VLC + Orbx FTX Global v Orbx FTX NZ - Around Auckland

[AdrianPetford]

Ever since Orbx announced FTX Global would be compatible with third party landclass products, I've wondered what VLC would look like with Orbx textures. FTX Global can be used on its own as a texture replacement for the entire world (including those areas also covered by full Orbx regions) or in conjunction with other Orbx scenery. These screenshots compare VLC using FTX Global textures and the full Orbx NZ region.

I've tried to get as close as possible to an out of the box experience for both products. They are base installs, with only their respective libraries added. All other addons and texture enhancements such as REX are disabled.

I should make clear that this is not intended as a recommendation for either product over the other. Both are outstanding and well deserving of your money! I bought both, use both and am extremely happy with my purchases. Each product has its own strengths and as always, whichever you choose will be down to your own personal preference.

On the runway at Ardmore

VLC: No airport, but the road is there.

FTX: Excellent rendering of the airport, but the road is missing.


Leaving Ardmore

VLC: There seems to be a much wider colour palette, but the odd looking hedge boundaries still stick out.

FTX: Very nice and realistic looking, although overly green.


Approaching Waiheke

VLC: Islands present, but flat. Realistic tree coverage.

FTX: More autogen and realistic, but perhaps too much tree coverage and the islands are missing.


Over Waiheke

VLC: Realistic, but a bit too sparse on autogen and tree coverage.

FTX: Realistic, but a bit too much tree coverage.


Mount Rangitoto

VLC: More realistic and detailed landclass.

FTX: The island looks nicer but is a little too generic.


Hobsonville and Whenuapai

VLC: Very "flat looking".

FTX: Much more realistic. The new residential area at Hobsonville has replaced the former airfield.


Huapai

VLC: Both sceneries correctly show where the railway line crosses the road and VLC has more roads. VLC shows this area as partially industrial...

FTX: ... whereas in reality it's more residential, as shown by FTX. FTX road and railway textures also blend nicely into the ground coverage.


Waimauku

VLC: All secondary roads present and correct. Some textures look out of place for this area.

FTX: A very realistic rendering, although some secondary roads are missing.


Te Henga/Bethells Beach

VLC: Both very close to reality. Top marks to VLC for rendering this as a black sand beach...

FTX: ... but FTX has the edge - just - with the colouring.


Piha

VLC: More variation in the textures, but little sign of Piha's thriving beach community.

FTX: Possibly too much tree coverage, but Piha looks fully populated and Lion Rock is a custom object.


Hope that helps,


Ade

[Ian Warren]

That is a great display and compare , recall we where at Victoria Park on the port hill studying the views from various lookout points and notice the treeline and the very defined hedge rows .... In hind site i wish i hired an aircraft and flown over the city around the 1000/1200ft mark notice the sometimes how grey the city is looking directly down but as you lifted to look to the horizon it started to be replaced in depth with trees .

[toprob]

Great job, Ade, couldn't have asked for a better look.

One of the best features of FTX NZ is the custom autogen, with some actual NZ trees, but this is kind of countered by the 'wilderness' look which just fills up a lot of the country with trees. Globa + VLC looks like a good combination, even though we'd lose the specific NZ trees of FTX NZ, we'd still get less of a wilderness with much more well-thought out ground textures than the default set. And of course Global does include better than default autogen textures anyway, and these look like they work well in NZ.

[jpreou]

I've been wondering about the ORBX trees.
I saw this tweak on the ORBX forums (I think), which I might try...

you could reduce the autogen trees with a little line in your fsx.cfg file

[Terrain]
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_TREES_PER_CELL=4500
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS_PER_CELL=3000

max number are for both 6000

[toprob]

QUOTE (jpreou @ Jul 29 2013,11:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've been wondering about the ORBX trees.
I saw this tweak on the ORBX forums (I think), which I might try...

you could reduce the autogen trees with a little line in your fsx.cfg file

[Terrain]
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_TREES_PER_CELL=4500
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS_PER_CELL=3000

max number are for both 6000

I've been wondering this myself -- whether I could effectively thin-out the FTX NZ vegetation using this tweak, without reducing my autogen settings (so that buildings are still all there). I'll have to give it a go. However much of the problem is just too much 'wilderness'-type landclass.
My flatmate has just got back from a trip around Europe, and she was amazed at how green the UK was -- this was a combination of huge areas of pasture, and the fact that the trees were very well developed, so that driving most country roads (except motorways) was a lot like driving through forests. So I wonder if FTX NZ is an 'impression' of New Zealand as a lot like England, except that there's a lot less people. I know that similar green and vegetation-filled textures were used in FTX England, and were very effective from the reviews.

[AdrianPetford]

You're welcome, guys. Glad I was able to return the favour of your excellent screenshots over on Orbx, Jeff.

I'll be interested to try that tweak. I suspect the tree coverage in my screenshots may be due to the autogen slider though, as I'm currently running it on "very dense". When I used NZNI in P3D at the Orbx-recommended "normal" I don't remember thinking the tree coverage appeared excessive. I'll have to experiment. The key is to reduce the number of tree-covered areas without compromising the density where trees really do appear.


Ade

[Kelvinr]

QUOTE (AdrianPetford @ Aug 1 2013,1:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're welcome, guys. Glad I was able to return the favour of your excellent screenshots over on Orbx, Jeff.

I'll be interested to try that tweak. I suspect the tree coverage in my screenshots may be due to the autogen slider though, as I'm currently running it on "very dense". When I used NZNI in P3D at the Orbx-recommended "normal" I don't remember thinking the tree coverage appeared excessive. I'll have to experiment. The key is to reduce the number of tree-covered areas without compromising the density where trees really do appear.


Ade

Very nice work indeed, Ade. Must have taken some time to complete. Hat's off to ya!

p.s sorry about the delayed post, i'm trying to keep up as best I can, work is usually tying me down.

Cheers,

Kelvin