Panel color of the Ventus

[6266]

Hi,

I try to make the panels lighter, like it a little bit more. Found out that I can do it in the cockpit.dds

F.x. StdCirrus

cirrus.png

I can do that with all planes, but not with the Ventus 3. Made a test with a full pink cockpit.dds and the skin too all in pink. Nearly the whole plane is pink, but not the panel.

pink1.png

pink2.png

Looks like the color of the panel is not changeable. Or is it in another file? Found nothing. Searched in the forum too, nothing found there too

Thanks for any hint

[wickid]

There are a bunch of textures in the Condor2/planes/textures folder. One of them may also have been used on the Ventus. Stuff like plastics, carbonfiber and cloth is usually found in there. Be carefull because these textures are shared between multiple planes.

[6266]

Thanks wickid for the hint with the texture folder. I haven't recognized it before. I will not touch the plastics ... files yet, but found there the PilotReflection.bmp and could eliminate it (open, STRG-A, Del, save). It disturbed me especially in the Discus. I have to fly a test later, on the ground it looks good.

The Ventus panel is light enough, but it's now the darkest of my used planes and I liked to lighten it a little bit. The main reason for the light panels is, that I want to see the black screws from the artificial horizon clear, I use them for not to turn over 45 degrees. On a nearly black panel and a small screen you have to concentrate too much on it.

I try to modify the cockpit to get the needed informations faster/easier. Reducing the planes is one step, focussing actually on Discus, Ventus and Arcus. All these planes have the gauges at the same place now, Discus and Ventus3-15 had to be modified, all have AH and lighter panels.

Hope to find a second here and there, but know that I need a lot of minutes to the top

[congo]

I could not find a texture for the Ventus panel, and no "generic plastic" file either,
I suspect the texture is defined in the model. Alas, the ventus panel gauge screws
can be seen as shown here. (click the image for detail)

This is how an FOV=74 setting is displayed, it's a more natural Field Of View setting
than Condor's default, (which is very wide angle view) and it brings the panel up
closer so you can see it better.... but it takes a flight or three to get used to it.

Even at FOV=74, you are in Wide Angle view, so you can experiment with FOV to
suit yourself.

Note that the Ventus PDA is in the middle of the panel, so the Artificial Horizon,
offset and low on the panel, uses my modified card to prevent the unsightly
excess AH card protruding into the legs of the pilot

fov74.jpg

[6266]

Thanks congo for your reply.

I'm lucky with the color of the Ventus panel, the screws are good enough to see. I changed the colors of the other panels I use, they where all black. And when I was working with all the panels I liked to change the Ventus too, but found no possibility. If you don't either, there will be no one.

I have now reorganized all panels (focusing Schempp-Hirth, Cirrus, Discus, Ventus, DuoDiscus, Arcus, waiting for the Quintus ) that way, that all have the same gauges nearly at the same place, to find them faster. And speed and height should be a little bit bigger to see them better. My favorit panel is the Cirrus now, you will understand what I mean. It'smuch mor comfortable to fly now. The picture is bad because of size restrictions in the forum

cirrus.png

[congo]

See the shadows cast by the gauges onto your Cirrus panel.
The Horizon card shadow is clear evidence.

Your gauges are placed out in the cockpit between the pilot and the panel.
Increase the X axis value to make them almost flush with the panel.

After you correct the gauges for X value, they will be further away and smaller
from the pilot perspective, you may wish to add/adjust "Scale" value to them.

The X axis values you need may be slightly different, but they should be within 2-3 mm
of the values shown here:

[Speed]
FileName=Speed.c3d
PosX=1.202
PosY=-0.078
PosZ=0.040
Scale=1.15

[Vario]
FileName=Vario.c3d
PosX=1.202
PosY=0
PosZ=0.090
a=0.4747
Scale=0.95
MaxValue=5

[EVario]
FileName=EVario.c3d
PosX=1.200
PosY=0.078
PosZ=0.040
Scale=1.1
a=0.40186
MaxValue=5

[Compass]
FileName=Compass.c3d
PosX=1.198
PosY=0
PosZ=0.014
Scale=1.05
RotationX=0.0273

[Radio]
FileName=Radio.c3d
PosX=1.199
PosY=-0.074
PosZ=-0.050
Scale=0.95

[Horizon]
FileName=Horizon.c3d
PosX=1.201
PosY=0
PosZ=-0.070
Scale=1.10

[Clock]
FileName=Clock.c3d
PosX=1.198
PosY=0.073
PosZ=-0.050
Scale=1

// Turn and slip disabled
//[TurnSlip]
//FileName=TurnSlip.c3d
//PosX=1.198
//PosY=0.072
//PosZ=-0.002
//Scale=0.9
//RotationZ=0.21

// Altimeter is hidden behind panel
[Height]
FileName=Height.c3d
PosX=1.220
PosY=0
PosZ=-0.078
Scale=1
a=0.0314159
ZeroPressure=1030

cirrusShot292.jpg

[congo]

... but found there the PilotReflection.bmp and could eliminate it (open, STRG-A, Del, save). It disturbed me especially in the Discus. I have to fly a test later, on the ground it looks good.

Another way to reduce the reflections is to simply edit the PilotReflection.bmp to a darker shade, however, I use another method because I
like slight reflectivity in the gauges, (see screenshot above, the reflections are very subtle), and this way, each gauge can be fine tuned for reflectivity if desired.

By darkening the shade of the gauge artwork, (make the gauges almost black, it is trial and error to get the right shade), the reflections are much more subtle, and they vanish if the gauge art is pure black or close to pure black.
The artificial horizon has the most reflection because of it's lighter shading on the AH card's art.
I'm not sure how the gauge glass reflectivity is programmed or rendered, but the gauge art definitely has a big influence on it.

[6266]

Thanks congo,

very interesting to see on the same thing with very different focus. I'm using Condor first of all to compete, although I'm not really a good one, but I like it . So I'm interested in getting the needed information as easy and as fast as possible. You are looking at the shadows I don't even see after you mention them. So what I see is not the same what you see although it's the same picture. Nice diversity.

[congo]

Ah, I see now, it is my mistake, I misinterpreted your Cirrus photo above.....
Now I can tell it is the PDA shadow on the panel, so sorry.