Is it possible to turn off the rain spray effect on a ground polygon even if it is raining?

[RicherSims]

I'd like to have a particular ground polygon have no rain spray effect despite it raining in the sim. Is this possible?

I've asked because I notice that the rain spray effect seems to be generated as long as the wheel is rotating on terrain. I know that effects are attached to the aircraft model (if I understand it correctly) but might it be possible in the sim to turn it off for particular ground polygons or areas of terrain?

 

[=rk=]

You want to avoid generalities. Effects aren't actually "attached" to anything, it is a term we use, "associated" could be more appropriate - and that is for added, or assigned effects. The rain spray effect is a universal, or default effect. When I build a rotating wheel, it rotates in the sim and automatically causes the rain spray effect without my attaching it. Remember the effect is not actually attached, it is assigned; the software is informed that when these conditions are met, the effect triggers.

Now it seems to me, that different types of ground polygons have different types of rain spray and it seems like grass would have very little, perhaps I am mistaken. I am sure you could create your ground polygon to look like pavement, tag it to be rendered as grass and see if that works for you.

 

[RicherSims]

Thanks for the correction.
I have tried taxiing on a grass runway and noticed no difference in the amount of spray generated (At least in P3Dv4).

How does one tag a ground polygon as a different type of surface. Are you referring to GPs made with ADE? I usually make my GPs with MCX. If so, is there a way to do so that I am unaware of?

 

[=rk=]

Hmm, photo ground poly can be only land, or water...it would have to be airport polygons, or default land class, I'm pretty sure. I understand you intend to use photo, correct? Ah, I know, what about using a modeled surface, like a carrier deck is? I know you can export your ground polygon as a library object, I've done so, in order to create a quick chalk line in grass. I think doing similar might break the water spray effect from triggering.

 

[RicherSims]

Yes. I am using photo.

I have tried the model with a hardened surface placed via SODE in FSX. But this also produces no difference. The spray still appears whether my wheels are on or off the surface.

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

Have you tried using an 'Exclusion Rectangle' with an "Exclude Effects" attribute ?


As you may know, those objects compiled by SDK BGLComp are distinct from 'Exclusion Polygons' compiled by SDK SHP2VEC.


BTW: Ground Polygons (aka "G-Polys) are 'flat' 3D scenery objects created with 3D modeling software using:

* SCASM source code - compiled via SCASM

* ASM source code - compiled via BGLC - legacy format (non-MDL-based)

...or:

* 'other' 3D file formats imported by MCX, converted to *.X file soruce code, compiled via SDK XtoMDL (MDL-based)


G-Poly 3D objects textured with an image as a Material are placed in close proximity a fraction of a Meter above the terrain,,

This latter scenery type compiled via SDK Resample, must be distinguished from custom photo-real imagery land class textures which are 'draped' (mapped via GIS methods) directly onto terrain quad grid surfaces ('terrain mesh-clinging').

GaryGB

 

[RicherSims]

Thank you GaryGB.

I am aware of what a Ground Poly is and how it functions.

No, an exclusion rectangle will have no effect. These only exclude effects placed as scenery objects.

 

[GaryGB]

IIRC, rhumbaflappy once stated that it is possible to attach a Platform to a 3D MDL with 'terrain' types of surface attributes.


MCX has an "Attached Objects Editor" to simplify some aspects of attaching a Platform to a MDL.


IIUC, when a 3D MDL-based G-Poly object is textured with an image as a Material, a designated Face of the 3D model may be cloned as a virtual duplicate Face, and may be implemented as a "Platform" using an AttachPoint on the 3D model.


If the surface attribute is 'water', it will behave as a 'hydro' surface in FS at run time.

If the Platform is assigned a surface attribute of 'hardened concrete', it will behave like a 'concrete' ground surface, and will support a user aircraft or other AI / Ground Vehicle Traffic object without it falling through to the terrain below.

This is true even when the 3D model that the Platform is attached to is a significant distance above the actual terrain mesh 'ground' surface below.

BTW: In such scenarios, one can move a user aircraft / AI / Ground Vehicle Traffic object under a Platform without a "crash".


When a 3D MDL-based G-Poly object with a "Platform" on its Z-axis 'top' Face is placed in close proximity 'on the ground' a fraction of a Meter above the underlying terrain mesh, it may be read by the rendering engine as the "Ground" surface for purposes of determining the "GroundRoll" Effect to be displayed at / near the wheels of the user aircraft.

As you may already know, the actual Effect assigned to 'GroundRoll' is in the Aircraft.Cfg ...as seen here for the default C172:

[EFFECTS]
wake=fx_wake
water=fx_spray
dirt=fx_tchdrt
concrete=fx_sparks
touchdown=fx_tchdwn_s, 1


I have not tested if a G-Poly with attached "Platform" assigned a 'terrain' type of surface attribute can disable user aircraft 'GroundRoll' wheel Effects.


AFAIK, any other 'conditional display' to control how / when a 'GroundRoll' Effect is shown may require a custom Gauge.

GaryGB

 

[GaryGB]

Hi:

I just found this old thread which might allude to a method for disabling a 'GroundRoll' wheel Effect using G-Polys ?

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/platforms-usage-in-ground-flat-objects.436582/post-736334

Hi I am almost finished my taxiways/runways so i decided to play with platforms and have a question...

Reason I used platforms was because when i place the object tires of aircraft sink into the ground all though ever so slightly they do.

I place the object at 0.02 m or 2 centimeters AGL that nicely gets rid of any and all flickering,
I use "convert and place object" wizard for that, NOT "ground poly".

.. so after adding the platforms which I added at 0.02 as well (testing 0.00 had no effect on tire sink) and seems 0.02 worked very well, however... I lost the effect of water spray from under tires. When I taxi onto an area that does not have platform the effect returns.

I did read a bit about platforms and most seem to use it for roofs, bridges etc.. which makes sense, I intended to make my runways/taxiways object a "hard surface", well that was the idea.. I have no clue how to make them hard surface any other way. I use SU to create them and MCX to import all my objects.

few other things using Auto Platform I don't think it did anything so all my platforms are manual, also did have a problem that it double few of the platform after re-importing the MDL, since i don't have all that many it wasn't a big deal i just removed the doubles.

any help greatly appreciated

View attachment 27275

Andy

PS: One might wonder if other scenery 'work-arounds' are achieved by placing 3D models above- or below- "ground" level:

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/how-to-prevent-autogen-and-scenery-interfering.16077/


Hmmm... I'm thinking of quads of transparent photo-real annotated by autogen over G-Polys ('placed' below the custom PR land class).

GaryGB