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Lights....(again probably)

R

rigpig

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unitedkingdom
After putting together my football ground scenery for FS2004, I've decided to go the whole hog and include some lights for night time. But I've come unstuck because I only have a vague idea how this feature works.
I understand I need to create the light source (eg a street light) as the source in GMax, and then somehow identify it as being a light.
I also need a night time ground texture because the 'light' doesn't illuminate the ground as might be expected, is that right.
Is there a tutorial or article or doc file somewhere that explains how to do this, the files I need to create and the process I need to go through to get some nice lights in my scenery.

Thanks
Jeff
 
Well I've learned that you need to create a couple of polys, link them and apply a material Light_land. Because I'm using SDK FS2004 it doesn't work, so I proces the GMax exported MDL file through Arno's MDL Tweaker.
I can get a light but the objects in the scenery are rotated through 90 degrees :confused:

Wait, no it doesn't. Everything in the scene is rotated to align with the Z axis of the light. This is weird.
 
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Hi,

Yes, that is another bug in MakeMDL for Fs2004. The transformation matrices applied at the lights, also affect your object :(. With some ASM code tweaking you can probably fix this, I guess this is something I should put on my MDL Tweaker wishlist as well.
 
OK, well after spending all Sunday dick-dancing around with this, I finally installed the FS2002 SDK into GMax so I can use MakeMdl2002.
Will that allow me to create my lights, poles pointing in the right direction?
Or should I just give up and go play on the Nintendo instead, coz all this stuff is too hard for a thicko like me :mad:
 
rigpig said:
OK, well after spending all Sunday dick-dancing around with this, I finally installed the FS2002 SDK into GMax so I can use MakeMdl2002.
Will that allow me to create my lights, poles pointing in the right direction?
Click to expand...

Yes, that should still work, if you have no problem in using the old BGL export format instead of the new MDL format.

Could you maybe supply me with the MDL object you made with the Fs2004 gamepack as well? If I take a look at it, I might be able to find an easy tweak to fix it :).
 
Snookered again:banghead:

Problem so far:

1. I've created scenery files for football stadiums to which I want to add some streetlights.

2. The scenery was created using Gmax to make mdls, and FS Architect (similar to SceneGenX) to place the object mdls and APIs I'm using as well

3. I know that you can create a light emitter using GMax and naming the materials appropriately (e.g. light_land). I have created a rough pole with an emitter on top just to 'prove' I can do it. When I've sussed it out, I'll build a model I can use.

4. Unfortunately the FS2004 gamepack (makemdl program) messes up the effect and it doesn't show.

5. Arno's MDLtweaker fixes the light, but doesn't yet fix the transposition of objects that also occurs with the FS2004 kit, i.e. all objects are rotated to align with the light_land material z-axis.

6. I don't know enough about the macro files to adjust the code myself.

7. I installed the FS2002 gamepack to GMax and exported my test post straight to a BGL which was located at Tacoma - blow me down it works!

8. I need to place the light source in my scenery, so a bgl is a bit too inaccurate. The FS 2002 gamepack exports a BGL and two asm files.

9. FSRegen can generate an API which I can place in my FS Architect scene and a library BGL which it can call

10. FSRegen generates the API but won't generate the BGL, it crashes with a 'Runtime 53 - File not found' error. Which file isn't it finding, I've put BGLC.exe in the directory where FSREgen is installed and in the source directory where the .asm files are stored - still crashes.

11. If I use FSRegen to regenerate the asm code and compile the BGL manually I do get a bgl file.

12. When this file is placed in the relevant FS Scenery directory, FS9 crashes on loading

What the heck can I do now?

I know you can create lights using effects but:
I'm not familiar with effects (but could learn) and...
FS Architect doesn't support the placement of effects.

I have come to the conclusion that putting yourt own lights in FS2004 is impossible, and those of you that have claimed to do so are cheating someho ;)
 
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Omigod omigod omigod :eek:

I have a lamp.

Pointing at the ground

Called from a library made with FSRegen

Placed in Architect using the API output from FSregen

I must have been compiling the wrong asm code into the bgl :rolleyes:
 
Now that Ive got a lamp pointing at the ground with a glowing bulb, how do I increase the size of the cone that shines onto the ground. I need to make it a bit wider, its too focussed just now.
 
I think the easiest way to do this, is by placing the light at a higher altitude. I can't remember if there was a parameter for the beam width as well.
 
Well I've had a small amount of succes using the light_land solution and GMax FS2002 gamepack. But it still doesn't look quite right....

lights.jpg


I appear to have a secondary light to the rear of the pole, anyone know why? My light emitter is a precise square with the transform gizmo centred on it (them). I've tried a triangle too and get the same effect.
 
Well,

After a lot of fiddling around (like you guys had to when you were first learning I suppose) I got a result:

reebokday.jpg


reeboknight.jpg


What do you think?

Jeff
 
Looks nice I would say, well done :cool:
 
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