P3D v4 Help needed with Afterburner/Reheat with Blender model for P3Dv4

TangoGolf · 22 Sep 2020

I'm trying to add Afterburner/Reheat to my Blender 2.79 model for P3Dv4. I have 3 stages of reheat.

I have been reading various articles and have got confused and not progressed. Should I be using Effects with Lights to add an Afterburner effect (Is this for FSX and not P3Dv4+) or should I be using modeling with cones and emit for light?

I tried adding Afterburner Effects to the P3Dv4 Effects folder and adding Afterburner lights to the airplane CFG, but no afterburner was visible (normal lights were).

The latest method I have shown below is a lit cone that extends out of the exhaust, but I'm having trouble adding any transparency. Should I also be using the Afterburner visibility tags in Blender?

Am I going down the right route or should I be using another technique?

Thanks,
Tyler

chris · 23 Sep 2020

If you download the EE Lightning from SOH, you can see how to do it with effects.
That's for FSX, but it should be the same in P3D.

TangoGolf · 23 Sep 2020

Thank you Chris.

I will try adding the afterburner effect in FSX first.

chris · 24 Sep 2020

Sorry, I'm leading you astray. It wasn't just effects, it was using the smoke system. Look at Aircraft.cfg in the [SMOKE SYSTEM] and Eng_Effects.xml in the gauge CAB file. You'll also need the effects file ... oh why don't I just upload them here ...

TangoGolf · 24 Sep 2020

Thanks Chris.

I exported the T-188 to FSX last night for the first time, so I will try adding the afterburner effects.

TangoGolf · 25 Sep 2020

I got the afterburner effect working in FSX, but it only comes on when I press 'I' and select the smoke system and is visible at any throttle setting.

chris · 27 Sep 2020

The use of a parameter with K:SMOKE_ON was undocumented in the FSX SDK. I can't remember now who published the information. The screenshot you posted shows the reheat setting 27 & 28. The other settings, depending on A:TURB ENG N2 show varying lengths of exhaust as the screenshot I've attached shows.
It's possible there is some difference between FSX and P3D. Lockheed may have thought undocumented means we're dropping it. It sounds like that's what may have happened as selecting 'I' to turn on the smoke system wasn't necessary in FSX, K:SMOKE_ON was enough.

Edit; Just tested it. I nearly see the same as you. If I press 'I' I get the reheat effects the same as you. But if I press 'I' again it goes back to the effects selected by the A:TURB ENG N2. I assume if you do this you're getting nothing at the exhaust. At engine idle there should be a faint glow.

I think we need another P3D guy to jump in here.

EduHir · 27 Sep 2020

Do make it automatic you have to use a XML-File

Code:

<!-- Automatic Smoke System ********************* -->
      (A:TURB ENG JET THRUST:1,Pounds) 7000 &gt;
      (A:PLANE ALTITUDE,feet) 15000 &lt;
      &amp;&amp;
      if{
        (A:SMOKE ENABLE:1,bool) !
        if{
          1 (&gt;K:SMOKE_ON)
          }
        }

      (A:TURB ENG JET THRUST:1,Pounds) 6800 &lt;
      (A:PLANE ALTITUDE,feet) 15000 &gt;
      ||
      if{
        (A:SMOKE ENABLE:1,bool)
        if{
          1 (&gt;K:SMOKE_OFF)
          }
        }

      (A:TURB ENG JET THRUST:2,Pounds) 7000 &gt;
      (A:PLANE ALTITUDE,feet) 15000 &lt;
      &amp;&amp;
      if{
        (A:SMOKE ENABLE:2,bool) !
        if{
          2 (&gt;K:SMOKE_ON)
          }
        }

      (A:TURB ENG JET THRUST:2,Pounds) 6800 &lt;
      (A:PLANE ALTITUDE,feet) 15000 &gt;
      ||
      if{
        (A:SMOKE ENABLE:2,bool)
        if{
          2 (&gt;K:SMOKE_OFF)
          }
        }

You have to change the condition to your need!

