Vincent-Monsted

[homebrewer]

No, this is not someone's name. It's the name of a neat little airplane over on Page 99 of the FS2004 Vintage downloads section. Nice model, excellent VC, auto-installer and easy to handle. What it lacks is visible prop textures. There appear to be almost none. Is there any way to make them a bit darker? The thing looks like a small B-36 with jets but makes a short, repetitive, annoying prop sound. Not convincing. Can the prop textures and sounds be changed?

[commoner]

The prop can certainly be changed......simple way is to borrow a prop texture from some other aircraft experiment to find one suitable...

More difficult but better way is to open the prop texture in DXTBmp and lighten up the Alpha channel to get the result you want......lighter is more visible.........the one there is almost black which is why it doesn't show.............

The sound can be changed to one you like better by looking around for a more suitable set and substituting for the one you don't like......don't see another way for that.....

Hope this helps ...commoner

Here's a pic with the Alpha channel lightened up....just to show the prop effect (yes I know the U/C is still down )

[homebrewer]

Yo! Where did you get that repaint? Looks durned nice. And thank you for the clues to my propellor blues, commoner.

[commoner]

Yo! Where did you get that repaint? Looks durned nice. And thank you for the clues to my propellor blues, commoner.

[homebrewer]

" ...open the prop texture in DXTBmp and lighten up the Alpha channel to get the result you want"

How do I do this? Please remember, I don't know much about this type of thing. I'm just beginning to understand how to install downloaded aircraft. I can barely install update files to existing airplanes without it failing to show up on the first try.



Here's a pic with the Alpha channel lightened up....just to show the prop effect (yes I know the U/C is still down )

[commoner]

..mm...that post is strange ..is there a question in there somewhere...are you asking about DXTBmp.exe..........it's a utility you can download...did you get it?.do you need instruction on doing the job yourself?.........or just PM your email and I'll send the file...commoner

[homebrewer]

Yes, commoner. I am asking how one uses the DXTBmp or whatever file it is. Would I go into the .air file to do this? I don't have the usual .air file. I have a little brown box that looks like a package you'd get in the mail. I used to have both the .cfg and .air files as the little blue collection of pages (Notepad), but I downloaded and installed one airplane that changed this, and now all of my .air files are the little brown box. I can't get into it. It's not a big thing for me to have nice-looking propellers. It's more of a challenge for me to get into the software and change things like so many other members are able to do.

Sending my email via PM...

[commoner]

Yes, commoner. I am asking how one uses the DXTBmp or whatever file it is. Would I go into the .air file to do this? I don't have the usual .air file. I have a little brown box that looks like a package you'd get in the mail. I used to have both the .cfg and .air files as the little blue collection of pages (Notepad), but I downloaded and installed one airplane that changed this, and now all of my .air files are the little brown box. I can't get into it. It's not a big thing for me to have nice-looking propellers. It's more of a challenge for me to get into the software and change things like so many other members are able to do.

Sending my email via PM...

Oh dear!....I had assumed you knew how to create folders & move files from one folder to another but it sounds like you have no idea at of how your computer OS works..... I am just guessing that from your talk of .air files and little brown boxes (which I think might be folders). As you say, the propeller thing is not the big deal here for you...you really need

[Hagar]

Yes, commoner. I am asking how one uses the DXTBmp or whatever file it is. Would I go into the .air file to do this? I don't have the usual .air file. I have a little brown box that looks like a package you'd get in the mail. I used to have both the .cfg and .air files as the little blue collection of pages (Notepad), but I downloaded and installed one airplane that changed this, and now all of my .air files are the little brown box. I can't get into it. It's not a big thing for me to have nice-looking propellers. It's more of a challenge for me to get into the software and change things like so many other members are able to do.

Sending my email via PM...

Oh dear!....I had assumed you knew how to create folders & move files from one folder to another but it sounds like you have no idea at of how your computer OS works..... I am just guessing that from your talk of .air files and little brown boxes (which I think might be folders). As you say, the propeller thing is not the big deal here for you...you really need  to learn about the basics of how Windows works :-?

I suggest you start by getting a book on the basics of using the Widows operating system before you delve into changing propellers or any other stuff...you could get your PC into a right mess........

For example check this tutorial for installing aircraft...if you can't make sense of it then as I said first learn some more basic stuff about files and folders.

http://www.simviation.com/acinstall.htm

Sorry if I have got the wrong end of the stick here...let me know if I have..........commoner

I suspect the little brown box is the Adobe AIR icon. This is included with the latest version of Adobe Reader. Installing the Adobe Reader 9 update will associate all AIR files with Adobe AIR & the new icons will look like this.


This does not change the actual files* but now if you try to open FS AIR files by double-clicking on them you will get this error message.


This is really not a problem & a bit of a red herring. There is no need to open or modify AIR files to install aircraft or modify textures. Unless you get involved with advanced FD tweaking you will not need to open them at all. The easiest way to change the icon back is to uninstall Adobe AIR from Add/Remove programs. However, associating AIR files with Notepad is about as much use as leaving them as they are.

*PS. Please note that this also changes the file description from AIR File to Installer Package which can cause confusion. It is just the same old AIR file & NOT an installer package. See this topic. http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1223353733

[commoner]

...mmm...looks like I'm getting confused myself here  ;D

Anyway hb...I'll email the prop file and if you can click your way to the texture folder of your aircraft then put the file in there to replace the one of the same name.........there are two texture folders to this a/c....put a copy in each. sorry if I got it all wrong but never seen the Brown paper package before....thanks Hagar for the info on that.

      ...commoner

[Hagar]

......  never seen the Brown paper package before....thanks Hagar for the info on that.

      ...commoner

You obviously haven't installed Adobe AIR. I suspect this problem will become more common as more & more people update Adobe Reader. I didn't realise the implications when JBaymore first posted a warning about it in the General forum. http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1220191166

Unless Adobe can be persuaded to do something about this conflict all we can do is make people aware of it.

[commoner]

..Thanks for that Hagar..just read your link to JB's warning and will act accordingly ...never come across it before now.........glad it cropped up...commoner

[Hagar]

One little problem I have yet to resolve. After uninstalling Adobe AIR I can no longer associate AIR files with AirEd. I suspect this is unrelated to Adobe AIR & possibly caused by a WinXP update. As AirEd is a standalone application it is not listed as an installed program. This is only a minor annoyance as FS AIR files can still be opened in AirEd or any other suitable utility.

[homebrewer]

I got the fie, commoner. Thank you. I put the texture you sent into the texture folders of both paints, and the props look much better now. Thank you so much.

Yes, Hagar, that is the little brown box about which I speak. How do I get back to the earlier icon of the blue pages like you see when you open a file with Notepad? Is it really all that important? I see periodic references to changing the .air file. I also see that it is best left to the professionals. What exactly is in the .air file? What effect does what's in there have on how the model behaves?

[commoner]

Hi hb......glad the file was helpful...

This link will explain how the files in an aircraft come together ...look down the page at under the heading AIRCRAFT FOLDER STRUCTURE for enlightenment....commoner

http://www.dmflightsim.co.uk/notes_on_f ... _files.htm

There is a utility which you can download called AirEd.exe which allows one to open an look at and even modify the .air file.....he who dares etc  ;D