FSXA Specular Maps

[Pyscen]

Hello Arno,...

I Finally got my model into FSX,... everything is fine except one thing...

Reflection working great,... though Specular or shine not coming through,... even in MCX Preview,... even on Default scenery there doesn't seem to have a shine or sun reflection.

Is there a model that you know of that has such that I can compare with?

 

[arno]

Hi,

I don't know a good example. Since specular and reflection are quite related, I am not sure what you mean with reflection working, but specular not.

 

[Pyscen]

Hi,

I don't know a good example. Since specular and reflection are quite related, I am not sure what you mean with reflection working, but specular not.

Hello,..

I guess the best way to explain it is this way:

The reflection of the enviroment map works,... the reflection of the sun, not... Picture of what reflection I'm missing:

 

[Tejal Bernardo]

you have reflection or especular in the same area, you can't have both.

 

[Pyscen]

you have reflection or especular in the same area, you can't have both.

yes you can have both per the SDK

 

[arno]

Hi,

I don't see in that part of the sdk you can have both. The specular map determines how much reflection there is. The environment (reflection) map determines what to reflect. So they work together. The position of the sun is taken into account when determining the amount of reflection.

 

[tgibson]

Are these handled differently for scenery than for aircraft? In aircraft they are two very different effects.

 

[arno]

I am not sure there is a difference between aircraft and scenery.

How do you mean they are very different on aircraft? Specular map still determines how shiny the material is. And the environment map determines what is reflected.

 

[Pyscen]

Hello Arno,...

Hi,

I don't see in that part of the sdk you can have both. The specular map determines how much reflection there is. The environment (reflection) map determines what to reflect. So they work together. The position of the sun is taken into account when determining the amount of reflection.

Based on the 1st screen shot,.. there is a sun spot reflection... based on specular map only,... the reflection of the enviroment map isn't being used in this case,... as you put it, how shiny the material is. This is whats missing within the MCX preview.

the 2nd screen shot, has a sun spot with a environment map reflection,... using both effects so to speak being used. So the 2nd shot has both the sunspot effect and the environment map,.. using both.

If what your saying,... is that they are the same, then how is it done with just the sun spot or shinyness or glare on a material without the enviroment map reflection being used. Within the contexts of MCX of course...

I believe thats the difference in the 2,.. one controls the shinyness of the material (specular) and the enviroment map gives one the reflection to use.

 

[tgibson]

Basically, the reflection is used on shiny metal, while the specular reflection is used when you want the sun to reflect off an object. As an example, for shiny paint I want the specular reflection but I don't want the shiny reflection. You can have a very shiny reflection with no specular reflection at all, and visa versa.

In FS2004 the reflection is controlled by the alpha channel of the day time bitmap, while the specular reflection is controlled by the Specular settings in the objects material. The reflection moves when the plane moves, and it not influenced by the sun's position. The position of the specular reflection is determined by the angle of the sun, and does not "move" when the plane is moving.

 

[arno]

Hi,

The environment map is only used if you want a custom reflection. Else you can use the global environment map that comes with FSX.

It might be that the spot of sun reflection is not always shown correctly in modelconverterx, I would have to check that. But I have seen them before on some objects while testing.

 

[Pyscen]

Hello Arno,...

Well as of right now I haven't noticed a model or models, either default or not, that has the specular "sun spot" yet,... thats the reason I asked if you knew of any model etc,.. that it did appear in,.. making sure I hadn't done anything wrong either in the option settings or texture design.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I will see it appear .... If anyone has a model as such please send it my way to compare? please!

 

[arno]

Ok, let me double check. I have seen it working before, but maybe a bug has slipped in.

 

[Pyscen]

Ok, let me double check. I have seen it working before, but maybe a bug has slipped in.

Just checking up with you on if you have found anything? I know you have been busy,.. its just a reminder.... or have you found a model or scenery that reflects this (no pun intended,.. but I like it!)

 

[robystar]

Is this perhaps what you are looking for, Doug?

It is not yet perfect and I am still working on it.

Roby

PS The sun reflection does not show up in MCX

 

[Pyscen]

Is this perhaps what you are looking for, Doug?

It is not yet perfect and I am still working on it.

Roby

PS The sun reflection does not show up in MCX

Yes, Roby,... I think we have determine that the Sun Reflection doesn't show in MCX. That what I was suggesting that it didn't show... Out of curiousity,... what settings did you use within MCX, if thats what you used?

 

[arno]

I think I will make a test object with the different specular and reflection settings. Then I can see how they show in fsx and how modelconverterx shows them. That should help me to fix the bug.

 

[Pyscen]

Thanks Arno,... I hope its something simple!

 

[robystar]

Hi Doug,

Sorry I have not answered earlier (I saw your reply).
Fact is that I was rather busy (understatement for going crazy) with my mesh problems and Gee, that is complicated!
What I did, and I am not sure if I did it right or not because Arno changed the layout of MCX quite a bit since then and I dare not touch my 'windows' of the ferry afraid as I am to mess up everything, is:
- to make a diffuse texture (darkblue) with an alpha channel that has apparently no alpha channel any longer (do not know why because it used to be there?)
- add a white specular texture with a dark grey alpha channel.
- I then set default transparent.
Everything else is or has become default as a consequence of Arno's modifications to the material editor.
So, I am rather at a loss to explain how it used to be, except that the outcome in FSX remains more or less the same except for the fact that when I had the sun shining into the windows, it gave a more concentrated sunshine.
But as this is a simobject and as I used the same material for some buildings, I noticed there is a difference between the two in as far as the scenery objects apparently do not show this sun reflection (I could be mistaken, though).
I am talking about what I see in FSX and not what I see in MCX because I do not think that added specular is shown in MCX yet (I do not see any difference but that may be my own mistake?).

 

[Pyscen]

ahhh ok,... interesting for sure! Hopefully Arno will find the cause that MCX isn't showing the "shine",... and hopefully it will not affect your specular map,.. I don't think it should.

ok,... Here is a sciencific question to one and all,... since were on the subject of specular maps,...( ,... tie in!) ... Does a window (standard simple window) have more or less of a shine (depending on the angle of the sun) then say a chrome plated material?

I would say less,... why? you ask,...well,... since the window is transparent more light is filtered through the window and not reflected back. Make sense?

School starts back up in this area of the world soon soooo,.. to get into the spirit of,... and so parents and grandparents can move about more normally now.... LOL