Simviation Forums

Okay, this is really getting to my nerves...I have yet to see an Airbus A340 model that does not have those nasty unrealisitic blinking strobes...I hate it...They flash unrealistically and take away the joy of flying those things...I can't stand them...I much prefer the FS2004 style strboe lights...White and flashing at a constant normal rate...Those other ones, they'll blink, stutter like crazy on take-off...I've about had it...All my FS9 Airbus A340 series aircraft have this stupid feature...Is there anyway I can disable those strobes and get them like .fx only files instead of being modelled...Only the tail strobe is FS2004 style...If you don't understand what I am saying, fire up FS9 and choose a POSKY A340-300...Hit the strobe lights key and watch the nasty, totally unrealistic effect...

Rant over... :-/

Sure, a simple Effect swap. I'm really not sure how much Airbus's strobe's differ from Boeing Aircraft, they should be relatively the same.


EXAMPLE :B727

[lights]

//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing

light.0 = 3, -81.00,  0.00, 24.60, fx_navwhi ,
light.1 = 2, -81.00, 0.00, 24.60, fx_strobe , <---- paste new name over previous FX strobe name

light.2 = 4, 72.60, -1.80, 6.35, fx_vclight ,
light.3 = 4, 72.60,  1.80, 6.35, fx_vclight ,

light.4 = 1, 8.00, 0.00, -3.50, fx_beaconb ,
light.5 = 1, 37.70, 0.00, 11.80, fx_beaconh ,

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The final result should look like this "light.1 = 2, -81.00, 0.00, 24.60, fx_strobeh  ,"

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Too replace simply copy the new effect name under the type of lights,

Default 747

[LIGHTS]
//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing                  
light.0 = 3, -150.30, -102.56,   3.22, fx_navredh ,
light.1 = 3, -150.30,  102.56,   3.22, fx_navgreh ,
light.2 = 3, -223.85,    0.00,   8.85, fx_navwhih ,
light.3 = 2, -150.30, -102.56,   3.22, fx_strobeh ,
light.4 = 2, -150.30,  102.56,   3.22, fx_strobeh , <--- copy the name only
light.5 = 2, -228.97,    0.00,  44.62, fx_strobeh ,
light.6 = 1,  -45.05,    0.00,  14.65, fx_beaconh ,
light.7 = 1,  -80.22,    0.00, -12.05, fx_beaconb ,
light.8 = 4,  -16.24,    0.00,   9.19, fx_vclighth,

The more difficultly you will come by is making sure your swapping the right effect, you don't want to have a Landing light as a strobe etc. That's why it's always great to read the effect name first.

Hope this helps, -SN

Thanks SkyNoz, I do know of this swap...but here is the aircraft.cfg of the Overland A340-300...

[LIGHTS]        
//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing
light.1 = 1,  30.25,  0.00, -7.90, fx_beaconb ,
light.2 = 1,  17.60,  0.00, 12.00, fx_beaconh ,
light.3 = 2,-102.92,  0.00,  9.00, fx_strobe ,
light.4 = 3,-102.92,  0.00,  9.00, fx_navwhi ,
light.5 = 4, 99.02, 0, 5.3, fx_vclighth

//light.5 =3,  99.42,   -4.00,  3.15, fx_navwhi , // Cockpit
//light.6 =3,  32.00,  -12.80, -1.00, fx_navwhi , //Main Wing
//light.7 =3, -81.50,   -6.80,  8.14, fx_navwhi , //H Tail Wing
//light.8 =3, -61.75,    0.00, 12.84, fx_navwhi , //V Tail Wing

//light.5 =3, 83.42,   0.00, -13.95, fx_navwhi , // Nose Gear
//light.6 =3,-7.20, -15.80, -14.54, fx_navwhi , // Left Main Gear
//light.7 =3,-7.20,  15.80, -14.54, fx_navwhi , // Right Main Gear
//light.8 =3,-7.75,   0.00, -14.54, fx_navwhi , // Center Main Gear

//light.5 =3,-8.42, -63.70,  -1.35, fx_navwhi , // No1 Enjin
//light.6 =3, 12.60, -29.90, -6.10, fx_navwhi ,  // No2 Enjin
//light.7 =3, 12.60,  29.90, -6.10, fx_navwhi ,  // No3 Enjin
//light.8 =3,-8.42,  63.70,  -1.35, fx_navwhi , // No4 Enjin

I have no clue which one to change...Also, I have read that the lights are modelled INTO the aircraft, rather than using effects files...Is there anyway to disable the models files and use FX files instead? :-?

I would work with,

[LIGHTS]
light.3 = 2,-102.92,  0.00,  9.00, fx_strobe ,  

just recommend making a backup, then try default, and possibly other aircraft like PMDG, the lights are never actually modeled, the effect's are positioned in a modeled modeled casing or cover, to appear that they have been fully modeled.

