P-38G 42-13054 "Pearl III"

[Captain Kurt]

P-38G 42-13054 flown by 1st Lt. Charles Zubarik, 96th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group over Telergma, Algeria -- May 1943

93527

[gaucho_59]

P-38G 42-13054 flown by 1st Lt. Charles Zubarik, 96th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group over Telergma, Algeria -- May 1943

93527

the propeller arcs show nicely in CFS2... but the same model in FS9 shows up with dreadfully polygonal rather than circular arcs...
is there any solution to that? What makes them appear like that in FS9? I heard something about the CFS2 model using the
propeller arcs outside its textures (i.e: amongst the sim itself sort of default textures)... can anything similar be accomplished in FS9?

[Captain Kurt]

I honestly don't know as I don't mess around in FS9. Kelticheart, as our leading prop guru, may be able to answer that.

[Allen]

gaucho_59

It looks like the prop texture is not being loaded. Make sure you have the needed prop textures.

[gaucho_59]

gaucho_59

It looks like the prop texture is not being loaded. Make sure you have the needed prop textures.

I substituted the one with the b--24 guy de-mirrored textures with different ones by Keltic Heart, etc.
and that funny looking segmented arc is always there...
Don't know why FS9 does not load it... and WHERE is that funny looking thing anyway? it must get it from
somewhere... ???? It surely is not amongst the ones in the texture folder at all!!!

[Allen]

The OH model must have prop_p38f_blade.bmp and prop_US_p38f.bmp in the texture folder of the P-38.

[kelticheart]

I substituted the one with the b--24 guy de-mirrored textures with different ones by Keltic Heart, etc.
and that funny looking segmented arc is always there...
Don't know why FS9 does not load it... and WHERE is that funny looking thing anyway? it must get it from
somewhere... ???? It surely is not amongst the ones in the texture folder at all!!!

Hi Gaucho,

"that funny looking thing", as you call it, is the polygonal propeller disc present in the aircraft *.mdl file. I recall you sending me e-mails a while back about this problem, and I could not figure what was wrong, but you never specified you were trying to fly the stock CFS2 P-38F in FS9. Don't take for granted that, if we fly CFS2, we also use MS civilian simulators, many guys here do not and I am among them. I have FS2002 Pro, but I long since uninstalled it from my HDD because I simply haven't got enough time to spend for both and my preference goes to the combat sim.

Although I haven't got FS9, now I think I can at least provide a theoretical answer that is, I think, FS9 is either unable to load the blurred propeller texture or it's looking for it hell knows where.

The polygonal disc is part of every aircraft model file and it's the place where the sim engine "paints" the blurred disc texture on. This very special texture file in turn, through extended bitmap texture technology developed by MS precisely for their flight sims, is displayed as partly transparent and partly opaque ON the *.mdl prop disc, thus hiding it.
If you cared to run an experiment, move all of the texture files out of a given aircraft \texture folder and leave it empty. Then start your sim and watch what happens; your entire aircraft is displayed in some shades of gray, similar to the prop disc, just like an assembled plastic scale model before any paint is applied to it. Hence, no texture file was loaded since they were all missing.

When you see "that funny looking thing" in place of a regular blurred disc texture, it only means its related texture file is missing in the \texture folder where the sim engine is looking for it. Providing the original aircraft designer assigned a proper texture name, or "mapped it", for it in the aircraft *.mdl file.

If there is that "mapping" link in a given aircraft *.mdl, CFS2 looks for any texture file assigned to it in the aircraft \texture folder first. Then it goes looking for it in the root \TEXTURE folder. If there is no texture file anywhere in those two folders with its precise filename assigned, CFS2 is forced to display what's available, that is the *.mdl prop disc, ugly, opaque and polygonal. In the case of older Alpha's models, the blurred disc is the very same *.mdl disc, or "coded in", in this way it cannot be replaced unless acting directly in the original aircraft model code. This cannot be done and shared if there are copyrights protecting it, 99% of the cases there are.

