FS Action! Scenery

Dynamic Object Libraries

FS Action! Scenery lets you animate Flight Simulator sceneries by adding 'dynamic objects' - planes, trucks, autos, and more. FS Action! Scenery includes a dozen new objects, but thousands of users are asking for more.

If you're one of those users that are looking for new dynamic objects to add to your scenery, you've come to the right place.

Louis Sinclair, author of FS Action! Scenery, has organized this page of new Dynamic Object Libraries. Each library contains a new set of objects for you to use with FS Action! Scenery and Rafael Sanchez's freeware Dynamic Object Designer.

If you'd like to find out more about dynamic scenery or would like to contribute your own objects to another library set, please read on.

If you'd just like to download new objects, click here.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  A brief explanation of the new capabilities of dynamic scenery in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 and Flight Simulator 98/
• Aircraft Developers
  If you develop aircraft for MSFS, we'd like to help you promote your work through participation in this project.
• The Tools of the Trade
  If you want to create your own objects to use as dynamic scenery, here is a list of tools to help get you started.
• The Process
  Briefly outlines the steps required to create a dynamic object from scratch.
• Download the Free Object Libraries
  Here's the free stuff! Several collections of free dynamic scenery objects. Check back periodically for new objects.
• Installing the Libraries
  This tells you how to install the libraries after you download them.

Introduction

The Dynamic Object Libraries is a service devised by Louis Sinclair and provided by Abacus to encourage you to use custom dynamic scenery with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 and Flight Simulator 98. Before FS2000 and FS98, dynamic scenery (moving vehicles and objects) was limited to just a few simple vehicles. Both FS2000 and FS98 add the ability to use custom objects in dynamic scenery using an Object Library concept. Using widely available tools, you now have the capability to create any aircraft (or other object) and animate it in FS2000 and FS98. In addition, you are able to convert most of the thousands of custom aircraft available on the Internet and from retail outlets into dynamic objects.

Abacus is starting this exciting project by offering free dynamic scenery versions of the aircraft from our collection of Flight Sim add-ons. We hope that other developers (freeware and commercial) will contribute their objects to this project. This will help encourage the growth of this area of flight simulation, as well as provide the opportunity for the developers to generate more interest in their products.

Aircraft Developers

If you are a commercial, shareware, or freeware aircraft developer, offering free objects for dynamic scenery is a good way to generate interest in your product. Please contact Abacus by email for information on participating in this project. We'll provide ordering information and/or direct links to your internet site.

The Tools of the Trade

Several programs are available that assist in the development of dynamic objects and scenery that uses them. Until recently, you had to tediously hand-write computer programs and compile them with special compilers designed for developing scenery. Now, software is available that creates the programs for you, making it possible for non-programmers to create their own dynamic scenery by simply recording a flight in Flight Simulator, and converting it into dynamic scenery.

FSASM Flight Sim Flight Recorder

Created by Adam Szofran, the Flight Recorder is an add-on for Flight Simulator that creates a text file containing your aircraft's position and orientation during the flight. This data is recorded one every second. This software is available from:
http://www.halcyon.com/zof/

DynaGen

Written by Andrew Roach, DynaGen is a DOS utility that uses a recorded flight created with the Flight Sim Flight Recorder and converts it into a program file that can be compiled with the SCASM scenery compiler. Andrew deserves much credit for this innovative program. It was the forerunner to newer programs such as 'DynMaker,' 'Dynamic Object Designer' and 'FS Action! Scenery.'

Availability of this utility is unknown. If you know of an address where this is available, please let us know at mailto:info@abacuspub.com.

SCASM

Manfred Moldenhauer wrote the SCASM scenery compiler. Many scenery utilities depend on SCASM or FSASM (described below) to translate their commands into actual Flight Sim scenery. Note: Some versions of SCASM do not properly compile dynamic scenery files.

An old version is available at http://www.mikem.dahle.net/files/scasm17.zip

A new version that supports the new Flight Sim Object Libraries (see 'DynKit' below) comes with 'Dynamic Object Designer' (below.)

