About the plane shadows...

[Daube]

Hi all,

Sorry if the question has already been answered, I could not find anything with the search button...

Looking at the videos and screens posted here for FSX, we all noticed the shadows were really enhanced: self-casting shadows, clouds shadows etc...

But I could not se anything about the most important shadow: the shadow of the plane. Of course the plane shadow has always been visible from exterior views (spot and tower), but what FS9 lacks most is the shadow of the plane in VC mode... It is very frustrating not to see my own shadow on the ground, especially when I try to fly at very low altitude...

So does anybody knows anything yet about this feature ?

And bonus question: Those new self-casting shadowss, will they be visible also in VC mode ? I would love to see them on my panel while flying

[Katahu]

It's difficult to tell because for one most developers [even payware developers] tend to take out many polygons of the DVC in order to save frame rates and export time. As a result, the DVC looks chopped up on some addons if your viewpoint strays far enough. Only a handful of addon developers like Kirk Olson, Bill Lyons, and others actually take the time to create full-model DVCs.

However, I occasionally fly my P-38 and I do notice my shadow on the ground in FS9. Please note that I fly mainly using the DVC.

[Daube]

However, I occasionally fly my P-38 and I do notice my shadow on the ground in FS9. Please note that I fly mainly using the DVC.

That would mean that some planes would have a shadow on the ground in DVC, and some not ?
I understand perfectly the fact that most DVC are only  part of the plane, and the shadow of such an object would not look like a plane But I was curious...

BTW, what P-38 are you talking about exactely ?

[Katahu]

The one here in SimV. You can download that P-38 over at the Vintage section. It should close to the last several pages.

[Jakemaster]

The Carenado 206 casts the wing shadow in the VC, and I believe that its part of the model

[Ashton Lawson]

This actually reminds me of some settings in a .cfg or .xml file which the user could set.  Something like seeing certain things from views, like this:

[shadow_visible] // 1 = true 0 = false
cockpit=1
virtual_cockpit=0
tower=1
spot_plane=1

I can't remember where or what, but it was somthing like that.

[BAW0343]

In FSX nobody really knows for shure what will or will not be in it. I hope they have shadows but theres no shure way of knowing untill it comes out  ;D

[Katahu]

In FSX nobody really knows for shure what will or will not be in it. I hope they have shadows but theres no shure way of knowing untill it comes out  ;D

I can bet my dollar that the DVCs in FSX are gonna be there. However, that's assuming that the developers created full-model DVCs rather than delete polygon to save frame rates.

[SilverFox441]

I would have thought that this hinged more on the shadow model being included than what is in the VC.

Many designers don't even know that the shadow model is an option...

[Ashton Lawson]

In FS9, i have setup my Saitek X-45 joystick so that I have 3 working hat switches.  The main one to look around (up/down, left/right).  The secondary one (next to the main) to move the camera (left/right, forward/back).  And then one of the hats on the throttle to elevate/lower and tilt the camera.

As I move the camera around,  almost everthing that should be there, isn't.  The default VCs in FS9 only show everything from the default camera postion.  Hopefully, in FSX, they won't delete any polygons, from mjor areas.  Only outside parts.

[Katahu]

Hopefully, in FSX, they won't delete any polygons, from mjor areas.  Only outside parts.

Hopefully. But there is a good chance that M$ would delete most polys for the sake of saving frame rates.

[Daube]

Just another question came to my mind, still about plane shadows, but this time self-casting shadows

It has been said that most likely, there will be retro-compatibility in FSX for FS9 planes... did anybody had some more news about this ?

I ask this because I was wondering if a FS9 model would have self-casting shadows in FSX just like a model made specifically for FSX... that would bring a great improvement to the existing planes, especially to those beautifull payware ones...

Well, I guess the brands making the payware planes will at least supply some free updates for FSX if needed...

[Katahu]

There's a good chance that payware companies would release free updates to their consumers. But I highly doubt the freeware ones would get the enhancements. In fact, chances are that the dynamics might act differently in FSX than in FS9 because there is also a good chance that FSX might read the dynamics files a little differently for the sake of improvement. FS2002 addons had this problem before when FS2004 came out.

[Ashton Lawson]

I just hope that the VCs will be really detailed.  My joystick may be setup to look around, but there are also those who use the TrackIR 4 Pro thingy, where detailed, non-poly deleted, cockpits are required for a really good time.

If you look at http://www.edimensional.com/trackir/trackir.php, click on the Flight Simulation side and watch it.  I thinks its a VC in Lock On, or something else.  Really good tho.

You don't have to look at it if you are one of those who do hav TrackIR.

[Daube]

[quote]I just hope that the VCs will be really detailed.