Scenery XML Properties

The Scenery XML file is generated by the Scenery Editor and defines all the scenery objects, rectangles, polygons, etc… that make up the scenery within a package. The <scene_filename>.xml file should be formatted as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<FSData version="9.0">
    <SceneryObject [attributes]>
        
    </SceneryObject>
    
</FSData>

<FSData>#

The <FSData> element is the top level container which contains the different scenery object sub-elements (and can also contain the Airport XML element). It has the following possible attributes:

This element can have all of the following sub-elements:

<Airport><Location><Marker /><Waypoint><Boundary><Vor><Ndb><SceneryObject><ExtrusionBridge><ModelData><GLTFData><GeoPol><ExclusionRectangle /><Reward><TimeZone /><Polygon><Rectangle><Group><DeleteNavigation><LandmarkLocation><AiracCycle /><ProjectedMesh><Tree /><VectorPlacement>

<Location>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and was used to define an airport location. However this element is no longer used by the simulation and should never be included in your scenery XML.

<Marker />#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define a navigation data marker.

It is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

<Boundary>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define a navigation data boundary. It can have the following sub-elements:

1. <Com />
2. <Origin />
3. <Circle />
4. <BoundaryStart />
5. <Line />
6. <Arc />

In general you will have either:

• An origin and a circle to define a circular boundary. For example:

  <Boundary type="PROHIBITED" name="HYDERABAD" region="VO">
      <Origin lat="17.866666666666667" lon="80.86666666666666" />
      <Circle index="0" radius="1N" altitudeMinimum="0F" minimumAltitudeType="MEAN_SEA_LEVEL" altitudeMaximum="5000F" maximumAltitudeType="MEAN_SEA_LEVEL" />
  </Boundary>

• A boundary start with 2 or more lines to define a polygonal boundary. For example:

  <Boundary type="PROHIBITED" name="KAIGA" region="VO">
      <BoundaryStart lat="14.8" lon="74.38333333333334" altitudeMinimum="0F" minimumAltitudeType="MEAN_SEA_LEVEL" altitudeMaximum="5000F" maximumAltitudeType="MEAN_SEA_LEVEL" />
      <Line lat="14.9" lon="74.38333333333334" />
      <Line lat="14.9" lon="74.48333333333333" />
      <Line lat="14.8" lon="74.48333333333333" />
      <Line lat="14.8" lon="74.38333333333334" />
  </Boundary>

• A boundary start, an origin, an arc, and a line to define a curved boundary. For example:

    <Boundary type="PROHIBITED" name="ARVANKADU" region="VO">
      <BoundaryStart lat="11.376019444444445" lon="76.78164722222222" altitudeMinimum="0F" minimumAltitudeType="MEAN_SEA_LEVEL" altitudeMaximum="17500F" maximumAltitudeType="MEAN_SEA_LEVEL" />
      <Origin lat="11.365555555555556" lon="76.76327777777777" />
      <Arc index="0" type="CLOCKWISE" lat="11.344944444444446" lon="76.76696111111112" />
      <Line lat="11.28311388888889" lon="76.77800555555555" />
      <Origin lat="11.365555555555556" lon="76.76327777777777" />
      <Arc index="1" type="CLOCKWISE" lat="11.407402777777778" lon="76.83675833333332" />
      <Line lat="11.376019444444445" lon="76.78164722222222" />
    </Boundary>

The element also has the following attributes:

<Origin />#

This is a sub-element of <Boundary> and is used to define the origin for a circular boundary or an arc boundary (and so requires either the <Circle /> or <Arc /> element to be used along with it). This is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

<Circle />#

This is a sub-element of <Boundary> and is used to define the circular radius of the boundary, and requires the <Origin /> element to be included with it. This is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

<BoundaryStart />#

This is a sub-element of <Boundary> and is used to define the start point of the boundary shape. The element should also be accompanied by at least two <Line /> elements to create a complete shape, and can have additional <Origin /> and <Arc /> elements if any of the sides of the boundary should be curved.

