Recommended FSX:SE scenery library order for ORBX OpenLC and other add-ons

Scenery Library order (FSX:SE) for ORBX OpenLC + other add-ons

Phil, there isn’t one single “magic” order that fits every combo, but there is a solid rule-of-thumb that will keep you out of trouble in FSX:SE.

Big picture idea: put the most “specific” stuff at the top (airports/cities), and the most “generic” stuff at the bottom (landclass/base layers).

Recommended general order (top to bottom in Scenery Library)

1. Airport sceneries (payware/freeware airports, airfields, heliports)
2. City sceneries / landmarks / photoreal areas (anything that is very localized and detailed)
3. Regional terrain products (if you have any ORBX regions, these typically sit above the OpenLC layers)
4. ORBX OpenLC layers (Europe / North America etc.)
5. ORBX base layers (your ORBX base entries, plus ORBX libraries in the appropriate place)
6. Default scenery (FSX default entries remain below all add-ons)

About what you listed
Your OpenLC items should be below airports/cities so airports don’t get “landclass’d over” or lose their exclusion work. So yes—put airports and cities above OpenLC.

A couple notes on the specific entries you posted:

• ftxaa_orbxlibs (ORBX Libraries) — these aren’t “scenery” in the same sense as airports/landclass, but they’re required support files. They don’t generally need to be sitting at the very top above everything. If you leave them high it often still works, but it’s not really doing you any favors there either.
• Traffic Global — that’s not scenery layering in the same way. If it has a Scenery Library entry it’s usually for ground/airport-related bits. It typically doesn’t need to be above your airports, and it shouldn’t be competing with landclass. If everything is working, don’t stress about it.

What to put “next”
Yes:

• Add your airports next (they should end up above OpenLC)
• Then any city/landmark/photoreal sceneries (also above OpenLC)
• Any mesh products (if you have any) usually sit fairly low, but still above the default base entries—mesh layering is its own rabbit hole and depends on the mesh product

Is the Addon Scenery folder OK to use?
Yep—FSX’s Addon Scenery folder is perfectly fine to use. The key thing is to keep each scenery in its own folder structure (most installers do this already). The folder location itself isn’t the problem; the library order and correct installation is what matters.

A couple quick questions so I don’t steer you wrong

• Do you have any ORBX “Regions” installed (like a specific area/region product), or only OpenLC?
• Are you using ORBX Vector as well, or just OpenLC?
• Any specific airports that are acting up (missing buildings, floating runways, duplicate objects), or are you just trying to set the order proactively?