Question: how to create effects for FSX?

[merida72]

I'd like to understand how to create effects in FSX ...

could someone help?

 

[Bjoern]

The simplest way: Copy the default effect and adjust its parameters to your needs.
Or install the SDK and the FX Tool and create an effect from scratch.

In any case, read up in the SDK documentation about .fx files.

 

[merida72]

thank you very much

 

[roger-wilco-66]

I found the FSX SDK to be a great source of information, along with it's examples!
I used some of them in the Solomon scenario.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Dino Cattaneo]

FSX SDK is a great source...and looking into the existing .fx files (you can open them with Notepad) provides some excellent examples and ideas.

Still, there are some undocumented "issues" however... the most annoying for me are:

1) Effects embedded in the model may not show correctly (e.g.offset is often ignored). You may want to include the .fx in the .mdl a number of cases: a) you can set complex visibility conditions and add a lot of them - like afterburners with stages in the F-35; b) it is the only way to attach them to moving parts - like F-14 wings.
The other way to control effects visibility conditions is place them as lights and have a .xml gauge that toggles the light depending on the conditions - drawback is that FSX allows only a limited number of light types. This is the way in which others do the afterburner (but you cannot have stages)

2) Effects rendering changes a lot depending on settings and graphic card - this is why I do not see any bleeding in my F-35 afterburner while others do

3) Some effects do not show properly or at all in DX10 preview (but again, it is a "preview")...

4) LAST (and most annoying for me or if you model Acceleration naval planes) - if you have a lot of embedded effects sometimes the modeling/conversion tools seem to screw up effects type/attachments for no reason (especially when using launch bar & lug attach points, which BTW show as lights in fSX SP2 for aircraft modeled in Acceleration SDK). But that is mostly a problem for my T-45 and F-14...

 

[Bjoern]

4) LAST (and most annoying for me or if you model Acceleration naval planes) - if you have a lot of embedded effects sometimes the modeling/conversion tools seem to screw up effects type/attachments for no reason (especially when using launch bar & lug attach points, which BTW show as lights in fSX SP2 for aircraft modeled in Acceleration SDK). But that is mostly a problem for my T-45 and F-14...

The bug that drove me to hard-coding every light into the model instead of just attaching .fx files.

 

[merida72]

ok ...
honestly thought they could bypass the sdk and intervene only through the notepad on the document. fx

ok ... I have to study study and study

 

[Bjoern]

ok ...
honestly thought they could bypass the sdk and intervene only through the notepad on the document. fx

ok ... I have to study study and study

Well, of course you could "trial and error" your way around in the effects files, but knowing what you're doing can sometimes spare you one or two headaches.

 

[Chuck_Jodry-VJPL]

Funny nobody mentioned the effects tool , you can assemble or modify any effects directly in sim in real time with it , a great bit of kit !

 

[Bjoern]

Funny nobody mentioned the effects tool , you can assemble or modify any effects directly in sim in real time with it , a great bit of kit !

Read my first post here...*Whistles nonchalantly*

 

[anthony31]

Use the fxtool.

It is absolutely brilliant (when compared with editing .fx files in notepad where you have to restart FSX everytime you want to check a change).

The best thing to do is load an effect that is close to what you want and then start editing the parameters. With the fxtool you can turn off individual elements and work on just one element at a time.

I find with the fxtool though you need to click on the "show location" and then click "do effect" to see the effect in FSX.

 

[roger-wilco-66]

If you don't have the FSX-SDK, the SDK documentation for special effects (and other SDK functions) is also to be found here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc526969.aspx

Cheers,
Mark