This is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

<Line />#

This is a sub-element of <Boundary> and is used to define the edges of the boundary shape. This element requires a <BoundaryStart /> to be included in the XML and at least one other <Line /> element. Id only line elements are used, the edges of the boundary will be calculated as straight lines between each of the line positions, however you may also include <Origin /> and <Arc /> elements to create a curved line.

This is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

<Arc />#

This is a sub-element of <Boundary> and is used to define the communication frequency for the boundary. This is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

<SceneryObject>#

This element is used in multiple different places to add a scenery object to the simulation. This element can contain the following sub-elements:

<BiasXYZ /><NoAutogenSuppresion /><NoCrash /><NoFog /><NoShadow /><NoZWrite /><NoZTest /><HideOnTIN /><LowResAltitude /><NoSnow /><NoDecal /><SnapToBuilding /><UseInstancing /><Beacon /><Effect /><GenericBuilding><LibraryObject /><VisualEffectObject /><Trigger><Windsock><SimObject /><WorldScript /><CarParking><SimPropContainer /><Decal />

This element is used in the following places:

1. <Tower>
2. <Jetway>
3. <ProjectedMesh>
4. <VDGS>

This element can have the following attributes:

<NoAutogenSuppresion />#

This element has no attributes, and is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to disable the auto-generation suppression system.

<NoCrash />#

This element has no attributes, and is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to tell the simulation that there should be no crash detection between the object and the user aircraft.

<NoFog />#

This element has no attributes, and is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to disable environmental fog around the object.

<NoShadow />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and requires no attributes. The element is used to indicate that the scenery object should not cast any shadows. You can find an example of this element being used here.

<NoZWrite />#

This element has no attributes, and is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to disable Z-writing for the object.

<NoZTest />#

This element has no attributes, and is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to disable Z-testing for the object.

<HideOnTIN />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and requires no attributes. The element is used hide the associated scenery object element unless the TIN data is unavailable, for example when the user is offline, at which point it will be visible. You can find an example of this element being used here.

<LowResAltitude />#

The element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and requires no attributes. This element is used to force the simulation to use a lower resolution altitude calculation when calculating the placement of the object in relation to the camera. In general this element only needs to be included when the object is placed on a slope and you can see it “bounce” up or down in altitude as the camera gets closer/farther from it, and adding this element should stop this changing visual altitude.

<NoSnow />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and requires no attributes. The element is used to indicate that the scenery object should not be affected by snow, ie: when snow is present, it will not be rendered on the object. You can find an example of this element being used here.

<NoDecal />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and requires no attributes. The element is used to indicate to the simulation that no decals should be drawn on the object. Note that if this is included then you should not be including the <Decal /> element.

<SnapToBuilding />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and requires no attributes. The element is used to indicate to the simulation that the scenery object should snap to the height of any procedural building that is at the position where it has been placed.

<UseInstancing />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and requires no attributes. This element can be used to enable object instancing for the scenery object being placed. This means that each time the object is placed in the scene, the simulation will be adding an “instance”, and all instances will be batched and drawn in a single draw call. For an object to be instanced, it cannot be animated nor have multiple nodes, although it can use fast lights.

<Beacon />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and <AttachedObject>, and is used to add a beacon to the scene. Beacons can be added as stand-alone objects, but are usually added as objects attached to control towers (see <Tower>). This element has the following attributes:

Note that this element may also be used in non-airport Scenery Objects.

<Effect />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and <AttachedObject>, and is used to add a scenery effect to the scene. This element has the following attributes:

<GenericBuilding>#

This element is a sub-element of <SceneryObject> and is used to add a generic building to the scene.

