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MSFS20 Is it possible to create a building which doesn't 'leak' light inside?

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Can I just ask how you are making your buildings? Is each wall a plane which you place adjacent to the others? Or do you start with a cube and extrude faces? If the former then you would need absolute precision in aligning the abutting edges of the walls. There is a Blender fix: Imagine two planes at 90 degrees forming two adjacent walls. If you go into Edit mode and select 1 to edit vertices and then highlight ( I use box select ) the vertices which delineate the adjacent edges of the two planes and then use Scale/axis/0 that will snap all selected adjacent vertices to the same point in 3D space and thus close your gaps. You would need to repeat that process for both x and y axis to drag the vertices together at the corner of the structure.

I find that the "solidify" modifier distorts the shape of the building - although you can reduce this by using a negative value for the thickness, which causes the object to thicken inwards.
 
I find the latter post by SPerx interesting as a possible explanation for geometry anomalies seen / reported above.


I examined a glTF export of the 3D model in question from John's original linked file and mega.nz CAM9 W.I.P.

I also examined a glTF export of the 3D model in question from John's linked file example *.BLEND (by ronh aka DA40 ?)

While my examination of the 3D model in question was performed in Sketchup via a glTF importer, I believe the import was precise and true in its rendering of the geometry of those 3D models.

In each case, I saw what appeared to be, non-welded Faces between "walls" and interior "roof" structures.

I also saw what appeared to be, inconsistent wall thickness in the form of Faces not aligned vertically / not coplanar.

Measuring wall Edges via Sketchup's tape measure confirmed my suspicions: 'Door' walls are tapered / non vertical.


I greatly appreciate the skilled contributions John has made in producing this scenery series for the PNW region.


But I hope we can identify objectively how these 3D models ended up with these apparent anomalies of geometry.


Sketchup plugin Ruby scripts by thomthom / others can "move" Edges resulting in geometry issues requiring edits.

Sometimes it is due to internal logic that does not anticipate end results when moving / welding / making coplanar.


So, I believe we might benefit from more exploration of how to prevent such anomalies if 3D modeling in any app.

If I get some more free time available, I can also post screenshots that show the above cited geometry anomalies, as well as those in the sloped roof where it meets the upper walled section of the building for the above cited 3D model.

I am concerned as to how "skewing" of wire-frame geometry might have occurred, and if script code needs fixing.

GaryGB
 
Thanks @SPerx,

I started with a standard mesh cube, changed each dimension, applied scale, removed the top face as I built the roof with a timber frame separately, then applied solidify modifier with a negative thickness. I did not know that solidify can distort but recently thought that one of the inner wall faces didn't seem truely vertical.
I will try your method later to see what happens.

Maybe another method to create it using a single wall (starting with a mesh plane) extrude it to required thickness, use loop cut to create the adjacent wall thickness, select the face created and extrude to create adjacent wall etc until all 4 walls have been created?

Ronh states that he has never wanted to model the interior of a building and maybe as most people don't the issue hasn't been noticed.
There are many posts in different websites mentioning light leakage but mainly seen in Blender. The light leakage does NOT show in Blender for my object only in MSFS.

@GaryB
Thanks. I note your observations and 'weld' has been mentioned by @SPerx in what he did with my object (plus other things) to stop the light leakage. He also observed that some gaps between vertices which I haven't managed to see and wonder how they could have happened given the simplistic method I used to create the building.

Once again, I believe it is the way that MSFS does things as the light leakage doesn't show in Blender.

I will try SPerx method as well as the method I described above (ie starting with a plane) both of which are more complex than just using a mesh cube and applying
modifier solidify.

I certainly have created some interest here.
 
@SPerx,
I have attempted your suggested method and got 'lost' as I have never 'worked' like that in edit mode'
Here is where I am at - selecting the top and bottom vertices of the outside 'walls'/faces) then select Scale (in edit mode)

1782197271506.png
 
Hi John. I tried your example in a MSFS2024 project. The light leak is still minutely visible, but not very noticeable. This seems to be a bug in MSFS2020. I tried various ways of making an object with a pass-through hole, and they all have a problem in 2020. I'll spend a bit more time with it, but I think you found a bug.
 
rhumbaflappy said:
This seems to be a bug in MSFS2020
Click to expand...
Thanks Dick. I have decided not to persue this any further. I will probably use SPerx upload and add what needs to be done (UV mapping, Cut holes and add windows, add the roof (separate object) etc). I still have no idea what he did (he did mention using the weld modifier and other things). I later noticed a small amount of light leakage where the wall meets the floor but I don't care.

