So they lie in their own product?Because my ACM says this: And this is the FSX version.And why woulnd't the developer who licensed a product be able to explain how it works? - I mean he needs to be able to use it of course he knows how it works.Other than that A2A and VRS are pretty close...

The FSX version of the F/A-18E does not use A2A lighting. That was an FS9 feature. If you see the link that was used above, the poster who is explaining how to do the lighting effects is Jon Blum, the lead developer at VRS.

Are you sure it's not a combination of both? VRS programmed the geometry but A2A did the actual artwork and stuff that goes into the lights? That seems plausible to me...

I think we are heading on a differant direction to another aircraft ! Ryan could you possibly ansewer my question ?RegardsJAMMUR

Honestly, I'm not sure at this point. The VRS feature list says that the lights are custom, and Jon was mentioning developing the landing light geometry. However, on the flip side, the ACM says it's an A2A product. This has probably become a question for Jon.

I think we are heading on a differant direction to another aircraft ! Ryan could you possibly ansewer my question ?RegardsJAMMUR

We certainly do not intend to produce inaccurate lighting on the NGX.

Well it's true they are custom lights...Since A2A and VRS are basically friends it is probably both.Anyway my point was that with A2A Shockwave 3D Lights Redux you can have these lightning effects with some limitations on basically every airplane.My statement was based on my experience with the VRS F/A-18E Super Hornet which afaik does uses this lightning system.If someone has this addon and says it's not the case then so be it.

We certainly do not intend to produce inaccurate lighting on the NGX.

Thanks for the reply, all I wanted to know :( JAMMUR

I never claimed that they are the same and I don't know what you are talking about but the lights on my VRS F/A-18E do illuminate the ground and they use a license version of A2A Simulations 3D Lights. Something to back me up:

It certainly looks like you did claim that they are the same. Dario asked which aircraft have lights that actually light up the ground and Andi and Tim mentioned the aerosoft airbux and the L39 (which do) and you claimed any aircraft with Shockwave lights (which don't). It seems to me that you do not understand exactly what is happening with the lighting system of your VRS F/A-18E so I will try to explain. Please understand that this is a rather technical matter and if you have no experience with 3D modelling or developing for MSFS that you may have trouble following some of the points.First thing to understand is that there are TWO components to the lights of the VRS. It's really important that you understand this basic fact as it will help explain the differences between shockwave lights and landing lights.The first part is the light effect itself. This is what Shockwave lights are best known for, that 3D halo effect coming out of the landing light. You can just see this effect in your picture but if you had a front on pic of the landing light itself you would be better able to see it. The pics on the A2A website http://www.a2asimulations.com/store/shockwavelights/ clearly show this halo effect around the landing light on the aircraft. This effect is created using the FSX effect system. If you go to your FSX\Effects folder you should be able to find the .fx file that actually creates the effect.Now, this point is real important: EFFECTS CANNOT LIGHT TERRAIN, SCENERY OR AUTOGEN. Effects can cast light on aircraft but they cannot cast light on the scenery. Only the sun can do this. Don't believe me? Well, try this to prove it: Start FSX and load the default Airbus at night and turn on all the lights. Now look carefully at the beacon, strobe and nav lights, you will see that they cast light onto the aircraft. The red and green wing lights will provide a glow to the wings. Now look at the ground. These lights are not casting any light onto the ground (the taxi and landing light do but I will explain how they do this trick later). If you go inside the aircraft the Virtual Cockpit light will also cast light onto the aircraft interior, these effects are acting as light sources but they only work on the aircraft, not the scenery. There is a parameter in the .fx file called "Emits Light". If this is set to =1 then the fx will act as a light source.In fact, it is impossible to light the scenery at all in FSX. Believe it or not but landing lights (whether the default one or those like the Aerosoft Airbus X, L39 and VRS F18) do not actually light the scenery either which brings us to the second component of the landing lights of the VRS.As you can see in your pic the landing light appears to be lighting the ground, in addition there are two red lights under the elevator of the aircraft that are also lighting the ground. In reality these are polygons that are placed just above the ground. The default landing light is also just a polygon that is placed just above the ground. How can I tell it is a polygon? Easy, park your aircraft on some bumpy terrain and you will see the ground will poke through the polygon causing black parts in your landing light and completely ruining the illusion. Because that is what landing lights are, an Illusion. The link I gave earlier (http://www.aerodynamika.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1260387802/0#0) explains exactly how VRS creates this polygon and keeps it just above the ground. Dumbing it down they use some maths and based on the aircrafts pitch, bank, roll and altitude they move the polygon (which is attached to the aircraft) so that it stays just above the ground. The polygon is textured and uses a special frame buffer blend setting so that it appears to light the ground below. Remember, it is not actually lighting the ground as a true light source would. What it is really doing is lighting the pixels behind the polygon by using the frame buffer blend setting. Frame buffer blend is by the display engine to control how polygons interact with polygons behind them. Usually, for opaque objects, you set the frame buffer blend so the polygon in front obscures the one behind but if you want to make glass you adjust the frame buffer blend so that it mixes with the polygons behind. However, if you set frame buffer blend so the the Source blend is DestColor and Destination Blend is InvSrcAlpha it can appear that the terrain is lit up. This is what the VRS F18, L39 and Airbus X do and is what and is what Tim Smith is refereing to.The shockwave addon does not do this. It cannot do this as this must be made part of the 3D model.The default landing light works in much the same way although it is hard coded into the FSX code and the developer has no control over its appearance. So, in conclusion. There are two parts to the VRS lights, the shockwave part which is the 3D halo and the VRS part which is the polygon that lights the ground. The VRS part is the part that Tim Smith was refering to.

<br>I never claimed that they are the same and I don't know what you are talking about but the lights on my VRS F/A-18E do illuminate the ground and they use a license version of A2A Simulations 3D Lights.<br><br>  Something to back me up:<br><br><a href="http://s5.directupload.net/file/d/2349/gbhsg29y_png.htm" class="bbc_url" title="External link" rel="nofollow external"><img src="http://s5.directupload.net/images/101120/temp/gbhsg29y.png"></a><br><br><a href="http://s3.directupload.net/file/d/2349/pbkgucml_png.htm" class="bbc_url" title="External link" rel="nofollow external"><img src="http://s3.directupload.net/images/101120/temp/pbkgucml.png"></a><br>

wow, those lights look great

It certainly looks like you did claim that they are the same.

No, I said they do the same.

It seems to me that you do not understand exactly what is happening with the lighting system of your VRS F/A-18E so I will try to explain.

I honestly don't care. You have Shockwave 3D Lights? The don't illuminate the ground? Fine then say so and save your breath talking tec I don't care about.

Anthony, thanks for an excellent explanation of the Lotus/VRS volumetric ground/object lighting. I was wondering how that was done...Andrew

Anthony, thanks for an excellent explanation of the Lotus/VRS volumetric ground/object lighting. I was wondering how that was done...

Agree - thanks for taking the time to explain, very interesting.

I am pretty sure I have seen a video where the strobes did light the runway and taxiway, but I can't seem to find it now. (I know this is not default lighting)Anyone else who has seen that?

I am pretty sure I have seen a video where the strobes did light the runway and taxiway, but I can't seem to find it now. (I know this is not default lighting)Anyone else who has seen that?

I'm fairly certain that it was either the Lotus L-39 or the VRS Rhino.

I'm fairly certain that it was either the Lotus L-39 or the VRS Rhino.

L39 tutorial video:http://www.youtube.com/LotusSimulations#p/a/u/2/WcdXS5yMzpU