Lights in default 737 VC at night

[neilking2706]

Is it possible to turn them down a bit to get something a bit less harsh on the eyes? Or is there a light I've left on ...?

 

(New to FSX from FS9 and trying to work through the issues myself but this one's niggling me)

[mrzippy]

Kill the panel light. That's the bright white light. Go to this link and scroll down to the 737 VC upgrade and check out the cockpit lighting.

 

http://simviation.com//fsnd/Downloads.htm

[neilking2706]

Thanks for your reply, I turned off the panel light which changed it from an unnecessarily bright orangey/brown hue to an overly bright grey hue. I'm going to check out that download you linked to as it looks to have more subdued night time textures - thanks again!

[neilking2706]

OK, I downloaded that new VC you linked to and it had an app which has automatically installed it in the default 738 and it's a great improvement, thanks.

 

Next question is how do I add it to other 737s I've downloaded, for eg 738ryaiv.zip

 

Thanks for all help and sorry to ask such newb questions!

[mrzippy]

OK, I downloaded that new VC you linked to and it had an app which has automatically installed it in the default 738 and it's a great improvement, thanks.

 

Next question is how do I add it to other 737s I've downloaded, for eg 738ryaiv.zip

 

Thanks for all help and sorry to ask such newb questions!

 

I tried looking at what is installed, so I let the auto installer load everything to a folder I created. It gives you a new Model folder, Panel folder, Texture folder, and aircraft.cfg based on the default 737. Looks like a lot of working trying to mix and match to another 3rd party 737 addon.

 

There are a few downloads for 737s that use the Alrot cockpits. You will have to hunt around for them.

 

Example:

 

Name: 737-800thomson.zip

Size: 109,713,348 Date: 02-03-2013 Downloads: 3,262

 

FS2004/FSX Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800, registration G-TAWX with the revised VC from Alejandro Rojas Lucenda. VC includes working wipers, opening window and much more. Model by Project Open Sky. Custom B737-800 sopund pack included. Textures in Thomson Dreamliner colors by Roy Thomason. Fitted with Posky utility for the stairs.

[neilking2706]

No that didn't work ...

 

Any other ideas?

[il88pp]

In case you decide to go back to the default b737_800,

 

I had a look in the default 737. I noticed something in the panel.cfg file.

Originally the vclighth is commented out. (everything on a line following // will be ignored by fsx.)

So in the original aircraft.cfg the vclighth.fx effect is not loaded.

Yet the cabin light works just fine.

That must mean this light is called in the model.

 

A light in the cabin is an effect. Same as a wingtip light. (in this case a white light).

You find the effects in the ..\Microsoft FLight Simulator\Effects folder.

 

You may have at some time removed the // that was in front the line in the [LIGHTS] section in the 737 aircraft.cfg file. If you did that, the aircaft now has two cabin lights. They both switch on when you press + and the light you see will be twice as bright.

 

see below.

 

 

 

**********************************************************************************

 

[mrzippy]

No that didn't work ...

 

Any other ideas?

 

Yes, download 737 aircraft that already have the VC mods in them, like I mentioned in post#5.

[neilking2706]

Zippy - sorry I didn't see your post #5. Think I'll just have to become a Thomson pilot instead of a Ryanair one;)

 

il88pp - thanks but I couldn't see any lights commented out. And didn't seem to make any difference when I tried it.

 

BTW, I don't know if this makes any difference but I downloaded my FSX from Steam which didn't put it in the normal Program Files (x86) > Microsoft Games directory.

[StringBean]

I had a look in the default 737. I noticed something in the panel.cfg file.

Originally the vclighth is commented out. (everything on a line following // will be ignored by fsx.)

So in the original aircraft.cfg the vclighth.fx effect is not loaded.

Yet the cabin light works just fine.

That must mean this light is called in the model.

 

FSX default planes use textures instead of effects for general cockpit lighting.

 

For another effect you can take the vclight entry and copy it to a [smokeSystem] section.

 

You will have to add the [smokeSystem] section to the B737 aircraft.cfg, remember to remove the "//" from the entry.

 

Now you will have the vclight active with the "I" key and independent from the other lighting.

 

peace,

the Bean

[il88pp]

FSX default planes use textures instead of effects for general cockpit lighting.

