How do I prevent London VFR and Orbx conflicts in X-Plane 12?

To prevent scenery conflicts in X-Plane 12, place London VFR’s landmark or overlay package above Orbx Great Britain South’s overlay and base-mesh packages in scenery_packs.ini. Keep airports above both. If London VFR includes its own mesh or orthophotos for the same tiles, enable only one competing base mesh.

What order should London VFR and Orbx use?

The safest priority is airports first, then London VFR objects, then Orbx’s custom and overlay layers, with Orbx orthophotos or mesh at the bottom. Entries nearer the top of scenery_packs.ini have higher priority.

Preserve the internal order supplied with the Orbx package; insert London VFR above Orbx’s highest object or overlay component rather than rearranging Orbx’s own layers. If London VFR has separate object and ground-imagery folders, only its object layer belongs near the top. Our method for ordering and conflict-testing overlapping regional overlays covers the wider hierarchy.

How should I install the two packages safely?

Install each component as a separate package and change one layer at a time. Never merge London VFR files into an Orbx folder, because that makes disabling, updating and diagnosing the packages far harder.

1. Close X-Plane 12. Back up Custom Scenery/scenery_packs.ini before adding or rearranging anything.
2. Check the folder level. Each package should have its own folder directly inside Custom Scenery, without an unnecessary extra wrapper folder. Use our scenery package identification and folder-placement guide if the download contains several similarly named directories.
3. Identify each component. Look for the package’s supplied labels or documentation indicating objects, overlays, orthophotos or mesh. Do not assume every folder containing Earth nav data is a base mesh; overlays also use DSF files.
4. Let X-Plane register the packages. Start X-Plane once, close it cleanly, and then arrange the new entries in the active scenery_packs.ini using the order above.
5. Disable any competing ground layer. Change its entry from SCENERY_PACK to SCENERY_PACK_DISABLED. Disable the London mesh or orthophoto component, not its landmark overlay, when Orbx is providing the preferred ground scenery.
6. Restart and inspect central London. Check landmark placement, duplicated buildings, roads, airport boundaries and ground textures before enabling any other add-on.

What if both packages contain orthophotos or mesh?

X-Plane can use only the highest-priority base mesh for each one-degree DSF tile. Two overlapping meshes do not blend; changing their order merely chooses which one wins across the tile.

Choose the Orbx base mesh when you want its ground imagery, terrain and regional coverage, then retain only London VFR’s object or landmark overlay. Choose the London VFR mesh only if you deliberately prefer its ground layer and accept that the overlapping Orbx ground scenery will not load there.

If London VFR combines its objects and mesh in one inseparable package, scenery order cannot extract the objects from it. You will need an overlay-only component or must choose between the two packages for those tiles. The same mesh rule applies when combining other products, as explained in our guide to how global and regional scenery add-ons share overlays and base meshes.

Why are London landmarks duplicated or missing?

Duplicate or missing landmarks usually mean the object layers have the wrong priority or lack suitable exclusion zones. An exclusion zone affects lower-priority scenery only, so the preferred landmark package must sit above the scenery it is intended to replace.

• London VFR landmarks are missing: move its object package above both the Orbx custom-landmark and overlay components. Confirm that it has not been marked SCENERY_PACK_DISABLED.
• Buildings are doubled or flicker: leave London VFR above Orbx first. If duplicates remain, neither package is excluding the other objects in that location; disable one competing object component or use a separate local exclusion patch. Disabling Orbx orthophotos will not fix duplicate 3D objects.
• Roads, forests or autogen disappear: a higher package may contain broad exclusions. Temporarily disable London VFR’s object layer to confirm this, then choose one object layer or use a narrowly targeted exclusion rather than repeatedly swapping the base meshes.
• The Orbx overlay disappears completely: an orthophoto or base-mesh package is probably above it. Move every object and network overlay above the first base mesh.
• Ground textures, coastlines or elevations change abruptly: two base meshes are competing. Keep only the preferred mesh enabled for the affected tiles.

How can I identify the conflicting package?

The quickest reliable test is to disable one component, restart X-Plane 12 and reproduce the same view from the same location. X-Plane loads scenery at startup, so changing the file while the simulator is running does not provide a valid comparison.

1. Keep the Orbx base mesh enabled and disable only London VFR’s object package. If the problem vanishes, the conflict is in the London overlay or its exclusions.
2. Re-enable London VFR and disable only Orbx’s custom object or overlay component. If the issue clears, both object layers cover the same feature.
3. Inspect Log.txt in the X-Plane installation folder. Search for the exact package names and check for missing resources, failed DSFs or library errors; scenery order cannot repair absent assets.
4. Verify the active installation. If edits appear to have no effect, you may be changing an INI file belonging to another X-Plane copy. Our explanation of why multiple scenery_packs.ini files can appear shows how to find the one X-Plane is actually reading.

Recommended combination: use London VFR as the preferred London object overlay, place it above the Orbx custom and overlay layers, retain Orbx as the base mesh, and disable any separate London orthophoto or mesh package covering the same tiles.