Global is a multi product scenery improvement that is designed to cover the whole globe (hence
Global!). Each product replaces one specific layer of the Flight Simulator scenery layers:

FTX Global Base

FTX Global Base is the "starter pack" for the FTX Global family of products. All other FTX Global
products build on this initial upgrade.
FTX Global Base replaces the Default Flight Simulator texture (and autogen) layer with high
resolution, super-detailed ground textures and high density autogen. It also adds a new 3D
lighting system to the ground textures, plus additional lighting to roads.

FTX Global Vector

FTX Global Vector replaces the default Vector layer of scenery. It uses high resolution data to
provide accurate roads and other vector features. It also draws upon textures installed with FTX
Global Base pack.

FTX Global Open LC

FTX Global Open LC (still under development), as the name suggests, replaces the default
Landclass layer. Higher detailed and better variety of land types create more varied and
accurate terrain. Open LC will also include custom textures, used in addition to those installed
with the Base Pack.

FS Global 2010: FTX Edition

This product is actually not an ORBX product, but has been developed by Pilot's Software in
close collaboration with ORBX.
FS Global 2010 has already established itself as a top quality worldwide terrain mesh, the FTX
edition simply provides a downloadable version. It is also the mesh used by the ORBX
developers and testers.

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FTX Region Packs

FTX Region Packs are small (well, not THAT small!) regional areas that contain ultra high detailed, hand
crafted scenery in the entire region. They are the best of the best of regional scenery.
They include ALL scenery layers (Mesh, Landclass, Textures, Vector) required for that region, all hand
crafted and presented at a much higher quality than even the combined FTX Global family of addons.
They also include custom regional textures, photoreal areas of interest, custom 3D objects and all
airports within the region are upgraded and enhanced (except FTX Australia).
FTX Global is NOT required to install and run the region packs, however, should you fly out of a region's
coverage area into the surrounding default terrain, the transition is quite noticeable. Using FTX Global
makes the transition almost seamless so is worthwhile if long range flights are being conducted.

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FTX Airports
FTX Airports are the absolute highest level of quality within the FTX world. They include the airport itself
to a very high quality, using the various "Flow" technologies developed by ORBX to bring the scenery to
life. They also usually include fully annotated (Autogen) Photoreal scenery for the surrounding areas,
which blends seamlessly into the full region pack scenery.
FTX Airport addons are designed to be used in their specific FTX region. They will not function correctly
in Default scenery, or in FTX Global scenery.
There are some specific FTX Global airport addons being developed for use outside of the full regions.

In Summary
Just to clarify, FTX Global products change individual scenery layers across the entire simulated world.
FTX Full Regions change ALL scenery layers for a small geographic region.
If you intend never to leave the boundary of a full region, there is no need for Global, but if you intend
to explore the world, FTX Global and FTX full regions work hand-in-hand.

FTX Product Comparisons

To illustrate the differences between the products, the following screenshots show the complete
overhaul from default, through Global base, Vector, Mesh, Full region and airports. Please note, Open LC
is not included in this comparison as this product is still in development. Two parts of the world which
have been covered by all FTX products have been chosen to show the differences. Please note however
that in parts of the world normally neglected by the simulator developers, the FTX Global packages will
show much greater improvement (There are multiple examples of this on the ORBX forums).
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Southampton, United Kingdom (FTX Global)

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Southampton, United Kingdom (FTX Full Region - FTX EU ENG)

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Bozeman, Montana USA (FTX Global)

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Bozeman, Montana USA (FTX Full Region - FTX NA CRM)

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FTX Installation Guide

So now we have a good understanding of the various FTX products, how they work within the simulator
and what results to expect from each one, this guide will now give advice on installation. The do's and
don'ts, and the frequently asked questions.
Downloading the product is simple. Once purchased, the provided link allows you to download the
product as a single .ZIP archive. Once you have the file, simply extract the .ZIP, open the new folder, run
the installer and let it take care of everything.
Some common mistakes or misunderstandings when downloading and installing FTX products are as
follows:

Failed Downloads:
FTX products are only available as downloadable files. Some of the products can be as much as 6Gb in
size, so it can be common for internet mishaps (timeouts, disconnects, bandwidth caps etc) to interrupt
a download while in progress. If this were to happen using a basic Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome
download, the entire download will be incomplete and corrupt. Often, it appears as if the download
completed, but attempting to run the installer will result in errors.
Not only that, but who wants to try downloading a massive file, only to have to try again after a failed
download?
There is a simple way to help prevent failed downloads and ORBX strongly recommends using Download
Manager.
A simple Google search for "download manager" will reveal a lot of options to choose from, some
payware, some freeware.
A Download Manager does two things to help when downloading massive files... Firstly, it can help
speed up the download by using various methods, Secondly they have special "interrupt protection". In
other words, if the download stops part way through for any reason, the download manager will pause
the download and once internet is restored, it will continue to download the file. A download manager
is not a 100% guarantee of a perfect file, but is certainly a better option than using basic downloaders.