 

That is not true. for example the default b747_400 contains in the [Lights] -section:

light.5 = 4, -18.24, 0.00, 11.19, fx_vclighth,

If you knock that effect out,

//light.5 = 4, -18.24, 0.00, 11.19, fx_vclighth,

Your VC does not get lit by any more.

(This aircraft is different from the default b737_800, the effect is not also called in the model, only in the aircraft.cfg file.)

 

The VC in fsx is most definitely lit by an effect.

-----------------

The lighting in the 2D cockpit however....

That does not depend on an effect.

That lighting is is gouverned by the panel.cfg file.

If you loook at the bottom of the panel.cfg file you will find:

(values can differ from plane to plane)

[Color]
Day=255,255,255
Night=233,166,134
Luminous=201,64,64

 

By lowering these values, you make it less bright.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think 'Day" is light intensity of panel by day, 'Night' is light intensity of 2D panel by night, and 'Luminous' is light intensity of the gauges. Google to make sure, or experiment yourself:).

 

-------------------------------------

The 2D panel lighting is done with textures, no

effect needed there.

But the vc lighting is done using an effect.

 

See here the result of knocking out the vclighth effect in the aircraft.cfg file of the default b747_400.

Notice the VC does not get lit up, but the radio popup panel does.

 

Lights off:

 

 

Lights on:

 

 

il88pp

[mrzippy]

Your VC does not get lit by any more.

 

il88pp

 

Shift+h?? Never lit my VC unless you've reprogrammed your keybuttons. L or Shift+L might be more for lights.

[il88pp]

you're right, corrected now.

must have been thinking of vclightH:)

thanks.

[mrzippy]

you're right, corrected now.

must have been thinking of vclightH:)

thanks.

 

Don't let it happen again! I'll have to start deducting "Brownie points". :p

[il88pp]

;)

[StringBean]

FSX default planes use textures instead of effects for general cockpit lighting.

 

That is not true. for example the default b747_400

 

OK, so I should have said some of the FSX default planes... (I think it is most of, not gonna check 'em all).

 

If you look in the texture folder, not texture.n, and see files named *_night_C.DDS then those VCs are lit by textures.

 

peace,

the Bean

[il88pp]

Maybe stringbean was correct after all...

 

I just tested

I restord all .cfg files to default. so th lights should work again.

Then I moved the entire \Effects folder out of the ..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\ -folder. So all effects are knocked out.

 

The 747 vc light did not work, as was expected.

 

But the default 737 vc was lit up.

 

Mabe the default FSX acceleration b747_400 is not a 'true fsx plane' but was caried over from fs9.

 

----------

Oh, while talking about effects. It is possible to make an effect less bright (or brighter) as well. Easy actually.

If you want to try that it is best to create a new effect under a new filename. Then make the aircraft.cfg use the new effect.

 

If you would change the Original effect, you would see it in all your planes.

 

(You can of course copy a Original effect to the desktop, edit that, then store it under a different name, and put it back in ..\effects.)

 

---------

Having FSX steam does not matter. All files are in a 'Steam" folder, but inside that the folder names are exactly the same as in the original fsx.

[il88pp]

If you look in the texture folder, not texture.n, and see files named *_night_C.DDS then those VCs are lit by textures.

 

peace,

the Bean

 

Thanks, that's great info.

il88pp

[il88pp]

To make an effect less bright.

copy fx_vclighth.fx from ..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Effects

to the desktop.

 

Rename it to: fx_vclighth_lessbright.fx

 

Open it with 'Notepad'

 

scroll down to the bottom of the file where you find:

 

 

 

change it by reducing the numbers, for example like this.

 

 

 

 

By reducing the first 3 numbers after:

Color Start=

and

Color End=

you reduce the light intensity of the effect.

 

Save the effects file. (as fx_vclighth_lessbright.fx.) Put it in the ..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Effects -folder.

 

-------------------------

Then make your aircraft use the effect by editing the aircraft.cfg file. For example like this in the default b747_400:

 

-----------------

Result:

Using normal fx_vclighth.fx -->

 

 

 

Using new fx_vclighth_lessbright.fx -->

 

 

-------

Works for other effects too, like wingtips.

Enjoy!

il88pp.

 

PS: As stringBean pointed out, changing the VC-Lighting won't work for the default b737_800 and some other planes. Knocking out their light effect .fx in the aircraft.cfg ( or reducing intensity of the effect .fx file will reduce the brightness, but won't turn off the light completely.

But you can change their wingtip lights.