SCASM Dot Command and the FS2004 update

[Guest luissa]

Hi JimI understand your frustation! I spend many hours some time ago with these commands but my aim was completely different. I was trying to increase the visibility range of lights (fs8 > fs9). In order to verify your findings I would spend almost one day to set up the conditions (choosing the test region, normally at N40 W40, the test objects, the test BGLs and so on). I can not do that. Therefore I will only add a small comment.It is very strange that Area has to do with the Dot! The same for the Start Surface!Idea - have you many lights? Can you afford to use your own light? If so consider replacing a line like:Dot( x y z )macro( MyDot.scm x y z par1 par2 par3 )You can even use one of the parameters to specify your own halo.bmp texture. I used something similar to create the light for a lighthouse. In my case I used a square whose face turned to the viewer. The square was painted with a halo texture that I made with my colours and my rays. The dimensions of the square depended on the distance to the viewer. As I was more distant the square was bigger. It varied from a standard Dot at close distance, than in several steps until it was a square with 1km by 1km (about that, do not remember the exact figures) when I was, at a distance of 100km. I think I posted this macro here at avsim some time ago. If you do not find it I can send you privately.I hope this can be useful,regards, luis

[Guest jimjones]

Hi Luis,Thanks for your response and for your offer of a mydot macro. I would like totake a look at your macro. I have tried to locate it via a search, but wasunsuccessful. If you can give me the name as it appears in the AVSIM libraryI'm sure I'll be able to download it.I have used a similar technique as you described for an airport beacon. Upclose it shows the beacon rotating with alternate green and red illumination.At a distance it uses a diamond shaped plane facing the aircraft, and getsbigger with distance from the beacon. So it is similar in some ways to yours,but does not use a halo style texture. That seems a big improvement. The problem with my macro is that if one zooms in on the beacon it get unrealisticallybigger.When desired I have use multiple DOTs for a brighter light. However I seeno increase in the maximum viewing distance. That seems to be a functionof V1 or the altitude of the DOT.When one looks at the lights at the edge of runways and on airplanes thereseems to be a variety of sizes, but we don't seem to have the toolsto generate these smaller lights, that is, unless the Light() commanddoes this.In regards to the Light() command I must admit I do not understand how to useit, basically because I see no way to position it in Longitude and Latitude. I'venot kept up with the latest tools and continue to use old style SCASM commands. It's a "hard to teach an old dog new tricks " syndrome.Concerning feedback about my DOT observations I would not expect anyone to consruct a test situation. My hope was that if anyone had sceneries of their own using the DOT command that they respond in someway to ANY differences they see from FS2004 and its update.I would be interested in knowing if the DOTs appear rounder, up close andat a distance, after the FS2004 update.Or if some DOTs appear solid even at great distances. Or if some fade into a fuzy ball as distance increases from the DOT.Or if both types are observed.Jim

[Guest luissa]

Hi,I have referred to the macro lights apis in this forum:http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho..._id=17775&page=http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...ing_type=searchThe light.api referred to in the first post follows,Regards, LuisIfVarAnd( :isnight@ 28C 3 ) Jump( :end@ ):isnight@IfVarRange( :size1@ 33B 0 150 )Points( 0 -3 -3 0 3 -3 0 3 3 0 -3 3 0 )Jump( :go_light@ ):size1@IfVarRange( :size2@ 33B 150 300 )Points( 0 -6 -6 0 6 -6 0 6 6 0 -6 6 0 )Jump( :go_light@ ):size2@IfVarRange( :size3@ 33B 300 600 )Points( 0 -12 -12 0 12 -12 0 12 12 0 -12 12 0 )Jump( :go_light@ ):size3@IfVarRange( :size4@ 33B 600 1200 )Points( 0 -20 -20 0 20 -20 0 20 20 0 -20 20 0 )Jump( :go_light@ ):size4@IfVarRange( :size5@ 33B 1200 2400 )Points( 0 -35 -35 0 35 -35 0 35 35 0 -35 35 0 )Jump( :go_light@ ):size5@IfVarRange( :size6@ 33B 2400 4800 )Points( 0 -64 -64 0 64 -64 0 64 64 0 -64 64 0 )Jump( :go_light@ ):size6@IfVarRange( :size7@ 33B 4800 9200 )Points( 0 -115 -115 0 115 -115 0 115 115 0 -115 115 0 )Jump( :go_light@ ):size7@Points( 0 -210 -210 0 210 -210 0 210 210 0 -210 210 0 ):go_light@LoadBitmap( 0 L1 EF 30 30 30 halo.bmp )TexPoly( m 0 0 32767 0 0 50 50 1 205 50 2 205 205 3 50 205 ):end@

[Guest jimjones]

Thanks Luis for the api and the link.The Link certainly has convinced me not to pursue the Light() command.I have reviewed your api and see similarities in some of my previous experimentation, but the use of a texture and one of the commands is new to me. Is it possible to have a transparent texture for the halo.bmp?Jim

[Guest luissa]

>Is it possible to have a>transparent texture for the halo.bmp?Yes,You can use the default halo.bmp (which has transparency) or your own texture.Regards, Luis

[bob.bernstein 0]

interesting discussion....I used to enjoy scasm as well....never ever felt comfortable reading asm. Feels like scasm is obvious and asm is gibberish.course I enjoy stalls in a real plane and gmax....so go figure.Bob