afterburner.possible.difficult

[jetwelder]

the ab in the attachpoint tool is pretty ugly....but the fa18 acceleration aircrafts afterburner is rather lovely..

my jet uses the fa18 cfg temporarility.....

can iuse the fa18 afterburner effect in my model?

and how would i go about enabling this?

there is a texture for this...i have a feeling this would involve some xml magic.

and my knowledge of xml is such that it appears to me as some kind of weird magic.....jim

 

[n4gix]

Look in the modeldef.xml file for:

Afterburner_Engine1_Stage1
through
Afterburner_Engine1_Stage6

Note that there are several afterburner .fx files in the ..\Effects folder.

What I've done is set up six tiny polygons, each one several inches behind each other, then use the AttachPoint tool to assign each of the three .fx files to the six ...Stagen <Visibility> conditions.

If your a/c has two engines, simply use the Afterburner_Engine2_Stage1 through Afterburner_Engine2_Stage6 set of <Visibility> scripts.

 

[jetwelder]

thank you mr leaming....i am now pointing in the right direction,which in my case appears to be up a very steep hill....

i had better stop moaning and get on with it.....jim

 

[Roy Holmes]

afterburner

Another way is to use the smoke system. For example:
[smokesystem]
smoke.0 = -17, -2.2, -.35, fx_F4aftburn
smoke.1 = -19, -2.2, -.35, fx_F4aftburn
smoke.2 = -21, -2.2, -.35, fx_F4aftburn

That gives three instances of the AB spaced at two foot intervals behind the left exhaust, with the same on the right side, but using smoke.3, smoke.4 and smoke.5

The code for this activates the smoke system according to the afterburner stage:
<Element>
<Select>
<Value>(A:TURB ENG AFTERBURNER STAGE ACTIVE:1,number) s0
0 == if{ 1 (&gt;K:SMOKE_OFF) 2 (&gt;K:SMOKE_OFF) 3 (&gt;K:SMOKE_OFF) }
l0 1 == if{ 1 (&gt;K:SMOKE_ON) }
l0 2 == if{ 2 (&gt;K:SMOKE_ON) }
l0 3 == if{ 3 (&gt;K:SMOKE_ON) }
</Value>
</Select>
</Element>

The right engine does the same for smoke.3, 4 and 5

The effect is an increasingly long afterburner flame as the throttle is advanced to full, with the AB threshold at 80%.

Only odd thing I've noticed is that reducing throttle a small amount removes the effect. It works fine advancing the throttle, but not reducing the throttle.

Roy

 

[jetwelder]

thanks roy,all info gratefully received.....in fact any and all info on applying this and using the mdl def and xml..for a complete novice..grate fully received.

what i would be interested in is general procedures...i wont be writing new xml
entries for a while yet..

but pasting and applying at first....ime assuming the mdl def xml in the sdk is used when the model is exported...that to use the patched in code,it would be applied to the model, prior to export...

that a custom mdl def xml...ie, with the patched in extras...would be used for each different model...that you wouldnt just fill the mdl def with lots of patches that only suit one model...

sort of a library that you build up...to be patched in and removed as required..

or maybe a set of xml xsd docs for different types....

i will learn xml and fsx peculiar schema over time...but if i have a chunk of code that i cant read...but i know what task it does...where do i paste it?
how do i activate it?..and what should i do with it, when i build a completely different model?......

what i dont have is the simple basics to build on...if i dont get the foundations
right...my house will fall down.......thanks everybody.....jim

ps i can apply the standard fx using the attach tool.the 6 tiny polys for each engine..etc...pretty dissapointing...and not like the fa18 acceleration ab..jim

 

[n4gix]

Jim, you are making WAY too much out of this.

These XML scripts are already in the modeldef.xml file. They are "stock scripts" now.

Of course, this assumes that you've installed SDK1a, SDK2 and SDK Acceleration.

 

[jetwelder]

you are of course absolutely spot on....ive read the sdk several times...but the bits that stick are the bits ive used...

i need to re,read the relevant section before attempting something i havent tried before.....

rather than relying on something half remembered,fortified with a self invented conjecture...i have only used the attachpoint for two landing lights so far....and the ab effect dissapointingly, applied in the same way as landing lights...with the correct poly setup...

thanks for the help....and the superhuman patience......jim

 

[Seahawk72s]

Default FSX afterburner - howto

What I've done is set up six tiny polygons, each one several inches behind each other, then use the AttachPoint tool to assign each of the three .fx files to the six ...Stagen <Visibility> conditions.

I am new to this and working to understand the concept, and any help would be greatfully appreciated.

Using the 6 polygon method described above.
-Each polygon gets the part name of a specific stage..?
(Afterburner_Engine1_Stage1-6) I am using gMax so how is that done..?

- With AttachPoint tool assign each of the 3 afterburner fx files to each
stage. (fx_AfterBurnerFire1-3.fx)

- Each stage is defined in the modeldef.xml.

- What is it that triggers off each stage..? I can't tell from the code.
Do I need to associate a throttle position or power setting..
to each of the polygons or part names..?

- I'm trying to mimic the default Hornet afterburner effect for now.

If there is a thread I've missed that describes this please feel free to point me in the right direction.

Thanks,
tc