FX. Light expert needed to complete RAAF Base ground lights

[fishlips]

Hi Friends,

As an FSDS FS9 model developer I do alright but when it comes to tricky things like adding Apron ground lighting I really find my self lacking in the concepts.
What I have is an RAAF Base full of custom models and light poles but come night time, some one forgot to pay the power bill for the flood lighting.

My usual partner that normally looks after this stuff as gone Awol on me and can't be contacted (hope he is alright), so I'm looking for another person who has a few hours to kill and is a capable .FX light developer. Of course this is a freeware project.

If you would like to help out with this project, please give me yell.

Thanks,

Mark

[fishlips]

Hi friends,

I've found a way of placing the lights via an XML file but they show during the day as well.

I am placing the FX. effect via an XML. file and doing the lat/lon by hand. I then compile the XML. by dropping onto Bglcomp and installing the resulting file into FS2004 scenery folder.

The light works fine but my problem is, it is also visable during daylight hours.
Can anybody explain how I can correct this issue. Can the XML file be turned into an MDL file for use in tweak???? or do I need extra code to make it disapear during the day????

I'm not very savvy on this topic and looking for a simple approach if there is one.

My current XML. code is as follows, but produces the effect 24 hours a day.


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>

<FSData version="9.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd">

<SceneryObject lat="S38 6.23" lon="E147 8.03" alt="7.03" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="046" altitudeIsAgl="FALSE" imageComplexity="NORMAL">
<Effect effectName="fx_ApronLightsYellow100M.fx" />
</SceneryObject>
</FSData>



Thanks for any help you may provide.

Mark

[MIKE JG]

Mark you've almost got it. If you want them to show up only at a specific period (day, night, dusk, dawn) you have to use a conditional parameter in your XML blurb.

So for your code you would need add this bit:

<SceneryObject lat="S38 6.23" lon="E147 8.03" alt="7.03" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="046" altitudeIsAgl="FALSE" imageComplexity="NORMAL">
<Effect effectName="fx_ApronLightsYellow100M.fx" effectParams="DAY=0;NIGHT=1;"/>
</SceneryObject>
</FSData>

If you wanted the lights on for night, dawn and dusk, you actually have to use two XML blurbs that place the effect twice in the same spot. This is because for the effects parameters, day has to be paired with night and dusk has to be paired with dawn, that's the way the XML code works.

So to get them to show up for those three times (everything except day) we have to write one for the day/night pairing and write another one for the dusk/dawn pairing. Using your example you would need this:

<SceneryObject lat="S38 6.23" lon="E147 8.03" alt="7.03" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="046" altitudeIsAgl="FALSE" imageComplexity="NORMAL">
<Effect effectName="fx_ApronLightsYellow100M.fx" effectParams="DAY=0;NIGHT=1;"/>
</SceneryObject>
</FSData>

<SceneryObject lat="S38 6.23" lon="E147 8.03" alt="7.03" pitch="0" bank="0" heading="046" altitudeIsAgl="FALSE" imageComplexity="NORMAL">
<Effect effectName="fx_ApronLightsYellow100M.fx" effectParams="DUSK=1;DAWN=1;"/>
</SceneryObject>
</FSData>

Where the number "1" tells the code to turn the effect on and the number "0" says to leave it off.

That should do the trick for you. There are other parms that can be used as well. I think you can find them in one of the SDK's, maybe the effects SDK.

[fishlips]

Hi Mike,
That did the trick, thank's for your help and advice.


Mark

[Grape]

Mark, have you had a look at this http://www.flightsimtools.com/apwizard/

They have a demo that will work on airports in Belgium and if you like it the program is only $14.95 USD.

[fishlips]

Hi Grape,

Thanks for the link, looks like a handy program but thankfully I've worked out how to place the Apron lights with very little work and FS2004 have a myrid of freeware Apron FX lighting effects in which to choose from. With many people spending there time in which to make these FX.effects as freeware, it would be disrespectful not to use them and most are of very good quality.

Thanks again.

Mark