Which file holds the window reflections?

[tup61 185]

Ok, after flying with the default reflections up to now I am ready so tone down the effect a little. I don't know which file holds the reflections, though... Anybody can tell me which file to edit?I remember reading about the file somewhere but the Search is far from helpful on this one.

[bliksimpie 14]

Ok, after flying with the default reflections up to now I am ready so tone down the effect a little. I don't know which file holds the reflections, though... Anybody can tell me which file to edit?I remember reading about the file somewhere but the Search is far from helpful on this one.

+1

if you got it sorted I would appreciate a toned down texture.

[tup61 185]

+1

if you got it sorted I would appreciate a toned down texture.

Ok. But I won't be able to sort it out myself because I opened every freakin' texture file I could find, but I didn't see any reflections... and the few files that did have an alpha channel didn't seem to have anything to do with the reflections either. I am sure I am overlooking something because sometime ago Marcel said changing the reflection was easy to do since it only required an edit if an alpha channel... I must be blind.

[MarcelFelde 527]

Ok. But I won't be able to sort it out myself because I opened every freakin' texture file I could find, but I didn't see any reflections... and the few files that did have an alpha channel didn't seem to have anything to do with the reflections either. I am sure I am overlooking something because sometime ago Marcel said changing the reflection was easy to do since it only required an edit if an alpha channel... I must be blind.

I am not at home so I can't give you the files names, but they should inclus *GLA* or something like that. The reflection is on the bitmap, the alpha channel controls the transparency. You could browse the files with imagetool.exe from the FSX SDK.

[hjcurtis 7]

Looks as if that makes it

MF_DA20_EXT_GLA_001.dds

then?

[tup61 185]

The files with GLA in it where amongst the first I opened, but the content of those files doesn't look like the reflections at all. Even when you delete them all, the reflection is still there (I can't even see what difference removing those files makes, btw). Guess I'll have to wait until Marcel is home again.

[MarcelFelde 527]

No, it has to be an INT texture, not EXT (external)...

[tup61 185]

I finally find a file called MF_DA20_INT_GLS_001.dds which has SOMETHING to do with the reflections. I found it the hard way: I simply removed 50% of all texture files and loaded the plane and repeated that step with a smaller and smaller selection of files until I had one file that clearly made a change when it came to reflections. It was MF_DA20_INT_GLS_001.dds. GLS comes close to GLA... ;D However... editing the alpha channel had no effect at all. Also the bitmap itself doesn't show the big white part you can see so clearly in the reflection (in the middle). Removing that one file resulted in a very dark window, without reflections, but too dark to be usable.

Somehow it seems the reflections were done in a special way, unlike other planes, which isn't strange because this Katana is unlike any other plane. Anyway, I am stuck when it comes to this (this is the first plane in which I can't get it done!), so until someone else figures out how to do it, I guess I am stuck with the current windows. Or maybe I will even stay grounded until then, because (as I said before elsewhere) I am used to flying without reflections... I know, far from realistic, but so are FSX reflections usually.

[MarcelFelde 527]

I suggest to copy the texture to one of the livery folders and not to edit that one in the general texture folder. So only one painting will be influenced.

On some systems the FSY has to be restarted to se changes on the textures. The may stay in the memory and the changes will not be visible without a FSX restart.

Just edit the alpha channel to make the window transparent.

[tup61 185]

I already found out why I see no difference: somehow the edited alpha channel isn't saved. I use Dxtmbp and Photoshop. When I reopen the file after saving it, the alpha channel is as it was by default. Odd. But this is not a Katana problem, of course, so I'll try to figure it out myself... somehow...

EDIT

Got it. The usual sending to Photoshop and refreshing it again in Dxtbmp doesn't work with this file somehow, but exporting the alpha channeld and importing after editing does. I'll post some screenshots later.

EDIT

Here is an animated gif showing the differences. No reflections at all is a bit too much: it felt naked. The reduced version shows very subtle reflections, but you can see them clearly enough when looking around in FSX (as usual screenshots don't do justice to what you see in FSX: when looking around the reflections are more obvious than this screenshots shows). Specially the white 'thing' in the middle was spoiling the view a little for me with the default transparency. To me the reduced version has the best of both worlds: a much clearer view but you can still see the canopy is closed.

P.S. I won't upload the textures on the net, obviously, but I'd like to know if Marcel would mind if I mail the desired textures (reduced or 100% transparent or both) to people who would like to have it? If not, that's cool: I can always simply explain how to get things done in that case.

[Jigsaw 20]

On some systems the FSY has to be restarted to se changes on the textures. The may stay in the memory and the changes will not be visible without a FSX restart.

There is a trick that I use when I work on a repaint that does away with the need to restart FSX after changing a texture. Simply go to the graphics menu and move the Global Resolution Slider one notch. When you click Okay FSX refreshes all textures, including changed files.

Of course reducing the slider one notch will also reduce texture quality, so you have to increase it again in order to see the full quality of the textures. But even going to the graphics menu and moving that slider twice is one hell of a lot faster a procedure than restarting FSX.

[MarcelFelde 527]

There is a trick that I use when I work on a repaint that does away with the need to restart FSX after changing a texture. Simply go to the graphics menu and move the Global Resolution Slider one notch. When you click Okay FSX refreshes all textures, including changed files.

Of course reducing the slider one notch will also reduce texture quality, so you have to increase it again in order to see the full quality of the textures. But even going to the graphics menu and moving that slider twice is one hell of a lot faster a procedure than restarting FSX.

Good hint! After the last reinstall of my system I am in the lucky situation, that my textures are always reloaded. That has not been the case in the years before, also the hardware did not change.

[bliksimpie 14]

thanks Jeroen.

[bamse 0]

Hi

The Katana is a great little plane i fly her as it is a nice VFR plane.

My question is can we get the opportunity to change from tanned windows to clear windows in a patch or somthing, it would get the wiew out so mush clearer in our VFR flights

The Carenado planes have that possibility.

Thank`s for a nice plane

AW 032

[YoungOldMan 4]

P.S. I won't upload the textures on the net, obviously, but I'd like to know if Marcel would mind if I mail the desired textures (reduced or 100% transparent or both) to people who would like to have it? If not, that's cool: I can always simply explain how to get things done in that case.

I asked him for the textures, got them - and they are very good!

[bamse 0]

Ok thank`s i`l do so

[bamse 0]

Thank`s J van E

[ryanbatc 4]

I already found out why I see no difference: somehow the edited alpha channel isn't saved. I use Dxtmbp and Photoshop. When I reopen the file after saving it, the alpha channel is as it was by default. Odd. But this is not a Katana problem, of course, so I'll try to figure it out myself... somehow...

P.S. I won't upload the textures on the net, obviously, but I'd like to know if Marcel would mind if I mail the desired textures (reduced or 100% transparent or both) to people who would like to have it? If not, that's cool: I can always simply explain how to get things done in that case.

Nice edits, thanks for those...

Off topic but I like your walking people in those images (and like what Orbx has done with the people flow) but there's far too many. Go to any tiny GA airport and it's normally vacant - at least a strip in a rural area. I wish they would scale down the amount of people.