
Installing DSD Ground X Vehicles Extreme Europe in P3Dv4

First you have to install the package from DSD (Dirk Stuck Design) into an FSX, for which the installation file
DSD-Ground_X_Vehicles_Europe_Extreme.exe must be available including the activation key. If you no longer have an FSX running, you can use an FSX fake installation, as shown by Simmershome (https://simmershome.de/der-prepar3d-v4-der-3-way-installer/).

The next step is to create a directory for the upcoming P3D add-on DSD GroundVehicles. I have it e.g. created in AppData below \Lockheed Martin\. Then it is important to identify all files belonging to DSD-GXV and copy them to this add-on directory. The Copy2P3d program does this.

But first start the program Copy2P3D. It first asks for the add-on directory and copies all the necessary files from the FSX into it. In addition, the program goes through all sound configuration files (soundai.cfg) and you can change the references. Because unfortunately some DSD-GX vehicles refer (alias) to vehicles that are not available in P3Dv4, e.g. the FuelTruck. The "MySounds" folder contains alternative engine sounds for ground vehicles. The program asks if it should install these sounds.

Now follows a little manual work: The add-on still has to be registered in P3D. This is done on the one hand by an entry in the config file add-ons.cfg in AppData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4, which looks like this:

[Package.X]
PATH=G:\Users\<User>\Documents\Prepar3D v4 Add-ons\DSD-GX
ACTIVE=true
REQUIRED=false

The "X" represents the consecutive number of the packages and the "<User>" your user name. The "Path" refers to a subdirectory in Documents\Prepar3D v4 Add-ons\, here "DSD-GX". There must be an XML file here that tells the P3D all the components of the add-on. Create this folder and copy the attached "add-on.xml into it.

The file LWcfg.spb or LWcfg.xml lists all ground vehicles, which means that the new ones from DSD-GX must be entered there. Unfortunately, LM changed the xml format and the file format. So be careful when saving: The file format must now be UTF-16.
While the XML packs in FSX look like this:

<BaggageCarts>
   <ContainerEntry>
      <ContainerTitle>VEH_air_bagcart_blue_sm</ContainerTitle>
      <EntryWeight>7</EntryWeight>
   </ContainerEntry>
   <ContainerEntry>
      <ContainerTitle>VEH_air_bagcart1</ContainerTitle>
      <EntryWeight>7</EntryWeight>
   </ContainerEntry>
</BaggageCarts>

it looks like this in the LWcfg.xml of P3D:

<BaggageCarts>
   <ContainerEntry ContainerTitle="VEH_air_bagcart_blue_sm" EntryWeight="7"/>
   <ContainerEntry ContainerTitle="VEH_air_bagcart1" EntryWeight="7"/>
</BaggageCarts>

The converted blocks are in the "To_LWcfg.txt" file. Make a copy of the original LWcfg.xml beforehand and name it e.g. LWcfg.xml_ORI. Replace the blocks in the correct places in LWcfg.xml. You can later deactivate the add-on with two interventions: first, replace the LWcfg.xml and second, set the line "ACTIVE=True" to FALSE in AppData\...\Prepare3D v4\add-ons.cfg (or alternatively in the add-on Menu remove the check mark). And vice versa to reactivate it.

This description and the program are for P3D v4 and the DSD Ground Vehicle Package "Europe". If someone tried it in P3D <4, I would be happy to receive a message with the result and incorporate it into my description.
(=> bb@computerkram.de)

If you own another DSD ground vehicle package or the complete one, you can also use my program, but you have to find out the necessary files yourself and enter them in the lists, as well as reshape the LWcfg.xml entries yourself. But there is nothing wrong with simply distributing the 5 VEH sets of the Europe Pack across the remaining regions.
I found the file LWcfg in P3D v4 in xml format, while it is in FSX as an .SPB file. If you also find it in your P3D as .SPB, you can easily convert it with the freeware tool SPB2XML.exe.

The pushback trucks were previously copied directly to the FSX\Scenery\GLOBAL... directory in the FSX installation using the file "vehicles_airport.BGL" which has overwritten the default vehicles. In order to still maintain the add-on principle of the P3D, it is sufficient to enter a name for the scenery supplement in add-on.xml:
<Category>Scenery</Category>
<Name>DSD-GX-Vehikles</Name>
<Path>G:\Users\<User>\...</Path>

This name then also appears in the dialog window of the Scenery Library, but cannot be moved there and cannot be deactivated. The entire DSD-GX addon can only be deactivated in the addon menu. Don't forget: In this case the file LWcfg.xml must also be replaced.

Bernd Behr
bb@computerkram.de
July 2020
