Simviation Forums

I am not very familiar with the scenery names and what they do. Can anyone tell me the difference between "land class" and "mesh" and what  they are both  are for?

Mesh files are usually for a certain area and go on top of existing scenery to allow more detail for that area.
Land class files are for a reigon and effect a bigger area and usually a kind of plain jane approach to scenery.
At least that is one way to look at them in a simple way.

'mesh' (terrain mesh) is the elevation data, kinda like the 'chicken wire' form used to build a paper mache model.

'landclass' is the texture bitmap that is draped over the 'mesh' to represent the various land surfaces.

Dave

Dave got in before me.

Heres the easy way to think of it ....... as a papier mashier model..the MESH (wire frame) is the underlying structure which forms the contours. The TEXTURES (paper) rest on the mesh to form the scenery. LANDCLASS is the type of textures ... Urban .... Country... Desert... etc (ergo different types of paper).

Quite simple really.

AHA. Think we understand. If you have a mesh do you not have to have the landclass also to go over it? Have seen many separate mesh only D/Ls for different areas and also land class files but not as a pair together..That made me curious.

You can put any mesh under any landclass, be it default or add on. You can put any landclass over any mesh, weather it is default or an add on. They do not have to be paired as a single download.