question about nav lights.....

[lemonadedrinker]

Hi,

I had to fiddle about with the sim last week and lost a few bits (!), but now mainly back together, apart from this question about fx files, the lighting section in the cfg and whether anything can be done. Here are 2 pics, showing one airplane after another, but with the lights showing up differently

is one, and this is the other

what ,or how, is the effect file 'called up' by and why aren't they the same as they come from the same fx file?

Cheers!

Andy

edit: the lighting on the Cessna stays starlike, but on the Electra they just get bigger as you go further away..like balloons on the wingtips. I've changed the scalar in the FS9 cfg, but it doesn't seem to help with the airplane lights.

A.

[aeromed202]

Can you copy over the lights cfg sections for both because there are some possibilities here. 1) The effects might not be identical and the cfg text would resolve that possibility (each light effect uses a texture and those might be different), 2) the effect for one might be part of the model and not part of the lights cfg section and thus would look different. 3) Some screen renderings, taken all together, can strain a processor and effects can suffer and can cause usually sharp lights to soften. The lights cfg text specifies an fx file to use and where to put it. Fx file names are case sensitive so a single difference would specify a different file to use.

[lemonadedrinker]

Hi,
The odd part about this is that the fx file requested by the cfg of each airplane is the same, but the result is very different. I begin to think that the Mr Lucariny's Electra lights are built into the model, as I have tried it without the Lights section and it still works !!

I'm going to try the CalClassic version of Chris Buff's plane as that has the lights at a more realistic level - which I think might be tied to the FS9 cfg and changeable. Of the 4 airplanes from CalClassic though 2 are Mr Lucariny models. and they have the same curiousities with the lights, including 2 placed 5 feet above the midpoint of each wing! A great mystery.

Andy.
I note from my 2 pics the differences don't look that much, but that is deceptive as the lights on the Electra are 2/3 times larger that the 172's.
A.

[stuartcox]

You can overcome the problem (apart with 'flexi-wings') by assigning your nav lights in the cfg to '2' =strobe lights.
They can then be activated without the 'modelled' nav lights showing. ('o' key).
All you need are the right coordinates and the fx of your choice.
If the lights are showing above the wing, then you are looking at a flex-wing model. The wings will rise in flight and droop on the ground.
Static coordinates don't work in that case.

Regards, Stuart

[lemonadedrinker]

Hi,
Thanks for the info Stuart. I 'll try that with the cfg. I think these are more than 'flex wings'; the way the lights are set make it more like a biplane Electra !
Andy.

[stuartcox]

Hi Andy,
I think I might have recognised your problem.
The two Lucariny models are not compatible. One has built in lights, the other (from calclassic) addon lights.
The coordinates do not match and produce the effect you described above.
Here is a light section for the Lucariny L-1188 Electra II. (I use shockwave lights, but any fx work).
As you can see, they are activated by the 'O' key, not 'L'. (This avoids activation of modelled lights).

[LIGHTS]
light.0 = 2, 0.46, -48.35, 0.50, fx_shockwave_navred ,
light.1 = 2, 0.46, 48.35, 0.50, fx_shockwave_navgre ,
light.2 = 2, -58.20, 0.00, 2.80, fx_shockwave_strobe_sm_3 ,
light.3 = 2, -1.21, -49.00, 0.47, fx_shockwave_strobe_sm ,
light.4 = 2, -1.21, 49.00, 0.47, fx_shockwave_strobe_sm_2 ,
light.5 = 2, -16.49, 0.00, 5.60, fx_shockwave_beacon_rotating_red ,
light.6 = 2, -19.30, 0.00, -5.89, fx_shockwave_beacon_rotating_red ,
light.7 = 2, 35.00, 0.00, 3.64, fx_vclight,
light.8 = 5, 32.20, 0.00, -6.84, fx_shockwave_landing_light_double_small
light.9 = 5, -4.30, 22.80, -3.90, fx_shockwave_landing_light_narrow
light.10= 5, -4.30, -22.80, -3.90, fx_shockwave_landing_light_narrow



New lights and replacement props!

Stuart

[lemonadedrinker]

Hi Stuart,

Thank you for your searching work I shall try this mod and post back.
Cheers,

Andy.

[lemonadedrinker]

Hi,
Just adding to my confusion now.
I think I (may) have 4 different models now :
Mike Stone
Chris Buff
J Lucariny EleiiVG model
and
J Lucariny L188 model.
The nav lights are 'normal' size on some of them, but there is nothing I seem able to do (!) to make the lights all the same ie small! I may try downloading the L188 folder and see how that looks as you suggest. I think I have been fiddling with the model files earlier to add textures and try to keep a simpler set-up. Thanks again for the assistance.
Andy.