In aircraft.cfg

Code:

[SMOKESYSTEM]
//  longitudinal,   Lateral,   Vertical,   ***** DO NOT use smoke.0 ***
smoke.1=   -52.5,      -9.0,        3.3,   B727_smoke_FX
smoke.2=   -65.5,       0.0,        2.9,   B727_smoke_FX

Which you have already done.

spokes2112 · 27 Sep 2020

To add for info -
The original code used L:Vars as logic flip/flops in lieu of using the yet, not quite understood, A:Var --> (A:SMOKE ENABLE:<index>, bool).
While the flip/flop code can work if initialized properly, it can get out of synch under certain circumstances.

Edit; Just tested it. I nearly see the same as you. If I press 'I' I get the reheat effects the same as you. But if I press 'I' again it goes back to the effects selected by the A:TURB ENG N2. I assume if you do this you're getting nothing at the exhaust. At engine idle there should be a faint glow.

Here is the original code, from zip, re-written using (A:SMOKE ENABLE:<index>, bool) & macros to aid in tuning to your own liking.. Much easier.

XML:

<Gauge Name="Eng_Effects" Version="2.0">

    <Macro Name="RPM">(A:TURB ENG N2:@1,Percent)</Macro>
    <Macro Name="BURNER">(A:TURB ENG AFTERBURNER:@1,Bool)</Macro>
    <Macro Name="SMK_OFF">(A:SMOKE ENABLE:@1,bool) if{ @1 (&gt;K:SMOKE_OFF) }</Macro>
    <Macro Name="SMK_ON">(A:SMOKE ENABLE:@1,bool) ! if{ @1 (&gt;K:SMOKE_ON) }</Macro>

    <Update>

        <!-- Engine 1 Lit -->
        @RPM(1) 25 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(1) }
        @RPM(1) 20 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(1) }
        <!-- Engine 2 Lit -->
        @RPM(2) 25 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(2) }
        @RPM(2) 20 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(2) } 
      
        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 40% -->
        @RPM(1) 40 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(3) }
        @RPM(1) 38 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(3) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 40% -->
        @RPM(2) 40 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(4) }
        @RPM(2) 38 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(4) } 
      
        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 45% --> 
        @RPM(1) 45 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(5) }
        @RPM(1) 43 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(5) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 45% --> 
        @RPM(2) 45 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(6) }
        @RPM(2) 43 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(6) }
      
        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 50% --> 
        @RPM(1) 50 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(7) }
        @RPM(1) 48 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(7) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 50% --> 
        @RPM(2) 50 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(8) }
        @RPM(2) 48 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(8) }

        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 55% --> 
        @RPM(1) 55 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(9) }
        @RPM(1) 53 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(9) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 55% --> 
        @RPM(2) 55 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(10) }
        @RPM(2) 53 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(10) }

        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 60% --> 
        @RPM(1) 60 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(11) }
        @RPM(1) 58 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(11) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 60% --> 
        @RPM(2) 60 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(12) }
        @RPM(2) 58 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(12) } 
      
        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 65% --> 
        @RPM(1) 65 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(13) }
        @RPM(1) 63 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(13) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 65% --> 
        @RPM(2) 65 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(14) }
        @RPM(2) 63 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(14) }
      
        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 70% --> 
        @RPM(1) 70 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(15) }
        @RPM(1) 68 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(15) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 70% --> 
        @RPM(2) 70 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(16) }
        @RPM(2) 68 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(16) }
      
        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 75% --> 
        @RPM(1) 75 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(17) }
        @RPM(1) 73 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(17) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 75% --> 
        @RPM(2) 75 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(18) }
        @RPM(2) 73 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(18) }

        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 80% --> 
        @RPM(1) 80 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(19) }
        @RPM(1) 78 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(19) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 80% --> 
        @RPM(2) 80 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(20) }
        @RPM(2) 78 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(20) } 
      
