Flight Simulator FSX Scenery Tutorial 2

Adjusting Settings

When you install your add-on scenery, you need to take into account how fast your computer and graphics capability are. The rate at which the screens are updated while you fly affects how smooth the view outside of your cockpit will be.

The higher the resolution setting, the slower the view updates will be accomplished. The view update rate is also known as "frame rate". Standard USA television frame rates are actually about 30 frames per second. If your computer can support that rate, you will get nearly flawless views. A high end computer today with a high end graphics card can drive the view at this frame rate in High Definition (1920 by 1080) with all scenery settings at their highest settings.

Additional Considerations

If you also buy (aircraft) traffic generating add-ons such as Ultimate Traffic X, the processing load goes up considerably, and a faster processor and hard disk will help keep the simulation running at full speed with no affect on frame rate.

Traffic generators create airline traffic and general aircraft traffic at large airports. In my case, the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport is simulated with the complete airline schedule with "MegaScenery X Phoenix" providing the scenery on the ground, and Ultimate Traffic providing the airline traffic including ground traffic, autos on the freeway, etc. Ultimate Terrain provides the roads and other enhancements to Phoenix, so that it looks like a real city, especially at night.

Flight Simulator FSX Scenery Tutorial 1

Flight Simulator FSX Scenery Tutorial

Very significant advances in scenery for Microsoft Flight Simulator X have been introduced over the past few years. High definition monitors along with ever faster 3D graphics have made what once was a future dream of realistic flight scenery on a moderate cost desktop PC a stark reality today.  This FSX tutorial provides an introduction to scenery for new FSX pilots.

FSX Native Scenery

FSX out of the box provides a set of scenery covering the world which provides a limited set of scenery at reduced resolution. Scenery is displayed of natural 3D terrain, some stock building types and specific buildings created for well known landmarks such as the Las Vegas strip.

Adding Scenery to FSX

Numerous advancements in FSX scenery such as the MegasceneryX disks from www.megasceneryearth.com provide a great view while flying your simulated aircraft. The scenery view of the ground is displayed at 1.19 meters per pixel. This resolution combined with the topographic mapping creates the 3D effect of mountains and other natural features in the area you are flying in.

By buying Flight Simulator Gold Edition, which includes FSX Deluxe and the Acceleration Expansion Pack, you will experience the fastest performance possible from your computer. The scenery add-ons provide higher resolution imagery so that you can find your own house (if you live in an area with good satellite imagery).

Other Scenery

Also available are special interest area scenery packs which provide 3D items from areas such as the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.