Hmm...a slight question

[Airshow_lover]

Can i take a code (smokesystem to be exact) and add it to a plane that doesnt have one?

can i place it anywhere in the code?

[Travis]

In a word: yes.

HOWEVER:

The smoke system will (most likely) not be placed correctly on the aircraft.  Since most aircrafts have different reference points and such, the points the smoke emits from will have to be adjusted.  I'm SURE there's a tutorial out there for this, but I have no idea where.  I would write one, but I don't have the time right now.

Also, if the smoke system you are using is activated by some type of XML gauge (on the panel of the aircraft), then that gauge must also be added to the aircraft's panel.  (Any effect that is activated by speed, change in pressure, engine RPM, etc is most likely activated by an XML gauge)

If you can't seem to do it on your own, I'll try to help, and I'm sure there are others around here who could do so as well.

[wji]

Roger that . . . Nick's_smoke is automatic
Cool. (works on FS9 flyable and AI aircraft)
Thanks to Nick for all his freebees

[Airshow_lover]

so does it matter where i put the smoke system in the code?

[wji]

Here is Nick's B747 smoke placed and edited by me in a DHC8-100, Flight-One AI aircraft

[LIGHTS]
//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit
light.1 = 3, -24.8, -41.70, 5.3, fx_navred ,
light.2 = 3, -24.8, 41.70, 5.3, fx_navgre ,
light.3 = 2, -25.5, 41.89, 5.28, fx_strobe ,
light.4 = 2, -25.5, -41.89, 5.28, fx_strobe ,
light.5 = 1, -59.2, 0.00, 18.10, fx_beacon
// Based on: FS2004 misc Nick's AI Jet Exhaust With Control Gauge by Nick Needham nicksaijetexhaust.zip
// light.8 = 7,  -23.333333,-45.750000,0.000000, fx_nicksmoke747      // Engine 1
light.6 = 7,  0.000000,-24.416667,0.000000, fx_nicksmoke747            // Engine 2
light.7 = 7,  0.000000,24.416667,0.000000, fx_nicksmoke747            // Engine 3
// light.11 = 7, -23.333333,45.750000,0.000000, fx_nicksmoke747      // Engine 4
// AI_747 remove the AI_ bit

The forward slashes // rem (remove from being read) those lines which save one deleting them; if things go wrong, the original code remains and be reactived by simply removing the forward slashes.

I use this smoke effect on many of my planes and it looks particularly good on the AI or flyable C-130

O.K., now tell me the DHC8-100 isn't supposed to smoke -- mine do!  ::)

[Airshow_lover]

ok. Now i have another slight problem.

i have copied the smokesystem from the bellanca Decathalon into a F-22 raptor i downloaded from here.

now, it appears the smoke is coming from the cockpit and i want it to start to form at the back of the engine.

How do i make the primary point of the smoke system move back permanently?



Here is the code for the smokesystem:

this is exact
[SMOKESYSTEM]
//vertical(useless), longitudinal, lateral from ref datum in feet
smoke.0= 0, 6, .70,  LICDecath_WHITE

[Travis]

Okay, the VERTICAL (up & down) is not useless, the LONGITUDINAL (backwards & forwards) axis is useless.  Its controlled by the smoke file itself.  If you open up the relevant smoke file, you will see a whole bunch of sections that probably don't make a lick of sense.

Don't worry about most of it.  It isn't comprehensible to me, either.  But if you want to make this work, we'll need a bit of patience.

First off, make a copy of the smoke file and change the name a little.  It doesn't matter what the name is, just so long as you change the name in the aircraft config when you get done as well.  That way, the smoke is still correct for whatever other aircraft uses it, and you have an edited version that allows you to use it on other aircraft.

When you open up the smoke file, there should be a first section titled [Library Effect].  This section is only relevant if we want to change how long the smoke stays active.  Since all we want to is to control where it comes from, ignore the first section.

The section(s) we are looking for are titled [Emitter.*], where * is any number.  There may be only one of these sections; there could be ten.  It just depends on how complex the smoke system is.  To edit the longitudinal axis, scroll down until you see a variable labled "Z Offset" (I'm almost certain this is the correct "Offset" section).  Change this number if you want to edit the forwards and backwards distance.  Negative moves backwards and positive moves forwards.

Now scroll down until you see the next [Emitter.*] section.  Change the same variable, the same amount.  If the two numbers (Z Offsets) do not match, change them by the same AMOUNT and do not make them the same number.  Do this for all [Emitter.*] sections in the fx file, and it should make this work.

If this doesn't work, or you would like to learn more, check out the Special Effects SDK, which should tell you everything you ever needed to know about effect files (or just confuse the hell out of you).

Good Luck!

[Airshow_lover]

Thanks for the help.

I followed your directions and i finally got it right.

THANK YOU!

Okay, the VERTICAL (up & down) is not useless, the LONGITUDINAL (backwards & forwards) axis is useless.

that was kind of why i wrote "This is exact"

I didn't write that. It was in the code.



Thank you (and everybody else who helped) again