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Landing Lights

S

Stu Austin

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us-northcarolina
I know the landing lights don't work in FSDS for FSX. I did some experimenting last night.
I went to the "effects" folder of FSX and took a look at everything in it. I noticed there were 2 files called fx_luxbeam1 and fx_luxbeam2. Went into my aircraft config file and added under [LIGHTS] 5=landing and then added
light.6 = 5, 0.0, 0.2, -1.9, fx_luxbeam1. With the luxbeam files, the light points straight up. I tried other lights in the effects folder and I got to thinking about something.
Is there anyone on the forum who can make fx_* and make a light with the beam pointing forward and that way we can add it to the aircraft config file for the landing light. The light can be moved to position in the config file like we move the nav lights. This is just a thought.
 
No, because .fx "lights*" do not react to the ground or other objects. They will only react to the object to which they are attached (i.e., the airplane).

*EDIT: the only exception is the special "fx_landing.fx" effect file in FSX, and it requires an Attachpoint polygon in the actual model to provide the "aiming axis" in order to function.
 
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Hello Bill. Been doing some experimenting and I now have a landing light. Its not the best, still need to do more tweaking in a file (still learning and doing hit and misses with it) but I have finally stumbled on something that works for FSDS (and me) but its late and I'm tired for the night.
But I do know that who ever was looking for a way for headlights on vehicles, in my tweaking I got it to put out like headlights on the ground.
 
Stu Austin said:
Hello Bill. Been doing some experimenting and I now have a landing light. Its not the best, still need to do more tweaking in a file (still learning and doing hit and misses with it) but I have finally stumbled on something that works for FSDS (and me) but its late and I'm tired for the night.
But I do know that who ever was looking for a way for headlights on vehicles, in my tweaking I got it to put out like headlights on the ground.
Click to expand...

Well, between Felix, Louis and myself we've finally found a way to create an "Attachpoint" in FSDS so modelers can add landing and taxi lights to their FSX models. I'll leave it in Louis Sinclair's quite capable hands to get the details to everyone, once he's fully baked the technique into FSDS v3.x or v4.x as he wishes... :cool:
 
I should be able to post what I've been doing. I want to make a couple of tweaks first.

Attachpt_Stits.jpg
 
I downloaded the FSTWEAK SDK Toolbox for FSX and copied and renamed the fx_landing file to fx_landing1 and have been tweaking the parameters in it. I'm now just starting to understand these files.
 
Stu Austin said:
I downloaded the FSTWEAK SDK Toolbox for FSX and copied and renamed the fx_landing file to fx_landing1 and have been tweaking the parameters in it. I'm now just starting to understand these files.
Click to expand...

Understand one thing clearly:

The filename "fx_landing.fx" is hard-coded in FSX and is the only filename that will work with the model's attachpoint.

Which effectively means we cannot "customize" the fx_landing.fx file for any release packages, since it would affect all aircraft globally... :eek:

I know this for certain because I asked ACES directly after having wasted many hours trying to find out why only this one filename would work...
 
I understand Bill what you are saying. I didn't change the fx_landing.fx at all because I knew this was used globally on all aircraft. All I did was make a copy of it and renamed the copy to fx_landing1.fx and added it into the effects directory and had my fsds aircraft cfg file use it.
 
Stu Austin said:
I understand Bill what you are saying. I didn't change the fx_landing.fx at all because I knew this was used globally on all aircraft. All I did was make a copy of it and renamed the copy to fx_landing1.fx and added it into the effects directory and had my fsds aircraft cfg file use it.
Click to expand...

Okay... the default fx_landing.fx file is never used via the aircraft.cfg file, so I'm not sure what - if anything - your file will accomplish. This particular default .fx file is only used in conjunction with the Attachpoint in the model itself.

But, if you've actually had a successful outcome from using that new file called via an attachpt_xxx in the compiled model, then you've accomplished something that ACES themselves have firmly stated can not be done... 0

...and that I've never been able to accomplish either in Max or GMax... :D
 
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ACtually, when I posted that, I hadn't realized the question was for FS9.


My findings, using FSDS 3.5.1 are for FS-X
 
FelixFFDS said:
ACtually, when I posted that, I hadn't realized the question was for FS9.


My findings, using FSDS 3.5.1 are for FS-X
Click to expand...

Thanks. Thats what was very confusing because the results were posted on a topic of the original poster that had to do with landing lights for FS9 in the other forum whereas mine (original post at top of page) was asking about FSX.
Ok. I did what you said to do but its not working for me.
1. Used notepad, copied the info, saved as PartDataDefs.txt (did not have a file by this name) to the folder of FSDS_V3.5.
2. Used notepad, opened modeldef.xml and copied and pasted what was written to be added to it. (made a backup of this file first).
3. Went into FSDS 3.5.1 to my aircraft, made a triangle, edited it in materials properties and named it attachpt_landing_1, put in the material as you had written, put one of the ailerons for animation and then compiled aircraft.

Went into FSX and landing light is not working.
 
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Did you paste in both parts of the puzzle in your modeldef.xml file?

The <Animation name=xxx....guid=xxxx..../> needs to be placed at the bottom of the existing <Animation.../> entries.

The <PartInfo> blurb should be placed at the top of the existing <PartInfo> sections.

IOW, the <AnimationGroup name=xxxx> section should be between the two new entries. :)
 
attachpt_landing_1 doesn't need an additional partinfo addition to the modeldef.xml file because its visibility condition "general light" is already there.

attachpt_taxi_1 DOES need Fr.Bill's information because its visibility condition (taxi light) is not in the modeldef.xml file.

Over tonight and tomorrow, I'll try to rewrite my findings, with more screenshots, to explain what I've done.
 
Stu Austin said:
Thanks. Thats what was very confusing because the results were posted on a topic of the original poster that had to do with landing lights for FS9 in the other forum whereas mine (original post at top of page) was asking about FSX.
Ok. I did what you said to do but its not working for me.
1. Used notepad, copied the info, saved as Partdatadef.txt (did not have a file by this name) to the folder of FSDS_V3.5.
2. Used notepad, opened modeldef.xml and copied and pasted what was written to be added to it. (made a backup of this file first).
3. Went into FSDS 3.5.1 to my aircraft, made a triangle, edited it in materials properties and named it attachpt_landing_1, put in the material as you had written, put one of the ailerons for animation and then compiled aircraft.

Went into FSX and landing light is not working.
Click to expand...

Rename the file to PartDataDefs.txt. I'm not sure that the capitalization is required, but you're missing an "s" .....
 
Oops. I just checked the file and do have it named PartDataDefs.txt. I forgot to put the "s" in the above post. Will edit it correctly.:o
 
Which version of modeldef.xml are you guys using? Reason why I'm asking is in your blurb it is stating "<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>" whereas the modeldef.xml I have in my bin folder is stating "<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>".
 
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