Displays and warning lights as light sources

[Harker]

I would personally very much like to see the different displays (MFDs, DED, PFLD, warning lights etc) and the various cockpit warning lights, give off more light. From IRL pictures, it can be seen that the DED for example is bright enough to be reflected on the side of the ICP and the eyebrow warning lights are also reflected on the glareshield.

 

I think it adds a lot of ambience in the cockpit, looks more realistic and it can project some light reflection in the canopy that will add to it looking much more realistic. Certain modules do it to various degrees, such as the F-14B, AV-8B and the upcoming JF-17, so it shouldn't be overly complicated to implement.

 

[greenmamba]

That would be really cool indeed.

[Dee-Jay]

Hi Harker!

 

 

Honestly ...

 

The picture is exaggerated (over exposed). From my POV, curent implementation is quite accurate (MFDs could be a bit brighter indeed) ... but other lights and lighting are very accurate IMO.

 

For info, in simulation, many ppl a really badly using HUD brightness, cockpit lighting, back-lights & floodlight bby night.

IRL, the worse for the pilot is to a Xass trees effect and aim is to dim the light as much as possible to the minimum applicable just to make instruments readable. What is to be avoided at all costs is to pollute the night vision.

 

For example, that kind of lights level is fine at dusk/dawn on high altitude IFR flight ... but would be WAY way too bight by night in combat.

 

This is just to share it with you because it is not something intuitive in simulation world on computer screens.

That said ... form some ppl it is just a matter of taste regardless if it is realistic or not. This is something I can also understand of course.

 

 

Best regards!

 

 

EDIT:

That would be really cool indeed.

Hi Greenmamba! ... DIAP: very nice place! I hope to be back there someday! ;)

Regards.

Edited December 5, 2019 by Dee-Jay

[Lace]

That would be like flying a Christmas tree!

[Harker]

Yeah, the picture is an extreme example, because I wanted to show the effect well. Everything appears to be at max brightness, which would be unrealistic for a night sortie. Still, it would be nice to have the effect available. Lights are supposed to shine like lights, right? I find it really immersive in modules that actually have it, even if it is subtle. For example, the cockpit should indeed look like a Christmas tree during a lights test.

I think the JF-17 does this really well, for example. I modded the canopy roughmet to behave like real glass and you can actually see faint reflections from the green advisory lights on the canopy. I'll post a picture later, but for now, I can tell you that it makes me feel like there's an actual glass canopy around the aircraft. And by default, you can see all the lights emit s faint glow on their surroundings, depending on their brightness.

[Harker]

This is what I've gotten it too look like. I only modded the textures related to the canopy and HUD, to make them behave more like glass. The rest of the lighting effects are native to the module.

 

Unfortunately, there are weird shadows with too many light sources in the cockpit, you'll see it if you turn on everything at the same time. It has nothing to do with Deka's work though, it's a limitation of the engine DCS uses.

 

In my opinion, the lights behave as they should here and they look really nice, props to Deka.

 

I'll make a mod for it, probably by next week. I want to fine tune some stuff. Also looks good in daytime and you get some elements of the outside world reflected on the canopy. It's OVGME/JSGME compatible.

[Dee-Jay]

Is it the settings you are using during night flights?

[Harker]

Is it the settings you are using during night flights?

The night shots are taken at June 1 2011 (standard DCS day), at 4am and the day shot at 7am. I do use Cockpit Global Illumination, if that's what you're asking and DCS is pretty maxed out on most stuff, like Shadows, Water etc. Other than that, my Gamma is 1.8.