Instrument Lighting - some do, some don't (10.36r1)

[kentowl]

Troubleshooting a '75 Cardinal 177RG sim I've tweaked for years. Its instrument lighting has become a real challenge; some gauges backlight correctly while others with the same type (generic or legacy) settings and overlay treatments don't. 

 

I have a single bus electrical system with 31 amp base load, single instrument lighting rheostat (0) which functions correctly on instruments which do backlight. "Dark' instruments are linked to the same bus through the same rheostat. 

 

Generic example: my generic, multi-rotary dual needle FF/MP gauge (with backlit base layer and backlit pointers) works perfectly. However a generic rotary version of the VSI done with the same photoshop layer editing (base layer saved with alpha, overlays flattened) won't backlight. 

 

Legacy Example: the legacy Turn and Slip indicator overlays backlight correctly, set to additive and tied to bus 1 with knob 0. The legacy (VVI_2000_GA) VSI from the XP 172 is too - but while it works fine on the 172, it won't backlight on my 177RG. The standard XP altimeter and the airspeed indicator have the same problem. Generic rotary bugs I've made for these do light up - the gauges stay dark.

 

I've perused the wiki and other online resources, and have tried editing and resaving base layers with alpha, overlays flattened. I'm now out of ideas, and would appreciate further hints or troubleshooting links.

 

FYI, I have some "glass" instruments including the 430 and AI/HSI (trying to replicate my Aspen) which all light up, but I don't know what their connections to other instrument lights could possibly be.

 

 

 

[JGregory]

You have not given enough information to diagnose your problem.  The best would be to zip up the aircraft folder and post it here.  Short of that we're shooting in the dark.

[kentowl]

"Shooting in the dark" - No pun intended, right?

 

Seriously, Thanks for the prompt response. I've zipped the file (28MB), and just worked out how to post it. In case more information is helpful, here's some background.

 

Hardware: I'm on a mid-2009 MacBook Pro (17"), 8GB (about 6GB free before loading XP), 500MB SSD.

 

What I (think I) know:

 

(1) To have backlighting, legacy instruments should be set to "additive", generics to "backlit"

 

(2) instrument base layers are ambient/spot lighted, not affected by backlighting.

 

(3) overlays should backlight - if they have a bus connection (always bus 1 on this model), and are set to operate through an available instrument rheostat (always pilot's knob 0 on this sim).

 

(4) instrument base layers should be saved with alpha (in photoshop, saved for web with transparency), overlays should be flattened into a single background before saving.

 

(5) there's a reported problem in XP10 affecting electrical system settings on imported models. The only issue I noted was that base voltage was down to "0", I set it to 31, matching the built in 172 in case XP instruments are 28V<?>, but it should be 14.5 on my plane. The change had no effect on lighting.

 

BUT:

 

(1) some dash-number overlays (like my airspeed and altimeter bugs) light up without _LIT versions, others don't. 

 

(2) some legacy/built-in instruments put in my panel "as is" backlight (like Turn Slip), others don't in my panel (like Airspeed). Are users expected to create and save _LIT layers for built-in instruments that work in their original models without them (or without them being visible)?

 

Sim Notes FYI: there's an partial generic VSI above the left panel- done as a lighting experiment, hasn't worked yet. Also, there is a miniature autopilot LOC actuator just above the course selector on the HSI, this is a proxy for the GPSS select on the Aspen.

 

 

Cessna 177RG Aspen.zip

[JGregory]

You have several problems with the aircraft, which I don't think are fixable.  If you go into Planemaker and click on the "sad face" icon, the problem instruments will be highlighted.  In your case it is almost all of them!.  I'm pretty sure that the file is corrupted beyond repair.  Best advice would be to start fresh, sorry.

Edited August 30, 2015 by JGregory

[kentowl]

Thanks again for the prompt response, Jim.

 

It helps to hear the problem is model-specific, and this file has been worked over for years. I'll start a new aircraft file and redo the entire model.

 

One question to save a lot of time...

 

Does the "sad face" bug identifier give instrument-specific guidance? For example, I've seen "this instrument is backlit, but no _LIT texture is available" on some gauges that work, others that don't. That led me to disregard it.

 

On the new file I will check each instrument as it's installed. 

[JGregory]

Does the "sad face" bug identifier give instrument-specific guidance?

I believe it's more of a general advisory. '

 

BTW... I noticed some of your (stock) instrument textures are incorrectly named.  Specifically, you had the ASI texture as "ASI_adap_177RG.png".  These names MUST follow the same naming convention as those that are in the root X-Plane folder (X-Plane/Resources/bitmaps/cockpit/" and cannot be renamed.  Whatever you include in your own aircraft will override the stock textures but must have the same folder structure and file names.  Generic instruments can be named whatever you like.

Edited August 30, 2015 by JGregory

[kentowl]

That's very helpful, Jim- thanks! I'll go thru each instrument and redo the file names; I thought I was supposed to change them if I changed anything.

I had been able to "fix" almost all of them (as seen by plane-maker) by changing to default lighting, but they still don't light up.

Got some confusing error messages and wiki hints, one that LIT layers have to have matching Alpha channel to base layer, others that overlays can't have alpha channel, then that only overlays are internally lighted. Maybe it will make sense when the names are corrected.

Quick ?... Should I be able to bring a built in gauge into my model and have it light without changing anything...or do all instruments require editing and re saving LIt and overlays? Thanks again,

[JGregory]

Quick ?... Should I be able to bring a built in gauge into my model and have it light without changing anything...or do all instruments require editing and re saving LIt and overlays?

You should be able to bring in a stock instrument and it will light, yes.  That probably won't work in the aircraft you posted above because the file appears to be corrupted.  Use a new ACF and you should be ok.

[kentowl]

Thanks, that's a basic test I needed. I found and deleted a great number of duplicated/nested instruments on the panel, now have cleaned up and organized in groups for debugging...so will try loading new ASI and confirm files match resources listing exactly, and see what happens.

I'm still seeking definitive instruction on alpha channel use in _LIT overlays, but will search out examples to learn from.

[kentowl]

 

Okay, I have rebuilt the view/systems/wb model from scratch in a new ACF file, and installed unmodified, built-in instruments. This resulted in a clean (no noted problem instruments) plane-maker panel to test.

 

The attached shots show (1) plane-maker with a single problem ( the ASI which I switched to additive), then (2) the resulting panel in X-Plane. "Glass" instruments set to default work, gauges and AI/CDI are dark. The "additive" ASI needle is lit, the gauge still dark.

 

Changing the AI and VOR CDI to "Additive" in Plane Maker generates alerts, but they backlit fine. Changing the engine gauges to "Additive" also alerts Plane-Maker ("lack _LIT layers), and only lights the needles. 

 

My guess is that the simple gauges only have one numbered overlay layer (the needle) which works with additive, the complex ones have several. 

 

Question then: since instruments which don't light up under "default"...

(1) lack _LIT layers, and 

(2) adding _LIT layers that don't match the resources/bitmaps structure exactly doesn't seem to work, 

 

Any ideas?