Instant Scenery v2.

03
User’s Manual

About Instant Scenery 2 2

Notes for Instant Scenery version 1 users 3

About model libraries 4

Using Instant Scenery 5

Using the mouse 7

Using Instant Scenery with Windows Vista and Windows 7 8

Adding objects 8

Moving and deleting objects 14

Cut, Copy and Paste 16

Displaying object labels 17

Using the object list 17

Setting advanced parameters 19

Managing favorites 21

Adding exclusion rectangles 22

Displaying objects from other scenery files 22

Adding FSDiscover! points of interest 23

Undo/Redo 25

Using add-on libraries 25

Setting options 27

Sharing your scenery 29

Using Thumbnail Maker 30

Using Library Maker 34

Obtaining support and updates 35

Version history 36
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About Instant Scenery 2

Instant Scenery is a tool for adding 3D objects to Flight Simulator scenery in a very easy way. It
allows you to enhance scenery without leaving Flight Simulator. Easily add, move and delete
objects and see the results of your actions directly in the Flight Simulator view without having to
reload scenery every time. This allows you to place every object correctly on the very first
attempt.
Instant Scenery 2 offers many new features and a new user interface. If you are familiar with the
original Instant Scenery, please read the section Notes for Instant Scenery 1 users for a
summary of changes.

Installing the product

Before installing Instant Scenery, make sure Flight Simulator is not running.
To install Instant Scenery, execute the file you downloaded. If you downloaded a paid version,
you will be prompted to purchase the product.
After you select the folder to install Instant Scenery to, files will be unpacked. After that, you will
be offered an option to install Instant Scenery into Flight Simulator 2004, Flight Simulator X, or
both flight simulators.

Upgrading from the free demo version

Before installing the paid version, please uninstall the free demo version. To do this, click on the
Start menu and select
Programs|Flight One Software|Instant Scenery 2|Uninstall Instant Scenery.

Checking for updates

By default, Instant Scenery automatically checks for product updates every 7 days. In case an
update is available, a web browser will open and show a download page for the update.
You can change the update check interval in the Options dialog box, or disable the automatic
update check.
To check for updates manually, click on the Start menu and select
Programs|Flight One Software|Instant Scenery 2|Check for updates.
You can also visit the product homepage or the support forum to check for updates.
The version of Instant Scenery you have installed can be displayed by starting Instant Scenery,
clicking on the “?” button to open the About… dialog box.
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Notes for Instant Scenery version 1 users

Instant Scenery 2 has a new user interface. It still offers all the functionality of the original Instant
Scenery version, along with many new features. This section outlines the most important new
features and should allow experienced users of Instant Scenery 1 to find all familiar functions.
The most important change is the way you place and move objects. In Instant Scenery 1, you
placed objects by moving your aircraft and adjusting the distance slider. In Instant Scenery 2, you
place, select and move objects simply by pointing and clicking with the mouse in the scenery.
Functions like Add Object, Move and Delete are now accessible via the context menu that you
can open by clicking the right mouse button in the scenery view. To change between Add
objects and Move/delete objects modes, use the Tab key or the context menu. The mouse
cursor shape will reflect the current mode. The context menu also allows you to place lines of
objects and exclusion rectangles.
When manipulating objects (even elevated ones), the mouse cursor must always be pointing at
the ground. In addition, when moving an elevated object, your viewpoint must be above the
object’s reference point. Note that it is possible to move an object very far away if you move the
mouse near the horizon by accident (the object would have to be positioned so far away that it
appears on the horizon too). To avoid this, you can set a warning distance in options. You can
also use the object list to verify where your objects are located.
The old Instant Scenery window has been replaced with a resizable window containing several
buttons for less frequently used functions, a dropdown selection box for the library selection and a
list of thumbnail images for selecting the model. Right-clicking on the thumbnails opens a second
context menu that allows you to change the thumbnail size and appearance. If you prefer to see a
list of model names instead of thumbnails, select Display as list in the context menu.
To change the object’s heading, make sure the mouse is in the scenery view and rotate the
mouse wheel. For a more precise and slower rotation, hold Shift depressed while rotating the
mouse wheel. Be sure not to depress the mouse wheel while rotating. If your mouse doesn’t have
a wheel, use the slider in the Object Properties window instead.
To change the object’s elevation, pitch, bank, scale or scenery complexity, open the Object
Properties window using the context menu. Here, you can change these values just like you did
in version 1. The scenery complexity setting can also be changed directly using the context
menu.
If you prefer to fine-tune the object position by moving your aircraft in slew mode just like in
version 1, you can program the left mouse button to temporarily stick the current object to the
aircraft location in the Options dialog box. While stuck, the object will move together with the
aircraft just like it did in version 1.
You can easily move your aircraft around by pointing with the mouse at a location on the ground
and then “dragging” it with the mouse wheel depressed. This works both in the top-down and
cockpit views, but in the cockpit view, care should be taken not to move the mouse near the
horizon, because it would result in very long movement distances. To cancel movement, move
the mouse out of the FS window before releasing the mouse wheel.
In FSX, you can also rotate the viewpoint by pointing on the ground, then depressing and rotating
the mouse wheel. The aircraft will be moved and rotated around this point on the ground, allowing
you to see it from different angles.
A new feature in Instant Scenery 2 is the object list that you can open by clicking the
corresponding icon in the main Instant Scenery window. The object list allows you to see all
objects in the current scenery file, and you can optionally move the aircraft in front of the selected
object. Before using this function, click anywhere on the ground in the 3D view - and the aircraft
will be positioned so that the object appears where you clicked with the mouse. It is convenient to
move around in the object list using arrow keys on the keyboard.
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Another new feature are favorites - user-created folders allowing you to keep frequently-used
models at hand. Note that adding a model to favorites does not add it to any new scenery library -
favorites are just links to existing library models.
The thumbnail maker is now accessible using the context menu in the thumbnail window.

About model libraries

Flight Simulator comes with 1000's of models that can be used for scenery objects. These
include buildings, vehicles, landmarks, obstacles etc. They are organized into several "libraries".
A library is a special kind of a scenery (BGL) file that contains models. Instant Scenery allows you
to use all these models in your scenery. In addition, you can download many add-on libraries
made by other Flight Simulator users and use them too.
As an example, here is a small part of the vehicles_land library supplied with FSX:
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Scenery files that place objects in the scenery don’t include the models themselves, but simply
contain position data and a reference to the corresponding model for every object. This reference
is internally stored as a very long hex number (so-called GUID). Instant Scenery translates
GUIDs into user-friendly model names, when possible.