User Account Control (UAC):

By default, Windows 7 and Windows 8 have a feature called "User Account Control". This feature was
designed to provide extra security by blocking certain functions (like moving or copying files) and
requiring special permission from the user to continue.
Not only is this highly annoying, it also can interfere with an installation and prevent full installation.
ORBX highly recommends turning UAC off.
Instructions for doing this for the various versions of Windows are freely available online via a Google
search.
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Running the Installer:

Instructions on how to install FTX products are provided in many places. The forums, the readme files
included in the package etc. However one very basic error that can cause a failed install, or even error
messages in the simulator is just where to run the installer from.
It is imperative to unpack (unzip, extract whatever term you care to use) the .ZIP file to a new folder
when you finally get your file downloaded. The installer should then be ran from the EXTRACTED folder.
NOT the .ZIP file.
Trying to run the installer by double clicking the .ZIP file, then running the installer may appear to work,
but very soon you will be prompted by error messages saying that the installer cannot find the next disk.
Running the installer from the correct location is the only way to ensure a full and proper install.

Latest Libraries:
When your product has finally installed, it is important that the latest ORBX libraries are installed. these
are available at the ORBX FTX Support website (http://www.fullterrain.com/support.html).
This is especially important if you have multiple FTX products. All FTX products install their own library
files (the version being the most current that was available at the time of release) If you install a newer
product first, then an older product second, it is possible that the newer library files may be overwritten
and could lead to any number of problems.
The good news is, installing the latest libraries as a last step will put all your library files, FTX Central and
other associated files back to the latest version and fix a good percentage of "problems" after install.

Install Order:
FTX Products all contain special coding and files to make sure they are always where they need to be in
your Flight simulator scenery list.
It does not matter what order you install the FTX products (other than the latest libraries being installed
last) as they will always self -order themselves.
However, if you prefer a solid method of installing, we would suggest the following:
FTX Global Base
FTX Global Vector
FTX Global Open LC (When Available)
Terrain Mesh
FTX Full Regions
FTX Airports

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Product Updates and Service Packs:

FTX products are constantly being worked on and upgraded. Service packs are a simple way to add or
replace features to an existing product without having to download the whole thing again.
Once you have installed your FTX product, go to the FTX Support website and check for patches and
service packs for your products. If you see any on there, download them ALL and install them in order
(You may notice 2 or 3 files next to your product... It is important to install them all).
Also, when installing service packs for FTX Full Regions, please make sure you set FTX Central to the
correct REGION before installing.

Getting additional help:

It's inevitable that sometimes, things go wrong. It's nobody's fault, but occasionally you just need an
extra bit of help to get things going. If that happens, the forums are there for you. We simply ask that
you follow some basic rules if you want help.
Make sure you put your order number and product details in your forum signature. Not doing so will
simply result in a forum moderator or developer that could help you, telling you to do that anyway. We
will NOT provide any support answers to users who do not follow this rule.
Also, place your question in the correct support thread. Placing it in "General Discussion" or "User
Screenshots" will most likely end up going unanswered.
Finally, Provide as much specific information as possible. A title of "Help!" does not get the attention of
the developer that could help you. Also, a support request of "My rivers look horrible!" is also not
enough information to go on. Please give locations, Latitude and Longitude (Press Shift-Z in your flight
simulator), specific problems and if possible, screenshots. Instructions for taking and posting
screenshots are provided on the forums.
We are a friendly bunch at ORBX and we're always willing to help out a newcomer. But please be patient
and polite. We are not likely to respond to angry rants. If you feel that you are not getting the product
you were hoping for, it's likely that you just need to change a few things and it will improve... Just ask for
help... That's why the forums are there!