FSASM

Written by Adam Szofran, FSASM compiles program source files into Flight Sim scenery files. Many scenery utilities depend on FSASM or SCASM (described above) to translate their commands into actual Flight Sim scenery. Available from:
http://www.halcyon.com/zof/

DynMaker

By Louis Sinclair, DynMaker reads a file recorded with the Flight Simulator Flight Recorder and converts it into dynamic scenery. It also allows your flights to be viewed on-screen and provides some simple editing capabilities. It is available from:
ftp://ftp.visi.com/users/rundio/DynmakerInstall.exe

Dynamic Object Designer

By Rafael Sanchez, DOD allows you to use flights recorded with the FSASM Flight Sim Flight Recorder (see above) to create your dynamic scenery. It also allows you to manually enter your path through direct command entry or by plotting points on the screen. DOD is available at:
http://members.tripod.com/~rafasan/index.htm

This site also has a collection of dynamic scenery objects available for downloading.

FS Action! Scenery

From Abacus Software, FS Action! Scenery is the grown up version of DynMaker by Louis Sinclair. Requiring no additional software except for Microsoft Flight Simulator, it allows you to develop your dynamic scenery on a graphic representation of the scenery files your vehicles will populate. More information is available here

Flight Shop

Originally published by BAO, and now available from Apollo Software, Flight Shop allows you to create your own aircraft for Microsoft Flight Simulator. You can fly your home-made plane in Flight Simulator and convert it to a dynamic scenery object to use in your own dynamic scenery projects. More information is available at:
http://www.apollosoftware.com

Aircraft Factory 99

The successor to Flight Shop (above). AF99 has been updated by author Laemming Wheeler and can be used with both FS2000 and FS98. More information is available at:
http://www.abacuspub.com/catalog/s359.htm

DynKit

By Konstantin Kukushkin, DynKit can convert most aircraft available on the Internet or created with Flight Shop into Flight Sim Object Libraries, which can be used as dynamic scenery objects. This is a must-have if you want to expand your dynamic object collection to the max! Available at:
http://kuku.terminator.com/fs/dynkit/

Microsoft Conversion Utility

This program from Microsoft will convert Flight Shop created aircraft from earlier versions of Flight Simulator into FS98 format. This is necessary for the DynKit utility to do the final conversion into dynamic scenery objects. It is available from:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/fsim/converter.htm

The Process

You can download the pre-built object libraries from here or other sites. If so, you can skip this section. Or you can build your own fleet of planes from scratch (for the hard-core enthusiast only!) Or you can convert planes you've purchased or downloaded from the Internet into your own dynamic libraries. The steps required to create an aircraft and convert it to a dynamic object in Flight Simulator 98 are briefly described below. For information on any of the software mentioned here, see Tools of the Trade above.

1. Create an aircraft in 'Aircraft Factory 99' or 'Flight Shop'

This subject could fill a book all by itself. Most people will simply find planes already created and skip this step. 'Aircraft Factory 99' from Abacus allows you to create planes you can fly in FS2000 and FS98. 'Flight Shop' from BAO/Apollo allows you to create planes you can fly in Flight Simulator 5.1.

2. Convert the aircraft to Flight Simulator 98

The 'Microsoft Flight Sim Converter' program will convert the aircraft into the FS98 format. This is required before the DynKit program will recognize it.

3. Convert the aircraft's .mdl file into Object Library objects

Use the 'DynKit' program to create a dynamic library containing your new objects. The aircraft's .mdl file is located in the 'aircraft/model' directory of your FS98 install directory. There may soon be a version for that works with FS2000.

4. Install the Dynamic Object Library in Flight Sim 98

All the aircraft textures must be copied to the main Flight Sim texture directory, and the object library file must be copied to the main Flight Sim scenery directory (or another active scenery directory.)

5. Create dynamic scenery using your new Object Library

Choose a program to create your dynamic scenery paths. Currently, 'Dynamic Object Designer' and 'FS Action! Scenery' are the only tools that directly support the use of Object Libraries. However, dynamic scenery created with 'DynaGen' or 'DynMaker' can be converted to use objects in Object Libraries with a utility that's included with 'DynKit.'

6. Go flying, and watch out for other traffic! 

Download the Free Object Libraries

The following object libraries are available for download and use in Flight Simulator 98. If you want to obtain flyable versions of the planes, we provide links to the aircraft authors' page where available, or tell you how you can find them. We encourage you to do this because your dynamic scenery will look the best if it's recorded using the same plane that you'll be using in the scenery, and to support their tremendous efforts to enhance our flight simming experience.

