[Genma Saotome]

I don't usually run in signaled routes but I did tonight... 10m high is quite odd.


I poked around a bit and did find some information that I used to resize this to my satisfaction but the exercise did bring to mind a question: Does the method to determine size take into account screen resolution?

[Laci1959]

Hello.

No, but the size of the frame and the size of the cutout (alpha channel) on it, yes. It is the siglight.ace file. There are routes that use a 512×512 pixel file with a 64 pixel diameter alpha channel in the middle. the light can already be seen from about 800 meters away. Of course, the Signal Light Glow option must be turned off in this case. Maybe that would have helped instead of resizing.

Sincerely, Laci 1995

[Niknak]

Just a thought but is "signal light glow" ticked under "Options" ? If so, untick it and see if that helps. Oops just seen that Laci mentioned sig glow in the previous post. Doh !!

[Laci1959]

Weter, on 08 October 2022 - 12:19 AM, said:

Yes, devs don't recommend to combine this option activated with somehow "enhanced" textures on some of routes, for avoiding any unexpected appearance.

Hi Weter.

This solution was invented back in the MSTS days. I saw no point in touching it. Users of the Alföld track already know that this option must be turned off.

Laci 1959

[ebnertra000]

This effect is caused by using one of those MSTS-era expanding light textures. In order for them to work, the radius of lights has to increased dramatically, which will turn the OR light glow feature in to a giant blob.

Your two options are to replace the texture with a non-expanding one and tweak thr radii in the sigcfg (the Replace tool helps here), or turn off light glow when using that route

[R H Steele]

ebnertra000, on 09 October 2022 - 05:58 AM, said:

This effect is caused by using one of those MSTS-era expanding light textures. In order for them to work, the radius of lights has to increased dramatically, which will turn the OR light glow feature in to a giant blob.

Your two options are to replace the texture with a non-expanding one and tweak thr radii in the sigcfg (the Replace tool helps here), or turn off light glow when using that route

For myself -- went with option two, made the texture substitution, ( there's a fine one for the having one somewhere in the OR threads here at ET ), adjusted sigcfgs and left the signal light glow on...which then works very nicely in OR...on all routes. ( easy to see at two miles or so, contracts as you approach signal )

IMO not having to remember which options to turn on and off per route simplifies things.

For reference: There are several threads about different signal light glow options for Open Rails...including OR parameters

Variable Glow Settings
Original Sig Light Glow Thread <<< for historical purposes, the original discussion.

[ebnertra000]

Weter, on 09 October 2022 - 10:41 AM, said:

How does it "expand"? As was said in post #2?

If I recall it was some kind of weird mipmap thing in textures. I'm not sure of the exact mechanism

[Weter]

Thanks anyway.

[Jovet]

The "SigView" textures work by using custom MIP maps.
A MIP ("Multum In Parvo") is a level-of-detail in a texture file. When most texture files are created, they get the main texture image and also pre-shrunk smaller version of that image saved into the texture. The smaller versions are used for objects farther away, just as a less-detailed shape mesh is used when you get farther away. Most of the time this is all automatic and seamless, and you don't notice it. With the signal textures, the MIPs are customized by hand so that they get bigger the further away they're viewed. This effect requires setting the light radii much larger (the largest signal lights I use are about a meter across), but most of the texture is alpha'd out up close. The custom MIPs further away allow more and more of that big plane to be seen, and the signals thus can be seen farther away. It's quite a clever technique.

[Weter]

Thanks for info.
TarasB used some different approach: after some distance threshold, light texture is substituted by lighting pixel (group of pixels) with same color, and this group's size indeed doesn't decrease further, no matter, will distance increase further, or not.