Need a beacon, want a beacon

aeromed202

aeromed202

SOH-CM-2014
I tried this question before but didn't get much of a response so here goes again. I want to make a light effect that looks like a rotating red beacon. There are strobes and blinking lights out there in FS land but nothing that has that unique look of a rotating one. Can anyone explain something about effects CFGs and what edits change what? I will take it from where ever someone can start me from and if I figure it out I'll post it for all. It is just such a common light type for so many aircraft it would be nice to have it available. Thanks for any help.
 
I seem to recall having a DC-10 with a rotating red beacon on the belly. I also found a Shockwave 3D light called "fx_shockwave_beacon_rotating_red.fx". I haven't checked this one out yet but I'll look at it later tonight. The DC-10 was freeware SGA I think but I don't have it installed right now. I'll have to look in my backups to check. If you don't have the 3D Lights I highly recommend them.

Chris
 
The absolute best roatating beacon I've seen in FS9 is on the freeware Learjet 25D and it can be found over at Flightsim. I've added it to a few other types and it looks awesome. As for nav/strobe lights I use the lights from the P-149. I usually put them on my common flyers.
 
Thanks SlamBam. I just checked it out and I agree it is the best so far. Another came with a payware Alouette II but it cycled way too slowly and I couldn't figure out how to speed it up. What I will do with the Lear's is to try and make green and white versions and maybe try to increase the brightness a bit. We have all seen these on Tornados, Hueys, and lots of GA and older commercial aircraft so if I have any success I'll get them up.
Is Shockwave payware? I don't know much about it.
 
Just noticed there is no such light entry in the CFG. If it is in the air file or model I can't work with that. This is the one by Lars Roennig right? How did you move it to another aircraft?
 
I was just about to ask the same question; I believe he is correct on the aircraft, but I'm wondering if it is a hard-coded effect since there are no entries for it anywhere and no effects files included. It is a stunning effect though! Maybe contacting Lars to see if he can provide you the effect only....I would love to have it as a stand alone effect.....
 
actually you are correct it is hard coded. It was the P-149 lights I moved. If Lars agrees to share the effrect it would be excellent!
 
I have a plane with a rotating beacon, think it's the Addictive VC10, and I'm sure it's part of the model. If it's hardcoded into the model (which is maybe the only way to do it (I highly suspect so)) there is no point in Lars sharing the effect unless you have the GMAX or FSDS source code to build it into your model.

Jamie
 
Well when I want a rotating beacon, I always uae the shockwave lights rotating beacon as that is the only ones that is actually an effect, that I know of.

LouP
 
Yes, Lou...you are correct as is JD. I have no idea how to add a GMAX hard-code to another aircraft, and I do have the shockwave lights; As good as the 'rotating beacon' effect is, It is nowhere near as good as the one on that lear 25. But sometimes we must make do....
 
Well good news and bad news. First, is Shockwave payware? But anyway I have finally created a convincing rotating light effect that just needs some intensity punch :jump:, unfortunately I think I was modifying an effect from a payware source :blind: so I believe I have to run this by them for permission to post. I'll let people know if it's ok.
 
Shockwave is payware. It is now A2A Simulations.

I seem to recall an aircraft with a 3d rotating beacon. I'm fairly certain it was a mid-size tubeliner...
 
Effect files (.fx) cannot "rotate" on their own. They would need to be attached (FSX only) to a rotating part in the model's source file, and then a new model compiled.

For FS9 a "Beacon" texture can be applied to the lens of a rotating part in the model's source file, and then a new model compiled.
 
Yep, just like you can do for lights on swing-wing aircraft. Attach the fx to a part on the model before you compile.

Good lord, I cant believe I remember all this. Its been probably 4 or 5 years since Ive touched Gmax:icon_lol:
 
Sorry, I did not mean to imply that if you zoomed in close you could see a little thing rotating. I meant that at normal view distances it only appears to do that. Strobes and LED lights only know on full and off. Filament bulbs have that slight time delay where its light power comes up to full then cools down to off. I may be getting picky but I just wanted an effect to go with the great looking aircraft out there and it seemed to be filling a need.
 
I would really like to have an effect like that, in addition to a few more for my military jets, many of which have a rotating red beacon on the top and botton of the fuselage....some pulsate, some flash, and some (like on the vert stabs of an F-15) seem to stay lit as well as pulsate :isadizzy:
 
Thats right, many military aircraft can display a flash or steady light at most points. The C-130, UH-1, Tornado, F-111, F-16, and A-10 just to name a few. Another reason I wanted a flash fx. But there are only so many light actuator buttons available.
Haven't heard back from anybody yet about permissions, is there a statute of limitations on that?
 
I was on the design team with Lars for his Lear 25 project, as I have real experience on the 25D. I can tell you how we made the beacon effect.

Long story short, it is a taxi light effect attached to an object that is constantly rotating behind a red lens.

Hope that helps.

Joe
 
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