        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 85% --> 
        @RPM(1) 85 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(21) }
        @RPM(1) 83 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(21) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 85% --> 
        @RPM(2) 85 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(22) }
        @RPM(2) 83 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(22) }

        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 90% --> 
        @RPM(1) 90 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(23) }
        @RPM(1) 88 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(23) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 90% --> 
        @RPM(2) 90 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(24) }
        @RPM(2) 88 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(24) } 
      
        <!-- Engine 1 N2 > 95% --> 
        @RPM(1) 95 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(25) }
        @RPM(1) 93 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(25) } 
        <!-- Engine 2 N2 > 95% --> 
        @RPM(2) 95 &gt; if{ @SMK_ON(26) }
        @RPM(2) 93 &lt; if{ @SMK_OFF(26) } 
      
        <!-- Engine 1 Reheat -->
        @BURNER(1) if{ @SMK_ON(27) } els{ @SMK_OFF(27) }
        <!-- Engine 2 Reheat -->
        @BURNER(2) if{ @SMK_ON(28) } els{ @SMK_OFF(28) }
      
    </Update>

</Gauge>

DragonflightDesign · 27 Sep 2020

Works perfectly well in P3Dv4 and v5. I have 67 smoke entries in the aircraft.cfg file for PILOT'S forthcoming B-314 Clipper. Those fx do internal lights, external lights, engine smoke and panel lighting. The use of those 99 smoke entries is so well embedded in the developer community that you can pretty much bet that it will never go away. I'm also fairly willing to take a sizeable bet that it was simply missing documentation in FSX rather than an exploitable bug. That figure of 99 is too precise - smoke.0 does not work. The ESP SDK was the FSX SDK with addons; similarly, the P3D SDK is the ESP SDK with addons. It's a copy and paste job as errors that existed in the FSX SDK docs are still in the P3Dv5 SDK docs. Ditto missing information in the FSX SDK.

TangoGolf · 28 Sep 2020

Thank you all for your help.

I got both engines working with the Automatic_Smoke_System and Eng_Effects 1.0 in P3Dv4.

I did have some engine synchronization issues which were corrected by pressing "I". I will try again with Eng_Effects version 2.0.

The flame is only showing as blue though. Are there other colours and sizes in the 99 smoke entries and is there somewhere that I could view the list and examples?

chris · 29 Sep 2020

The actual 'smoke' is in the .fx file. You need to edit those, or write your own.

DragonflightDesign · 29 Sep 2020

You'll need to add multiple particle emitters of different colours. As you have the basic blue flame, positioning the emitters somewhere in the flame emitter shouldn't be too much of a problem. A word of advice: use Arno's FXEditor or even Notepad++ rather than the in-sim FX Tool. It's as buggy as hell - has been since FSX days. LM says that it's so bad it can't be fixed.

TangoGolf · 29 Sep 2020

Thanks. FX files are a whole new area for me. I jumped from FS2000/2002 aircraft design to FSX/P3D.

I tried editing the FX file using Notepad++ and was aiming for orange, but achieved green.

I will have a look at Arno's FXEditor.

I'm still seeing engine synchronization issues, so I must of introduced an error somewhere.

TangoGolf · 6 Oct 2020

I have been reading the P3D SDK and experimenting with the Afterburner FX file, but how do I remove or reduce the boxes around the smoke effects?

chris · 7 Oct 2020

Is the fx_2.bmp there in the texture folder under the effects folder?

TangoGolf · 7 Oct 2020

Yes. I have the fx_2.bmp in the effects texture folder.

chris · 8 Oct 2020

Possibly corrupted? That boxy effect was a common complaint in fsx and it usually turned out to be some add-on corrupting the effects textures.
Remember, I've only got FSX:SE, some things may have changed in P3Dv4.

P3D v4 Help needed with Afterburner/Reheat with Blender model for P3Dv4

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