HP67 - black prop discs...

[kennyhall]

I have been searching for a Hastings - HP67 but nothing for FSX.

I have ported a model I had in FS9 but while everything works (albeit with a panel aliased to Jens' Hermes) the prop discs show as (almost) black discs.
Further, at some angles of view - Spot, on the ground - the discs fragment and bits of scenery behind the props shows through

On checking I find that the aircraft I have was actually for FS2002 - nothing in FS9.

Searching the forums I can't find anything about this but do remember reading something about "black discs" and (possible) methods of rectifying.

I have tried editing the props file within Photoshop but all that does is to make the discs disappear altogether and I have been unable to achieve that degree of visibility/transparency as seen in other (FSX) spinning prop views.

Substituting a props file from a different aircraft does not work either (invisible).

Can anybody shed any light on this at all.

Ken.

[ScatterbrainKid]

Bad prop disks with FS9 imports have plagued me too but I haven't got round to trying to fix them yet. I have however saved these few old posts by guys for future reference-

IMPORTING FS9 a/c to FSX
Prop disks- The simple way that I was able to fix this particularly irritating problem was to follow the advice I found on this forum and too replace the bad prop with a copy of one that works.
What I do first is to find a prop that is close to the prop I want to replace and copy it into the offending aircraft folder. I then rename the bad prop by simply adding a 1 or x at the end of the name, such as "prop.bmp to prop1.bmp" so it's saved right there when I want it. Then I rename the replacement prop to "prop.bmp" and I'm good to go. It does take a little experimenting to find the right prop but it works pretty good. Just remember that you have to use the same type of file. If it's a bmp you need a .bmp, not a .dds and visa versa.
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Disk Props- If the prop file in the texture folder is in BMP format and has an identifiable name, usually something like prop.bmp or spin.bmp, you CAN try swapping the file for one from a plane where you do not have that problem. It maust also be in BMP format. rename the old file with a .bak extension, then rename the file you just copied to the name of the old file. That may solve it unless the prop is coded into the .mdl file, in the latter case you are cactus!
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The following instructions should allow you to upgrade the propellers on FS9 aircraft that have bad propeller textures under FSX-SP2:
- Download and install Martin Wright's DXTBMP program

http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk...ams/dxtbmp.htm

This will also need mwgfx.dll to function so download and install that too:

http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/graphix.htm#dlls


Then after these are installed, launch DXTBMP and configure it for an Alpha editor:

- Start DXTBMP and assign an Alpha editor to it, like MSPaint (don't need anything fancy for this). You do this by going to the Prefs menu and choosing "Select Editor", then navigate to MSPaint which is in your C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder and select it....or maybe the menu selection "Reset editor to MSPaint" will do that for you. I haven't done that part in a long time and I don't remember.

Anyhow once that's done here's what you do:

- BACKUP the stinky prop texture files first.
- Open the stinky prop texture file(s) in DXTBMP
- Modify the Alpha layer by going to the Alpha menu and selecting "Send Alpha to Editor"
- MS Paint should open up. Maximize it, double-click on any color in the pallette (I use the second color, the grey), the color selector will show up, go to "Custom Colors" and drag the slider on the right all the way down to a value of 20 (not zero).
- Hit OK and return to MSPaint. CHoose the dark grey color you made, and use the fill bucket to fill the white Alpha area with the dark grey.
- Hit "Save" (not "Save As"), then Exit MSPaint.
- You'll return to DXTBMP. From the Alpha menu, select "Refresh Alpha"
- The Alpha window in the upper-right corner will change from white to the dark grey - that's the transparency value (the darker, the more transparent).
- From the File menu, select "Save as" -> "Extended Bitmap", then in the selection rollout choose "DXT3". Save using the original filename.

- Repeat for the other prop texture and save. You should be good to go with nice, mostly-transparent prop discs.

The transparency level I use is acording to my own taste, yours may vary. Pure black (value 0) is completey invisible, white is completely opaque (as you've already seen) and 20 is just a tad visible. Season to taste.

One thing that this cannot fix, or even make worse, is how clouds and/or autogen display behind or though the prop disc(s). Short story is, that's an artifact of FS9 vs FSX modeling and texture assignments, and display techniques, and it simply will be what it will be until an FSX-specific version of that aircraft is created.

[kennyhall]

Thanks,

that is a very comprehensive set of "instructions".

I shall give that a whirl tomorrow.

Will advise progress.

I had already copied/replaced the duff textures with others from other similar aircraft but they just showed invisible didn't show - you know what I mean,

I have the conversion program you mentioned.

Thanks again,

Ken.

[shermank]

..."I shall give that a whirl tomorrow...."

Is that a prop joke?...:-)

Sherm

[kennyhall]

..."i shall give that a whirl tomorrow...."

is that a prop joke?...:-)

sherm

:d:d:d

[kennyhall]

Sorted

Having read and printed the comprehensive instruction given (above) I went back to my aircraft files and there in the Howard-500 texture folder was a spinning_prop.bmp file

I must have been having a "senior moment" when I was trying to do this yesterday and had not looked in there.

Copy and paste did the trick and now I have nice very transparent strobing props in the Hastings. I have printed the instructions from above as they gave a better insight into using the texture converter - so future use is assured!

Time then to recreate my flight from RAF Changi (courtesy of the Royal Australian Air Force in a very noisy bone-shaking Hastings) to RAAF Butterworth (Penang) then on to near Rangoon for an overnight stop. Next day across the water to RAF Katenieka (Ceylon - now Sri Lanka). The following day a 700 nm trip SSW across the Indian Ocean to RAF Gan in the Maldives. 1962 - a very good year

It was a few days before my hearing normalised

Ken.