Airplane Shadows

[stubbornswiss]

I recently downloaded ZurichX. Very impressive!

I initially had no AI traffic, but on doing a search, I found the solution about turning off airplane shadows. I tried this, and my AI traffic showed up.

I would like to go ahead and pay for this scenery, but would first like to know if there will be a "proper" remedy for this problem, so that I will be able to turn my airplane shadows back on.

Vista 32 bit (Home Premium)
FSX + Acceleration
World of AI

Thank you

Albert

[virtuali]

This has already been discussed here:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php?topic=337.0

Chicago O'Hare doesn't have this issue, because its runway it's not fully customized like Zurich, but it's an hybrid of a default runway with a custom detail only.

We might consider a future update for Zurich but, do not take it as a firm promise. Right now, the only solution is to use native FSX AI models, like those found in the latest version of MyTraffic, or the default ones.

[toby23]

I know this has been discussed but I would buy this Scenery Pack asap if i didn't have to disable airplane shadows.
I fly mainly helicopters and try landing without shadows!
Why should something so irrelevant as shadows cause planes to disappear?
I am using updated Traffic2005 and hope that with TrafficX this problem will be gone!
Then I will buy the Zurich pack as it is easily one of the best airports i have seen....

[virtuali]

I know this has been discussed but I would buy this Scenery Pack asap if i didn't have to disable airplane shadows.

If you want to use a traffic package with FS9 models, you don't have any other choice.

Why should something so irrelevant as shadows cause planes to disappear?

It's a bug that appeared in FSX SP2 that creates a conflict between the airplane shadow for a FS9 airplane and the command that allows creating a runway with an entirely custom texture, like in Zurich, that is also an scenery command coming from FS9.

The problem doesn't appear in FSX SP1. Doesn't appear if using AI with FSX models, and doesn't appear if using a scenery without a custom-textured runways. It's only the combination of this three factors that creates the problem: FSX+SP2, using FS9 models as AI, on an airport that has runways with custom textures.

Unfortunately, airplanes modelers HAVE a solution available, and it's simply exporting their airplanes using the FSX SDK. The scenery designers do not have any solution, other than getting rid of the custom textured runways, something that is not very nice to lose, especially at Zurich, were the runway has a very typical checkered look that can't be rendered with default textures.

We are considering "updating" Zurich in the future (certainly after JFK is released), to eliminate this problem, even if we think it's not the proper solution. The proper solution would be updating AI packages, if only because FS9 models in FSX have a bigger impact on fps.

I am using updated Traffic2005 and hope that with TrafficX this problem will be gone!

I *think* the only AI package with native FSX models is the very latest version of MyTraffic. Everything else is still FS9, but I might be mistaken...check with the developer and ask if their models are exported using the FSX SDK. If yes, they'll work with Zurich with shadows on, just like the default AI. You don't need to turn off shadows at Zurich when using default FSX AI.

Fortunately, since we offer Zurich in Trial version, you can test it with several AI packages, before buying it.