Latitude: N48* 20.42

Longitude: E11* 43.98
GUID: {d8fe79f4-2e84-
4410-aa20-d42726bf148a}

VEH_Land_car_midsize1_red
GUID: {d8fe79f4-2e84-
4410-aa20-d42726bf148a}

Scenery file Library file

Libraries that came supplied with Flight Simulator are called default libraries. There are different
sets of default libraries in FSX and FS2004, although there are many models that are available in
both simulators.
Libraries that Flight Simulator users create and share are called add-on libraries. These do not
come with Flight Simulator, but you have to download and install them.
Instant Scenery allows you to add objects from both default and add-on libraries you have
installed.
Flight Simulator has global and local libraries. Global libraries contain models that can be
placed anywhere in the FS world. Local libraries contain models that can only be placed in one
particular area, like a specific city.

Using Instant Scenery

Instant Scenery runs inside Flight Simulator. You need to start Flight Simulator if it isn’t running
already. Instant Scenery adds its own menu item to the Flight Simulator menu. The menu item is
Add-ons|Instant Scenery… in FSX and Flight1|Instant Scenery… in FS2004. Use this menu
item to start Instant Scenery.
Before starting Instant Scenery, you should disable the instrument panel in order to have a good
field of view. To do this, switch to the 2D cockpit mode (Views|View mode|Cockpit|Cockpit in
FSX). Then hide the instrument panel by pressing W several times until it disappears.
Instant Scenery switches Flight Simulator to the slew mode. In the slew mode, flight dynamics
are disabled and you control the position and speed of your airplane along all 3 axes directly
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using keystrokes or joystick movements. This allows you to hover around and place objects
without worrying about the law of gravity.
Flight Simulator can run in a window mode or in a full-screen mode. In the window mode, Flight
Simulator runs inside a usual window, and you can also see the taskbar and other windows on
the desktop. In the full-screen mode, Flight Simulator occupies the full screen. To switch between
these two modes, press Alt+Enter.
Instant Scenery is designed to run in the window mode only. If you attempt to start it in the full-
screen mode, the following warning will appear.

To switch to the window mode, press Cancel. Then press Alt+Enter to switch Flight Simulator to
the window mode and start Instant Scenery again.
To start Instant Scenery in the full-screen mode despite the warning, press OK. On some
computers, the product will run without problems, but you may also experience problems like
Flight Simulator locking up completely.
Instant Scenery will scan your scenery files, which may take some time if you have many add-on
sceneries installed. When finished, Flight Simulator will switch into the slew mode and the Instant
Scenery window will appear on the right side of the Flight Simulator window. The following
graphics describes the purpose of the individual elements of the Instant Scenery window.

Object List

Instant Scenery options

Undo/Redo

Current file name

About

Open Scenery File Library selection

Model selection
(thumbnail view).
Right click for menu.

Model currently selected

for placement
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The library selection dropdown list allows you to browse through available libraries. You can
specify in options the types of libraries to be listed here. When you select a library, thumbnails for
all models it contains will appear in the thumbnail list below.
The thumbnail view displays models from the currently selected library. If it is empty, you should
check compatibility settings in options. For example, if a library is in the FSX format and you
request models compatible with FS9 only, no models will appear.
Right-clicking in the thumbnail view will bring up a context menu.
The Open scenery File button allows you to open an existing file for editing without adding
objects first.
The Undo and Redo buttons allow you to reverse the effect of your editing actions. The number
of undo levels is unlimited; however you can only apply undo/redo to the file you are currently
editing.
The Object List button brings up a separate window listing all objects in the scenery file being
edited.
The Options button opens the Options dialog box allowing you to customize Instant Scenery.
The About button displays a page containing the product and current scenery information.
To close Instant Scenery, use the small x button in the right upper corner of the Instant Scenery
window. You can reopen Instant Scenery at any time by using its menu command.

Using the mouse

When Instant Scenery is active, the mouse is used to place objects and the normal mouse
functions in Flight Simulator are deactivated. Instead of the usual Flight Simulator context menu,
clicking the right mouse button will bring up the Instant Scenery menu. When Instant Scenery is
active, the mouse cursor has red letters “IS” under it and sometimes a red icon indicating the
current mode.
To access Flight Simulator functions using the mouse without closing Instant Scenery, depress
and hold down Ctrl+Shift before clicking with the mouse. The mouse cursor will change to
indicate that mouse actions will go to Flight Simulator. For example, you can use it to access the
FSX menu, or to resize or undock a view. After you release Ctrl+Shift, Instant Scenery will again
process your mouse input.
When you use the mouse in the 3D view, the mouse cursor location is translated into the
geographic coordinates of the ground point under the mouse. For this reason, the mouse pointer
will only work when it is below the horizon.
The left mouse button has different functions based on the mode selected. In the Add objects
mode, it will either bring up a context menu for adding the object, or temporarily stick the object to
the ground or the aircraft positions, depending on settings in the options dialog box. In the
Move/Delete objects mode, the left mouse button starts moving the object.
The right mouse button always opens the context menu. There are different context menus in
Flight Simulator views, in the thumbnail view and in the favorites window. In addition, the context
menu in FS varies according to the current mode.
The mouse wheel allows you to change the object heading when adding or moving an object.
Rotating the mouse wheel quickly changes the heading in 10-degree increments. Rotating the
wheel with the Shift key depressed allows finer heading adjustments. Do not depress the mouse
wheel when rotating it.
To move your aircraft around, point somewhere on the ground, depress and hold down the
mouse wheel and then move the mouse. Instant Scenery will move the aircraft so that the same
point on the ground stays under the mouse as you move it. For example, to quickly move to a
building in the distance, point to it with the mouse, and then drag it “towards” you with the mouse
Instant Scenery 2 Page 8 of 36

wheel depressed. Be careful not to move the mouse close to the horizon, as this can result in
very long and unpredictable movements. If this happens, move the mouse button out of the Flight
Simulator window before releasing the mouse wheel - this will cancel the movement.
You can of course also use regular slew controls to move around.
To rotate the viewpoint around a ground location, point at a ground location, depress the mouse
wheel and then rotate it. The airplane will move around this location, thus allowing you to look at it
from different angles.

Using Instant Scenery with Windows Vista and Windows 7

Windows Vista and Windows 7 restrict the ability of applications to write into the Program Files
folder. This prevents Instant Scenery from writing into the Addon Scenery folder of Flight
Simulator, which is intended for user-created scenery.
To solve this problem, you can either create a new scenery area outside of the Program Files
folder and add it to the scenery library, or give yourself write permissions for the Addon Scenery
folder.
To give yourself write permissions, perform the following steps:
• Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the Flight Simulator folder in Program Files.
• Right-click on the Addon Scenery subfolder and select Properties in the context menu.
• Click on the Security tab in the properties dialog box that appears.
• Click on the Edit... button. If the User Account Control confirmation box appears, click
Continue.
• In the Group or user names list box, select the Users group.
• In the Permissions list box, enable the Write permission (enable the checkbox in the Allow
column).
• Click OK to apply the new permissions and close the Properties dialog box.

Adding objects
To start adding new scenery objects, click on the Add objects tab in the Instant Scenery window.
In our example, we will add a few objects near a large European airport in FSX.

