X-Plane - Installing Scenery:
An in depth guide from Boundless.
Welcome to our quick reference guide on installing addon scenery to X-Plane. This will work for both X-Plane 11 & X-Plane 12 and whilst the guide is designed to focus on installing Boundless scenery packages, the same instructions, issues and solutions will apply to other developers too. In this guide, we are going to take you step by step through the installation process on the assumption that it is your first time adding custom scenery to X-Plane. Feel free to skip steps you're happy with, but if you are troubleshooting an installation issue, we recommend reading through the full process.
Downloading my products
Firstly - thank you for your download. We're a relatively small team and over the years it has been amazing to see how many people enjoy using our airports in the sim. Once you've downloaded your product, you will receive an email titled: "Boundless Store order confirmation" Open this email and click on the "View Your Order" button.
Then, download any files you need - they will always be clearly named. If in any doubt as to which files you need - download and read the product documentation which will be included as a PDF. * Remember - keep your confirmation email safe. If you need to redownload products, the links are accessed from these emails!
Installing Boundless scenery
Once downloaded, extract the folders you wish to install. It's important to remember that the store features variations of the products (e.g. XP11 / XP12 versions). Make sure you're selecting the right folders. Depending on which sim you are using - copy and paste the folders into: 'X-Plane 11\Custom Scenery' or 'X-Plane 12\Custom Scenery' Now - if you're installing a scenery with optional terrain mesh - be sure to also install this to your Custom Scenery folder. Mesh folders will always be named in the format 'zzz_Boundless_Example_Mesh'
Troubleshooting: "Error loading the scenery package"
Okay - this can be caused by a number of reasons. You'll start X-Plane and run the scenery, but when it loads you'll see the error message "Error loading the scenery package" followed by the airport name. The first thing to do is check you have installed everything you need. This is where our product documentation is your friend. Does the scenery require the Boundless Library? Are you running the correct version of the Boundless Library? Both of these questions can be answered by checking your product documentation and seeing if the version numbers match up to what you have installed.
Occasionally - this error can be caused by an issue with an object in the scenery. If you have tried the above steps and are still getting this error - it's probably not your fault. This is when we recommend you get in touch with us and we'll make it right!
Troubleshooting: The scenery doesn't load at all
We've all been there - you've downloaded and added a new scenery... only to sit waiting for X-Plane to load and then..... bang. Default scenery. Disappointing isn't it? The good news is that it's usually a relatively simple fix due to the new addon being installed incorrectly. Solutions: Make sure you have installed the correct files: Sounds obvious but it can happen! Have you copied the folder formatted as "aaa_Boundless_Airport"? Or have you accidentally used another folder from the download? Double check - and with around 80% of cases where we are contacted this is usually the reason! Make sure you have installed the correct library: Same again - check the library number required for the scenery and make sure you have this version (or newer) installed. Library requirements are noted in the product documentation and in the product description on our store. Check your Scenery Packs: A less common issue - but it can still happen. Your 'scenery_packs.ini' is a file that lives inside your 'X-Plane 11\Custom Scenery' folder. In simple enough terms, this is the file that tells X-Plane which order to read scenery. The higher in the list, the more a scenery is prioritised. As a rule of thumb, our scenery should be in the following order of priority: 1. 'aaa_Boundless_Airport_Files' 2. 'aaa_Boundless_Library_Files 3. 'zzz_Boundless_Mesh_Files' Now if your files have loaded in the wrong order, don't worry! Simply open the 'scenery_packs.ini' file in a basic text editor and then reorder as necessary. Your scenery should now load correctly on the next X-Plane startup.
What if it still won't work?
That's where we come in. If you have tried all of these steps and still your scenery will not load (or loads with errors) don't hesitate to contact us. We test and test before every release - but of course - everybody has such a wide variety of plugins, systems, addons and specs that sometimes things will inevitably go wrong. If it's an issue in our software, we'll make it right. Fortunately, most scenery issues are simply due to user error during the installation (remember - there's absolutely no shame in making a mistake - we'd rather help you than know you're missing out!).