Liveries Custom Arguments

[Muas]

Anybody here knows how to set custom arguments in a livery?

It should be set in the description.lua file but I can't get it to work on the F/A-18C...

 

Here's an example:

As per the Model Viewer, argument 509 set to 1.0 should display an 80's style pilot helmet (without the target acquisition device). How can we set this to a particular livery? I'm sure there must be a way...

 

Thanks in advance.

[Muas]

I found it!...

 

By just adding this to the description.lua

custom_args = 
{
[509] = 1.0
}

and that is it... vintage helmet, -1.0 should display it without the visor...

[Megalax]

Put this in after your countries entry:

 

custom_args =

{

[509] = 1.0, --Helmet Change

}

[Muas]

Yes, that is it. Somehow it was not working, maybe I was doing something wrong, most probably the description.lua was in the wrong place...

[Muas]

This is what I wanted to do.

A livery with a preset helmet without the target acquisition visor.

But if we look closer there is a "shadow" in the forehead area of the helmet where the default visor used to be. That can be seen very clearly in the ambient occlusion option of the viewer (AO). Since the AO is created by the texture pilot_f18_helmet_roughmet.dds, I removed that shadow from its red channel, removed it from the alpha channel, and still, that shadow is rendered, and I don't know where it is coming from. Any ideas on how can I remove this effect from the helmet?

Attached are both pilot_f18_helmet_roughmet.dds textures, the default and the modified one and the description.lua. set to display them. The viewer shows the modified file is loaded first from the description.lua definitions, but still the AO shows the effect from the default one... Any clues are welcome. Thank you.

pilot_f18_helmet_roughmet.zip

[Megalax]

If it its still displaying, then you have a lua entry error.

 

Change the 2 to a 13 or ROUGHNESS_METALLIC.

 

2 is for specular, which the Hornet does not use, so it defaults back to the helmet roughmet in the default textures.

[Muas]

If it its still displaying, then you have a lua entry error.

 

Change the 2 to a 13 or ROUGHNESS_METALLIC.

 

2 is for specular, which the Hornet does not use, so it defaults back to the helmet roughmet in the default textures.

 

You got it spot on man!! The time I spent scratching my head about this...

You are boss!! Thanks a lot. :thumbup:

[STKDirty]

Hello,

 

I know this thread is old, but does this still work?  It doesn't seem to work for me.  custom arg [509] doesn't do anything whether it's set yo 1.0 or -1.0.  Thanks!

 

Chirp

[Megalax]

That arg was removed with the latest Hornet pilot model update.

[Brother_Leb]

On 1/5/2024 at 5:28 PM, Megalax said:

That arg was removed with the latest Hornet pilot model update.

Since this arg was removed, I've been looking everywhere for a way to still get an old helmet for our squadron livery. Anyone found a way?

I know from this thread:

 that some of the bort numbers are now controlled by country. Could that also be what's controlling the helmet?

[Megalax]

5 minutes ago, Brother_Leb said:

Since this arg was removed, I've been looking everywhere for a way to still get an old helmet for our squadron livery. Anyone found a way?

I know from this thread:

 that some of the bort numbers are now controlled by country. Could that also be what's controlling the helmet?

Arg 509 has returned, and now was 3 options : JHMCS, NVG and No HMD Helmet.

[SkateZilla]

it was never gone from what I can tell,
509 used to be set via the livery, can be set and is overwritten by the AddProp system for HelmetDevice.

[Megalax]

12 hours ago, SkateZilla said:

it was never gone from what I can tell,
509 used to be set via the livery, can be set and is overwritten by the AddProp system for HelmetDevice.

It stopped working when the new helmet was a WIP. Removed may have been the improper thing to say, but at the time it had stopped doing anything.

[SkateZilla]

9 minutes ago, Megalax said:

It stopped working when the new helmet was a WIP. Removed may have been the improper thing to say, but at the time it had stopped doing anything.

That's what I was referring to, when ED added the new helmet, the Toggle for Argument 509 was integrated into the AddProp Table, and linked to the Cockpit system HelmetMountedDevice, so no matter what the livery set the Argument as, the Mission->Unit->Aircraft Properties setting overwrote that value.

The code below is Mission editor AddProp table for the helmet, this overwrites the arg value line in the description.lua.

		{ id = "HelmetMountedDevice",			control = 'comboList', label = _('Helmet Mounted Device'),
			values = {
				{id = 0, dispName = _("Not installed"),	value = 0.5},
				{id = 1, dispName = _("JHMCS"),			value = 0.0},
				{id = 2, dispName = _("NVG"),			value = 1.0},
			},
			defValue	= 1,
			wCtrl		= 150,
			playerOnly	= true,
			arg			= 509,
		},

the same Argument can be toggled in mission on the ground via ground crew link to the same system in the comm's menu:,
Again Associated Code:
 

local function helmetEvent(is_NVG)
	return specialEvent({type = COMMAND_CHANGE_COCKPIT_EQUIPMENT, device = is_NVG})
end

menus['Change helmet-mounted device'] =
{
	name = _('Change helmet-mounted device'),
	items = {
		[1] = {name = _('Setup JHMCS'),	command = helmetEvent(COCKPIT_DEVICE_HMS) },
		[2] = {name = _('Setup NVG'),	command = helmetEvent(COCKPIT_DEVICE_NVG) },
	}
}
g_crew_items[#g_crew_items  + 1] = { name = _('Change helmet-mounted device'), submenu = menus['Change helmet-mounted device']}

Edited October 26, 2024 by SkateZilla

[Brother_Leb]

Very helpful! Thank you both @SkateZilla and @Megalax. Would not have found this on my own.