Setting the plane position

You will have to position your airplane next to the desired location of the object. If you are far
away from this area, you can use the World|Go to Airport… menu command in Flight Simulator
to move to an airport close to this area, or the World|Map… menu command to enter the new
coordinates directly. You can set the plane position either before or after starting Instant Scenery.
To move the airplane around the area, use the standard controls for the slew mode. If you haven’t
changed key assignments, use the following controls:
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Keyboard Joystick Function

Y -- Enable/disable the slew mode. When in slew mode, the SLEW
indicator is blinking in the lower right corner of the 3D view window.
When you start Instant Scenery, FS automatically switches to the slew
mode.
Up/Down Forward/ Move the plane forwards or backwards. When using the keyboard,
Backward every keystroke increases or decreases the plane speed. Don’t hold
the keys depressed.
Left/Right Left/Right Move the plane left or right without changing the heading. Keyboard
operation is similar to Up/Down.
End/PgDn Twist Turn the plane left or right.
handle
F4/F1 -- Increase/Decrease altitude.
F5/F8 -- Increase/decrease pitch.
Num5 -- Stop all movement.
You can read more about the slew mode in the Flight Simulator documentation.

Selecting the library

First, we need to select the library containing the object we are going to add to the scenery.
Clicking on the library selection combo box opens a list of libraries available. Select the desired
library with the mouse. If you are not sure which library contains objects you need, select libraries
one at a time and look at thumbnails to check their contents, until you have found the right one.
You can use objects from several libraries in one scenery file.
In our example, we select “buildings.bgl” to add a few buildings (FS2004: use “generic.bgl”).
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After you select a library, the thumbnail view immediately below the library selection combo box
will be filled with models from that library.

Selecting the model

To select the model for placement, you need to click on the corresponding thumbnail in the
thumbnail view. When the mouse pointer is inside the thumbnail view, the model under the
mouse will be displayed in front of your aircraft, allowing you to quickly see every model. To set
the location where the model appears, simply click on the corresponding point in the 3D view.
You can scroll in the thumbnail view using the mouse wheel. Right clicking in the thumbnail view
brings up a context menu:

Add to favorites adds the model under the mouse to the Favorites window for easy access.
Display as list switches between thumbnails and an alphabetical list of models.
Thumbnail size allows you to select a new thumbnail size for display. Internally, all thumbnails
are 96x96 pixels large and will be scaled down to the size specified.
Thumbnails maker launches the thumbnail maker, allowing you to create new thumbnails.
When you click on a thumbnail, it appears on a blue background indicating it is selected for
placement. After you click on a thumbnail, you can use arrow keys on the keyboard to browse
through models as long as your mouse pointer remains in the thumbnail view. When you move
the mouse pointer back into the 3D view, Flight Simulator will automatically get keyboard focus,
allowing you to move around in the slew mode using the keyboard.
In our example, we will select the “gen_hutopen” model. Note the preview of the model that
appears in the 3D view as you move the mouse over the thumbnail (marked with a red rectangle
in the screenshot).
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After you select the model and move the mouse back into the 3D view, the model begins
following the mouse:

The mouse cursor location determines the reference point of the object. The reference point is
the geographic location that actually gets written into the scenery file. Most models are designed
to appear above it with the reference point in the middle (just like the example). However, there
Instant Scenery 2 Page 12 of 36

are a few models that are designed to appear at a certain horizontal offset from the reference
point, or even completely buried into the ground.
If you don’t see the model immediately, try moving it with the mouse closer to you (in case it is too
small to be seen initially), or further away from you (in case it is so big that your viewpoint ended
up inside the object).

Adjusting the object position

After you have selected a library and a model, a corresponding object appears in the Flight
Simulator scenery and follows the mouse cursor.
To move the object around, simply move the mouse.
If you want to change your viewpoint without moving the object, you can program the left mouse
button to stick/unstick the object to the ground in the Options dialog box. With this option
selected, clicking the left mouse button will freeze the object position so that you can move the
mouse or your airplane without the object following you. Click the left mouse button again to
resume moving the object.
If you want to move the object by moving your airplane around (like in Instant Scenery version 1)
instead of using the mouse, you can program the left mouse button to stick/unstick the object
to the airplane position. With this option selected, clicking the left mouse button will freeze the
object relative to the user aircraft position, very similar to the Distance slider in version 1.
To change the object heading, rotate the mouse wheel without depressing it. For a finer
movement, hold down the Shift key while rotating the wheel. If you do not have a mouse wheel,
use the Object Properties dialog box.
To change elevation, scale, pitch/bank and scenery complexity, right-click with the mouse and
select Object Properties in the context menu that appears. Set the desired object properties in
the dialog box that appears before adding the object to the scenery.
Note: FSX SP2 and Acceleration Pack ignore the pitch and bank settings for scenery objects.
Although Instant Scenery will display these objects correctly, they will appear with a zero pitch
and bank after you restart FSX. So for any scenery that is likely to be used with these FSX
versions, it is recommended to leave pitch and bank at zero degrees.

Adding the object to scenery

After you have moved the object to the desired location, click the right mouse button to bring up
the context menu.
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The first menu item allows you to add the object to the last file you edited with Instant Scenery (in
this case, MyScenery.bgl). It will not appear the first time you add an object, because there is no
previous scenery file yet.
Add to another file… allows you to add an object to another file. If you select this menu item, a
file selection dialog box will appear. If you select a new scenery file, it will be created. If you select
an existing scenery file, it will not be overwritten, but the object will be simply added to it. Note
that you can only add objects to scenery files created with Instant Scenery, or a few other
compatible scenery design programs.
If you attempt saving the file to a folder that is not enabled in the Scenery Library, you will be
shown a warning. If you proceed despite the warning, the scenery file will be saved as desired,
but your objects will not appear again after you restart Flight Simulator unless you add the folder
to the scenery library, or move the scenery file to an active folder. Refer to the Flight Simulator
documentation for more information about how the scenery library works.
After you have added the object to the scenery, it remains at its position regardless of any
movements of your airplane. When you move the mouse, you will again see an object following
the cursor - it is the next object you are going to add.
The name of the scenery file you saved will appear in the title bar of the Instant Scenery window.
This is the current file. Moving/deleting objects and undo/redo operations only affect the current
file. When adding an object to a new file, the current file changes and thus it is no longer possible
to undo editing operations made earlier. Any objects you add are immediately saved to the
scenery file, there is no separate “Save” command.
When you add an object to an existing file, Instant Scenery will make FS reload the scenery in
order to take the display of objects from this file under its own control. Reloading of scenery may
take up to several minutes, depending on the amount of add-on sceneries installed.

Adding more objects

To add more objects using the same model, simply move the model to the desired locations using
the mouse and use the context menu to create additional objects.
To add different objects, select a different model and/or library as described earlier.
There is no limit on how many objects you can add to a scenery file. However, adding too many
objects in the same area may cause the frame rate to drop, because drawing every object
requires a certain amount of processing time.