This element has the following sub-elements:

This element has the following attributes:

<RectangularBuilding />#

This is a sub-element of <GenericBuilding> and is used to define a rectangular generic building. It has no sub-elements, and the following attributes:

roofTypesizeXsizeZsizeBottomYtextureIndexBottomXtextureIndexBottomZsizeWindowYtextureIndexWindowXtextureIndexWindowYtextureIndexWindowZsizeTopYtextureIndexTopXtextureIndexTopZtextureIndexRoofXtextureIndexRoofZsizeRoofYtextureIndexRoofYgableTexturetextureIndexGableYtextureIndexGableZfaceTexturetextureIndexFaceXtextureIndexFaceY

<PyramidalBuilding />#

This is a sub-element of <GenericBuilding> and is used to define a pyramidal generic building. It has no sub-elements, and the following attributes:

sizeXsizeZsizeTopXsizeTopZsizeBottomYtextureIndexBottomXtextureIndexBottomZsizeWindowYtextureIndexWindowXtextureIndexWindowYtextureIndexWindowZsizeTopYtextureIndexTopXtextureIndexTopZtextureIndexRoofXtextureIndexRoofZ

<MultiSidedBuilding />#

This is a sub-element of <GenericBuilding> and is used to define a multi-sided generic building. It has no sub-elements, and the following attributes:

roofTypebuildingSidessmoothingsizeXsizeZsizeBottomYtextureIndexBottomXsizeWindowYtextureIndexWindowXtextureIndexWindowYsizeTopYtextureIndexTopXsizeRoofYtextureIndexRoofXtextureIndexRoofZtextureIndexRoofZ

<LibraryObject />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to add a library object to the scene. Note that this is a self-closing element and has the following attributes:

Library objects are those that are included with the base installation of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and are generally those that are shown when opening the Objects window in The Scenery Editor. To get the GUID for these library objects, add the object to a scene, then check the Properties window, where the GUID will be listed.

<VisualEffectObject />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and <AttachedObject>, and is used to add a visual effect to the scene. Note that this is a self-closing element and has the following attributes:

name="{A04B772A-6BBF-4103-B263-D479BCCE71F5}"

effectName="Smoke_SOS"
effectName="Base/Smoke_SOS"

VFX objects are those that are included with the base installation of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 or that are created as part of a VFX package. To get the GUID or the name for these VFX objects, you can check the Template/Instance Debugger window, as explained in the section on Using Effects In The World. You can find an example of using these objects in a scene here: Effects Objects.

<Trigger>#

This element is a sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to add a trigger to the scene. Triggers are used to define regions in the world that will cause an event when the user’s aircraft enters that region. Triggers can presently be used to specify refueling stations and weather areas (like thermals or ridge lifts). This element may contain <Fuel />, <Vertex /> and <TriggerWeatherData> elements, and these elements must be listed in that order.

This element can have the following attributes:

<TriggerWeatherData>#

This is a sub-element of <Trigger> and is used to define a weather effect trigger. It has no sub-elements, and the following attributes:

typeheadingscalar

<Windsock>#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to add a windsock to the scene. This element may contain <PoleColor /> and <SockColor /> sub-elements, which must be defined in that order if they are used (they are optional, the default colors are gray and orange respectively).

This element can have the following attributes:

<PoleColor />#

<SockColor />#

These are sub-elements of and are used to define the colour to use for the windsok pole and cloth sock, respectively. They both have the same attributes:

<SimObject />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> and <AttachedObject>, and is used to to add a simulated object to the scene. Note that this is a self-closing element and has the following attributes:

<CarParking>#

This element is a sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to define a car park area within a scene. It requires 3 or more <Vertex /> sub-elements to define the area, and has the following attributes:

<SimPropContainer />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to add a SimPropContainer object to the scene. Note that this is a self-closing element and has the following attributes:

<Decal />#

This element is a self-closing sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to define a decal object that to be used as a decorative element within a scene. Note that if this is included then you should not be including the <NoDecal /> element. This element has the following attributes:

Attribute

Description

Type

Required

materialGuid

GUID used to identify the material that is used by this element. You can find more information on GUID’s here: GUIDs

String

Yes

sizeX

Sets the size of the decal bounding box along the X-axis.

