Offutt RC-135 Visible until takeoff in P3D

[dmk6]

I have actually tried recompiling in MCX before posting, but got strange animation errors in the models (flaps look all out of place etc). I'll definitely test the versions you guys output as I am also not sure if I am exporting things the right way.

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[Firebird]

If you tried that then it may very well be that my compile has the same errors.

[rocket_26_]

I can confirm I get this effect with the KC-135 and RC-135s at Mildenhall. For me they re-appear well before 10,000feet.

A list of AI models off the top of my head that work perfect for me (some with cockpit fixes) in P3D V2/3 are:

-KRAI U-2/F-15
-RWAI A-10
-HTAI C-130/F-16
-PSAI C-5
-FMAI Tornados/Mirage 2000
-NBAI F-4/B-2/Jaguar/EF-2000/B-1B/Mirage F-1/F-22/F-18/Hawk
-All JYAI models as they have FSX coded versions

Cheers

Ian

[dmk6]

I tested the WC-135W that Firebird recompiled using MCX. Unfortunately the model rendered completely invisible in P3D. Its a shame they don't work as they are really nice looking AI models for being older.

[dmk6]

Here is an interesting find. I launched this program called AI Tracker X by Lorby-SI. It lets you do certain things to AI traffic, one of which is right click on a particular AI plane and select Systems AI. Here you can force the landing gear up/down, toggle smoke, lights etc. If I toggle the landing lights the plane reappears for a second, then invisible again. But if I hit the button called "Electrical-Toggle Mastery Battery/Alternator", the aircraft appears full-time. Not sure what this is telling the AI and P3D to implement. I can attach a screenshot here, but not sure I can in this forum?

[Firebird]

As an experiment try adding the following line under the [electrical] section of the aircraft.cfg file :-

electric_always_available = 1

If that doesn't help then try replacing the values of the following parms in the same section :-

max_battery_voltage = 24.0
generator_alternator_voltage = 28.0
max_generator_alternator_amps = 60.0

[MIKE JG]

The ultimate problem as a modeler becomes this, what platform do you design for?? With three still in use around here, there seems to be no good answer.

[dmk6]

Unfortunately the Aircraft.cfg electrical changes didn't work. Oh well. I can live with the AITX electrical over-ride fix. It forces some kind of change through Simconnect that turns the models visibility back on. Thanks for all your help.

[rocket_26_]

The ultimate problem as a modeler becomes this, what platform do you design for?? With three still in use around here, there seems to be no good answer.

Modelling for Fs9 like you already do is the answer.

FSX models do not work in FS9 and FS9 models work fine in FSX/P3D apart from the odd one which I am guessing is something simple to sort.

[Firebird]

Adding to what Rocket says you also have the problem of expecting the modeller to have installed every version of sim to ensure compatibility.
If we were a business then that would be a go, but for a hobby we can't dictate things like that.

[gsnde]

I can confirm the issue with the xC-135 in the last P3Dv3 version. To make sure it is the model I will make a test and replace aircraft.cfg and air file with another one.

If it is the model....do we hate any idea left what might be causing this?

The A400 has worked for me in the past, I will test her again.

[Firebird]

Martin,
It seems that the best guess is that its the built in light that Mike described is the cause of the issue. It seems to me that either the mdl is able to be modded in MCX (not sure it can be) or it has to be recompiled w/o the light.

Mike is up to his ass in F-16 parts at the moment so I am not sure it will be a quick investigation.

[MIKE JG]

LOL. Did I mention that my fiance and I are in the middle of trying to buy a house (not going well, deal just fell through at the last minute and we may not have a place to live in 30 days), getting married in a few months and find out Friday if months and months and thousands upon thousands of dollars (not covered by health insurance) spent on fertility treatments for her will result in her actually being pregnant.

Coming here is my escape from the real world these days......

I think I did compile the model and I thought I had given it to someone to test, let me check.

[MIKE JG]

Tried to attach the model file here but it's too big. I sent it to Steve, he should be able to distribute it for testing.

[Firebird]

Will look at it later and get a guinea pig to check it out.

[gsnde]

Send it over, Steve

[gsnde]

Steve, you have a new job... All animations are working well, the aircraft lost it's cloaking device - plain perfect.

Would you please make a P3D model package for the whole family?

And can you try the same magic for the A400M? Or share the process, then I will try myself.

[Firebird]

Thanks, Martin, but I can't take any credit for this myself. It was compiled by Mike. I just passed it on. I assume that he did what he thought was the problem and removed the light part.

Before he makes any changes to other models he will need you to check that you don't lose anything. How do the lights compare with say FSX? Are they exactly the same? If so he can quite easily make them compatible.

On the A400M Providing that we have the source and the xml file we should be able to see if its the same problem, again providing that you haven't lost any lighting functionality.

[MIKE JG]

Well that's certainly welcome news for a change. That one was fairly easy to figure out thanks to all the input from everyone here.

The problem is actually the material assigned to that part. In this case it is a material called "LIGHT_LAND" that is a special material name recognized by the compiler MakeMdl for FS9. MakeMdl 'sees' that material name in the model's file on that particular part and says "ok the modeler wants me to produce a landing light cone effect in the area of that part as it sits on the model". I'm guessing that P3D and probably FSX never carried this feature over and therefore the model is telling the sim to produce an effect that in the case of P3D or FSX, it doesn't recognize.

If you look at the AI model from above at night in FS9, you will see a triangle looking landing light effect protruding out in front of the model during takeoff and landing, same effect shows up on the runway as well. This is the result of using the "LIGHT_LAND" material. Without using that material name attached to a part, you don't get the landing light effect. This is a sim produced effect, not one that can be added by editing the effects section of the .cfg file.

This is the same principle that the guys have used over the last few years to make nav lights for the AI helicopter models. Since there is XML trickery involved in the animated liftoff sequence, you can't attach a normal effect to the model because those effects don't follow the animation. So the boys have used material names that produce a light effect for the red, green and white nav lights which is why the nav lights on the helicopters don't quite look right.

I have the A400M source files as well. Honestly I need to do a few more LOD's for that model. In the meantime Martin or Steve if you have access to that model, you should be able to go into it at each of the LOD's and look for a part named something like "LIGHT_LAND". Easiest thing to do is to just delete the part all together. It is usually nothing more than a simple triangle shaped polygon placed where the modeler wants the landing light effect to shine. This is what I did for the RC-135 to get it to work so I think you're safe to give that a shot.

In the meantime, as my time allows over the next week, I shall try to compile P3D compatible versions of the C-135 series for those users to make use of if they wish. That's quite a few models so will take a little while to get through them all.

Been meaning to update the RC-135V/W model anyhow as the USAF versions are now all converting to the same configuration as the RAF's Airseeker version.

In fact all FS9 users who wish to update the FS9 RC-135V/W model to the current standard just need to get a copy of the RAF Airseeker AI model and use that model file for the USAF RC-135V/W models.

[btaylo24]

Thanks for fixing it up guys. I can fly around Mildenhall and Offutt now without the stealth boeing spooking me out..