Bomb sights using +clight

[mongoose]

OK when one only has a plain site, then no problem using "L" whether one has a +clight or not, nut when the site includes other details as in Rob's (Capt Winters) lancsite.dds then the salutation is different. One only wants the actual site illuminated, not all the site's body (see below). So the ? is, can one add effects lines, as in the cockpit, for the bombardier's view so only the actual sight is illuminated?

 

[BorekS]

The solution would be to create / edit the color of +clight texture areas of the lancsite.dds source.

 

[mongoose]

Well this is better I suppose. I added a lancsite.+clight.dds to the Clight folder and got this. I need to work out how to tone down the surrounds; grey scale? (OT switching to an UK VPN is getting annoying!)

 

[MajorMagee]

Yes, just make everything in the +clight.dds, except the reticle pattern, black.

 

[mongoose]

Actually just tried that and it became red. So the ? is, does the lancsite.+clight.dds actually work with "L" or is it only the old "L" without clight influence? Actually I think not, but then what color will be black under the (uv I assume) clight effect?

 

[MajorMagee]

Are you using EffectName="cockpit_light_red" or EffectName="cockpit_light_uv" in the effects section of the xdp file?

 

[mongoose]

EffectName="cockpit_light_uv" Since then retried the all black version +clight and now just looks like that is not activated and just the lancsite.dds under normal "L". The gauges in the pit still have +clight effect; only F7 bombardier view does the +clight effect seem inactive.

Both +clight dds files in zip (names changed for ID only)

View attachment lancsite.rar

 

[MajorMagee]

I'm guessing that since AnKor's code for +clight.dds only works in the cockpit, and ignores everywhere else, the Bombsight position must be outside what's considered the cockpit. Either that, or the effects line positioning and direction needs to be adjusted to match where the bombsight is. I believe you can have up to two lights, so one could be pointed at the dash, and the other at the bomb sight.

We can try naming it +nlight.dds, and then the lighted version will turn on automatically when it gets dark, and back off at dawn. (You can't switch it on/off)

The other approach is to list the bombsight reticle .dds file name in the [NightSprite] ; section of the TextureMagic.ini file in the Shaders30 folder. Then the reticle texture will be Dark during the day and will brighten at night.

 

[mongoose]

So lancsite.+nlight seem to do the trick! Used the blackened lancsite.dds Made a new nlight folder in the shared file as maybe can use this for other things? I also left lancsite.dds in the [NightSprite] section anyway ( BTW that didn't seem to do the trick.)

 

[mongoose]

I have been trying to add either a clight or nlight to the wellington site. I get an odd result.

Normal with "L"

With either clight or nlight; noh both together. Get strange additions. I have checked no other file with the same name "wellsite.dds"

 

[MajorMagee]

Check that you didn't create a dds file with LOD variations when you made the +clight / +nlight versions.

 

[mongoose]

All I did was take the original dds and change the name, but as there are quite a lot of the same sight under different names, I can check them as well. As the site is white though, it shows up pretty clearly anyway without "L".

 

[mongoose]

Well I've tried the same sight found under a variety of name and just changed the name to WELLsite and WELLsite.+nlight with the same result. So given the whiteness of the sight I can see it quite well without any lights or nlight.

It may not look it but belive me, especially zoomed in a little!

 

[mongoose]

So, using borekS's idea, I made addtional m3d files to add different bomb sites and altered the xdp to give 2 bombardier's views pressing F7. later I will upload all the different bombers and their additonal m3d files and changed xdps.

Here are some results

H2S Lanccaster with lancsite.+nlight

H2S Lanccaster with H2S_site.+nlight

Mosquito PFF with MOS_site.+nlight

Mosquito PFF with oboesite.+nlight

 

[Capt. Winters]

Hi James,

in that second shot with the extra bits it looks like the effect you are using is removing the alpha channel from the image. I used the alpha channel to cut out parts of the image I didnt want to show in game. those extra bits are drift bars that were fitted to the sight in its anti shipping role. if you open the dds file in Martin write DXTBmp program you'll see the full image but if you look over at the little alpha channe window you'll see the area of the drift bars is blacked out (and thus made invisible in game).

In game when you are using the bomb sight are you sure the black portions of the screen are translucent and your seeing the black sky, or has the effect change your using meaning you are actually just seeing the black paint of the background of the site area? (if that makes sense)

regards Rob.

I have been trying to add either a clight or nlight to the wellington site. I get an odd result.

Normal with "L"

With either clight or nlight; noh both together. Get strange additions. I have checked no other file with the same name "wellsite.dds"

 

[mongoose]

Hi Rob.
I have actually done nothing to the site.dds for the Wellington other than add a .+nlight.dds to the shared file under a new folder callednlight. The dark you see is the outside darkness with my shader30 night time setting used in my TOW eras in the ETO install ( I have 5 ETO day and 5 TOW night eras!)
As you can see, if I turn on the "L" when no .+nlight file added, it's normal. Only when I add a .+nlight do I get that effect. I have tried a couple of the shared bomb sites which look the same. the latest is a renamed Sunderland site, but that was the same as the WELLsite in appearance.

 

[MajorMagee]

Besides normal map, there can be only one additional texture (unfortunately standard "_s" texture also counts).

However, you can combine specular and light map in a single texture, using this naming scheme: xxx.+nlight+sa.dds


This would mean that RGB channels are used for lighting and ALPHA channel is used for specular (note that it is "sa" not "sr").

If you created the +nlight file from the original texture dds without deleting the alpha channel, it may have unexpected results.

 

[mongoose]

Removing the alpha plus erasing all background did the trick!

WELLsite.+nlight.dds operating

 

[mongoose]

I've made more of the site black and the actual site less white so not as distractingly bright +nlight.


the dds

in flight

 

[mongoose]

I have uploaded here some of the RAF BC bombsight +nlight files under CFS3 Other addons