Float

sizeY

Sets the size of the decal bounding box along the Y-axis.

Float

sizeZ

Sets the size of the decal bounding box along the Z-axis.

Float

opacity

Sets the opacity (alpha) of the decal. Note that normally you would have a value between 0 and 1 here, but you can use higher values. Values greater than 1 will raise the opacity threshold and gradually force the alpha of ALL pixels towards 1, so transparent and semi-transparent areas will become more opaque the higher the value.

Float

fadeAngle

This value can be used to set the fade out range of the decal based on the angle between the decal’s backward direction and the vertex normal of the receiving surface.

Float

fadeDepth

This value is used to control how quickly the decal will fade it’s opacity relative to the the center plane of the bounding box. A value of 1 will show the decal almost from the moment the bounding box intersects the opposing plane, while a value of 0 will fade the decal in/out as the bounding box moves through the opposing plane.

Float

channelFlags

This value defines what the decal is being applied to.

Integer

1. 4: Nothing (it will appear in the scene but not interact with anything)
2. 5: Will be applied to Scenery
3. 6: Will be applied to the Ground
4. 7: Will be applied to both Scenery and Ground

priority

With this value you can set the priority of the decal. This is important if you have multiple decal objects that are overlapping, as it permits you to set the render order based on the priority.

Integer

overrideNormal

When this is “true”, the scenery/ground normal map will be overridden by the normal map for the decal object.

Bool

You can find an example of the generated XML for this object here: Decal Objects

<AttachedObject>#

This element is a sub-element of <SceneryObject> used to attach another object to a scenery object.

This element is allowed to contain the following, which - if included as some are optional - must be added in the exact order given:

<RandomAttach /><BiasXYZ /><Beacon /><Effect /><LibraryObject /><VisualEffectObject /><SimObject /><WorldScript />

Note that attached objects are subject to any rotations or displacements applied to the base object, or any animated parts. Nesting of attached objects is supported but is not encouraged (for example, a library object can be placed that has a control tower attached to it and the attached control tower has a beacon attached to it).

This element can have the following attributes:

<RandomAttach />#

This element is a sub-element of <AttachedObject> and is used to apply some randomness to <AttachedObject> elements. Note that this is a self-closing element and has the following attributes:

<ExtrusionBridge>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define a bridge that will be extruded from the landscape. It needs the <AltitudeSampleLocationList>, <PolylinePointList>, <PolylineObjectPlacementList>, and <BankShearList>, sub-elements, and has the following attributes:

probabilitysuppressPlatforminstanceIdimageComplexityroadWidthextrusionProfilematerialSet

<AltitudeSampleLocationList>#

This is a sub-element of <ExtrusionBridge> and is a container for one or more <AltitudeSampleLocation> elements.

<PolylinePointList>#

This is a sub-element of <ExtrusionBridge> and is a container for one or more <PolylinePoint> elements.

<PolylineObjectPlacementList>#

This is a sub-element of <ExtrusionBridge> and is a container for one or more <PolylineObjectPlacement> elements.

<BankShearList>#

This is a sub-element of <ExtrusionBridge> and is a container for one or more <BankShearEntry> elements.

<ModelData>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to store data about the models in the scene. This is auto-generated and should not be edited manually. It has the following attributes:

<GLTFData>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to store data about the GLTF files used in the scene. This is auto-generated and should not be edited manually. It has the following attribute:

<GeoPol>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to set up geographic locations on the map. It requires at least three <Vertex /> sub-elements, and has the following attribute:

<ExclusionRectangle />#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define a rectangular area which can be used to exclude specific elements. The elements to be excluded are supplied as attributes to the element and are listed in the table below.

