Military AI Works

I am looking for a way to manually add runway edge lights via ADE for example.

There is no need for edge light objects.

I just want the edge light effects (like the default edge lights).

Any ideas?

Can you not set edge lights in the ADE runway lights properties Hartwig?

Failing that:

Airfield Lights Tool Box,

http://stuff4fs.com/newpage.asp?Folder=AFLT

John

John Young wrote: ↑02 Nov 2021, 22:17 Can you not set edge lights in the ADE runway lights properties Hartwig?

Yes, I know this, but this does not do what I want to achieve.

The runway itself is only a few feet wide and is placed on an apron that is much wider - like an overlay of a helicopter AFCAD.
I want the runway edge light effects on that wider apron.

John Young wrote: ↑02 Nov 2021, 22:17 Airfield Lights Tool Box,
http://stuff4fs.com/newpage.asp?Folder=AFLT

I already tried Airfield Lights Tool Box.

It also did not do what I wanted.

However it almost screwed up my installation because it contains some incompatible effect files.
Suddenly FS9 did not start anymore with a strange error code.
It took me some time to figure out that this was related to these effects that came with this toolbox.
After removing these effects and when the sim started normally again I did not see any change in my scenery by this file generated by the Airfield Lights Tool Box - no lights, nothing


That is why I asked whether it is possible to place such an edge light effect manually - like a ramp light or a beacon, that can be place d in ADE
However I have not found a suitable effect file for use as a runway edge light yet.

Have you tried the default fx_navwhih.fx file? Alternatively an Obs light, but rename the file and change the colour to what you want.

Unless you want the lights on all the time, use the effect parameters box in ADE when you place it, to specify dawn/dusk/night/day. You will need two placements for each light.

John

It may be possible in ADE by overlaying a narrow runway on top of a wide runway with the desired lighting, however that might result in undesirable tyre markings on the underlying runway. It is possible to change the default drawing layers in Raw Data View, which may allow an apron to overlay a runway and thus achieve the desired effect in a slightly unconventional way, but my experience is that doing so can have unpredictable results. If you were using P3D it would be easy as runways can be transparent, giving you much more control over what is seen in-sim.

John Young wrote: ↑03 Nov 2021, 09:38 Have you tried the default fx_navwhih.fx file? Alternatively an Obs light, but rename the file and change the colour to what you want.

Unless you want the lights on all the time, use the effect parameters box in ADE when you place it, to specify dawn/dusk/night/day. You will need two placements for each light.

John

Thanks, I will give the fx_navwhih.fx a try.

The problem is to identify a suitable effect file out of the almost 3000 files in my effects folder.

Presumably you would only want to use default effects files Hartwig, if you are going to share what you are doing. This is a list of the FS9 default effects files:



By the time you narrow that down to lights only, you shouldn't have a problem finding something that might be suitable, even if you have to change the colours. Be aware that using effects files for lights might give you a very short drawing distance. You can overcome that to some extent by duplicating or triplicating each light ( x 2 for day/ night and dawn/dusk).

John

John, I had a look at this navlight.
It is quite small and not very intense.
I will probably use one of the default light effects and try to modify the size and color for my needs.

What is the performance impact of each effect?
Is each light effect equivalent to one drawcall?
I will probaby end up with several hundred effects when I need to duplacate or triplicate the effects.

Give the Obs light a go Hartwig. It's quite large and bright, but it's red, but you can change that. I'm not sure if it flashes though.

Yes, I would think each light placement will be one draw call x 2 for the two time of day parameters, plus whatever duplication you do. That's why ALTB works better, if you can get it to work. I haven't used it very often, but I didn't experience any problems loading it in FS9 or FSX.

John