Available Libraries

Description	Screen Shot	Description	Credits
Abacus Flight Deck: World War II F4U-1D USMC Corsair F6F-3 USN Hellcat F4F-3 USN Wildcat F8F-1 USN Bearcat F6F-5 USN Hellcat FM-2 USN Wildcat SBD Dauntless Download FS98 Version Download FS2000 Version Size: 418 KB		Aircraft carrier planes from the WWII era. From the Abacus 'Flight Deck' product.	Abacus Models by Paul Hartl
Abacus Flight Deck: Korean War Era F7F Tigercat AD-6 USN Skyraider AD-1 USN Skyraider F2H-2P USN Banshee F4U-4B USN Corsair F2H-2 USN Banshee F11F USN Tiger FJ-3 USN Fury F2H-4 USN Banshee F9F-5 USMC Panther F9F-6 USMC Cougar Download FS98 Version Download FS2000 Version Size: 464KB		Aircraft carrier planes from the Korean War era. From the Abacus 'Flight Deck' product.	Abacus Aircraft by Paul Hartl
Abacus Flight Deck: Modern A-6A Intruder S-3 USN Viking E-2C USN Hawkeye F/A-18A USMC Hornet F-8E (F8U) USN Crusader F-4S USN Phantom II A-4E USMC Skyhawk F-14D USN Super Tomcat F/A-18A USN Hornet A-7E USN Corsair II Download FS98 Version Download FS2000 Version Size: 393 KB		Aircraft carrier planes from the Vietnam War era and later. From the Abacus 'Flight Deck' product.	Abacus Aircraft by Paul Hartl
Abacus Library #1 ATR 42-300 Cessna 550 Citation II DHC2 Beaver Floatplane Cessna 421c Golden Eagle II Cessna 208A Caravan AST Download FS98 Version Download FS2000 Version Size: 239KB		Miscellaneous aircraft from the Abacus 'African Safari' and 'Dangerous Airports' products.	Abacus Aircraft by M.D. Baclawski Tony Bolton David Lewis

Installing the Libraries for FS98

Download the library you want to install by clicking on the "download" link under the title. Make sure you remember where you save the file so you can locate it later. The file are self-extracting .exe files. The "Setup.exe" file will run automatically to install the files into FS98, or if you prefer to do it manually, or the setup program can't find your FS98 install directory, follow the steps below. In the instructions below, it is assumed your copy of Flight Simulator is installed in "c:\FS98" and the directory you unzipped the files into is "c:\windows\temp." Substitute the proper path names for your system.

Locate your FS98 install directory.

1. Copy all the files in the c:\windows\temp\scenery directory into the c:\FS98\scenery directory.
2. Copy all the files in the c:\windows\temp\texture directory into the c:\FS98\texture directory.
3. Delete the c:\windows\temp\scenery directory.
4. Delete the c:\windows\temp\texture directory.

Note: the .bgl file and .dki files may need to be placed in directories other than indicated above, depending on the requirements of the dynamic scenery development tool you use. Consult your documentation for details.

Installing the Libraries for FS2000

Download the library you want to install by clicking on the "download" link under the title. Make sure you remember where you save the file so you can locate it later.

The file are self-extracting .exe files. Please ignore the message about FS98 when the self-extracting program begins. The "Setup.exe" file will want to install the files into FS98. Be sure to change the folder to pointo to your main FS2000 folder or if you prefer to do it manually follow the steps below. In the instructions below, it is assumed your copy of Flight Simulator is installed in "c:\FS2000" and the directory you unzipped the files into is "c:\windows\temp." Substitute the proper path names for your system.

Locate your FS2000 install directory.

1. Copy all the files in the c:\windows\temp\scenery directory into the c:\FS2000\scenery directory.
2. Copy all the files in the c:\windows\temp\texture directory into the c:\FS2000\texture directory.
3. Delete the c:\windows\temp\scenery directory.
4. Delete the c:\windows\temp\texture directory.

Note: the .bgl file and .dki files may need to be placed in directories other than indicated above, depending on the requirements of the dynamic scenery development tool you use. Consult your documentation for details.

Go To Top