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GMAX Light Tutorial

Tom, thanks, I'll try later. I attached the effect to the cubes, have I to attach DAY-NIGHT and DAWN-DUSK effect to the plane, correct?
 
I think you need two different polygons, one for DAY-NIGHT and one for DAWN-DUSK, as far as I know.
 
Ok guys, I redid all steps from scratch:

1) created a box 0,5x0,5x0,5m
2) create a plane, convert to editable mesh
3) clone that plane
4) attach the effect fx_beaconr.fx (red) to the first plane (DAY=0;NIGHT=1)
5) attach the effect fx_beacong.fx (green) to the second plane (DAWN=1;DUSK=1)
6) create the GUID
7) save and exported as .X
8) convert .X to .MDL with MCX
9) placed obejct with ADE

upload_2015-10-21_23-42-29.png



This is what I get in FSX:

Day condition, apparently correct (DAY=0):

upload_2015-10-21_23-50-51.png



But if I watch the cube from the other side:

upload_2015-10-21_23-51-34.png



And this is in dawn condition (viewd from two sides), wrong because I should see green beacon lighted, instead:

upload_2015-10-21_23-52-56.png


upload_2015-10-21_23-53-9.png


My doubt is, may I need a texture to see the effect? I didn't copy any texture in my /addon scenery/Treviso/texture folder maybe the error is here?

Thanks for your help
 
Since your box is on top of the plane, and you attached the effect to the plane, I guess your effect might be inside the box now. How about you raise the plane a bit.
 
Arno, do you mean to raise up till the end of the box or a bit above the ground? in this second option the effect would always be inside the cube...
 
Ok, tried to lift up the planes till the end of the box, no success.

Are you sure I can attach an effect to a simple plane (editable mesh) or I need to attach it to a polygon of a mesh, like a box for example?
 
Today I tried another time to attach the effcts

1) I tried with gmax and something seems to work, I feebly see the effect at a certain distance, then as I approached the effect it disappeared. But seem to work, maybe the problem was the effect: fx_navwhi

2) the same steps with 3DS Max doesn't work

any ideas?
 
Ok guys I definetly found that you can't attach effect with 3DS Max, at least with stesp above.

In gmax there is no problem, effect works perfectly.

I need Max for my scenery because entire my airport was made with 3DS.

Any help?

EDIT: maybe can help.....every time I want to attach an effect in 3ds it says:"I can't find you Prepar3D effects directory. Please locate the effect directory you want to chose from" so I browse manually every time I want to attach an effect.

In gmax this problem doesn't exist, if I click attach point tool it open my effects directory

I have on installed FSX:SE and use P3D1.4 and P3D 2.5 SDK

I think it's a .X format file issue, the .mldl created with gmax works perfectly.


EDIT2: if I attach the effect with MCX it appears in FSX, but can select the geometry to attach to.
 
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In MCX you can just enter the coordinates of the effect, it's not attached to geometry.
 
Thanks, but I find more confortable to attach effect via gmax/max.

I'd like to know why Max 2015 doesn't work, what could be the matter?

Instead I try another way, imported 3ds model in gmax with BFF script, and create lights in gmax. A simple question: when I create a light and its effect can I clone it or I have to mandatory use Nick script to attach effect to multiple light objects?
 
Thanks for tutorial, I know it.

I haven't problem with effect, Max has. It can't export effect, or maybe there is some issue when exporting .X file.

Infact gMax works perfectly.

I'll open a specific thread on Max 2015.
 
Ok, I create an inlet-taxi light with gmax and this is the correct result in MCX (red box over the inlet-taxi light):

upload_2015-11-5_0-12-3.png


When I place it via MCX Convert and place object wizard I got this result, inlet-taxi is offset vs green taxi light:

upload_2015-11-5_0-14-51.png


There is some parameters to select to fix it?

Thanks in advance
 
This is because the curvature of the Earth correction needs to be done separately for models and effect and is automatically done for ground polygons.

Best to not use effects and use the new light method for the orbs above those and correct the model using MCX for the curvature of the earth.
 
I agree with Shaun. Lighting texture is much better. It affects the fps less than using effect, easy to correct to the curvature of the earth.
When you place a thousand of effect to the model, fps will be disaster.
 
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Thanks guys, my airport is not big, so I think I can use "effects" method, how can I correct cirvature of the earth?

However where can I find this "new light method"?
 
Ok, solved now are perfectly inset.

Just to know....I draw these lights with gmax, exported .mdl and placed via MCX place wizard. To correctly place the lights over the center of taxiline I had to convert my project from Max 2015 to gMax, merge a single light in this scene, copy every light above and along the taxi line, then select only lights/effects and export them as .mdl, then place with MCX wizard.

All works fine, but I noted that lights exported are not over the yellow taxiline after curvature earth correction (lights and effect are perfectly aligned instead). If you watch them from top view they are at the right of taxiline and not above it, like they should be and where I place them with gmax.

As Shaun stated ground polygon wizard automatically correct earth curvature. When I export my polygon created with Max 2015 using MCX wizard I didn't use development release, that I used instead for earth cuvature correction for my taxi lights. Msybe is due to this?
 
The effects have some weird bugs that give them an offset in FS anyway. It's almost like MS implemented their round earth behaviour inverse or so.

Do all your effects have the same reference point? Generally the offset gets bigger the further you are from the reference point.
 
Yes, the effects have their own referente point, a base (cylinder textured with inlet-light) and a box above it (effect).

But the offset now (after earth curvature correction) is not between base and box, but is between base+box vs taxiline. I'll post a screenshot latet.

Inviato dal mio Nexus 5 utilizzando Tapatalk
 
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