Fs9 Auto Smoke Problem. No more Manual Lights Control

[jjeff1945]

I have been having this problem for years now, I go and set up the auto smoke in my airplanes such as any of the Jets, freeware and even payware for the heat shimmer to turn on auto with the light's switches such as Wing, Recognition, Taxi and Logo lights with the freeware XML files, and then I no more have control over those lights on my panels. As soon as there is one of those XML file entries into the panel folder config file that is attached to the aircrat config folder in the light section. Then those lights then become manually useless and is always stuck in the on positions even with the engines shut down and no smoke present. The XML files lock out the light switches, I can not turn them on or off as they are in the stuck on position. Those XML files are not set up correctly for light switches. Is there any way to get the auto smoke to turn on and off with the engines by setting up a way to use another source to tell the smoke to turn on or off as the engine panel has rpm and heat readings shown by a needle up or down according to engine pressures or rpm. I feel that nothing should ever be attached to the lights section for anything but the lights themselves. The Reverse spray causes the same problems with the Taxi and Logo light switches. The effects work great but no light switches to use as in the real reality of things.

Please help with any new way or new type of Auto Smoke XMLs if possible. Thanks in advance for any help.

[jgf]

It's an "either-or" situation; those effects are triggered via the light options, so you can have lights or smoke but not both. There is a limited number of lighting "slots" to control effects (the switch, whether an actual switch on the panel or an xml control, doesn't care what the effect is, it just triggers it; you could replace the nav lights with fireworks effects and fly around with fireworks on your wingtips); so designers frequently hijack a little used light, such a logo, for a custom effect.

[jjeff1945]

LOL! Fireworks that an idea. There must be another way to make those heat shimmer effects work. I need to learn how to make the proper XML gauge or find another way to attach to another engine gauge such as the revers-er lights for the reverse spray and the heat shimmer to a engine N1 or N2 gauge. Thanks for the reply. I realize now that I will have to wait and remove them from the lights switches as that is a very poor way to do that effect. I want my light switches more than the effects.

[rcbarend]

LOL! Fireworks that an idea. There must be another way to make those heat shimmer effects work. I need to learn how to make the proper XML gauge or find another way to attach to another engine gauge such as the revers-er lights for the reverse spray and the heat shimmer to a engine N1 or N2 gauge. Thanks for the reply. I realize now that I will have to wait and remove them from the lights switches as that is a very poor way to do that effect. I want my light switches more than the effects.

Being one of the first designers (was it for FS2000, or FS2002 ? I forgot) "mis-using" light switches to switch external effect files on/off via XML controls, I feel compelled to react


So maybe I can clarify a bit more where this comes from.
10 years ago, all of the default planes, and almost all addon planes, didn't make use of things like TAXI lights, RECOGNITION lights, LOGO lights etc (light switch 6 - 10).
So addon designers started to use these unused light switches, to control external effect files (.fx files) that were not used in most aircraft models.
Typically for visual effects like: afterburners, wing vapor, machinegun flashes, direction-controlled smoke, g-force, sound-barrier, etc etc.
This means that you cannot just use any XML gauge, intended for a specific aircraft to switch a specific effect, in another aircraft.
Because that might collide with other usage of those same lightswitches.

For switching external effect files on/off (being a real light, or other visual effects), there are only two options in MSFS:
Either via the Smokesystem (1 control) or via an unused (in a specific aircraft model) light switch (10 controls).
So you have to be very carefull using just any XML gauge, controlling a light switch, in an aircraft addon for which it was not intended.
Because they MAY collide with the intended purpose of that lightswitch !
Don't blame addon designers; blame MS for not giving us the proper means to switch non-standard .fx files on/off

To be complete: there's another way to control external effects, but those cannot be controlled by gauge code because they are controlled by MSFS itself.
See the Effects section in the aircraft.cfg.
Typically for thing like wake effects, enginestart effects, tiresmoke, etc.

If you want to add effects like engineheat shimmer, enginesmoke, etc (based on N1/N2/Throttle or whatever) criterium, it's better to use the Smokesystem for that. And use an XML gauge that controls the Smokesystem on/off, based on such criteria.

Regards, Rob

[jjeff1945]

Thanks for your reply. Just to clarify I am not blaming those folks that created the XMLs at all, in a matter of fact I Salute to them for their awesome work a free help. The Smoke system does work for com-trails and other smoke and like you said using an XML file to control it. But it will not control 2 or 4 Engines separately. Left engine running and right engine off but it is still smoking. That may be fixable in the XML it'self.

[rcbarend]

Thanks for your reply. Just to clarify I am not blaming those folks that created the XMLs at all, in a matter of fact I Salute to them for their awesome work a free help. The Smoke system does work for com-trails and other smoke and like you said using an XML file to control it. But it will not control 2 or 4 Engines separately. Left engine running and right engine off but it is still smoking. That may be fixable in the XML it'self.

I understand now; but you cannot fix that in the XML gauge, since FS9 (unlike FSX) just has 1 Smokesystem; so all entries that you define under Smokesystem in the aircraft are always switched on or switchoff.
The Smoke gauge you use now, most probably checks for Eng1 only.

So if you don't want to use light switch control, next best would to modify the Smoke control gauge so it only switches the Smokesystem ON if ALL engines are running. Because you better have no smoke at all if not all engine are running, then smoke coming from an engine that isn't running

Rob