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The Do's and Don'ts of FTX product installation and support requests
DO use a download manager
DO disable User Account Control (UAC)
DO extract the .ZIP file to a new folder
DO run the latest libraries after installing the product
DO read the readme files
DO read the product manuals and use the recommended settings
DO add your product name and order number to your forum signature
DO be specific and detailed if you post a support request
DON'T run the installer from inside the .ZIP file
DON'T download directly from Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox or other browser
DON'T post support requests in the wrong threads
DON'T post angry comments... We want to help you!

Using FTX Products

This may seem like a silly statement... Once the product is installed, surely one simply fires up the
simulator and enjoys the show, right?
Well, to an extent that's correct. FTX products can be used like that, but not everybody has the same
system specification and the sheer magnitude of hardware combinations makes it impossible to create a
"one size fits all" software. As such, FTX products have some features that allow you to get the best
results on any system.
The best way to get the best results is to adhere to the product manuals. These manuals cover in detail
the best flight simulator settings to use to get the best results. Running everything on maximum settings
will and does frequently lead to issues like crashes and corruption. Use the recommended settings and
you will be surprised just how good things look.

FTX Product General Advice

The FTX Global family of products are huge in scope, but relatively simple in nature... These products can
be installed and tuned highly successfully using your chosen simulator's settings menu.
FTX Full regions are again best tuned through the flight simulator's settings.
FTX Airports often include custom control panels which allow additional tuning to be done, without
changing your simulator's settings. They allow you to toggle certain features on or off, so if you're having
a hard time getting things running, or you simply don't like a feature, you can get rid of it.

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Using FTX Global products with FTX Full Regions

As has been stated earlier in this guide, FTX Global products (Global Base, Vector & Open LC) and FTX
Full Regions & Airports work in a similar way using the basic Flight Simulator scenery layers model,
however they are two distinct product sets.
That being said, there are many advantages to using both FTX Global products plus FTX Full regions.
One of the main advantages was described earlier. Flying from a full region into default terrain can be a
jarring transition. FTX Full region textures are much higher quality and contain better optimized autogen
and other data. Crossing out of that high detail into default flight simulator territory is very noticeable.
with FTX Global installed, the transition becomes barely noticeable. There are some slight differences,
but the seams between the two worlds become very hard to tell unless you really start looking.
To get the most out of the flight simulator, FTX Full regions have been split into different parts of the
world. For example, the Oceania region includes the 4 FTX AU full regions plus NZSI and NZNI full
regions. The reason behind this is simple... We can dedicate more simulator resources (like textures and
special terrain effects) to creating a locally customized scenery with better local appearance.
This however means that if you set FTX Central to North America, flying from San Francisco to Sydney,
Australia would end up having American style autogen on the ground in Australia, plus some other
minor texture and terrain effect changes more suited to North America. Not exactly an ideal situation.
From the day FTX Global was planned, it was realized that flight sim enthusiasts would want to fly into
and out of full regions from parts of the world not covered by a full region (for example, a transatlantic
or transpacific flight, or a coast to coast flight from Washington D.C. to Seattle). FTX Global was designed
to make this a possibility, opening up more diverse routes and a way to fly not only into or out of
"default" parts of the world, but also between FTX major regions (for example FTX EU and FTX NA).
To do this, FTX Global includes what is called a "Hybrid Mode".
Hybrid mode essentially creates an autogen, terrain effects and available texture library that can be
used across the globe. This does of course mean that some small compromises must be made and while
99% of the scenery in ALL areas of the world, including outside of the FTX Full region areas works and
looks exactly as intended, there is the 1% that still looks good, but not exactly how it was meant to look.
In other words, If you are planning to fly exclusively inside an FTX Full region, set FTX Central to that
local worldwide region.
If you're planning on flying exclusively outside FTX Full regions, set FTX Central to Global and uncheck
Hybrid.
If you want to fly into, out of or between FTX Full regions, set FTX Central to Global and check Hybrid
mode.
Of course another advantage of Hybrid mode is that you can set FTX Central to Global hybrid mode and
simply forget it from that point on... Provided you're happy to accept a few minor graphical differences.
It's the lazy mans' choice!
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Conclusion
Hopefully this guide has given you a good background to the FTX world, the products on offer and how
to get the absolute best experience.
Becoming a Flight Simulation enthusiast is a daunting and often overwhelming experience and you
should know you're not alone out there. We at ORBX are always happy to introduce new members to
our hobby, help them get started and begin enjoying this wonderful pastime.
It only remains to once again welcome you to your new world!

Welcome!
The Orbx Team

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