Hi All,

I've finnished installing my new CVN65 (USS Enterprise) aircraft carrier "off Puero Rico" and have gotten the catapult launching and arrestor cable systems working as they should. But now and just as a small visible extra, I'm missing the small animated steam plume "effect" at the beginning of it's catapult rail.

I have such a steam plume effect correctly positioned on my Waikato carrier and am now searching for a method to get the same plume visible on my new CVN65 carrier.

I've (test-)disassembled the Waikato BGL file concerned, have tried to edit all the geographical positioning/elevation data found therein, but try as I may, nothing seems to (want to) work. I have not touched any of the complex looking animation programming and could not find any "call" for any effect name either, so I'm most probably following a wrong path.

Ideas anyone ?

Hans

Hans I'm sure its like attaching any "effect" into FS9. I have attached smoke vents into my upcoming KPIE scenery release. It's actually quite easy once you get the hang of it. Sounds like you have put a lot of time already into your project. I would certainly be willing to help you. PM me here and I will share my tutorial. Again, pretty easy learning curve.

Michael

Michael.

I've sent you a PM.

Greetings

Hans

Michael,

Thanks for all your efforts and especially for your tutorial. However, I've never had the payware "Instant Scenery" program and am for that reason not able to follow your tutorial. Moreover, all those "simple" things put together do seem to make the whole issue very complex indeed.

Also, please explain: The original steam plumes (1 to 4) on the freeware carrier Waikato, are produced by 4 separate (SCASM) BGL files and when having disassembled each of them, a call for any of the installed "fx_steam_fx" effects, are nowhere to be found in any of them. My basic question is therefore: Can a (SCASM) BGL file somehow create such a steam plume without calling for a named effect file ?

I've tried to contact the original author a number of times but alas, no replies.

If I would quote the exact geographical position, altitude and the effect name of my wished for steam plume to you, would you then be able to create the necessary BGL file for me. It would save a lot of sighs and I would be extremely greatfull.

Very best regards.

Hans

18 hours ago, Hans J said:

Michael,

Thanks for all your efforts and especially for your tutorial. However, I've never had the payware "Instant Scenery" program and am for that reason not able to follow your tutorial. Moreover, all those "simple" things put together do seem to make the whole issue very complex indeed.

Also, please explain: The original steam plumes (1 to 4) on the freeware carrier Waikato, are produced by 4 separate (SCASM) BGL files and when having disassembled each of them, a call for any of the installed "fx_steam_fx" effects, are nowhere to be found in any of them. My basic question is therefore: Can a (SCASM) BGL file somehow create such a steam plume without calling for a named effect file ?

I've tried to contact the original author a number of times but alas, no replies.

If I would quote the exact geographical position, altitude and the effect name of my wished for steam plume to you, would you then be able to create the necessary BGL file for me. It would save a lot of sighs and I would be extremely greatfull.

Very best regards.

Hans

Hi Hans,

Yes I think, think - remember lol, that yes I think I can. You mentioned Instant Scenery. I and others only use that to place scenery into FS9. The BGL’s are made in other programs such as ModelConverterX. Anyway, yes send me the coordinates of where the steam needs to flow from.

Michael

Hans, kidding aside. I am willing to do this for you. But I need the coordinates.

Michael

Edited April 20Apr 20 by PebbleBeach

Got it! Let me see what I can do. 👍

On 4/21/2026 at 2:15 AM, PebbleBeach said:

Got it! Let me see what I can do. 👍

Hans glad my follow-up worked!!!!

Michael,

Thanks for your help. I was surprised at how simple your XML based solution really was.

However, being a perfectionist, I'm now messing around with trying to get your steam plume to "lie down" along the whole catapult rail, instead of the single larger one going straight up, more or less at it's beginning.

Oh well, such problems certainly keep me off the streets, as FS9 has done for 20 years or more !! LOL !!

Greetings.

Hans