v2.2: cloud shadows don't bring light

[Rocky_53 1,579]

It's not going to happen Jeroen, because IMO it's not possible. The amount of light that would be reflected off a surface, would be governed by the maximum light value that the monitor can display. So unless the monitor could display illuminance to such a degree that you needed to squint, then it won't happen :wink:

[Novation 534]

Since the ground textures already look as if the sky is clouded, adding cloud shadows will only make things darker.

 

Sorry I don't get this, as most terrain textures look like the sun is shining permanently, esp. with baked in tree shadows in FTX's case anyway... Maybe P3D's HDR helps, with a degree of adaptation, but with the shadows on, and the subtraction of brightness, there is without doubt a greater feeling of light, and the sun shining [kind of like the perception of loudness (not volume) in music.]........... but, hey, if you don't like it turn them off.

 

It's not going to happen Jeroen, because IMO it's not possible. The amount of light that would be reflected off a surface, would be governed by the maximum light value that the monitor can display. So unless the monitor could display illuminance to such a degree that you needed to squint, then it won't happen :wink:

 

Exactly.. so it all comes down to effects and the perception created by them. We will see what the final result in P3D's case looks like tomorrow.

 

BTW J.. do you think the cockpit shadows add to the sensation of light or not?... I think they do, and its the same for the terrain.

[mike2060 4]

Weren't LM going to add reflectance values to textures? So snow would reflect a lot of light, etc?

 

Edit: From LM's website: "Regarding lighting, one of the biggest features we have implemented is the support for specular terrain lighting.  What that means is that land classes now support specular values that will affect how they reflect light (snow and roads now reflect light differently, snow is shinier, etc.)."

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

Weren't LM going to add reflectance values to textures? So snow would reflect a lot of light, etc?

 

Edit: From LM's website: "Regarding lighting, one of the biggest features we have implemented is the support for specular terrain lighting.  What that means is that land classes now support specular values that will affect how they reflect light (snow and roads now reflect light differently, snow is shinier, etc.)."

 

I think they removed that in 2.1 to prevent shimmering.

[Gregg_Seipp 568]

Just for grins, I took some recent Avsim Screenshots that folks uploaded and put them through the '1 click' Adobe Fireworks color correction to see what they'd look like.  Here's the album.  (There's one image I hadn't color corrected that snuck in there...just ignore it.)

 

http://imgur.com/a/v9TGv#1

 

Here's one example...

And here's the color corrected version...

[Novation 534]

You can achieve the same thing in-game with ease using a warm coloured palette in ENB or reducing blues with SweetFX... I think Tim from REX has an ENB which gets something similar.

 

You can also use SHADE to make the 'Light' (and shadow) values warm... but we're taking about FSX here, not P3D which is warmer and more contrasty by default.

[Gregg_Seipp 568]

 

 

You can achieve the same thing in-game with ease using a warm coloured palette in ENB or reducing blues with SweetFX... I think Tim from REX has an ENB which gets something similar.



You can also use SHADE to make the 'Light' (and shadow) values warm... but we're taking about FSX here, not P3D which is warmer and more contrasty by default.

 

I couldn't pull it off myself using ENB.  I did try the REX one but, while it was interesting, I didn't find it more accurate.  Haven't tried Shade yet...looking forward to trying Prepar3D.

[Guest]

 

 

BTW J.. do you think the cockpit shadows add to the sensation of light or not?... I think they do, and its the same for the terrain.

 

Yes, they do! And I know what you mean! As I already said in the OP "I could be totally wrong when I actually fly with 2.2" but so far the video's didn't convince me. Hopefully I am totally wrong indeed. And hopefully I can say so tomorrow... :rolleyes:

[Guest]

 

 

BTW J.. do you think the cockpit shadows add to the sensation of light or not?... I think they do, and its the same for the terrain.

 

I had another close look at it all and I think you are right. I also did some tests with the current shadow options and posted about it here: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/438849-what-a-difference-shadows-make/ Look at the difference between the first and last shot in the animated gif. Cloud shadows will have a similer effect indeed.

[Novation 534]

Yeah, good example, I think its going to look just fine and add a great deal, light wise, unless LM have dialled them back and they end up..... er, a shadow of their former selves :ph34r:  ....LR diminished the cloud shadows in XPX and it ruined the effect.

 

For best affect you'll need both buildings and vegetation set to receive shadows, or a lot of the darkening will be lost...edit: opps you said that anyway :blush:

[molleh 451]

Yes, this overall lack of brightness is a real shame in FSX, P3D, and to a lesser extent, X-Plane 10. Aerofly FS is the only one that has captured a sunny day effect properly in a flight simulator:

 

 

 

The amusing thing is P3D2 added HDR lighting, but it's tuned all wrong.. it actually makes the terrain even darker then with HDR turned off. Really wish someone would get this right finally in FSX/P3D.

 

Assetto Corsa (a PC racing game) is another example of HDR daylight done right: