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NGX Nav Lights

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Hello

 

I traded up to P3D v4 recently and purchased the NGX but I noticed that the nav lights seem overly bright/ too large. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be this way but in the screenshots of PMDG's website and in FSX, the nav lights were smaller, dimmer, and seemed much more realistic. If this is normal is there a way to reduce the size/brightness of the lights?

Nav lights in P3D

https://imgur.com/xpjyONJ

https://imgur.com/MvzRnNq

Nav lights in FSX

https://imgur.com/phPlrMN

 

Regards,

Bryan Harris

 

Regards,

Bryan Harris

There is nothing in common between lighting in FSX (uses textures to simulate light) and P3D (uses light source that illuminate objects).  Just plain hard to compare.  The size and brightness is not a texture file that you can modify as in FSX.

Dan Downs KCRP

I shouldn't laugh...l I often do night walkarounds in sunglasses with the LED equipped aircraft...

Mark Harris.

Aged 54. 

P3D,  & DCS mostly. DofReality P6 platform partially customised and waiting for parts. Brunner CLS-E Yoke and Pedals. Winwing HOTAS and Cougar MFDS.

Scan 3XS Laptop i9-9900K 3.6ghz, 64GB DDR4, RTX2080.

B737NG Pilot. Ex Q400, BAe146, ATP and Flying Instructor in the dim and distant past! SEP renewed and back at the coal face flying folk on the much deserved holidays!

  • Author

Thanks for the reply Dan, but what explains PMDG's screenshots and also the many other pictures and videos with the nav lights appearing normal?

Regards,

Bryan Harris

  • Commercial Member
2 hours ago, INeedAStamp said:

Thanks for the reply Dan, but what explains PMDG's screenshots and also the many other pictures and videos with the nav lights appearing normal?

Please sign your posts with your real name, first and last as per forum rules.

 

The PMDG screenshots you most probably referring is from FSX or P3Dv3 that are using the "old way" of doing the lights.

Chris Makris

PLEASE NOTE PMDG HAS DEPARTED AVSIM

You can find us at http://forum.pmdg.com

 

14 hours ago, MarkJHarris said:

I shouldn't laugh...l I often do night walkarounds in sunglasses with the LED equipped aircraft...

All the aircraft in the fleet I maintain have been upgraded with LED nav lights. There is a 12-month maintenance inspection requirement to verify that each individual LED in the light array is illuminated. Doing this check requires that we where special “laser safe” wrap-around goggles that indeed look just like dark sunglasses. The intense light from the LEDs can cause retina damage if observed directly from close range for a protracted time.

Jim Barrett

Licensed Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic, Avionics, Electrical & Air Data Systems Specialist. Qualified on: Falcon 900, CRJ-200, Dornier 328-100, Hawker 850XP and 1000, Lear 35, 45, 55 and 60, Gulfstream IV and 550, Embraer 135, Beech Premiere and 400A, MD-80.

2 hours ago, JRBarrett said:

All the aircraft in the fleet I maintain have been upgraded with LED nav lights. There is a 12-month maintenance inspection requirement to verify that each individual LED in the light array is illuminated. Doing this check requires that we where special “laser safe” wrap-around goggles that indeed look just like dark sunglasses. The intense light from the LEDs can cause retina damage if observed directly from close range for a protracted time.

I have to admit that while the NAV LEDs are welcome...I'm going to miss the xenon strobes when that last plane is modified for LED strobes (or goes out of service).

I've grown up watching them in the night sky, wondering what exotic place that plane is off to in the night.  The LED strobes were a novelty when they first appeared on the scene, and as far as I know the 787 was the 1st to have them (I could be wrong)...so when I saw them I assumed the plane was the fancy new 787.  Those red LED beacons are another giveaway for the 787...so incredibly bright...and they don't flash...they turn on and off (as so the LED strobes).

Anyway...what I'm trying to say is that our night-spotting canvas is changing as the LEDs slowly take over the strobes and beacons on more and more models. Seeing a plane approach in the distance....the plane can now be a 787, 748, EMB, 737...any others you guys know of that have the LED stobes now?

Oh...I know a lot of planes have LED landing lights now too...will have to head to LAX in the future on a clear evening and look east to see the "string of pearls" and see if the LED landing lights are easy to distinguish from the older lighting systems. :mellow: 

Regards,
Steve Dra
Get my paints for MSFS planes at flightsim.to here, and iFly 737s here
Download my FSX, P3D paints at Avsim by clicking here

9Slp0L.jpg 

This LED technology is amazing.  My first handheld calculator was an HP-35 in 1974 and it used red LED (they only came in red for years) that ran the battery down is half a school day and you couldn't read them in sunlight. They are a near perfect light source, no heat (to speak of) just light.

Dan Downs KCRP

Landing a 737 with the LED landing lights is like daylight compared to the older ones. 

Mark Harris.

Aged 54. 

P3D,  & DCS mostly. DofReality P6 platform partially customised and waiting for parts. Brunner CLS-E Yoke and Pedals. Winwing HOTAS and Cougar MFDS.

Scan 3XS Laptop i9-9900K 3.6ghz, 64GB DDR4, RTX2080.

B737NG Pilot. Ex Q400, BAe146, ATP and Flying Instructor in the dim and distant past! SEP renewed and back at the coal face flying folk on the much deserved holidays!

There is nothing to do with LED, NEON or whatever... What Bryan says is totally true. NGX Nav lights in Prepar3d are awful. I posted this problem months ago. I noticed that the 777, 744 and the upcoming 748 have the same problem, they are like small Christmas tree balls coming out the wing. The explanation that "is a P3D lighting" is quite not correct, a perfect example is the QW787 Nav lights...

 

Hope PMDG could improve that.

 

Regards

 

Santiago Villacorta F.

Edited by svfranchini

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