This element has no children and is self closing, and it uses the attributes listed below:

Attribute

Description

Type

Required

displayName

The display name for the object in the Scenery Editor.

String

No

parentGroupID

The ID of the parent group this object belongs to.

Integer

No

groupIndex

The group index of the object.

Integer

No

latitudeMinimum

The minimum latitude for one side of the rectangle.

Float

Yes

latitudeMaximum

The maximum latitude for one side of the rectangle.

Float

Yes

longitudeMinimum

The minimum longitude for one side of the rectangle.

Float

Yes

longitudeMaximum

The maximum longitude for one side of the rectangle.

Float

Yes

excludeAllObjects

Setting this will exclude all objects within the rectangular area (in which case none of the other attributes are necessary).

Bool

No

excludeBeaconObjects

Setting this will exclude any beacons within the rectangular area.

excludeEffectObjects

Setting this will exclude any legacy effect objects within the rectangular area.

excludeExtrusionBridgeObjects

Setting this will exclude any extruded bridges within the rectangular area.

excludeGenericBuildingObjects

Setting this will exclude any generic buildings within the rectangular area.

excludeLibraryObjects

Setting this will exclude any library objects within the rectangular area.

excludeTaxiwaySignObjects

Setting this will exclude any taxiway signs within the rectangular area.

excludeTriggerObjects

Setting this will exclude any mission trigger objects within the rectangular area.

excludeWindsockObjects

Setting this will exclude any windsocks within the rectangular area.

excludeSimObjects

Setting this will exclude any SimObjects within the rectangular area.

excludeWorldScripts

Setting this will exclude any world script objects within the rectangular area.

excludeCarParking

Setting this will exclude any car park objects within the rectangular area.

excludeRectangles

Setting this will exclude any rectangles within the rectangular area.

excludePolygons

Setting this will exclude any polygons within the rectangular area.

excludeVisualEffectsObjects

Setting this will exclude any Visual Effect objects within the rectangular area.

excludeProjectedMesh

Setting this will exclude any projected meshes within the rectangular area.

excludeAirports

Setting this will exclude the airport that it has been placed over. This requires that the exclusion rectangle covers the center point of the airport, and will prevent all airport objects from spawning, including towers, runways, aprons, etc… Note that this will not change any ground textures, and so - if the airport being excluded exists in the real world - there may still be airport areas visible in the TIN.

excludeDecal

Setting this will exclude any decals within the rectangular area.

excludeSimPropContainer

Setting this will exclude any SimProp containers within the rectangular area.

excludeVFX

Setting this will exclude any visual effects within the rectangular area.

excludeTreeObjects

Setting this will exclude any trees within the rectangular area.

<Reward>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to setup a mission reward related to the scenery. It requires the <Criteria> sub-element, and has the following attributes:

<Criteria>#

This is a sub-element of <Reward> and is used to define the criteria for the reward. It has the following attributes:

landingsdifferentAirportsairportIcao

It requires the following sub-elements:

1. <RewardHours />
2. <RewardAirport />
3. <DependantRewardId />

<RewardHours />#

This is a sub-element of <Criteria> and is used to set a specific number of hours required for the reward. It is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

1. hours
2. hoursType

<RewardAirport />#

This is a sub-element of <Criteria> and is used to set a specific airport required for the reward. It is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

1. ident

<DependantRewardId />#

This is a sub-element of <Criteria> and is used to set a dependancy for the reward. It is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

1. ident

<TimeZone />#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define a timezone for the scenery area. It is a self-closing element with the following attributes:

<Polygon>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define a polygonal surface in a scene. It has multiple possible uses, for example:

• flatten terrain
• exclude auto-generated buildings
• force or exclude vegetation
• change vegetation type
• specify airport zones (changes the type of auto-generated buildings)
• apply a material to the ground
• add or remove water

This element can have the following sub-elements, which are required to define the polygon shape:

