VC ambient panel light

[styckx 1,871]

Forward: This is not a complaint. I loved this plane before and after the SP.. This is merely personalizing to my tastes and posting in the chance someone else may enjoy it also.

 

I wasn't a fan of the ambient light. For `me' it was distracting and I also didn't like how it shined on the inner wings near the fuselage.

 

If you want to disable the ambient lighting // out the first light entry in aircraft.cfg.. Should look like this.

 

 

[LIGHTS]

//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing

//light.0 = 4, 0.65, 0.00, 1.00, fx_vclightcarcn

light.1 = 4, 1.90, 0.00, -0.50, fx_vclightcarcn0

light.2 = 10, 1.20, 0.00, 2.90, fx_vclightcarcnb

light.3 = 10, -4.80, 0.00, 4.00, fx_vclightcarcn2

light.4 = 10, -9.50, 0.00, 3.85, fx_vclightcarcn2

 

 

Default

 

 

Edited

 

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

Nice variation!

[mcbellette 145]

That looks very good - a big improvement. I'm going to try that!

[Merkava3 0]

Is any chance to make that cast shadows not so raytraced? It can not has so sharp ages from that kinda lighting.

And may I turn on only gauges? Not panel. Like on Duke. (I don't buy it yet. Just thinking. And asking)

[styckx 1,871]

As for as turning on the gauges only.. Can't be done.

 

I labeled what each of the lights that can be turned off and on actually do.

 

[LIGHTS]

//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing

//light.0 = 4, 0.65, 0.00, 1.00, fx_vclightcarcn // cockpit yellow ambient

light.1 = 4, 1.90, 0.00, -0.50, fx_vclightcarcn0 // green ambient light on floor of cockpit

light.2 = 10, 1.20, 0.00, 2.90, fx_vclightcarcnb // cockpit overhead

light.3 = 10, -4.80, 0.00, 4.00, fx_vclightcarcn2 // passenger cabin overhead

light.4 = 10, -9.50, 0.00, 3.85, fx_vclightcarcn2 // aft cabin overhead

 

As far as making the shadows not so raytraced looking.. Not a lot can be done there. They are just fake shadows painted on a texture.. The most that can be done is going through and softing up the edges a bit.

 

Example: http://i52.photobuck... 2/adb4017e.gif

 

^ Animated gif showing before and after and not embedding it as it's larger in file size than most pictures and most website admins aren't keen on animated gifs embedded on forums.

[skyscraper 1]

I was able to tone down the baked in panel floods which when coupled with turning off some of the ambient light in the aircraft.cfg as previously indicated in the thread makes the night cockpit lighting a bit easier on my eyes.

 

Basically, you take CNA_int_1_night.bmp (in the Texture.Common folder) into your favorite bitmap editor (I use Corel Photopaint) using DXTBmp and simply tone down the brightness and contrast to taste and save it back through DXTBmp. be sure to make a copy of the original.

 

I do this with most of my Carenado planes as they are usually too bright for my taste. I have no idea how bright it is in the real thing.

 

This image is from before SP1 with the EFIS and Avidyne also dimmed using bliksimpie's tweaks.

 

Give it a shot.

[JIMJAM 12]

Keep it up guys cause I do alot of night flying. I just do not understand why the individual gauges are not all lit? At least dimming the overall brightness of the panel floods is a start and I appreciate it!

 

Btw I would like to get my hands on that dimmed bmp and a dummys guide to installing it.

[skyscraper 1]

Keep it up guys cause I do alot of night flying. I just do not understand why the individual gauges are not all lit? At least dimming the overall brightness of the panel floods is a start and I appreciate it!

 

Btw I would like to get my hands on that dimmed bmp and a dummys guide to installing it.

 

JimJam

 

The gauges are backlit nicely here. Checking the obvious... Do you have the "master panel light" rocker switched on on the overhead panel? That controls the main panel gauge lighting here.

 

If there is interest I can try to put together a step by step on modifying the texture. It's a piece of cake and one can use the same technique on other panels. Otherwise, I'll check with Carenado to see if it is cool with them to share their texture as modified for those who want to pass on the doing the minor mod. Reading their copyright it seems that texture mods are OK to share, but I prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to others work.

[aentwis 61]

The "it is not possible" line can be really tedious at times... We all know now that it can, especially when you see the NGX night lighting at work... I would be a lot easier with " we cannot find a way of doing it" or something... it does not treat us like idiots, to put it bluntly...

 

I would love to have separate gauge backlighting... but thanks for that tip on toning down the background, it is too harsh at the moment...

[JIMJAM 12]

I am going to load FSX and do some flying after supper but IIRC I turned off the rocker since the panel floods were blinding me and some of the gauges/displays were lit while some like airspeed was darkened. Seeing some lit and other criticals like airpeed being dark confused me but no amount of knob twisting and button pressing did any good.

[yellow5 0]

Cool stuff... This is what makes the paywares even better.... All of the variations on repaints, interiors, and the little extras that go a long way... Thank you for the contribution.

 

Kevin

[skyscraper 1]

The image I uploaded above is pretty low res, but the airspeed looks fine in the sim. The main panel "floods" are just a texture that can be adjusted to your liking using DXTBmp / Photoshop. I have no issues with the night VC once I toned down the texture except a few of the switches on the left side panel are hard to make out. Btw, on the overhead there are three rotary lighting knobs that work (at least on and off). One backlights the overhead, one backlights the breaker and fuel panels below the side windows and one does... well nothing that I can tell.

 

The aircraft.cfg mod by the OP turns off the reddish ambient lighting which I have done as well. If I need to see around the cockpit the domelight is still available.

 

Just want to be clear that we are talking about the same thing

[haskell 298]

Hey Sky,

 

I would love direction on modifying the textures. That looks awesome. PM or post would be great.

 

Thanks!

[JIMJAM 12]

No photoshop so I will wait till modded textures are posted.

But yes, with the rocker on, all gauges are lit but when you turn it off, the displays stay lit but the steam gauges go dark.

[skyscraper 1]

Here is a download link for the modified night VC panel texture seen in my earlier post.

 

http://www.mediafire...ij99wb987pytn2l

 

The file basically "dims" the lighting on the night VC panel with a modified texture. I use it with the mod in the OP by stckx. The overhead dome light can still be switched on an off if more light is needed.

 

To install:

 

Make a copy of CNA_int_1_night.bmp located in your ...\SimObjects\Airplanes\Carenado C90 King Air\Texture.Common folder and put it somewhere you can find it if you want to go back.

 

Copy the file in this zip to the Texture.Common folder and over write as prompted. (you did make a copy, didn't you?)

 

If you don't like the results just copy back the original file.

 

If you have a copy of DXTBmp (free download from Softpedia) you can compare the modified file with the original

 

Might be a bit too dark based on what I have seen on the web. But, I have never been in the real thing and the original seems to be too light.

 

You can take the original file through DXTBmp into your favorite bitmap editor and season to your own taste.