With all of the above said, I have no idea how FS9 works. If it works like CFS2, the only explanations for the problem you have with the stock P-38F, overhauled or strictly stock, are the ones I just offered. It could be that FS9 looks for prop textures somewhere different than CFS2, or that the stock P-38F is too old for FS9, or something was done during the overhaul process that now prevents FS9 from displaying it correctly.

After all, if you think about it, FS9 models must be "converted" to CFS2 to work and be displayed correctly in CFS2, while there are numerous examples out there of CFS2 models "converted" to be used in FS9.
It's obvious the two sims work differently and the age difference between the two explains a lot. The fact you can fly your P-38F in CFS2 without any visual problem, while you have this nasty bug with the same plane in FS9, it's the best proof of what I am saying and this could very well be your problem.

Cheers!
KH :ernae:

P.S.: I suggest you to post this very same problem to the "FS2002/FS2004 General Discussion" forum here at SOH. I am sure they encountered this problem a number of times and they have an easy solution for it.

[gaucho_59]

Hi Gaucho,

"that funny looking thing", as you call it, is the polygonal propeller disc present in the aircraft *.mdl file. I recall you sending me e-mails a while back about this problem, and I could not figure what was wrong, but you never specified you were trying to fly the stock CFS2 P-38F in FS9. Don't take for granted that, if we fly CFS2, we also use MS civilian simulators, many guys here do not and I am among them. I have FS2002 Pro, but I long since uninstalled it from my HDD because I simply haven't got enough time to spend for both and my preference goes to the combat sim.

Although I haven't got FS9, now I think I can at least provide a theoretical answer that is, I think, FS9 is either unable to load the blurred propeller texture or it's looking for it hell knows where.

The polygonal disc is part of every aircraft model file and it's the place where the sim engine "paints" the blurred disc texture on. This very special texture file in turn, through extended bitmap texture technology developed by MS precisely for their flight sims, is displayed as partly transparent and partly opaque ON the *.mdl prop disc, thus hiding it.
If you cared to run an experiment, move all of the texture files out of a given aircraft \texture folder and leave it empty. Then start your sim and watch what happens; your entire aircraft is displayed in some shades of gray, similar to the prop disc, just like an assembled plastic scale model before any paint is applied to it. Hence, no texture file was loaded since they were all missing.

When you see "that funny looking thing" in place of a regular blurred disc texture, it only means its related texture file is missing in the \texture folder where the sim engine is looking for it. Providing the original aircraft designer assigned a proper texture name, or "mapped it", for it in the aircraft *.mdl file.

If there is that "mapping" link in a given aircraft *.mdl, CFS2 looks for any texture file assigned to it in the aircraft \texture folder first. Then it goes looking for it in the root \TEXTURE folder. If there is no texture file anywhere in those two folders with its precise filename assigned, CFS2 is forced to display what's available, that is the *.mdl prop disc, ugly, opaque and polygonal. In the case of older Alpha's models, the blurred disc is the very same *.mdl disc, or "coded in", in this way it cannot be replaced unless acting directly in the original aircraft model code. This cannot be done and shared if there are copyrights protecting it, 99% of the cases there are.

With all of the above said, I have no idea how FS9 works. If it works like CFS2, the only explanations for the problem you have with the stock P-38F, overhauled or strictly stock, are the ones I just offered. It could be that FS9 looks for prop textures somewhere different than CFS2, or that the stock P-38F is too old for FS9, or something was done during the overhaul process that now prevents FS9 from displaying it correctly.

After all, if you think about it, FS9 models must be "converted" to CFS2 to work and be displayed correctly in CFS2, while there are numerous examples out there of CFS2 models "converted" to be used in FS9.
It's obvious the two sims work differently and the age difference between the two explains a lot. The fact you can fly your P-38F in CFS2 without any visual problem, while you have this nasty bug with the same plane in FS9, it's the best proof of what I am saying and this could very well be your problem.

Cheers!
KH :ernae:

P.S.: I suggest you to post this very same problem to the "FS2002/FS2004 General Discussion" forum here at SOH. I am sure they encountered this problem a number of times and they have an easy solution for it.

I can manipulate the transparency... even put diffused shines... but can't get rid of that polygonal angular edge to the arc....

[Rami]

Kurt,

This is outstanding, I love the red-rimmed star! :salute: