F-35 Variants (FS9, FSX and P3Dv4)

[Foxbat]

Mike,

Tried your new AB effect on the RNoAF F-35A by just modifying the F-15 effect line in the aircraft.cfg. Great stuff! I then copy-pasted the content to the F-16 effect, but AB goes off just after liftoff. Any ideas? (Don't bother if you don't want to)

[John Young]

Andrew, all my P3Dv4 F-35A's now have an inbuilt afterburner that does not require an entry in the aircraft.cfg file. The ignition and lifetime timings are no longer controlled by the values in the effect file, but by an afterburner xml trigger. That means the burner lights when the aircraft is lined up and throttles to full power, regardless of the distance from the hold point in the AFCAD to do that. It stays lit for 22 seconds after rotating from the runway:



The nav lights are also hard coded into the model which means that they and the afterburner flame do not produce a large flare at a distance, but diminish in size gradually.

The values that control the burn start and duration in a conventional afterburner file are the "delay" and "lifetime" values that appear a number of times throughout the file. Increasing the "lifetime" values by 20 seconds or so, would solve the problem I think. One for Mike to look at perhaps if he can replicate the problem.

John

[Foxbat]

John, thanks for the comprehensive info.

I know some nav lights are hardcoded on the model itself, from experimenting on my huge P3D4 civil AI fleet and checking with ModelConverterX. I have edited the default navredhi, navgrehi and navwhite with success, and gone are all the bright suns on the wingtips. FAIB's new A320 series now uses hardcoded wingtip lighting, and it looks much better, but the white light on the tail end was still way too bright, so there I also mananged to edit the FAIB effect.

I'll reset my F-35 cfg and do a new takeoff test, then I will try to do a little more on the HTAI F-16 AB effect.

[mikewmac]

Mike,

Tried your new AB effect on the RNoAF F-35A by just modifying the F-15 effect line in the aircraft.cfg. Great stuff! I then copy-pasted the content to the F-16 effect, but AB goes off just after liftoff. Any ideas? (Don't bother if you don't want to)

Foxbat,

Thanks for your positive comment, but my afterburner effect is already outdated and being replaced by the improved technique of embedding the afterburner effects in the AI model itself and thereby eliminating the ugly dynamic light size scaling inherent in P3D v3.4/4 as John has shown in his latest screenshot.

As for the use of my fx_JYAI_F35_ab_P3Dv4.fx file with the HTAI F16 conversions, either use it as it is or just change the name to something like fx_HTAI_F16_ab_P3Dv4.fx and it should work fine as a P3D v3.4/4 light effect or at least it does for me. However, it might not be able to be used a model embedded afterburner effect file due the enlarged diameter of the shock diamonds and flame, but that issue is somewhat up in the air at the moment.

Stay tuned for more on this subject as we break more new ground in the use of afterburner effects in P3D v3.4/4.

BTW...A premature shutoff of the afterburner effect during takeoff is normally preceded by a premature lighting of the afterburner caused by a longer than normal distance from the hold short lines to the start of the takeoff roll runway position for the particular airbase. If that is not the case then the afterburner lifetime setting in the afterburner effect file itself may have been changed somehow.

[mikewmac]

Andrew, all my P3Dv4 F-35A's now have an inbuilt afterburner that does not require an entry in the aircraft.cfg file. The ignition and lifetime timings are no longer controlled by the values in the effect file, but by an afterburner xml trigger. That means the burner lights when the aircraft is lined up and throttles to full power, regardless of the distance from the hold point in the AFCAD to do that. It stays lit for 22 seconds after rotating from the runway:

The nav lights are also hard coded into the model which means that they and the afterburner flame do not produce a large flare at a distance, but diminish in size gradually.

The values that control the burn start and duration in a conventional afterburner file are the "delay" and "lifetime" values that appear a number of times throughout the file. Increasing the "lifetime" values by 20 seconds or so, would solve the problem I think. One for Mike to look at perhaps if he can replicate the problem.

