[Guille592]

Hello there, I was wondering if some of the developers here were working in dynamic lights? Streetlamps for example, as for the old MSTS light system is quite obsolete, is there any progress in this sector or did anyone thought of this?

Thanks!

[markyisri]

Guille592, on 29 November 2017 - 11:13 AM, said:

Hello there, I was wondering if some of the developers here were working in dynamic lights? Streetlamps for example, as for the old MSTS light system is quite obsolete, is there any progress in this sector or did anyone thought of this?

Thanks!

What are "dynamic lights"?

[Jovet]

markyisri, on 01 December 2017 - 04:17 AM, said:

What are "dynamic lights"?

A colloquial term for a light source other than the sun in a three-dimensional scene. The lit headlight of a locomotive casts light on the objects around it; it's currently the only type of ‘dynamic light’ supported by MSTS and OR.

[Goku]

markyisri, on 01 December 2017 - 04:17 AM, said:

What are "dynamic lights"?

Static light is a light painted on to a texture.
Dynamic light is just a point in 3d space and game engine calculates it's light on objects in each frame.
Extremely basic game engines use just one dynamic light source - the sun.

[Guille592]

Sooooo, any plans for this then? Cause the "light" provided by textured cones are absolutely terrible. ^__^'

[railguy]

This is one feature where TS20**, Run8, and Trainz have MSTS and OR beat. Now, some simulator purists will say that dynamic lights are just eye candy and should be low priority. I disagree. The difference between "eye candy" and realism is what features take the simulation from being just a "game" to being a full immersion simulation. Contrary to what a lot of route builders, rolling stock builders, etc. seem to think, in the real world, a lot of train action is at night. So, it hardly gets one immersed in the simulation if the only thing with dynamic lights is the locomotive's headlight, with cities, towns, and farms looking like they are suffering a national electricity blackout after dark. The "light cones" that are used in lieu of dynamic lights look dorky, but, right now, it's the only alternative available in OR. Better dynamic lights are evidently possible because those other sims have them. Why not us? Attached is a screenshot that I made a couple of years ago TS20**. That's would OR should be shooting for in dynamic lighting.

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

[ATW]

I agree to this as well.

Seams the only light out there to do its job is the sun. Sun shines off reflective surfaces an I think other objects like train lights should do the same at cone distance.

For light poles an signals I feel objects that have a part using these texture modes should represent a lighting setting: HlfBrt (Half Bright with low intensity to expand) an Bright (Bright with high intensity to expand about half the power of the sun or a little more).

It's been figured how to get bright objects like the sun to slightly blind us but cab light would be helpful when a half bright object is present like in this recent test run an 3d cab

[R H Steele]

railguy, on 01 December 2017 - 06:58 AM, said:

This is one feature where TS20**, Run8, and Trainz have MSTS and OR beat. Now, some simulator purists will say that dynamic lights are just eye candy and should be low priority. I disagree. The difference between "eye candy" and realism is what features take the simulation from being just a "game" to being a full immersion simulation. Contrary to what a lot of route builders, rolling stock builders, etc. seem to think, in the real world, a lot of train action is at night. So, it hardly gets one immersed in the simulation if the only thing with dynamic lights is the locomotive's headlight, with cities, towns, and farms looking like they are suffering a national electricity blackout after dark. The "light cones" that are used in lieu of dynamic lights look dorky, but, right now, it's the only alternative available in OR. Better dynamic lights are evidently possible because those other sims have them. Why not us? Attached is a screenshot that I made a couple of years ago TS20**. That's would OR should be shooting for in dynamic lighting.

I enjoyed your screenshot, I agree, very nice dynamic lighting, even the reflection off the interior of the signal light hoods. ...and it would be great if OR had that built into it.
What you fail to mention is that the routes for the sims you reference are a total package, they were built with dynamic lighting in mind.
OR, again, would be trying to support all sorts of legacy routes, some finely constructed, others not so much. None of them built with dynamic lighting in mind. I don't see how that could possibly be satisfactory to everyone.

Going forward, this would be most appropriate with future routes incorporating dynamic lighting built for OR.

[railguy]

I wouldn't expect backward capability in legacy routes--not unless the original route creator (or someone with access to all of its code) wanted to re-work a route with dynamic lighting capability. That said, it would be a nice goal for OR to have capability to utilize dynamic lighting, with a standard so that route builders could know how and what to build. Same with rolling stock and scenery add-on creators.

[R H Steele]

railguy, on 01 December 2017 - 12:36 PM, said:

I wouldn't expect backward capability in legacy routes--not unless the original route creator (or someone with access to all of its code) wanted to re-work a route with dynamic lighting capability. That said, it would be a nice goal for OR to have capability to utilize dynamic lighting, with a standard so that route builders could know how and what to build. Same with rolling stock and scenery add-on creators.

Certainly, http://www.elvastower.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/I-Agree.gif