-Hope this helps, just recommend experimenting with the following light.3 etc. above. -SN

Hi Ash.

Understand what you mean about the Posky nav/strobe lights - they disturb me a little too. They come on when you switch in the nav lights without the use of FX files. The only way to do it that I can think of is not to use light switch 3 (nav lights) in the [lights] section (so that the objectionable lights don't come on) but to use something like the VC light (4) or taxi light (6) to turn a better nav/strobe effect on. You'd then have to position the effects manually (not too hard) and then use a panel switch or a taxi lights switch to activate them.

... OR use Nick Needham's light fix v2, (available here http://www.simviation.com/fs2004misc21.htm) which might solve your problem. I haven't tried it myself but ... hmm. I might now.

Hmmm - I was just about to try out my first suggestion on my Posky 737-600 when I realised one of the reasons that Posky might have for building their wingtip lights into the model rather than using FX files - and that is wing-flex. If you put normal FX files at the correct locations when the plane's on the ground, then when in the air and the wings have flexed upwards, the wingtip lights will be hovering in mid-air below the wingtips ... As part of the model, the lights move with the wings. It's just a shame that they look so big from a distance.

Johnny-Depp-as-Cap'n-Jack-Sparrow has it right when he mutters 'Bug*er'.

Anybody out there tried Nick's Light Fix to cure this problem?

:-/

Hmmm - I was just about to try out my first suggestion on my Posky 737-600 when I realised one of the reasons that Posky might have for building their wingtip lights into the model rather than using FX files - and that is wing-flex. If you put normal FX files at the correct locations when the plane's on the ground, then when in the air and the wings have flexed upwards, the wingtip lights will be hovering in mid-air below the wingtips ... As part of the model, the lights move with the wings. It's just a shame that they look so big from a distance.

Johnny-Depp-as-Cap'n-Jack-Sparrow has it right when he mutters 'Bug*er'.

Anybody out there tried Nick's Light Fix to cure this problem?

:-/

That's exactly it!! I see that at least now you get the idea...Wing flex was what I had read too...I wonder how I can solve it...I don't mind those flashing strobes anyway...Strobe lights are meant to be turned on at take off only...After take off, the wing flex pushes the lights into place during the flight...so no problem there...After landing, soon after vacating the runway, I turn them off as per FAA rules...I wouldn't mind floating strobe lights...You can see those floating strobes in the A330 and Boeing 747 series of POSKY...

My lightfix package has a readme which (as I recall) states the lights on many aircraft are designed into the model file. In doing so the manufacture is using halo.bmp to render those lights. It is the same for the rear nav light on the default Cessna. That also comes from halo.bmp


My lightfix V2 addresses some of that by reducing the scale of the lights in halo.bmp and was one of the reasons for the version 2 release. It is possible to reduce them further and compensate for the airport light scale in the FS9.cfg file however once they are reduced too much they may loose some of their luster. I would have to make a new file and test it for that purpose. The file itself must remain the same format and size but the 4 images of the lights in the texture must be reduced.

Halo.bmp is the same file FS9 uses for airport lights. As you zoom back any model or rendering of the texture as a light will bloom. I understand the idea MS had by doing that because aircraft/runway lights tend to be more intense and have more of a visual 'glow' effect from a distance if the persons view is in direct alignment with the aircraft/runway. The problem is they went a bit nutz with the rate of increase and did not put a cap on it so in FS9 the lights rendered as such on aircraft are too overpowering. I am sure port of the reason for that was because the bloom was designed for runway lights so as the aircraft approaches you get the realistic glow as you come into alignment with the runway.. it is a way to see you are in the right position in bad conditions as the glare or bloom punches through weather. Unfortunately I think the aircraft light issue is a side effect of that and if MS had trimmed the bloom back, the runway lights may not look right or be dynamic enough.

I am not a model builder so I do not know if the option to manipulate the scale of a light in the model is available. Someone like Moach may be able to answer that question however I suspect it is available and if that is so, the manufacture should take better care in scaling a light but none the less no matter what the programmer does, the sim is going to exaggerate the problem which the programmer has no control over.

You can try my V2 lightfix and if you do make sure you install the airport lights because that is the file that will change the scale of the lights rendered on a model that has them hard coded. You must also edit the FS9.cfg file as directed in the readme for the airport lights so the airport light scale is in line with the reduced size texture. Those number may need to be tweaked a bit if you are using hi or low resolution on your monitor. They were designed for 1280x1024 wich was a middle ground between the people using the higher res monitors and those using lower.

My package also includes the original FS9 lights too so reverting is very easy.