Hi,

 

I think the lighting of the PMDG MD11 is too white, do you know if it's possible to tweak the cockpit lights in order to get something more orange like in this video 

?

 

Thanks

Just like with any other video or photo, a lot of this has to do with white balance.

While I have never had the pleasure of visiting the MD-11 flight deck myself (yet), chances are the white balance on the video is slightly altered, compared to real life. This would give it a more orange look than the real thing.

Also, there's probably some extra saturation on the video, which only exaggerates the effect.

Me too, had never the chance to visit the flightdeck but after watching all the videos it seems lighting is more orange. It's like NGX cockpit, the color was too white not enough orange, I've got the oppurtinity to be on jumpseat several times and I'm pretty sure of this. 

 

As far as concerned the MD11 do you know if we can tweak the color like in the NGX ? 

 

It's a minor problem, it won't change my way to fly lol I'm juste curious if we can tweak this

I don't think the MD-11 can be tweaked in the same way the NGX can (or even the 777). 

I'd rather trust PMDG to get it right. They spend hours in simulators (which use aircraft lighting components) and so they have a better chance to get it right than a subjective impression. Certainly more chance than from flight deck videos, no matter how well produced.

 

As the video used as an example is basically daylight lit (panel lighting will be off) I don't see how or where the idea the lighting is orange comes from.

 

 

 They spend hours in simulators (which use aircraft lighting components) and so they have a better chance to get it right than a subjective impression

 

Basically, MD11 is an old generation PMDG aircraft, lighting was'nt as good as the NGX or 777X. Regarding the color, it's not a subjective impression, color is more amber (I confess I said orange, my mistake) in ALL the videos, professional & amator footages.

 

Well, I do not want to discuss if PMDG is right, I'm just asking if we can tweak the lights, final point.

Well, I do not want to discuss if PMDG is right, I'm just asking if we can tweak the lights, final point.

 

I don't think there's any need to be so curt. Surely whether PMDG are right or not is th ewhole point.

 

The video you posted is in daylight and doesn't show the lighting. Video is notoriously misleading regarding colour rendering. There were many NGX threads about the lighting colours along the lines of wanting to see more orange lighting, as per photos and videos. Several real world 737 pilots commented that there was nothing wrong with the colour of the lighting. That didn't stop people tweaking it of course.

 

With respect, the impression you have is subjective unless you are actually measuring colours objectively.

 

I've never seen aircraft lighting that's anything other than as white as possible, apart from a 727 which had red dome lighting. This youtube video of a DLH Cargo MD-11F isn't daylight, so the lighting is the main source. Still looks white to me. The CRT colours are rather washed out though, that is a typical video effect. The FGS and overhead LCD background lighting looks reasonable too. In the PMDG sim if you turn up the panel lighting the LCD background takes on a similar colour.

 

I'm sorry, but I don't see significant issues with the lighting colours PMDG have used. Perhaps you could be more specific about what you think is wrong.

 

As far as I know the only colours you can tweak in the MD-11 are on the PFD and the FMC CDU.

I've flown Lufthansas MD-11 sim in Frankfurt, I was amazed how right the day and night textures in PMDG MD-11 compares to the real thing. I run my Dell Ultrasharp U3011 in sRGB mode wich is spot on.

I don't think there's any need to be so curt. Surely whether PMDG are right or not is th ewhole point.

 

The video you posted is in daylight and doesn't show the lighting. Video is notoriously misleading regarding colour rendering. There were many NGX threads about the lighting colours along the lines of wanting to see more orange lighting, as per photos and videos. Several real world 737 pilots commented that there was nothing wrong with the colour of the lighting. That didn't stop people tweaking it of course.

 

With respect, the impression you have is subjective unless you are actually measuring colours objectively.

 

I've never seen aircraft lighting that's anything other than as white as possible, apart from a 727 which had red dome lighting. This youtube video of a DLH Cargo MD-11F isn't daylight, so the lighting is the main source. Still looks white to me. The CRT colours are rather washed out though, that is a typical video effect. The FGS and overhead LCD background lighting looks reasonable too. In the PMDG sim if you turn up the panel lighting the LCD background takes on a similar colour.

 

I'm sorry, but I don't see significant issues with the lighting colours PMDG have used. Perhaps you could be more specific about what you think is wrong.

 

As far as I know the only colours you can tweak in the MD-11 are on the PFD and the FMC CDU.

 

Ok, I'll try to be more accurate, take a look at my video from 1:40, it's sunset and we can see the amber backlighting.

 

Same on this video 

 

 

Here again

 

 

Here from 4:44 during the arrival at Hong Kong

 

 

 

Your video make me laugh because it's a FSX video and not real life 

Your video make me laugh because it's a FSX video and not real life

 

:Doh: You spotted my deliberate mistake then! I skipped through the video and the angles were so unlike most FSX videos I didn't question it was what the title said. Annoying the uploader doesn't mention it in his description either though. Lesson learned. :blush:

 

Anyway, thanks for explaining the problem as you see it. Those additional videos are still daylight lit and that is where white balance causes problems showing artificial light at the same white balance setting. It does tend to look yellow in comparison to daylight and fluorescent light. But human vision doesn't perceive it as such, the brain compensates for the colour differences. But it becomes clear when you view a camera image.

 

Also, I'd be surprised if McDD deliberately put tinted flood lighting in the MD-11 panel. The aim would be to have as white lighting as possible.

 

This well known video has some night shots, and is definitely real. Sometimes the flood lighting looks a bit yellow, sometimes not. I think the brighter it is the whiter it looks, but that is only my subjective guess. See at around 7 minutes, but there are other examples. It may just be how the auto WB on the camera is behaving. Looking at that I'd be more concerned about the FGS and overhead panel LCD background lighting which is much whiter than the PMDG version (decidedly orange).

 

There is no colours.ini file in the MD-11, unlke the NGX. You might be able to adjust the colours to your liking by editing the VC textures. I wouldn't know where to start with that though. But googling to panel design forums might help.