Creating lines of objects

Instant Scenery allows you to create lines of evenly-spaced objects.
To create a line of objects, first select the model to be used. If needed, use the Object
Properties dialog box to define the elevation, scale factor, scenery complexity and other settings.
Move the mouse pointer to the beginning of the line, click the right mouse button and select Line
of objects in the context menu that appears. When you move the mouse now, a line of objects
will stretch from the starting point to the current mouse cursor position.
A new Line of objects dialog box will appear on the screen, allowing you to set the line
parameters.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 14 of 36

You can choose between a line containing a fixed number of evenly-spaced objects, and a line
containing objects with a specified spacing. Use the radio buttons in the Line of objects dialog
box to switch between these two modes.
Auto adjust spacing, when enabled, slightly adjusts the spacing so that the last object in the line
appears exactly at the mouse cursor location.
Auto adjust heading adjusts the heading of all objects in the line based on the line direction.
Display line length displays the current line length and the number of objects near the mouse
pointer.
Right-clicking brings up a context menu.

To add the line of objects to the scenery, use the Add to … and Add to another scenery file
menu commands.
To define the new origin point of the line, select Set starting point.
To stop creating lines of objects and return to the regular Add objects mode, select Cancel.

Moving and deleting objects

You can only move and delete objects that you have previously added with Instant Scenery. To
move or delete objects, you need to switch to the Move/Delete objects mode. You can do it by
selecting Move/Delete objects in the context menu, or simply by pressing the Tab key when the
mouse cursor is inside the flight Simulator window. To return to the Add objects mode, press the
Tab key again or click on any thumbnail in the thumbnails window.
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Opening a scenery file (if needed)

You can only move objects that are part of the current scenery file you are editing. To see which
objects belong to this file, press, hold down and release both Control keys several times. Objects
belonging to this file will blink.
If you need to move objects that are stored in a different scenery file, use the Open scenery
button. Select the name of the desired scenery file and press OK. Instant Scenery may cause FS
to reload scenery, which may take up to several minutes depending on the amount of add-on
sceneries installed.

Selecting the object to move/delete

In the Move/Delete objects mode, you select objects by pointing at them with the mouse. A
wireframe box will be displayed around the object closest to the mouse cursor. This is the
currently selected object
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Moving an object
To start moving the object currently selected, click the left mouse button. The mouse cursor will
snap to the object’s reference point (unless disabled in options), and the object will start following
the mouse.
To permanently move the object to the new position, right-click with the mouse and select Move
in the context menu that appears. The new position will be immediately saved to the scenery file.
To return the object to its old position, right-click with the mouse and select Cancel in the context
menu.
If you reprogrammed the left mouse button to stick the object to the ground or the airplane, you
can use these functions when moving an object too.

Deleting an object
To delete the object currently selected, right-click on it and select Delete in the context menu that
appears. The object will be immediately deleted from the scenery file.
If you delete all objects from a scenery file, Instant Scenery will erase it when you exit Flight
Simulator.
If you accidentally moved or deleted an object, you can use Undo and Redo buttons to reverse
the effect of your editing actions. Note that you can only undo changes to the current scenery file.

Deleting a group of objects

You can delete all objects inside a rectangular area. To use this function, make sure you are in
the Move/Delete objects mode. Point to one corner of the desired rectangle, click the right
mouse button and select Group|Delete… in the context menu.
Now move the mouse to the other corner of the desired rectangle. The rectangle will be aligned
along the aircraft heading. As you move the mouse, you will see the outline of the rectangle, and
objects inside it will disappear.
To finish the action, click the right mouse button again and select Delete … object(s).
It is important to understand the difference between this function and creating an exclusion
rectangle:
• Group delete removes objects from the scenery file you are editing.
• An exclusion rectangle tells Flight Simulator to remove objects from other scenery files inside
the rectangle.

Cut, Copy and Paste

You can cut, copy and paste groups of objects.
To copy a group of objects to the clipboard, you need to select them by drawing a rectangle
surrounding the group. Make sure you are in the Move/Delete objects mode. Point to one corner
of the desired rectangle, click the right mouse button and select Group|Copy… in the context
menu.
Now move the mouse to the other corner of the desired rectangle. The rectangle will be aligned
along the aircraft heading. Objects inside the rectangle will be marked by wireframe boxes
surrounding them. To finish the action, click the right mouse button again and select Copy …
object(s) to clipboard.
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To cut a group of objects to the clipboard, use the Group|Cut… menu command in a similar
fashion. The objects you selected will be placed on the clipboard and removed from the scenery
file.
To paste a group of objects currently on the clipboard, select Group|Paste… on the context
menu. The group of objects on the clipboard will appear near the mouse pointer while keeping
their relative position to each other. You can fine-tune their position by moving the mouse. You
can also rotate the whole group using the mouse wheel (for finer rotation, keep the Shift key
depressed). To finish the action, click the right mouse button again and select Paste … objects
from the context menu that appear.
To cancel a cut, copy or paste action, click the right mouse button and select Cancel on the
context menu that appears.
The clipboard can only hold one group of objects at a time. Undo/Redo commands do not restore
the previous clipboard contents.

Displaying object labels

You can have Instant Scenery display object labels in the Flight Simulator 3D view. Labels will
appear on objects from the scenery file currently being edited.
To control the display of labels, right-click with the mouse either in the Add objects or in the
Move/Delete objects mode and select Labels in the context menu. A submenu will appear.

The first part of the menu allows you to enable and disable the display of labels. To display labels
for all objects in the current scenery file, select All objects. To display the label just for the
currently selected object, select Selected object.
The second part of the menu allows you to determine the information to display on labels.
Object settings displays the object heading and any non-default settings applied to the object
(scale different from 1, elevation different from 0, scenery complexity different from normal).
Letter “X” and Blinking “X” display just a letter “X”. Use this option to quickly locate the objects
in your scenery file in the top down view without clogging it.

Using the object list

You can display a list of all objects in the current scenery file by clicking on the Object List button
in the main Instant Scenery window.
A new Object List dialog box will appear, listing all objects and allowing you to navigate to each
of them.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 18 of 36

For every object, the model name, heading and distance from the user aircraft and the scenery
complexity setting is displayed. Note that the heading is displayed as an arrow and is relative to
the user aircraft orientation, even if you use a north-oriented top-down view.
When you select an object in the list, a wireframe box is displayed around this object.
If you enable Move aircraft to the selected object, the user aircraft will be moved so that the
object appears in the field of view. To define where exactly the object will appear, simply click
inside the 3D view window and cancel the context menu that appears. The next time you select
an object in the list, your aircraft will be positioned so that the object appears at the last click
location.
You can click on column headings to sort the list by model name, distance to the user aircraft or
the scenery complexity setting. Note that if you sort the list by distance, it will not be automatically
re-sorted when you move your aircraft.
After clicking in the object list, you can scroll in it using arrow keys on the keyboard as long as the
mouse pointer stays inside the list. Moving the mouse pointer outside of the list will return the
keyboard focus to the main Flight Simulator window.
If the Object Properties dialog box is open, it will display the settings for the object currently
selected in the list.
If the current scenery file contains any exclusion rectangles, they will appear in the object list too.
Note that outlines of exclusion rectangles will only be displayed in the scenery when an exclusion
rectangle is selected in the object list (or Instant Scenery is in the Exclusion rectangles mode).
Abbreviated scenery complexity labels displayed in the SC column have the following meaning:
VS Very Sparse
S Sparse
N Normal
D Dense
VD Very Dense
Instant Scenery 2 Page 19 of 36

ED Extremely Dense

Setting advanced parameters

Available parameters
By default, Instant Scenery puts objects on the ground level in the upright position, with the
default size and showing at the “Normal” scenery complexity setting and above.
Instant Scenery allows you to change the elevation, the scale factor and pitch/bank angles of
objects, and to change the scenery complexity level at which every individual object appears.