John

Hi John,

The inbuilt afterburner and light effects are certainly looking like the way to go from now on for P3D v3.4/4. It sure beats what I had to do to try to get a somewhat suitable afterburner light effect to work, but unfortunately only be able to minimize but not eliminate all the negatives from the dynamic light effect scaling inherent in P3D v3.4/4.

The version 9 fx_JYAI_F35_ab_P3Dv4.fx afterburner light effect works the same in all the FSX converted models that I have tested as it does in your JYAI F-35C's. So far I have tested it in all the converted NBAI F-18's and F-22's along with the HTAI F-16's. However, this is all academic as hopefully these will all be converted over to using the inbuilt afterburner and light effect technique in the future.

[Foxbat]

Mike, I edited the lifetimes in your effect from 40, 40 and 50, 50 to 60, 60 and 70, 70. Now the HTAI F-16 is perfect, effect coming on at the right time, and burning properly in the climb for a while.

May I upload this effect with my planned HTAI RNoAF F-16 repaints/flightplans package? I will give it a name like "fx_f16_ab_P3D4", and give you the credits.

[mikewmac]

Mike, I edited the lifetimes in your effect from 40, 40 and 50, 50 to 60, 60 and 70, 70. Now the HTAI F-16 is perfect, effect coming on at the right time, and burning properly in the climb for a while.

May I upload this effect with my planned HTAI RNoAF F-16 repaints/flightplans package? I will give it a name like "fx_f16_ab_P3D4", and give you the credits.

I'm still very puzzled as to why you had to make these lifetime settings changes since the original lifetime settings have worked fine on the HTAI F-16's as well as all the other AI conversions that I have tested it on in P3D v4.1 and these are the same lifetime settings that were used in Steve's original fx_nbai_F15_ab.fx effect file that many of us used in both FS9 and FSX for the HTAI F-16 without any issues and from which I based the fx_JYAI_F35_ab_P3Dv4.fx effect file.

Since, if I understand correctly, the fx_JYAI_F35_ab_P3Dv4.fx works fine with John's JYAI F-35C's at your airbase, but the does not with your HTAI F-16's, I'm suspicious that the AI FDE that you are using with the HTAI F-16's might be playing a role in this difference. What are you using for an HTAI F-16 FDE?

In any event, I am not comfortable with a public release of a modified version of the fx_JYAI_F35_ab_P3Dv4.fx effect file containing these changes until such time as we determine exactly why you are experiencing such a premature shutdown of the afterburner that you have had to resort to such significantly longer lifetime settings.

Also we at MAIW are currently working on a release of a comprehensive HTAI F-16 conversion package initially using this afterburner effect file renamed as fx_HTAI_F16_ab_P3Dv4.fx until such time as an inbuilt afterburner model version becomes available and I do not want to have significantly different versions of this afterburner effect file for the HTAI F-16's being circulated and causing confusion.

If you could provide me a copy of the HTAI F-16 FDE including both the aircraft.cfg and .air files that you are using, I will see if I can duplicate your experience and/or determine why you might be experiencing it.

BTW...Any changes that you made for your own personal use are fine, it is only the public release of them at this time that I have a concern with.

[Foxbat]

Thx Mike, good answer, fully understood. I use the HTAI air file and cfg updated for FSX, from this forum. And to be honest, I'm like *very* tired of trying to fix effects myself, so the ball is yours. Not mine. I LIKE it that way

[mikewmac]

Thx Mike, good answer, fully understood. I use the HTAI air file and cfg updated for FSX, from this forum. And to be honest, I'm like *very* tired of trying to fix effects myself, so the ball is yours. Not mine. I LIKE it that way

I feel your pain Foxbat. I'm pretty tired of working with afterburner light effect files in P3D v3.4 and 4.1 myself.

I wasn't aware that anyone had updated and released an HTAI F-16 FDE for use in FSX and that might just be the cause of your problem.

Could you direct me to where you found it please.

Thanks.

[Foxbat]

Mike, get this one: https://militaryaiworks.com/download-ha ... n-packages

F-16's world wide in one package. But they use the old "nuclear" AB, so this I did replace.

