3 Transparency Fixes for older content with issues in Acceleration/SP2

Fix 1: Replace wonky texture with a modified grayscale alpha

from "Stoopy" in this thread:

https://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=121&topic_id=419638&mesg_id=420007&page=

and I quote:

So anyway I just did it the old-fashioned way and replaced the alpha layer with a normal dark-gray bitmap and voila.....windows are transparent and also have just a fine layer of grime if you look closely.

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Fix 2: Replacing DXTn textures with 32-bit textures

from Haldir in this thread:
https://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=121&topic_id=419490&mesg_id=419644&page=2

and I quote:

Keep in mind this is just for FS9 aircraft, or early FSX ones that have been ported from FS9, like Carenado releases etc.

To do this you will require one of the following tools: Imagetool.exe from the FSX or FS9 sdks, or DXTbmp, the Nvidia DDS tool, or you can use photoshop if you have the nvidia texture plugin for it, available from the nvidia site.

Look for the VC canopy reflection or glass textures for your particular aircraft. They're usually intelligently named. They may be in the aircraft's main texture folder, or in each of the variant folders. It changes from plane to plane.

Make backups of the textures, then load the originals into your preferred tool. Change them from DXT1/3/5 or 8 bit format, whichever it is, to 32 bit and save. Depending on how the textures were authored you might lose the reflection definition in your VC glass (if the original textures didn't employ an alpha channel) but you'll be able to see where you're going. If you're comfortable with image editing in photoshop it's no trick to get the proper reflections back into them via the texture's alpha channel.

You can do this with FSX running and test it if you have a 'reload aircraft' key assigned, but its best to restart FSX to test the change. Sometimes textures don't refresh without an FSX restart.

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Fix 3: Different path through FSDS design tool

From Jean-Pierre Brisard and Bob Mays by permission in this thread:

https://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=121&topic_id=419490&mesg_id=419886&page=2

And I quote

Other tools like older FSDS versions ( 2.24 ) can also have issues. We have worked through this with one 3rd party and they successfully fixed their issue within the same version of FSDS ( yes, they didnt need to move to FSDS 3.5 ).

I also got permission to distribute the technique they used, here it is:

Restoring virtual cockpit appearance and external light disks after installation of FSX Acceleration/SP2

Concerns only designs made with FSDS2.24 compiled with " SCASM " which previously worked satisfactorily on FSX+SP1
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PROBLEM: WHEN ADDING THE " ACCELERATION " FILES, the following effects appear;

111 - SOME TRANSPARENCY, mainly on Virtual ####ît parts, causing "see-thru"

This problem is due to the "$pans" polygons used in FSDS to hold the gauges. These polygons become fully transparent beyond the part
on which they are applied, depending on the design rank in the model.

I RESTORED VC CORRECT VISIBILITY :

aaa - BY LIMITING THE SIZE OF THE $PAN POLYGON as much as possible to cover only the part on which applied.

bbb - REORDERING THE DESIGN RANK OF THE $PANS FOR THEM TO BECOME "LAST DESIGNED"

This is highly dependent on the way the designer has worked his model...and the issue might even not occur.

( NOTE THAT THIS POLYGON RANKING IN VC WAS NOT A PROBLEM WITHOUT " ACCELERATION " )

222 - LANDING AND TAXI LIGHTS

PROBLEM: While the Light beams display correctly, the LIGHT DISKS, which should display bright when switch "ON", remains dark.

PROBABLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE NEW SETUP DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE " FSDS PRE-PROCESS " Parts ( mean switch "on or off" )

FIXED BY DESIGNING INSTEAD THE LIGHT DISKS WITH THE " L " BITMAP SETUP which works OK with the light command.

Another posibility is to simply delete the night bright disk and, replace by a " light landing or taxi landing " in the "aircraft.cfg ( "light" section)

NOTE THAT ALL OTHER LIGHTS ( Strobes, Beacons, Nav.....) DISPLAY OK.

333 - Hope this gives some help. This is not an exhaustive check and I do not guarantee that other designers will not find more....

Jean-Pierre Brisard
Premier Aircraft Design
www.premaircraft.com

25th October 2007

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There they are.

HTH

Phil