Opening the Object Properties dialog box

To change these values when adding or moving objects, right click with the mouse and select
Object Properties in the context menu that appears. The Object Properties dialog box will
appear.
The Object Properties dialog box works as follows in different modes:
• In the Add objects mode, or when adding a line of objects, the settings in the Object
Properties dialog box are applied to new objects you create.
• In the Move/Delete objects mode, the Object Properties dialog box reflects the settings for
the currently selected object.
• When you start moving an object in the Move/Delete objects mode, you can change the
object’s settings in the Object Properties dialog box as well. The changes will be applied with
you finalize the movement using the Move command on the context menu.
• If you right-click on an object in the Move/Delete objects mode and select Object
Properties in the context menu, you will be able to change the object’s settings without
moving the object with the mouse. Any changes you make in this mode will be applied
immediately.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 20 of 36

In the dialog box, the Latitude and Longitude values display the current position of the object.
They cannot be modified.
The Elevation value controls the elevation of the reference point above the ground level. For
most objects, the reference point corresponds to the lowest point of the object, thus the elevation
also defines the elevation of the object itself. The slider allows changing the elevation from -100
to 100 meters. If this range is not sufficient, you can type the value in the text box.
The Scale value defines a scale factor for the object. The scale of 1 represents the standard size
defined in the model library. The slider allows you to change scale from 0.01 to 100, thus making
the object smaller or larger than it would normally appear. If this range is not sufficient, type the
scale value in the text box.
Pitch and Bank values allow you to tilt the object along two horizontal axes. Note that pitch and
bank values have no effect in FSX SP2 and Acceleration Pack.
The Scenery Complexity combo box allows you to define the minimum scenery complexity
setting at which the object will appear.
You can apply all these settings when adding new objects, or moving existing ones.
When you close the Object Properties dialog box, these settings will be reset to default
values. Advanced settings already applied to scenery objects will not be affected.
In the screenshot above, the elevation of a satellite dish object is being changed in order to put it
on top of the house.

Changing the scenery complexity settings

You can display the scenery complexity setting for all objects in the current scenery file as labels
superimposed over objects. To do this, use the Labels submenu of the Instant Scenery context
menu. To enable labels for all objects, select Labels>All objects. To display the scenery
complexity as labels, select Labels>Scenery complexity or Labels>Scenery complexity
(abbr.) for abbreviated labels.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 21 of 36

To change the scenery complexity for an individual object, make sure you are in the Move/Delete
objects mode. Right-click on the object and use the Set scenery complexity submenu to apply
the desired setting.
You can also use the Object properties dialog box to change the scenery complexity.

Keeping autogen scenery (FSX only)

Normally, autogen scenery does not appear inside or near the object. This effect cannot be seen
while editing a scenery file with Instant Scenery, but only after restarting Flight Simulator
afterwards.
In some cases (notably, animated birds from FSX libraries) it is desirable to keep the autogen
scenery.
To allow the autogen scenery to appear inside a certain object, right-click on it in the
Move/Delete objects mode, select Object Properties and enable the Keep autogen under the
object checkbox.

Managing favorites
You can designate favorite models for easy access to them. Favorites are displayed in a separate
window, which appears with the title My Favorites when you first start Instant Scenery. You can
organize favorites into several folders, and My Favorites is the name of the default folder.
When you add a model to favorites, you are not copying it, but merely adding a reference. So the
model will still come from a model library. If you remove the model library containing it, it will
disappear from favorites too. You can easily select models from favorites by clicking on their
thumbnails in the favorites window.
You can close the window with favorites by pressing the close button on its title bar. To reopen it,
right-click in the thumbnails view of the main Instant Scenery window and select Open favorites.
Note that this menu item will not appear if the favorites window is already open.
To add a model to favorites, right click on its thumbnail in the main Instant Scenery window and
select Add to favorites in the context menu that appears.

To add the model to an existing folder with favorites, select its name in the submenu that
appears. On the screenshot, there is only one folder called My Favorites.
To create a new folder and add the model to it, select New folder… and enter the new folder
name.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 22 of 36

To select the folder with favorites to display, right-click in the favorites window and select the
folder name in the context menu that appears.
To remove a model from favorites, right-click on it in the favorites window and select Delete
favorite from the context menu that appears.
To remove an entire folder with favorites, right-click on any thumbnail in it and select Delete
whole folder in the context menu.

Adding exclusion rectangles

Instant Scenery allows placing exclusion rectangles in addition to objects. An exclusion rectangle
tells Flight Simulator to remove objects from other sceneries inside the rectangle. Only objects
defined in lower-priority scenery areas will be affected. To see a list scenery areas and their
priorities, use the scenery library dialog box in Flight Simulator.
Exclusion rectangles defined in Instant Scenery will exclude library objects, generic buildings and
optionally autogen scenery.
To edit exclusion rectangles, select Exclusion rectangles… in the Instant Scenery context
menu. Instant scenery will switch into the Exclusion rectangles mode, indicated by a changed
mouse cursor. Any exclusion rectangles defined in the current scenery file will become visible.
To add an exclusion rectangle, point to one of its corners, right-click with the mouse and select
Add exclusion rectangle from the context menu. After that, move the mouse cursor to the
opposite corner, and use the context menu to add the exclusion rectangle to the scenery file.
Note that exclusion rectangles are always aligned in the north-south direction and it is not
possible to rotate them to an arbitrary angle. Exclusion rectangles will only take effect after you
restart Flight Simulator.
To delete an exclusion rectangle, point to it, right-click with the mouse and select Delete
exclusion rectangle.
To set the type of objects excluded by the rectangle, right-click on it with the mouse and use the
Set type submenu. Note that Instant Scenery does not allow defining all exclusion types defined
in the Flight Simulator SDK.
To move or resize an exclusion rectangle, simply delete the old one and create a new rectangle
at the desired location.
To leave the Exclusion rectangles mode, select Cancel in the context menu.
If exclusion rectangles are present in the current scenery file, they will appear in the object list
along with objects.

Displaying objects from other scenery files

Instant Scenery can display labels for all scenery objects near the aircraft regardless of the
scenery file containing them. This is useful when you need to find the scenery file containing a
specific object.
To access this function, select Extras>Show objects from all BGLs in the context menu. In the
dialog box that appears, enter the desired search radius and click the Scan button. Instant
Scenery will search all scenery files in Flight Simulator for objects within the specified radius from
the aircraft position. This can take several minutes, depending on the amount of scenery
installed.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 23 of 36

You can choose to display labels for library objects, generic buildings and exclusion rectangles.
Note that apart from this function, Instant Scenery does not support generic buildings.
To select the information displayed on labels, use the corresponding combo box.
Labels for objects near the horizon tend to overlap. To reduce this effect, you may want to bank
your aircraft.
If you move your aircraft to another area or change the radius setting, the labels will not be
updated automatically. Use the Scan button to scan scenery files again.
To restore the regular Instant Scenery object labels (if any), close the Objects from all scenery
files dialog box.

Adding FSDiscover! points of interest

You created some interesting locations in your scenery, but will other users ever find them?
Instant Scenery allows you to add FSDiscover! points of interest to your scenery. This allows
FSDiscover! users to easily find all highlights of your scenery and to plan sightseeing flights over
it.
FSDiscover! is a separate commercial product from Flight1. A free demo version is available.
Users of your scenery who do not own FSDiscover! will not be able to use the points of interest,
but will still be able to enjoy all other features of your scenery. To add points of interest with
Instant Scenery, you don’t have to own FSDiscover! yourself.

Adding points of interest

You can only add points of interest to a scenery file that already exists. Either create a new
scenery file, or use the Open scenery button to open an existing scenery file before adding
points of interest.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 24 of 36

To add a point of interest, right-click on the desired location in the scenery and select
Extras>Add FSDiscover! point of interest in the context menu. Enter the POI name in the
prompt window that appears and click OK.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 25 of 36

Repeat these steps for any additional points of interest.

If you own FSDiscover!, the new points of interest you add will be immediately available in
FSDiscover! without restarting Flight Simulator.
If you don’t own FSDiscover!, you can see the points of interest you added when Instant Scenery
is active. To switch the display of points of interest on and off, you can use the Extras>Show
points of interest command on the context menu.

Removing points of interest

To remove a point of interest, move the mouse cursor next to it. Click the right mouse button and
select Extras>Delete POI.
To rename a point of interest or move it to a new location, just delete the old one and then create
a new point of interest with the desired new name.

Sharing points of interest together with your scenery

The points of interest are saved not to the BGL file containing your scenery objects, but to a
separate file with the extension .fsdiscover. For example, if your scenery file is called
InstantScenery.bgl, the corresponding file with points of interest will be called
InstantScenery.fsdiscover and will be located in the same folder as the scenery file itself.
When sharing your scenery containing points of interest with other users, be sure to include the
.fsdiscover file as well.
Note: The .fsdiscover file will only be created if you define points of interest for the scenery.

Undo/Redo
Instant Scenery has an unlimited undo/redo capability.
You can undo editing actions as long as you continue working on the same scenery file and
don’t close Flight Simulator. After you open a different scenery file, for example by selecting a
different file when adding an object, you will no longer be able to undo any editing you did in the
previous file, even if you open it again.
To reverse the effect of the last editing action, click the Undo button. Note that the airplane will
not be moved to the location where it was during the last editing action. This means you will
possibly not notice any effect of Undo if the object (or POI) affected is no longer in your field of
view.
To reverse the effect of multiple editing action, click the Undo button several times.
To repeat an editing action reversed by undo, click the Redo button. Redo is only available if you
haven’t made any changes to the scenery after the last Undo action.
To repeat several editing actions, click the Redo button several times.
Similar to all editing actions in Instant Scenery, undo/redo operations immediately update the
scenery file on disk. There is no special “Save” command.

Using add-on libraries

Downloading and installing add-on libraries

Many Flight Simulator users have created their own libraries. You can find and download many
such libraries from various web sites offering Flight Simulator files.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 26 of 36

A model library consists of a BGL file defining the shape and the properties of models, and
(usually) a set of texture files required to display it. Most libraries also include a TXT file
containing user-friendly model names.
Installing a model library is similar to installing any scenery. You can install it into an existing
scenery layer, like Addon Scenery, or create a new scenery layer for your libraries.
The BGL and TXT file(s) that came with the library should be copied to the scenery subfolder
(e.g. Addon Scenery\scenery) and the textures to the texture subfolder. Most libraries already
come with scenery and texture folders.
If the library includes thumbnails for use in Instant Scenery, they should be copied into the
My Documents\Instant Scenery Files\thumbnails folder. It is recommended (though not
required) to create a separate subfolder for thumbnails belonging to each library.
It is important to install BGL and texture files belonging to the same library into the same scenery
folder. Otherwise, the textures might not show up correctly.
If you have installed new add-on libraries with Flight Simulator running (e.g. by adding a scenery
layer with them in the Scenery Library), you will have to restart Flight Simulator in order for Instant
Scenery to recognize them.

Using add-on libraries in Instant Scenery

With the default settings, Instant Scenery only shows default libraries in its Library dropdown list.
To add scenery objects from add-on libraries you have, click the Options button to open the
Options dialog box. Enable Add-on global libraries and Add-on local libraries.
Instant Scenery will now allow selecting both default and add-on libraries.
To see which add-on libraries are available, disable default libraries in the Options dialog box.
The remaining libraries in the Library dropdown list (if any) are add-on libraries.
Read the Sharing your scenery section of this manual for important information on sharing
sceneries that use add-on libraries.

Making thumbnail images

You can make thumbnail images for add-on libraries that don’t have them included. You can
make them with the Thumbnail Maker tool included in Instant Scenery (described later in this
manual), or per hand.
The thumbnails should have the size of 96x96 pixels and be in the JPG or PNG format. It is
recommended to make thumbnail images on white background. There should be one image per
model.
The thumbnail images should be placed into the My Documents\Instant Scenery
Files\thumbnails folder or any subfolder of it. It is recommended to create a separate subfolder
for every library. Instant Scenery scans all subfolders for thumbnail images.
The files should contain the GUID in the file name, surrounded by { } braces. For example, a
thumbnail file can be called {d8fe79f4-2e84-4410-aa20-d42726bf148a}.jpg. For your own
convenience, you can append the model name to the file name, like
{d8fe79f4-2e84-4410-aa20-d42726bf148a}_VEH_Land_car_midsize1_red.jpg
For Instant Scenery, only the part inside the { } symbols is important.
To obtain GUIDs for models, create a scenery that uses them and use the About… dialog box to
display the list of all models used (including their GUIDs). You can copy individual GUIDs out
using the clipboard.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 27 of 36

Setting options
To set the program options, click on the Options button. The Options dialog box will appear.