I remember (you may too) some years ago I posted a problem of light from overhead street lamps passing through my bridge lighting up the water beneath which is more of an issue than light leaking inside a building as who would ever notice (from the pilot's position).

I have noted that if I add a simple cube to the project and move it very close to the building, almost touching, it seems to create shade on the outside of the 'shed' and no light leakage is seen. When I move that cube just a very short distance away, maybe 6 inches (15cm), the light leaks again.

I downloaded CYCK Chatham from flightsin.to (by mazermart) and it too shows light leakage in the interior corners. He seems to know heaps about creation of models and seemed to be listed as a 'professional'. One building at CYCK has light leakage but once again you have to use Developer camera and move it inside the building see and who is ever going to do that? My building is a little different as it has large (sliding doors - not modelled) and so the insides can be seen from outside the building. It's hardly worth the effort to try and rectify. I created this post thinking that it was an easy fix.

[added later] just for interest I created a separate object in the shape of an external cover strip (corrugated steel panels as walls usually have a right angled cover strip attached to the vertical corners) which I thought would act to prevent sunshine on the walls behind the strip (it would it real life). I positioned the right angled cover strip against the outside corner. NO such luck. I now agree with you regarding it being a bug but I don't expect Asobo to spend time on such a trivial matter.
 
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Your graphics settings for shadows would control the leakage to some extent... but not a solution for an uploaded package. Also, in the Devmode's object properties, you can untick Cast Shadows for the object. That kills all the shadows and lightleaks, but your texture coloring would look a bit weird and might need darkening.
 
Hi John. I made one last attempt. It nearly works... the leak is very minimal, and could be what you wanted. I made a cube, and solidified it to 5mm(?), and named it exterior. I made another cube slightly smaller, and solidified it (5mm?). I then made a cube to act as a boolean cutter. I cut exterior and interior. I gave them differing materials and double-sided those materials. Not sure if that's needed, but found some advice for that. Let each material to cast shadows.

I exported the collection, and also exported the exterior and interior separately. In the sim, I placed the collection glTF and the exterior and interior (those having the same placement location). So I get 2 examples total (one combined model, and 2 with the same placement location). Each appear nearly leak-free in the sim. I think this approach also would work for SimObjects like aircraft, to keep the light leakage to a minimum.
41wi_no_lightleak.zip

Something I didn't try was to place a black planar mesh between the interior and exterior with a double-sided material. That was a suggestion I dug up, but it seems overkill to me, and might not help.
 
Hi Dick, you are a good friend. I did a similar thing 2 weeks ago and thought that one of the entire inside walls seemed to get lit up in a strange way. Although I didn't export them separately. I am assuming that there are light leakage problems with aircraft and seem to remember seeing some posts regarding this in my quest to find an answer. I have never noticed light leakage (in the cockpit?) of aircraft.

It's strange that the light leakage problem exists. Mamu mentioned some time ago that maybe my building object wasn't watertight but didn't suggest how to accomplish that.

Thanks for the attachment which I will now look at.

Once again it is only my quest for perfection (which sometimes has resulted in me learning new things, and I really hate saying "it is good enough") that has driven me to try and find out if there was an easy fix and it would seem that there isn't although your method possibly didn't take long. What takes time is trying something, exporting it and then waiting for MSFS to load the project and build it. Sometimes I make multiple models each with a different method and place each of them all up to see if any works.
 
rhumbaflappy said:
Hi John
Click to expand...
Hi Dick, sorry for the absence, I'm battling the worst cough/cold I can ever remember having and haven't even turned on my PC for a few days.
I just checked my attempt which I reported as being similar to your suggestion and have noted that I never applied solidify to each of the internal and external 'cubes', no wonder the internal walls lite up as if they have a spotlight on them (I think that light passes through planes?). I will have another try using msfs material 'double sided' as I note when I 'hide' the inner wall that the external wall when viewed from the inside is transparent, grr!
I will have another go adding solidify (tried on my object and it covers half the door openings with a diagonal and I can't select it in edit mode to delete).
I should give up maybe but this might teach me something and will keep me off the street as they say.
 
I'm going to close this thread. I think the solution I provided is as good as MSFS2020 will allow, there isn't much member interest in the problem, and we're not a chat group. Direct message me if you hit a dead-end with the light leaks... but remember this is MSFS2020, and Asobo isn't going to improve it.
 
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