fsx-ms Instument lighting

[mog 3]

Hi All,

 

Right, I know that this isn't Maddog's site but if any of you out there have Maddog you will know how little response you get from their forum, and the brains on this site are far greater than mine!!

 

The first problem... when the taxi light and/or the landing lights are switched on they don't display on the ground, taxiing in the dark is difficult to say the least!! (I have it selected in the options of the FSX menu).

 

The second problem is a little more complex.... If I elect to take off at dusk the following instruments lighting gradually dims, to the point when they are no longer readable, almost as if the lights are connected to the declining daylight! the PFD, ND, FGCP, FMA, OAP and the EDP are all affected to the point where I have to put on the cockpit flood light to see the readings! Other instruments like the altimeter ASI, VSI are unaffected.  This problem is in VC only, if I select the 2D drop down screens they are lit up like a brocks benefit!

 

Anybody got any ideas?? please???

 

mog

[stans 702]

You did not mention which aircraft, but in general:

 

If it is just one or a few aircraft that will not illuminate the ground, then it is a problem with the aircraft model file.  Landing and taxi light 3D illumination must be coded into the model and without the source code, there is no fixing that problem.  

 

If it is with all aircraft, then either the box marked "landing light illuminates ground" in the FSX settings window is not checked or the "halo.bmp" file in the main "textures" folder is corrupt or missing.

 

Again, for 3D cockpit instrument illumination, it is likely a coding issue and not something the user can fix.

[mog 3]

Hi Stans, thanks for the response, in fact the aircraft type is Leonardo's Maddog MD80 hence the reference to their site, I have FS2004 on the same computer and it all works as advertised there, so the coding must be ok (?) since it was all downloaded from the same source. The "landing light illuminates ground" is checked in FSX settings so maybe it is the missing "halo.bmp" file you speak of. As I said in my thread the puzzling thing is the illumination for all these instruments dims with the dimming of the outside light! almost as if they were connected. (Most new real life EFIS instruments have a light sensor on the bezel which increase the lighting level as the ambient light decreases, this is doing the opposite!) 

 

Can you tell me the path to the main textures folder, is it a .cfg file? I think I may be looking at a complete uninstall and reinstall of this app. maybe of FSX! which would be a real douler de derriere!

 

mog 

[stans 702]

The texture folder is located in the main FSX folder and it will be a .bmp file.

 

If the MD80 was actually a FS2004 that was ported into FSX, the issues you are experiencing may be the result of the conversion from one flight sim version to another.  This sort of thing would be best handled by the aircraft's developer.

[mog 3]

Hi again,

 

Sorry for the delayed response, I still haven't found the file, the MD80 is Leonardo Houses Maddog and was installed into FSX from a direct download, it's designed for FS2004 and FSX so shouldn't pose any problems. Although I have posted on Maddogs site there has been no response, this isn't unusual unfortunately it's the norm as you will see if you visit their forum!

 

mog

[mog 3]

Ok I've fixed it!!!  I came across a thread on the Maddog forum where somebody else had a similar problem, their fix was the download of another paint(texture) job, a more up to date version. I gave this some deep and meaningful thought, as you do, and after this period of great cogitation I ran Maddog with in the MDG texture, and it all worked! thus it was obvious that the fault lay in the Airtours texture file, (downloaded from Avsim Library, and may I say a really lovely bit of artwork!!) the Texture add-on only alters two things, 1, the aircraft.cfg  file, and 2, is the addition of the new texture folder to the Maddog file. Long story short, on checking the two texture files  I discovered that the MDG file had an additional folder in it, LeoMD82_screen_LM, I copied this file to the Airtours Texture file and Voila!!! all is working !!!

 

My thanks to Stans for his input.

 

mog