Selecting the libraries to display

Use checkboxes under Use following libraries to select the libraries to display.
Default global libraries are default libraries with objects you can place anywhere in the FS
world.
Default local libraries are default libraries with objects that can only be placed in a specific area.
For example, Chicago.bgl contains some objects that can only be placed in the Chicago area.
When you enable this option, only local libraries that are available at the plane location will be
listed.
Add-on global libraries are add-on libraries with objects you can place anywhere in the FS
world.
Add-on local libraries are add-on libraries that are restricted to certain geographic locations. An
example would be a library with objects designed for a specific scenery.
Libraries not available in this area are both default and add-on local libraries that cannot be
used at the plane location. This option only exists to satisfy your curiosity, because you cannot
use any models from them at your location.

Setting compatibility options

You can instruct Instant Scenery to only show models that work both with FSX and FS2004, thus
allowing you to make sceneries that work with both Flight Simulator versions.
When this option is enabled, it hides the following models:
• Models from default libraries that do not exist in the other Flight Simulator version.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 28 of 36

• Models from add-on libraries you have that are not compatible with the other Flight Simulator
version.
To enable the compatibility mode, enable the List only FS2004-compatible models checkbox
when running under FSX, and the List only FSX-compatible models checkbox when running
under FS2004.
The other checkbox is always enabled, because Instant Scenery can only show models that are
compatible with the Flight Simulator version it is running on.
To check if your scenery made with this option disabled is compatible, open the About… dialog
box from the Instant Scenery window and click on the Scenery file tab.

Setting user interface options

The Objects blink when selecting option, when enabled, makes the object currently selected in
the Move/Delete objects mode blink in addition to being surrounded by a wireframe selection
box. Use it to select objects that have an incorrect bounding box defined in the library.
The Objects blink when adding or moving option (enabled by default) makes the object not yet
added to the scenery (in the Add objects mode) or the object in the process of being moved
blink. Disable it if blinking disturbs you.
The Show extended object properties option, when enabled, adds several rarely used
checkboxes to the Object Properties dialog box, including No crash and No shadow. These
settings only affect FSX. Please refer to the FSX SDK for more information on these settings.

Mouse options
The Left mouse button setting allows you to define the left mouse button function:
• Display context menu - Displays a context menu (just like the right mouse button).
• Stick/unstick the object to the ground - Clicking the left mouse button will freeze the object
position, allowing you to move your airplane around and change the viewpoint. Clicking the
left mouse button again will resume the object movement. Use the right mouse button to
access the context menu.
• Stick/unstick the object to the airplane position - Clicking the left mouse button will freeze
the object position. If you move your aircraft around or change its heading, the object will
move to keep the same distance and relative heading to your aircraft. This is similar to how
Instant Scenery version 1 operated. Clicking the left mouse button again will resume the
object movement with the mouse. Use the right mouse button to access the context menu.
Snap the mouse cursor to objects when moving - when enabled, the mouse cursor will
automatically move to the object’s reference point when you start moving an object. If the
reference point is not in your field of view, the mouse cursor will not be moved until the reference
point appears in the field of view.
Warn when adding objects more than … NM away - when enabled, you will be asked for
confirmation if you try adding or moving an object to a greater distance from the user aircraft than
specified. Use this option to avoid placing far away objects by mistake.

Setting options for the update check

Instant Scenery can automatically check for product updates. The update check occurs when you
exit Flight Simulator. If there is an update available, a web browser window containing the update
instructions will show up.
The Check for updates check box enables or disables the automatic update check. It is enabled
by default.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 29 of 36

The days text field allows you to specify the number of days between consecutive update checks.
Set it to 0 to check for updates every time you close Flight Simulator.
The automatic update check notifies you when updates are available, but doesn’t download and
install any files.

Troubleshooting
Clicking the Troubleshooting button will bring up the troubleshooting dialog box, allowing you to
set the logging options and to view the log file.

Sharing your scenery

After you created a scenery, why not upload it to a flight simulation website for others to enjoy?
This section contains important tips for making sure other users can enjoy your scenery without
anything missing.
While making scenery, you should keep track of the scenery files you create, because otherwise
you will not know which files you have to upload.

Displaying scenery information

To display information about a scenery file you created, open it in Instant Scenery, click on the “?”
button to display the About… dialog box.

The information is divided into three sections.

The SCENERY FILE section shows general information about the scenery file.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 30 of 36

The ADD-ON LIBRARIES USED section shows all add-on libraries required by this scenery file.
You will need to instruct the users of your scenery to download all these libraries, otherwise they
will not see objects from them.
The LIBRARY MODELS USED section lists all models both from default and add-on libraries
used by the scenery. For every model, it displays its name (when available), the GUID and
whether it is incompatible with either FSX or FS2004.

Which libraries does the scenery need?

Your scenery may contain objects from default or add-on libraries. Because default libraries come
with every Flight Simulator copy, objects from them will work for every user (assuming they exist
in his version of Flight Simulator).
To see objects from add-on libraries, the users of your scenery will need to download and install
any add-on libraries it requires.
You should go through the list of ADD-ON LIBRARIES USED and instruct the users of your
scenery where and how to download all of them in your documentation.

Will it work with FS2004, FSX or both flight simulators?

Some models are only compatible with one Flight Simulator version.
FSX contains much more models in its default libraries than FS2004 (e.g. vegetation, animals,
more buildings and autogen objects). If you use these objects in your scenery, they will not show
up for users of FS2004. There are also a few models in FS2004 that no longer exist in FSX.
Add-on libraries designed for FS2004 generally work in FSX.
Add-on libraries designed for FSX using the FSX SDK do not work with FS2004. If you add
objects from such libraries, they will not show up for users of FS2004 even if they download and
install these libraries.
To see which of the models you use are compatible only with a particular Flight Simulator version,
go through the list of LIBRARY MODELS USED. Models that only work in a particular FS version
will have (FSX only) or (FS2004 only) next to their GUID.
You can also turn on the compatibility option in the Options dialog box to restrict your choice of
models to those that work in both FS version. However, this option does not affect incompatible
models you may have already added.

Which files to upload?

You should upload scenery (BGL) files you created with Instant Scenery. If you added
FSDiscover! points of interest to your scenery, you should also upload corresponding .fsdiscover
files.
You should not upload add-on libraries you used in your scenery that are available for download.
Instead, instruct the users how to download them themselves. Having multiple copies of the same
library may cause problems in Flight Simulator, and including add-on libraries with sceneries
greatly increases this risk.

Using Thumbnail Maker

Instant Scenery includes Thumbnail Maker, a tool for making thumbnail images automatically.
With Thumbnail Maker, you set up the scene and select one or more model libraries. Thumbnail
Maker creates thumbnail images for all models in these libraries. For every model, it selects the
appropriate scale factor, displays the model in the Flight Simulator view, makes a screenshot and
converts it to a thumbnail image compatible with Instant Scenery.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 31 of 36

Thumbnail Maker may not work properly on some graphics cards.

