MAIW_WSMG F-16's

[Firebird]

OK I have a problem here.
After several tests with several F-16 versions this is what I have found.

1. None of them have any shine off the canopy. They all have tint but no shine. Not even D-30 coded 020.
2. The material settings for D-30 020 are exactly the same a the other D-30 mdls.

I loaded up a random Typhoon two-seater and got shine.

So I need to ask are we talking shine here or tint, or both. The issue is that I am not seeing any difference in game.

I am struggling to solve an issue when I can't see any differences. Can somebody show me pics of the differences with correct and incorrect, preferably with the aircraft codes so I can investigate further.

This is what I see in game

[Weescotty]

From one of my P3D packages. You can see shine on the canopy.

download/file.php?id=20945&mode=view

[f47420]

We are talking shine ..

At the top we tint.

This without alpha channel


1 Untitled-1 by Mark Walsh, on Flickr

and here we have shine..
with alpha .


2 by Mark Walsh, on Flickr

[Firebird]

OK Thanks guys.

It is quite plain in those pics from Mark.
From what you seem to be saying is that there is no alpha showing but the schemes definitely have it.

Now with what Hartwig asked last night, it seems that I may have to junk everything and start every conversion from scratch again, once I find out what the issue is.

[Firebird]

OK. I think that I have solved it.

It is very bizarre. It seems that you have to load the P3D version, export it to FS9, then import the FS9 version then make some changes and re-export to FS9.
All of this without touching the material editor.

It seems that the second export adds the transparency reflective.

I have done the blk 10 A/B models. I would like confirmation before I start rolling through the entire lot again.

Mark, I have put a small pack in your folder (WSMG F-16AB Blk 10 TEST.zip)
1x A, 1x B and one texture for each. Could you do a quick check to see that it has fixed the issue please.

[f47420]

I have had a look Steve and all's good ..

What ever you did has worked ..

MW

[Firebird]

Thanks, Mark.

Found out something else as well. In the aircraft folder you can have the .cfg file, the .air file and the model folders but if you have any texture folders the process seems to get sidetracked and not apply the reflective parm.

I spent 30 mins trying to get it to accept it before I tried removing all the textures.

[f47420]

So you remove the texture folder then change the Model file .
Then replace the texture fold and it works ..

[Firebird]

Yeah, I really don't know exactly what made me try that but hey it worked.

[Firebird]

OK after starting again from scratch, ensuring that the canopies were reflective and that a modification was made to the lights, I have finished the blk 10s and the blk 15s.

[f47420]

I would like to say a big thank you Steve ..You have put a lot of work in to this . Trying to get things right .. really appreciate. Steve..

[Firebird]

OK an update here.
Leading on from a report from Hartwig which created quite a few test mdls for him to test it does seem as if there is an issue with MCX converting these. As I am only doing conversions to FS9 I can't say whether it extends to the other sim conversions or not.
My gut feeling is that it is likely to be only FS9, as the other two are more advanced and more similar to each other.

The issue is that built in lights seem to be only valid in one LOD.
I have made a report to Arno and given him all the diags that I can and we shall see what comes out of it. My sense is that it is an issue with LODs and their compilation.

In the mean time it doesn't make sense to continue to sweep through any more rebuilds to fix the canopies because if I am right then I would need to start from scratch again because modding the conversions would not be possible.

[John Young]

If you are only using 3 LODs Steve, say, LOD_400, LOD_30 and LOD_03 (paper), you only need the lights in the first LOD (LOD_400). You won't see them, even if they were added to LOD_30 because the sim can't resolve them at that distance.

John

[Firebird]

Hi John,
The LODs for these models are 400, 100, 50 and 10. It makes sense that what you are saying about the LOD 10 but there is definitely something not quite right about the rest.

MCX creates, on the export, a mdl with LODS 201, 100, 50 and 10?! It also creates X files for 400 and 200 but doesn't compile them?!The lights should be better more visible than they are.

The lights only appear in the 400x file but I would expect to find them in the 100x at least. It will be interesting to find out what Arno finds.

[JohnTenn]

Steve

MakeMDL will always make the more detailed model double the LOD number of the second LOD.

If your second LOD is LOD_60 then the main LOD will be LOD_120 the rest of them seem to compile as you set them.
This is true for GMAX and FSDS.

MakeMDL is also the compiler for MCX FS9 models.

The main shape of the model should be visible at LOD_080 anyway otherwise it morphs while you watch it. Smaller aircraft.
Some people like watching transformers, I do not.

Regards

John

[Firebird]

That is useful to know and you maybe 100% accurate.
The process doesn't feel right to me. Then on top of that it doesn't pass the lights down to lower LODs like you would expect it to.

We shall see what is discovered. I guess I am a guy that likes to understand why something works the way it does.

[Weescotty]

In FSDS you put the landing and taxi lights in all but the lowest LOD.
You can change the LOD 'number' in MCX to whatever you want.

[Weescotty]

In FSDS (for FS9) you put the landing and taxi lights in all but the lowest LOD.
You can change the LOD 'number' in MCX to whatever you want.

[Firebird]

OK, so if the LODs can be called anything you like why not 1,2,3 and 4?
I thought the numbers meant something or am I very wrong.

Also how can you change the LOD number in MCX. I haven't seen any option for that.

Can you confirm that for FS9 you have to add the effects to every LOD, but the other sims you don't?

*UPDATE*
Just tried again and MCX dumps the duplicate lights

[JohnTenn]

Steve

For FS9 each LOD must have its own parts with LOD suffix. Simply put, if it has LOD_050 it will compile with the rest of the parts suffixed LOD_050.

The LOD visibility switch has something to do with pixels visible on the screen. It changes if the aircraft is head-on or side-on. Also, the resolution of the display affects it how far away the change will happen.

The bigger the LOD number the closer it will happen to the viewer.

No idea about MCX options.

John