FLIR update

[Fulcrumkiller31]

Has anybody seen an update for the FLIR implementation on the F16? Seems radio silent, I understand these things take time but the threads were locked almost immediately and there have been no updates since. 

 

Also: HUGE shout out to the ED team on the last update, Apache is simply breathtaking, Performance didn't take a hit, and the FM changes are wonderful. 

Edited March 23, 2022 by Fulcrumkiller31

[Carbon715]

Yeah not sure, only flir issues seem to be bhot and whot are swapped and no ir signature for things like aircraft exhausts 

[TobiasA]

It's better than before. BHOT and WHOT are swapped. We are slowly getting there though, and I appreciate the update even if there is still room for further improvement.

[Fulcrumkiller31]

41 minutes ago, TobiasA said:

It's better than before. BHOT and WHOT are swapped. We are slowly getting there though, and I appreciate the update even if there is still room for further improvement.

Its not better than before, there is still no heat plume like in the AH64. Its more than them just being swamped. the Hornet is even worse.

[TobiasA]

vor 14 Stunden schrieb Fulcrumkiller31:

Its not better than before, there is still no heat plume like in the AH64. Its more than them just being swamped. the Hornet is even worse.

But it was worse before, we can at least use auto gain control now.

[x2nax]

Still no change after today's update? 

[Northstar98]

3 minutes ago, x2nax said:

Still no change after today's update? 

The reversed polarity has been changed, but it still looks to be using the old FLIR system

NineLine said the new system was implemented "partially" but not quite sure what he means by that.

[_SteelFalcon_]

it seems to apply to certain objects only. Nevada Takeoff mission, the target range at WP1 with tons of T55 show the old FLIR. but making a custom mission using BTR 80 as targets the FLIR looks "new". oh well at lest WHOT is now WHOT, which is already something

[TobiasA]

Partially means that some parts work while others do not.

We have warm wheels and tracks but no hot exhausts.

And cows are dead, they show no heat at all. They are probably zombies.

[Northstar98]

Just as a comparison, using a T-55A and BTR-80, images taken on the Caucasus, default date, weather and temperature, at midnight:

 

AV-8B N/A, WHOT:

F-16CM, WHOT, Night:

Notice how the colour distribution of the vehicles seem inverted, particularly for the BTR-80 - in the AV-8B the lower half is darker than the upper, whereas in the F-16CM, the lower half is lighter than the upper.

 

AV-8B N/A, BHOT, Night:

F-16CM, BHOT, Night:

Similar thing going on, but if BHOT wasn't displayed, I'd confuse this for a TV image.

 

And just to compare FLIR and TV in the F-16CM:

TV:

BHOT:

They look essentially identical, just more saturated, I reckon if I played with the gain and the contrast, they'd end up looking basically identical.

 

EDIT: Had a play with the brightness and contrast:

TV:

BHOT:

Apart from the vehicles looking slightly brighter (or at least the brighter elements looking brighter), there isn't much difference.

 

So yeah, looks like (as far as this example shows at least, and please bear in mind that this is just one example), that just the polarity was fixed.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Northstar98
formatting, added 2 new images

[Carbon715]

Great polarity is fixed (high five) but AGL is pretty useless/bad in terms of contrasting. Be aware I dont mind using MGL, i prefer it...just stating my observation

[Deano87]

@Northstar98Have you given the vehicles time to warm up? And are the vehicles moving? If you freshly spawn in a mission vehicles will start cold and require a few mins to warm up to show properly in FLIR as far as I have seen in testing. So make sure that the vehicles are moving or at least engine running and that you're not just taking these pics from an air start a short time after starting the mission. 

[Northstar98]

On 3/30/2022 at 9:54 PM, Deano87 said:

@Northstar98Have you given the vehicles time to warm up? And are the vehicles moving? If you freshly spawn in a mission vehicles will start cold and require a few mins to warm up to show properly in FLIR as far as I have seen in testing. So make sure that the vehicles are moving or at least engine running and that you're not just taking these pics from an air start a short time after starting the mission. 

That should only affect relative brightness of the vehicles compared to the background, and how hot the running gear appears - all the other points remain, and it's absolutely fine for the AV-8B.

I'll repeat the test again though with moving vehicles:

 

EDIT: Here's some test screenshots, all I did differently is that I let the vehicles hold for a minute, during which I take a screenshot (~30 seconds into the mission), and then I take another screenshot a little after 5 minutes after they started moving (they're set to run a large racetrack at 35 kph).

Default date and weather, at midnight. Vehicles are both the same (a T-55A and a BTR-80).

 

Stationary vehicles, AV-8B:

Vehicles after >5 minutes of driving, AV-8B:

Overall vehicle, engine area/deck and running gear definitely appear noticeably hotter, for both vehicles.

 

Stationary vehicles, F-16CM:

Notice that the running gear of both vehicles appears hot compared to the rest of the vehicle, whereas for the Harrier they appeared colder (definitely noticeable for the T-55A).

The vehicles also appear noticeably cooler compared to the Harrier - I think it's pretty clear we've got the old FLIR textures in this case.

Vehicles after >5 minutes of driving, F-16CM:

Personally, I can't see any difference between how they appeared when stationary, and how they appear here; the overal appearance and distribution hasn't changed. This is a stark contrast with the Harrier, where's there's a clear difference in how they appear when stationary, and how they appear after 5 minutes of driving.

Edited April 2, 2022 by Northstar98

[Deano87]

Try hitting AGC on the left hand side of the MFD to put it in manual gain control and play with the gain till you get something better. 

[Northstar98]

9 hours ago, Deano87 said:

Try hitting AGC on the left hand side of the MFD to put it in manual gain control and play with the gain till you get something better. 

You might be misunderstanding what I'm trying to achieve here.

All I'm trying to do is compare modules that have the new FLIR implemented and those that allegedly have it "partially" implemented. I can still see the vehicles on the F-16, though they're obviously nothing like the new FLIR. I also wanted to avoid messing around with the gain, contrast and brightness (just because it adds another variable, though I guess they'll be different across each module), and just take what both look like at their default state (just zoomed in).

So far, from these (admittedly) very limited tests:

• The vehicles don't use the new FLIR textures.
• The textures they do use aren't dynamic - vehicles don't get hotter after driving, whereas they do for modules equipped with the new FLIR.
• In some instances, the FLIR looks like TV, echoing issues seen in the 23rd of March update (only now for BHOT rather than WHOT, as the polarity was inverted).

So I'm wondering what elements of the new FLIR are actually present, if any.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Northstar98