Setting up the Flight Simulator view

The thumbnail maker works by making screenshots of the Flight Simulator window. You will need
to configure the Flight Simulator view accordingly. Before starting Thumbnail Maker, follow these
steps:
• Start flight Simulator if it is not running and enter the free flight mode.
• If FS is running in the full screen mode, press Alt+Enter to switch it to the window mode.
• Maximize the Flight Simulator window.
• Make sure there are no other windows in front of the Flight Simulator window.
• Set the weather to clear skies
World à Weather à Weather themes à Clear skies
• Press Y to enter the slew mode.
• Set the plane altitude to about 2000ft above ground.
• Set the plane heading to north.
FS2004: Press the space bar.
FSX: Press Ctrl+space bar.
• Change the view to the 2D cockpit mode
FS2004: Views à View Mode à Cockpit
FSX: Views à View Mode à Cockpit à Cockpit
• Press W several times until the instrument panel disappears entirely.
• If there are any other FS view windows (e.g. a separate map view), close them.
• Make sure the axis indicator is disabled
FS2004: Views à View Options, then set Axis indicator to Off.
FSX: Views à Axis Indicator à Off
• Make the coordinates/frame rate indicator in the top left corner of the view window disappear
by pressing Shift+Z several times.
After these steps, the Flight Simulator window should occupy the full screen and look like this:
Instant Scenery 2 Page 32 of 36

Starting Thumbnail Maker

Start Instant Scenery, right click in the thumbnail window and select Thumbnail Maker in the
context menu.
The view in front of the airplane will turn to bright green and an example object will appear (it is
always the ag_barn object). In addition, the Thumbnail Maker dialog box will appear.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 33 of 36

Adjusting the camera position and settings

When making screenshots, Thumbnail Maker will position the objects at the same location as the
example object. To adjust their appearance, you need to adjust the appearance of the example
object.
Click in the Flight Simulator window to bring the keyboard focus back to it. Use the slew keys to
adjust the plane position and relative orientation to the example object. It is recommended to
position the airplane slightly above it. The example object should occupy most of the view
window, but must also entirely fit inside it.
Use the World à Time and Settings menu item to adjust the local time (thus adjusting the light
conditions). For most objects, it is best to set the time to late morning, so that distinctive shading
would appear.
To change the heading of the example object, enter a new value in the Object heading field of
the dialog box.

Making thumbnails
In the Libraries list box, toggle checkmarks for libraries you would like create thumbnails for.
Then click Start.
After a few tests, Thumbnail Maker will display models from the libraries you selected and taking
their screenshots. The scale factor will be adjusted automatically to fit the window.
While making thumbnails, do not open or switch to other applications, open Flight Simulator menu
items or do any other actions that might display something on the screen. Otherwise, some
screenshots will be corrupted.
To check the progress, look at the Flight Simulator window title. It will display the number of
thumbnails done and the estimated time remaining.
When finished, Thumbnail Maker will display a message box notifying you of a successful
completion.
To interrupt the process, press and hold down both Control keys for a few seconds.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 34 of 36

The resulting thumbnails will be saved to the following folder(s):

My Documents\Instant Scenery Files\thumbnails\ThumbnailMaker output\<library.bgl>
The thumbnails will be immediately available in Instant Scenery.

Using Library Maker

Library Maker is a simple tool included in Instant Scenery for making model libraries using
scenery MDL files. It is a standalone application that runs outside of Flight Simulator.
Library Maker is not a tool for making 3D objects. You will need to use a 3D modeling tool
capable of creating scenery MDL files such as GMax or FSDS. After you create scenery MDL
files, Library Maker allows you to combine one or more of them into a model library that you can
use for scenery design.

Starting Library Maker

Make sure Flight Simulator is not running.
To use Library Maker, open the Start menu and select Programs à Flight One Software à
Instant Scenery 2 à Library Maker.
The Library Maker window will appear, containing an empty library.

Adding models to the library

To add models to the library, click the + button on the toolbar and select the MDL file containing
the model in the dialog box that appears. The model will appear in the Library Maker window,
together with a new GUID assigned by Library Maker.
Instant Scenery 2 Page 35 of 36

Repeat these steps for any further models you would like to add.
To save the library, click the Save button on the toolbar. Be sure to save the library to an active
scenery folder, otherwise it will not appear in Flight Simulator. You should also copy the textures
belonging to the model to the scenery layer where the library resides.
Library Maker will save two files. The file library.bgl contains the library itself. The file library.txt
contains model descriptions used by Instant Scenery.

Modifying an existing library

You can use the Open toolbar button to open an existing library. After that, you can add further
models to it.
You can also delete models using the “-” toolbar button. Note that if you delete a model from a
library, all sceneries that use this model will no longer display correctly.

Sharing libraries with other users

You can upload libraries you create to flight simulator websites for other users to enjoy.
Make sure to upload the following files:
• library.bgl - contains models themselves
• library.txt - contains model definitions for Instant Scenery
• All textures required by models in this library.
• Thumbnail images for this library, if any.

Obtaining support and updates

To check for updates and to inform yourself about other products Flight1 has on offer, visit the
Flight1 homepage at http://www.flight1.com/
The automatic update check (when enabled) will notify you when any updates for Instant Scenery
become available.
To discuss Instant Scenery with other users of the product and to get support, visit the Instant
Scenery forum at http://www.simforums.com/
Instant Scenery 2 Page 36 of 36

Version history

Version 2.03
• Compatibility with Instant Object Studio added.
• In the Move/Delete objects mode, right clicking on an object and selecting
Extras|Find Model in the context menu will open the library containing the model and select
it.
• When displaying objects from all BGLs, right clicking on an object and selecting Find Model
will open the library containing the model.
• Library Maker now sorts the list alphabetically and displays the size and format of every
model.
• Movement of objects with the mouse was made less smooth in order to match the precision
used in BGL files (1-3 inches, depending on the latitude). This prevents the object from
shifting by a few inches when you add it to a scenery file.
• Bugfix: Object elevation was reset to 0 after Copy&Paste.
Version 2.02
• Compatibility with Airport Studio added.
• Instant Scenery now detects external changes to the scenery file being edited, and offers to
reload the file.
• Bugfix: Instant Scenery would crash when opening scenery files containing windsocks and
some other scenery elements.
Version 2.01
• You can now cut, copy and paste groups of objects using the Group submenu.
See Cut, Copy and Paste in the manual.
• More FSX-specific settings added to the Object Properties dialog, like No Crash.
This needs to be enabled in the Options dialog.
• Rotating a viewpoint around a fixed location (depress + rotate the mouse wheel) now works
both on FS9 and FSX.
• Bugfix: Thumbnails would not appear on some Windows 7 systems.
• Bugfix: Objects created with SAMM caused texture errors in FS9.

Version 2.00
Instant Scenery 2 original release.