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Airport Rotating 3D Beacons

G

GaryGB

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There may be a number of differing applications for MSFS SDK compatible lighting configurations in static or animated 3D models. :)

Personally, I consider controlling display / occultation of 3D lights for light houses / airport beacons a top priority, since MSFS (using purportedly 'state of the art' methods) shipped with no rotating Green / White civilian airport beacon. :banghead:


forums.flightsimulator.com

Windsocks & Beacon Lights

the beacons are improperly coded, improperly operating and also are not the correct light flash sequences. beacons do not run 24/7, they operate during VFR Conditions from Dusk till Dawn, or on demand with IFR/IMC Conditions. They are visible at a range of anywhere from 5-10 miles and if...
forums.flightsimulator.com forums.flightsimulator.com


IIUC, in the MSFS SDK, we have thus far only been provided with worked examples of what are 3D modeled "Blinking Effects", rather than true animated emissive 3D light cones (with many Kilometers of visibility upon approach to airport).


I look forward to seeing a 3D modeling savant produce a MSFS-2020 compatible version of the legacy FS2Kx / FSX / P3D rotating Green / White civilian airport beacon, even if it ends up being a SimObject. :scratchch

Some pertinent info and prior efforts to create a custom version of that beacon for FSX were discussed here: :idea:

www.fsdeveloper.com

Light beam: puzzled!

Hi all, I'm trying to create a "beam" to mimic the one of a lighthouse. My problem is that I really can't make it with texture parameters, even after reading and re-reading the SDK doc and MCX small tips. In fact I can't succeed in making my rotating "beam" look realistic, additive but/and...
www.fsdeveloper.com www.fsdeveloper.com


IIUC, at the end of the Day (...meaning at Night, when lights are supposed to be visible in scenery of MSFS as a 'state of the art' ffff_light simulator ;) ), Windows renders MSFS via DirectX-11 (and purportedly via DirectX-12 by the end of summer).


fsx_sp2_default_civilian_rotating_airport_beacon_light_cones-jpg-jpg.69596

(Source: [FSX install path]\Scenery\Global\Scenery\Airport_Objects.BGL)


Note MCX' Material Properties for Light Cones of the FSX legacy format rotating Green / White civilian airport beacon:

fsx_sp2_default_civilian_rotating_airport_beacon_light_cones_material_properties-1-jpg-jpg.69597


fsx_sp2_default_civilian_rotating_airport_beacon_light_cones_material_properties-2-jpg-jpg.69598


fsx_sp2_default_civilian_rotating_airport_beacon_light_cones_material_properties-3-jpg-jpg.69599


Surely, if we already have a exemplary and fully functional rotating Green / White civilian airport beacon in FS2Kx / FSX / P3D via legacy DirectX, we 'should' also have one working in MSFS via DirectX-11 by now (...6 months post-release from August 2020). :rolleyes:

IMHO, "2020 vision" would have resulted in MS / Asobo having seen the need to "Git-'R-Done" long before RTM. :stirthepo

GaryGB
 

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Hi Dick:

Thanks for the reminder about that option for a "sea base" type beacon. :)

I anticipate that we may 'eventually' see a true 3D light cone rotating Green / White civilian airport beacon (for non-sea base type airports) of MSFS in the future, whether it be created via Blender (with- or without- use of the Blender-To-MSFS-Toolkit), or another 3D modeling application.

Personally, I believe there might greater benefit to the FS Developer community if we had a full-featured 3D model import / glTF export work-flow available via MCX, that reduces dependency on Blender or 3DSMAX, which have learning curves and/or costs so steep as to make their use impractical for a majority of the MSFS Community.

Of course, prospective use of MCX for full-featured 3D animated model output of a functioning airport beacon depends on whether / when Arno enables the ability to retain animations in the ex: FSX default MDL cited above converted to glTF, that, AFAIK, contains animation code, which IIUC, is sanctioned for full use in MSFS under the MS XBOX 'Game Content' license).

www.xbox.com

Game Content Usage Rules | Xbox

Find out how you can use things like gameplay footage, screenshots, music, and other elements of our games to make things like machinima, videos, and other cool things.
www.xbox.com


One might wonder if MSFS developers may thus far be so challenged by the learning curve of working with the under-documented MSFS SDK W.I.P., that they are willing to accept limitations of working with 3D objects that are, IIUC, "Blinking Effect (sur-)Faces" (with- or without- 'Face-Me' / 'rotate-to-camera' type display) ...rather than converting / adapting the legacy 3D light cone rotating Green / White civilian airport beacon (for non-sea base type airports) already made available for use in ex: FSX ? :scratchch

Hmmm... 'Face-Me' / 'rotate-to-camera' type display... wasn't that FS 2000 and FS 2002 era technology ? :laughing:

Brings to mind *.SCA files ...and a general move "Forward Into The Past". :oops:

https://soundcloud.com/steely-dan-official%2Fsets%2Fforward-into-the-past-3

GaryGB
 
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UPDATE:

I posted some information regarding 3D modeling work-flow to create rotating airport beacons and lighthouses here:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/3-d-lights-in-msfs.449625/

GaryGB said:
Hi Stinger:

A separate thread regarding prior efforts and 3D modeling methods to make a lighthouse (as an analogue of a airport beacon) in FSX ...is here:

www.fsdeveloper.com

Airport Rotating 3D Beacons

There may be a number of differing applications for MSFS SDK compatible lighting configurations in static or animated 3D models. :) Personally, I consider controlling display / occultation of 3D lights for light houses / airport beacons a top priority, since MSFS (using purportedly 'state of...
www.fsdeveloper.com www.fsdeveloper.com


As I was looking into this topic further today, I also found a thread which shows a 'worked example' created via Blender for use in MSFS:

www.fsdeveloper.com

MSFS20 - 3-D Lights in MSFS

Hi. I would like to ask if there is a possibility to add the internal runway lights of the MFS to his own 3-D model. What are meant are the lights that are green on one side and red on the other, etc. The internal MFS lights should actually have a GUID ?! Or asked a little differently. Can you...
www.fsdeveloper.com www.fsdeveloper.com


You may be especially interested in viewing this YouTube video by "Flying Theston": ;)

[020] Creating Animated Scenery​





PS: Some additional info which might be considered when a light source passes through objects versus being subject to "occultataion": :idea:

blender.stackexchange.com

How do I properly set up a spotlight cone?

I'm having a problem while rendering a searchlight-style spot lamp (i.e. I want to see the "light cone" in the final render ("Halo" option is checked), a.k.a. volumetric light). It appears that the
blender.stackexchange.com blender.stackexchange.com

Occulting Light - International Dictionary of Marine Aids to Navigation

www.iala-aism.org www.iala-aism.org

Lighthouse Glossary of Terms | US Lighthouse Society

uslhs.org uslhs.org

en.wikipedia.org

Light characteristic - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

NOTE: The latter linked web page immediately above uses animated *.GIF images of light types and not code usable for MSFS.


I hope this info helps 'shed some light' on the original subject as you posted it in the OP, and is not 'opaque' to comprehension by others here. :)
Click to expand...

GaryGB
 
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