Sorry for the shameless advertising, but I think this will be of broad interest.
I am VERY happy to report that I have now found the "recipe" for making Airfield Lights Toolbox (AFLT) compatible with P3D v3+, i.e., using simobjects in place of scenery objects. This time it's real!!! (AFLT is a utility for generating custom airfield lights, i.e., runway, taxiway, apron edge, PAPI/VASI, approach systems, wigwags, etc.)
In doing so, I have also solved the effects range problem. With AFLT simobjects, visibility over 10 miles is possible using a specialized effects texture and "tuned" effect parameters. I am hopeful that this new effect configuration is also useable with FS9/FSX - but I haven't yet proven that.
Managing hundreds of simobjects takes a heavy toll on FPS. In the case on my own CYYJ, which has >700 custom lights (i.e., simobjects) the FPS hit is about 40%. But, with PV4 and a reasonably modern computer, this is tolerable. Whether or not you will get the necessary minimum performance with PV3 will depend on your specific circumstances.
Generation of SimObjects for AFLT relies on you having a .xml version of your airport - including custom lights - for any Flightsim version. If you are already using AFLT for FS9 or FSX, you can have PV3+ operating with simobjects in less than 5 minutes (once you read the revised user manual).
This new capability is available with Development Release 2.0.08, available from http://stuff4fs.com. It is implemented using Pv4's "discoverable add-on" facility (which is also available in Pv3 but was seldom used). If you are not familiar with this facility and have difficulty, please review the "Add-ons" section of the SDK.
If you are currently using AFLT and have Pv3+, please give the new capability a try. Even if you aren't currently a AFLT user, you're welcome to give it a try. (The archive contains a full release. But you'll have to expend some effort creating custom lighting for your airport first.) Please report any issues or queries in the fsDeveloper AFLT forum.
Enjoy,
Don
PS: Just to temper expectations, I suspect you'll find the lights up close, in particular the runway edge lights to be far too bright/large. With some work on the custom texture, I expect in the final version that they will be much smaller while maintaining the visible range.
gadgets, Today at
I am VERY happy to report that I have now found the "recipe" for making Airfield Lights Toolbox (AFLT) compatible with P3D v3+, i.e., using simobjects in place of scenery objects. This time it's real!!! (AFLT is a utility for generating custom airfield lights, i.e., runway, taxiway, apron edge, PAPI/VASI, approach systems, wigwags, etc.)
In doing so, I have also solved the effects range problem. With AFLT simobjects, visibility over 10 miles is possible using a specialized effects texture and "tuned" effect parameters. I am hopeful that this new effect configuration is also useable with FS9/FSX - but I haven't yet proven that.
Managing hundreds of simobjects takes a heavy toll on FPS. In the case on my own CYYJ, which has >700 custom lights (i.e., simobjects) the FPS hit is about 40%. But, with PV4 and a reasonably modern computer, this is tolerable. Whether or not you will get the necessary minimum performance with PV3 will depend on your specific circumstances.
Generation of SimObjects for AFLT relies on you having a .xml version of your airport - including custom lights - for any Flightsim version. If you are already using AFLT for FS9 or FSX, you can have PV3+ operating with simobjects in less than 5 minutes (once you read the revised user manual).
This new capability is available with Development Release 2.0.08, available from http://stuff4fs.com. It is implemented using Pv4's "discoverable add-on" facility (which is also available in Pv3 but was seldom used). If you are not familiar with this facility and have difficulty, please review the "Add-ons" section of the SDK.
If you are currently using AFLT and have Pv3+, please give the new capability a try. Even if you aren't currently a AFLT user, you're welcome to give it a try. (The archive contains a full release. But you'll have to expend some effort creating custom lighting for your airport first.) Please report any issues or queries in the fsDeveloper AFLT forum.
Enjoy,
Don
PS: Just to temper expectations, I suspect you'll find the lights up close, in particular the runway edge lights to be far too bright/large. With some work on the custom texture, I expect in the final version that they will be much smaller while maintaining the visible range.
gadgets, Today at
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