1. <Attribute />
2. <Vertex />

The polygon object will need at least 3 <Vertex /> definitions to be valid, and can have no more that 65536 vertices total, otherwise the simulation will not display it. This element has the following attributes:

<Attribute />#

This element is used within the <Polygon> object - sometimes multiple times - to define the features of the polygon. The element is self-closing and has the following attributes:

Attribute

Description

Type

Required

name

The name of the attribute that is being added to the polygon object. You may include multiple <Attribute /> tags in a single polygon definition if it requires multiple attributes. See the table below for more information on the attribute types. You can find an example of a polygon using multiple attributes here.

String

No

GUID

A GUID-formatted string to identify the attribute. You can find more information on GUID’s here: GUIDs

Yes

type

The type of value to be expected for the attribute.

value

The value for the named attribute.

The table below shows the possible name attributes and their corresponding types and values:

<Rectangle>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define a rectangular surface in a scene. It is generally used for terraforming an area and for changing the surface material within the rectangle. The rectangle is defined by supplying two sets of coordinates for latitude, longitude and altitude, which will set the positions for two sides of the rectangle, while the width value sets how wide the rectangular area will be between those points. The diagram below helps illustrate this:

This element can contain the <RunwayDeformation /> (to apply a slope) as well as the <Heightmap /> (to add deformation) sub-elements, and takes the following attributes:

<Heightmap />#

This sub-element can be added to a <Rectangle> to define a set of heightmap values to the area being terraformed. This element takes two attributes:

The heightmap will be applied to the entire rectangle, and the attributes are basically defining a grid of values where:

number_of_data_values = width * length

For example, say we want to apply a heightmap of 9 points to the defined rectangle. We’d use this element like this:

<Heightmap width="3" data="val1 val2 val3 val4 val5 val6 val7 val8 val9" />

This would then be applied to the rectangle like this:

<Group>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define a group of Scenery Objects in the Scenery Editor. It requires one or more <SceneryObject> sub-elements and will be added to the XML automatically by the editor, if required. As such, this element should never be added manually, otherwise errors could occur. This element has the following attributes:

<DeleteNavigation>#

This is a sub-element of <FSData> and is used to define the parts of the Navigation Data to be removed from the scene.

This is a self-closing sub-element, with no children, and using the following attributes:

<LandmarkLocation>#

This sub-element of <FSData> is used to designate a particular location as a “landmark”, which will then be shown to the user both in the world map and in the world itself when flying around. It can have the <LandmarkDeparture /> sub-element, or it can be self-closing.

This element has the following attributes:

You can find an example of the generated XML for this object here: LandmarkLocation Objects.

<LandmarkDeparture />#

This is an optional sub-element of <LandmarkLocation> used to define the spawn location for any aircraft departing from this landmark location. This element has the following attributes:

<AiracCycle />#

This sub-element of <FSData> is used to define the current AIRAC Cycle. It is a self closing element with no sub-elements.

This element has the following attributes:

<ProjectedMesh>#

This element is used to add a ProjectedMesh Object to a scene, although it can also be used to add a projected mesh object to an airport by adding it as a sub-element of <Airport>. Each projected mesh element requires a <SceneryObject> sub-element to define the object that belongs to it.

The element has the following attributes:

<Tree />#

The element has the following attributes:

<VectorPlacement>#

This element is for adding in a series of points that will be connected by a vector path and then have a model placed along the path, useful for creating things like fences or power-lines, etc… It can be used as a general scenery element, or within an <Airport> element.

This element requires at least two <Vertex /> sub-elements to define the points between which instances of the given model will be placed, as well as one or more <Model /> sub-elements to define the models that are used.

The element has the following parameters:

<Model />#

This sub-element is used to define a model to be used by the parent element object. It can be used in the following object elements:

1. <VectorPlacement>
2. <BlastFence>
3. <BoundaryFence>

It is a self-closing element with the following attributes: