FSXA Crazy liveries

[gaspen]

Hi

I have a strange problem with my new project, I don't know how to solve it. My plane has two different model, with nine different liveries. So it has a model.1 and a model.2 folder, also it contains one texture folder and eight texture.xxx, where xxx is the last three letter from the registration mark. The texture folder without extension contains all of the textures, it is a "blank livery". The folders with extensions contains only the different textures for different liveries. In the aircraft.cfg file the liveries are separated in [flightsim.n] sections. So, at this point everything looks fine....

But... I startup FS, selecting any of the nine liveries, only the blank livery shows up in the UI window, and when I start the simulation I see the blank livery only When I use the ATC, it will communicate with the "good livery", but I don't see good livery....


Is there a known solution for this or am I doing something wrong ?

 

[Here for the Beer]

You need to check that the texture folder names in the fltsim.x sections actually point to the texture folders, eg "texture=RVG" if one of your registration texture folders names is texture.RVG, for example. That's the most obvious culprit. The fact that you can fly as the plane (without the livery) indicates that the fltsim.x entries are probably okay, so the logical problem is that each entry's "texture=" line doesn't have the "=RVG" (to use my example) to differentiate the liveries.

Might be an idea to post a "bad" CFG entry here if my suggestion doesn't fix the problem.

 

[gaspen]

Here is the first 3 section from aircraft.cfg, as you can see it points to the correct texture folders. I have the problem only with this plane. I've checked other plane's cfg settings, but I don't see any difference.

[fltsim.0]
title=Zlin Z-142 WHITE
sim=Z-142
model=1
panel=
sound=
texture=
kb_checklists=
kb_reference=
atc_id=White
ui_manufacturer="Zlin"
ui_type="Z-142 White"
ui_variation="White"
ui_typerole="Single Engine Prop"
ui_createdby="PWDT"
description="All white scheme for repainters"

[fltsim.1]
title=Zlin Z-142 SP-ATU
sim=z-142
model=1
panel=
sound=
[COLOR="Red"]texture=atu[/COLOR]
kb_checklists=
kb_reference=
atc_id=SP-ATU
ui_manufacturer="Zlin"
ui_type="Z-142 SP-ATU"
ui_variation="SP-ATU"
ui_typerole="Single Engine Prop"
ui_createdby="PWDT"
description="Aeroklub Elblaski"

[fltsim.2]
title=Zlin Z-142 CS-DIR
sim=z-142
model=1
panel=
sound=
[COLOR="red"]texture=dir[/COLOR]
kb_checklists=
kb_reference=
atc_id=CS-DIR
ui_manufacturer="Zlin"
ui_type="Z-142 CS-DIR"
ui_variation="CS-DIR"
ui_typerole="Single Engine Prop"
ui_createdby="PWDT"
description="Private"

 

[GHD]

Within the individual texture folders you need a texture.cfg containing a "fallback" entry pointing to your "blank" texture folder. eg.

[fltsim]
fallback.1=..\texture

 

[gaspen]

Within the individual texture folders you need a texture.cfg containing a "fallback" entry pointing to your "blank" texture folder. eg.

[fltsim]
fallback.1=..\texture

Yes I have it already

 

[Heretic]

Does this also happen when you have the textures of each repaint in the simplest format possible, i.e. 32bit .bmp?

 

[Deleted member 1281]

Two (outrageous) ideas - either the texture.xxx folders are all empty, or they are identical copies of the "blank" texture folder.

 

[gaspen]

Two (outrageous) ideas - either the texture.xxx folders are all empty, or they are identical copies of the "blank" texture folder.

The texture folder without extension includes ALL the textures which the models can use, the texture.xxx folders include only the textures which are identical to a livery. Hope it's clear

 

[gaspen]

Does this also happen when you have the textures of each repaint in the simplest format possible, i.e. 32bit .bmp?

We did not try it with bmp's, the textures are in dds format.

 

[Deleted member 1281]

The texture folder without extension includes ALL the textures which the models can use, the texture.xxx folders include only the textures which are identical to a livery. Hope it's clear

That I understood. I was just casting about for possible errors that could generate the effect.

Another guess: you have a duplicate aircraft folder. Search for identical title= lines. (Unlikely, too, just like the effect).

 

[gaspen]

That I understood. I was just casting about for possible errors that could generate the effect.

Another guess: you have a duplicate aircraft folder. Search for identical title= lines. (Unlikely, too, just like the effect).

The titles :

title=Zlin Z-142 WHITE
title=Zlin Z-142 SP-ATU
title=Zlin Z-142 CS-DIR
title=Zlin Z-142 OK-MNF
title=Zlin Z-142 HA-SGK
title=Zlin Z-142 HA-SGY
title=Zlin Z-142 OM-UNO
title=Zlin Z-142 YR-ZCL
title=Zlin Z-142 HA-SGD

 

[Deleted member 1281]

OK, what I actually meant was search the whole airplanes folder for the text "title=Zlin". This should bring out duplicates if any.

Or have you possibly defined other locations where FSX can look up airplanes?

And for a test, go to your basic texture\ folder, pick a large texture sheet and color it entirely RED. Then load the "white" plane -- does it display red?

I'd be happy to have a look at one of the non-white dds's, can you attach one?

 

[GHD]

If there were duplicate titles, FSX would give a warning.

 

[gaspen]

Ok, I've checked it, because there was other Zlin planes installed, but all have different text in title= line. I have only one folder for airplanes, it is the default FSX/Simobjects/Airplanes folder.

I develop this plane with my friend. He has the same problem on his own PC nad that is a completely other configuration.

The difference beetween the two external models is that one has gear fairings, the other one doesn't have. From the nine liveries only one has gear fairings. Whicever livery selected in the UI window, I will see the proper model there, but with the "blank livery"

What I expect now :

I startup FS, going to free flight, select the plane ( remember in UI it has blank livery), going to flying. Surprise : I see the proper model with the corresponding livery Going back to UI to select other livery and now the UI displays the proper liveries, except if I select the white one. In this case everything starts again from the begining...

 

[Deleted member 1281]

George: You're right. Wrong tack.

Gaspen: your texture looks OK, except maybe seeing that the letters are unmirrored it is not flipped?

And a very likely candidate now is the thumbnail.jpg's that should be in each of your texture folders. I put it to you, you haven't any, or they are all the same?

 

[gaspen]

George: You're right. Wrong tack.

Gaspen: your texture looks OK, except maybe seeing that the letters are unmirrored it is not flipped?

And a very likely candidate now is the thumbnail.jpg's that should be in each of your texture folders. I put it to you, you haven't any, or they are all the same?

As you can see the letters are O.K.

Yes we have the thumbnail jpegs in each folder, each of them shows the corresponding livery, see the screenshot

 

[Deleted member 1281]

Darnit I thought I had it...

So ... in the Free flight selection box, all variants are represented by the white thumbnail. However, once loaded in sim, the planes have the their proper version-specific textures?

Your individual texture folder names are exactly texture.atu etc, not anything else?

Do you by any chance have jpg's named exactly like aircraft titles in the root of your Zlin folder?

Are you using the ui_thumbnail= option anywhere in your cfg's?

 

[gaspen]

For the first two questions : yes you're right

I think the thumbnails must not has to specified, you have only put a thumbnail.jpg in each livery's folder, FS will recognize it. I don't have the ui_thumbnail= line in the aircraft.cfg. If you check non of the default planes has this setting. By the way, I can take a try...

In my prev comment you can see a screenshot about HA-SGD version inside FS. Now I attach a picture how it looks like in UI

 

[Deleted member 1281]

What the hell ... can't think of anything else now. But would offer to try it out here .. Can you zip up your Zlin folder with just two textures, say?

Drop me a PM if that's a vviable offer.