MSFS scenery

MSFS Orléans City Photogrammetry Scenery

Orléans springs to life with high-detail photogrammetry that recreates the Loire River corridor, landmark bridges, and dense historic streets for convincing VFR sightseeing in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Optimized textures, smart LOD tuning, and refined road traffic blending keep the city looking sharp while maintaining smooth performance around nearby regional airports.

5/5 (1) 252 downloads 700.34 MB Scanned clean

France

Flight Simulator 2020 Flight Simulator 2024

Images & Screenshots

11 total

A densely built urban area with a river running through the center is crossed by several bridges and surrounded by green spaces.

A small red and black aircraft flies directly above a dense cityscape with tightly packed buildings and tree-lined streets.

A densely built city with a prominent river running through its center features multiple bridges and a sprawling urban landscape.

A small black and red light aircraft flies over a densely built city with a large cathedral and expansive urban landscape below.

A small black and red amphibious aircraft flies above a sprawling city with a winding river and scattered clouds in the sky.

Aerial view of a sprawling city at sunset shows a winding river with several bridges and densely packed buildings on both sides.

A small twin-engine amphibious aircraft flies above a sprawling cityscape with a winding river and multiple bridges at sunset.

A cityscape with illuminated streets and buildings stretches along a winding river at dusk, with scattered clouds on the horizon.

A large cathedral stands illuminated in the center of a densely built cityscape at night, with distant city lights under a starry sky.

A cityscape with dense buildings and a central cathedral is shown at sunset, with a winding river reflecting the orange sky.

A view from an aircraft window shows a river winding through a city at sunset with orange clouds in the sky.

Editor reviewed · Tested in-sim

Expert Overview

Orléans City Photogrammetry Scenery offers a breathtaking recreation of this historic French destination, showcasing authentic 3D building geometry and vivid urban landscapes derived from advanced photogrammetry. From its iconic bridges to its striking riverside vistas, every significant landmark captures the city’s character seamlessly within Microsoft Flight Simulator. Drawing on years of flight-sim experience, I found the environment impressively optimized for smooth performance, providing a unique blend of visual fidelity and reliable frame rates.

Beyond the photorealistic textures, the mod integrates a refined road traffic flow and frequent updates that consistently enhance the landscape. Nearby airports such as Orléans – Saint-Denis-de-l'Hôtel and Tours Val de Loire provide convenient gateways, adding another layer of immersion for both casual flyers and seasoned simmers. In my tests, the scenery’s realism significantly enriched each flight, delivering an outstanding balance of detail and playability that makes exploring Orléans a truly memorable experience.

Elevate your flight simulation experience with the Orléans City Photogrammetry Scenery, a meticulously detailed representation of the historic city of Orléans, located in north-central France. This add-on leverages advanced photogrammetry to bring to life the urban texture and architectural nuance of Orléans, seamlessly integrating into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

Scenery Overview

Orléans, the vibrant capital of the Loiret department and the Centre-Val de Loire region, is celebrated for its pivotal role in French history and its picturesque setting along the Loire River. This scenery mod captures the essence of the city with high-resolution 3D mapping derived from Google Maps, providing an immersive and authentic flying experience.

Photogrammetry Explained

Photogrammetry is the science of making measurements from photographs. In the context of flight simulation, this technology constructs the environment by stitching together numerous photographs, offering an unprecedented level of detail and realism. The result is a digital landscape that mirrors the real world, enhancing both visual fidelity and the pilot's experience in simulated flights.

Key Features

High-Resolution 3D Models: Explore Orléans in stunning detail, including iconic bridges like Pont George-V and historical sites.
Optimized Performance: Experience smoother gameplay with fewer texture files, reduced CPU load, and improved frame rates thanks to comprehensive optimizations.
Dynamic Environment: The add-on includes updates that refine road traffic flow and integrate seamlessly with the sim's native dynamics.
Continuous Updates: From fixing minor texture flickering to major LOD management enhancements, ongoing updates ensure a constantly improving experience.

Nearby Airports

Enhance your experience of the Orléans scenery by starting or concluding your flights at nearby airports. Notable airports include:

Orléans – Saint-Denis-de-l'Hôtel Airport (LFOZ): Located just east of the city, it's perfect for both light aircraft and business jets.
Tours Val de Loire Airport (LFOT): A larger facility accommodating international traffic, ideal for longer routes.
Blois-Le Breuil Airport (LFOQ): Suited for general aviation enthusiasts looking to explore the scenic Loire Valley.

Installation and Tips

To install, simply download the package and extract the archive and copy the thalixte-orleans folder into your Microsoft Flight Simulator's Community folder. For optimal performance, ensure your simulator settings are adjusted to accommodate high-detail assets without compromising on frame rates.

Whether you're practicing VFR navigation or just enjoying a scenic flight, the Orléans City Photogrammetry Scenery adds depth and realism to your virtual flight paths, making each journey unforgettable.

Credits to Google for mapping data and to the dedicated community developers for their continuous enhancements and support.

Ready to download Orléans City Photogrammetry Scenery?

Free for all simmers · 700.34 MB · Scanned clean

File information

Filename

orleans-fr-photo-msfs.zip

File size

700.34 MB

Virus scan

Clean (scanned with ClamAV)

Access

Freeware

Content rating

Everyone

Download speed: Free tier is capped at 2 Mbps (this file takes approximately 49 mins at the cap). PRO members download at full line speed.

This is a freeware file — use is subject to our freeware copyright terms.

How to install this mod

MSFS scenery

Extract the downloaded archive

Use 7-Zip (free) or WinRAR to extract the ZIP to a temporary folder. Don't install while still zipped — the simulator can't read inside ZIP files.
Locate your MSFS Community folder

All MSFS add-ons live in the Community folder. Microsoft Store / Game Pass version: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Community\. Steam version: %APPDATA%\Microsoft Flight Simulator\Packages\Community\. Tip: enable Developer Mode in MSFS to see your exact Community folder path.
Copy the scenery package into Community

Drag the extracted scenery folder into your Community folder. Photogrammetry and large mesh packs can be 1GB+ — ensure you have disk space.
Restart MSFS

Close MSFS completely and relaunch. The new content appears in the Content Manager, on the World Map, or in the aircraft/livery selector.
Always read the included readme

Every mod ships with a readme.txt or README file. It tells you exactly where files go, what dependencies are needed, and any quirks specific to this add-on.

Finding the scenery

Use these coordinates to fly directly to this location once the mod is installed.

MSFS format (paste into search bar)

47.90250000,1.90900000

Decimal degrees

47.902500°, 1.909000°

Degrees, minutes, seconds

47° 54' 09.000" N 1° 54' 32.400" E

Paste these coordinates into the Microsoft Flight Simulator search bar when planning a flight, or into the Developer Mode Teleport window, to fly directly to this location.

About the developer

Thalixte

Thalixte is a developer that has focused on creating photogrammetry and scenery packs for the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) 2020 release. All of this developer's releases have received fantastic feedback from many users on various flight sim websites including Fly Away Simulation.

Based in France, the developer tends to focus on creation of European packs however some "further afield" packs have also been created.

Enjoyed this mod? Thalixte released it as freeware. Consider donating to support future projects.