[mikewmac]

Mike, get this one: https://militaryaiworks.com/download-ha ... n-packages

F-16's world wide in one package. But they use the old "nuclear" AB, so this I did replace.

Thanks Foxbat,

I just downloaded that package and as far as I can tell it contains the original FS9 HTAI F-16 FDE by Henry Tomkiewicz and not one updated for FSX. The package appears to only contain models and textures updated for FSX.

Tomorrow I'll run some tests and see if this AI FDE may be the cause of your different experience from mine when using the fx_JYAI_F35_ab_P3Dv4.fx afterburner effect file with the HTAI F-16's.

[gsnde]

The package indeed contains the original version, Mike.

Where should it have come from if not from you...

[John Young]

Short update for this week.

As can be seen from the above, we’ve been busy with various afterburner experiments for P3Dv4, to display at the correct size and with no inflated “fireball” at a distance. I think we have solved that.

The 25 F-35A paints for Eglin are all done and set up in the 3 sim versions. These augment the F-35C’s already there. The existing MAIW Hill AFB scenery is also set up in the 3 sim versions ready for the 34th FS paints that I’m hoping to finish this weekend. They can use the flight plan slots used previously by the F-16C’s that the squadron relinquished.

That only leaves me with 8 F-35A’s for Nellis and 9 for Edwards AFB. That will complete all 3 F-35 variants and paints (250 aircraft) for the 3 sim versions ready to go with the existing scenery or newly completed upgrades by Brent and Giorgio.

I’m hoping I can release the F-35A’s and B’s in close order, but in conjunction with the remaining scenery enhancements that are in hand with Hartwig (Pax River), Andrew (Ørland), Martin (Iwakuni coastlines for FSX/P3D) and Giorgio (Amendola).

John

[tbump34]

Hello all,

Apologies for hijacking this topic (certainly not my intent), but I was hoping for some guidance on how to get the missing texture elements added to my P3D v4 sim. In the pictures, you will notice that the wheels and cockpit textures are missing from both the Lemoore and Eglin sceneries on my rig.

[John Young]

That's a very strange result. The aircraft in the foreground is correctly rendered and has to be from the FSX package as it's visible with all its parts - unless it's a flyable aircraft you've found elsewhere.

Those in the background look like they are from the FS9 package because all the animated parts are not working.

If it were a simple case that the wheels are down but not textured, then you haven't installed the common texture - see the installation steps in the manual.

Just check exactly what you have installed and come back with the result.

John

[Woogey]

He has installed the FS9 Models, instead of the FSX/P3d models. If they were missing the texture, they would appear, but be black instead. The model you see with wheels is in fact Dino Cataneo’s F-35 model which IS a flyable Sim.

“T Bump” you need to install the specific FSX/P3d model, of which only the Navy Version F-35C has been released as of this very moment.

-Woog

[John Young]

So why post a screen shot of a prominent aircraft that has nothing to do with the problem? Why not just screen shot the problematic AI?

John

[tbump34]

So why post a screen shot of a prominent aircraft that has nothing to do with the problem? Why not just screen shot the problematic AI?

John

John,

I wasn’t clear in my post so apologies for the confusion. The aircraft pictured with landing gear is indeed Dino’s F-35. I was attempting to provide an external view of the other aircraft that came with your package but I can see how that picture could be misinterpreted. I am in the process of doing a complete reinstall of my P3D v4 set up to see if that’ll fix things.

Thanks again for the help and sorry for the confusion.

R,
Tbump34

[Firebird]

OK, so we should ignore the first pic and wait for one of the issue.

In the mean time can you confirm that you are using the FSX models, from the FSX package, in FSX?

[tbump34]

OK, so we should ignore the first pic and wait for one of the issue.

In the mean time can you confirm that you are using the FSX models, from the FSX package, in FSX?

Firebird,

Thanks for the reply. To answer your question, yes, I used the aircraft from the following link:

JYAI_F-35s_Part3_Cs_FSX_1.zip/FSX/SimObjects/Airplanes

I copied and pasted the three folders from that file into my P3D v4 airplanes folder as instructed. I then added the two textures.