Hello Gents,I have a question on how to improve a set of FSX textures. These are for a Citation X and I have the version in both FS9 and FSX. While I am very happy with the night look in FS9, the FSX version looks rather dark and washed out to me.Here are a pair of comparison shots:I don't believe this is a limitation to FSX, but maybe I'm wrong. As you can see, the FS9 version has the tail lighting in sharp detail whereas the FSX version makes the logo nearly unreadable. In addition, the overall lighting of the FSX fuselage is really dark (what one would expect with a black paint job) but the FS9 version looks closer to what one would expect in reality.I have a feeling that the secrect here is the proper use of spec or alpha files butb I don't know enough about it to know which direction to go.Does anyone know more about this topic that they can advise me?

Wich model we are talking about? (who made it)Where can we find this repaint?Leen

Wich model we are talking about? (who made it)Where can we find this repaint?

This is the Eaglesoft Citation X. I painted both versions although I'm still finishing up the FSX version. Here's a daylight shot of the FS9 version;

Ok..You said you made both versions.Give the default FSX textures for this plane the same problems or is it just your paint having this issue?If the answer is "yes" just compare all your files (including their alphas) with the original ones.OR try just to use the original light files in your FSX version. ( they show incorrect texturising then but thats not important for the moment )If nightlighting is OK then, you know where to look to solve the problem.RegardsLeen

If I understand you correctly, the other FSX Eaglesoft Citations all have the same problem. But it's not an FSX issue because I have several planes that don't have this washed out night texture lighting issue. I pulled one of them up in DxtBmp and I saw that the lighted portion of the texture has an alpha channel in which the colors are reversed. Thus, the portion where a white glow would be indicated on the texture sheet would have the same portion in black on the alpha channel. But I replicated this technique for the Citation and didn't see any change.These are DDS files. I assume they should be saved as DXT5, correct?

If I understand you correctly, the other FSX Eaglesoft Citations all have the same problem.NOI did ask:Have the default liveries the same problem?IF not?We have to make clear what YOU did wrong where.Its obvious , when the defaults are OK and your paints do not show up correctly , the fault must be in the way you handled the files.To see what went wrong you`ll have to compare the files you made with the default files.Do they show the same? ( having another texturising naturally , but showing OK)Do they have the same kind of alpha layer?Did you use mips ( where you should not )Are your files the same file-type? ( did you save the files to the correct format)If you can aswer all these questions with a "YES" , it should work OK.

If I understand you correctly, the other FSX Eaglesoft Citations all have the same problem.NOI did ask:Have the default liveries the same problem?

If you mean FSX default liveries--no, they do not have the same problem. Only the Eaglesoft default liveries have the problem.

IF not?We have to make clear what YOU did wrong where.Its obvious , when the defaults are OK and your paints do not show up correctly , the fault must be in the way you handled the files.To see what went wrong you`ll have to compare the files you made with the default files.Do they show the same? ( having another texturising naturally , but showing OK)Do they have the same kind of alpha layer?Did you use mips ( where you should not )Are your files the same file-type? ( did you save the files to the correct format)If you can aswer all these questions with a "YES" , it should work OK.

Unfortunately, some of these questions I cannot answer. I've tried to copy the alpha layer in the same way as the FSX ones that work (i.e., I made the colors opposite), I believe the mips box is unchecked but I'll look at that again to verify. I've saved the files as DDS because that's the same kind all the other textures are. But I'm not sure if they should be saved as DXT5 or not. That's always worked for my other texture files but I'm not sure about FSX alpha files.Basically, there's some aspect of the night textures that I'm missing, whether it's the alpha layer or some other subtle aspect in the texture process. Or perhaps(?) it could be the combination in which the night texture works with another texture (SPEC, BUMP, etc.).

I see no reason why you are not able to give the answers to the questions.You have the original files.If you have the original files you can see what kind of files it are.If you send me the files you painted AND the same files from the default livery I can tell.RegardsLeen

Have the day textures underneath the night textures for the FSX model's nightmaps. Lighten the night textures to make the dark areas look brighter

Have the day textures underneath the night textures for the FSX model's nightmaps. Lighten the night textures to make the dark areas look brighter

Sorry to say.This suggestion leads to nothing.Leen

Sorry to say.This suggestion leads to nothing.Leen

Was I not getting the point across? I fail to see how this "leads to nothing"This is what I'm suggesting he should do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjeWMh6nC7Y

The point is I exactly understand what you mean.As you can see on Zinfandel`s screenshot above , its not just a question the enlightening the lightfile for the tail.The logo on the tail is vage and blurry , so enlightening the lightfile will make the tail lighter but will not improve the quailty of the logo.

The issue is the nightmap in FSX is near opaque. What I'm doing in that clip is:1) I paste the night texture above the day texture and set the night texture layer's blending to Multiply... this means the day texture will be visible underneath the night texture2) Lighten the night texture layer so that the dark areas will be brighterLooking at the FSX pic again, it looks like Eaglesoft is using an .fx file for the light splash, so the light splash on the texture really is quite redundant... though it can be done as I described above if you don't like how effects look (I don't)

If the light on the tail is generated by an FX file, we do not need to make special textures for the night.Something I asked is still unanswered.Do the liveries wich come with the original Eaglesoft Citation model for FSX have the same problem or does this problem only occur with Zinfandels`s repaint?

If the light on the tail is generated by an FX file, we do not need to make special textures for the night.

Which is pretty much what I said...

Do the liveries wich come with the original Eaglesoft Citation model for FSX have the same problem or does this problem only occur with Zinfandels`s repaint?

I assume they removed the light splash from the textures of the official paints, hence why they're using an effect... I've no idea what difference does this make to you though