P3Dv5 way too dark

[DHenriques_]

Good morning Dudley,

Please excuse my rambling, "going around the Wrekin" (hill), as we say in English Midlands

(Start P3D, and after selecting away from a default P3D plane, Mooney Accaim G1000) I've just got into our fabulous A2A Bonanza (at EGBJ Gloucestershire) around 9 am FAIR WEATHER i.e. the Sun is in the SOUTH EAST. Started her up, handbrake off and taxi incrementally in a 360deg circle. During the circling, the cockpit panel goes lighter and much darker depending on the direction the plane is facing. It is darkest when facing towards the Sun in the South East, It is much lighter when facing away from the Sun; in this case, the arc South West to North West.

My offering to you Dudley is more of a question. If YOUR P3D start-up configuration involves fair weather, (and you've now selected your A2A plane) can you replicate what I've just done?

So assuming the same happens to you, and assuming your default is FAIR/SUNNY weather then you could use that phenomenon to create (i.e. save and load) a couple of different start-ups e.g. "my morning plane", "my afternoon plane"; so that your default planes, prior to start-up, are parked facing different directions so they have the Sun BEHIND/PORT side. (the Sun is in the arc 6 o'clock to 8 o'clock)

Sorry my "advice" is in the form of a question; I guess I'm still thinking it through, myself.

Rod (EGBB; fair weather)

**NB. During this procedure I have already UNTICKED 'receive internal shadows' (as my pre-configured P3D start-up). If I now tick 'receive', the above phenomenon does not happen so clearly.

You know, that's a great observation and something I have not even considered. You are absolutely correct on the sun angle having an effect on the shading in the cockpit.
Taking a look at this I can see it's a factor but not one easily changed with settings. The time of day does have an effect on the panel but limiting flights to a specific time of day to make the panel lighter would be a game changer for P3D and the way I use it.
I'll keep fooling around with the settings.
Thanks for the input. You are right about the sun angles !
DH

[rod55]

Hi Dudley

thanks for your encouragement, I appreciate your words.

When someone is keen and honest enough, like yourself, to raise an issue or shortfall then, in this case it's led me to discover something new about light entering the plane's cockpit/panel. I value this new insight that's come from your messaging.

Though taking you literally, I hope this doesn't really limit you to flying at a "specific time of day". How about: your morning time, open up P3D, start plane up and gentle taxi turn to "panel-brightest" parking orientation (Sun in 6 o-clock to 8 o'clock arc). Then shut down plane and exit P3D and select Save when asked on screen. Then give your parked scenario a name like "Morning". Ditto for creating and saving an "Afternoon" parking orientation. Then on next P3D start-up, click scenario/load and select one of yer saved ones. Then if this helps, then you could go-to-town and create/save "early morning", "later morning", "early afternoon", "later afternoon" start-ups!

I have not actually done all of this Dudley because FLUKILY I have parked/saved my start plane (Mooney Acclaim G1000) facing North West-ish at Gloucester EGJB, and with fair weather the sun is approx. by default in the 6-8 o'clock arc, when I start up plane both morning AND afternoon. (All of that is roughly true!)

Have a great weekend.

Hopefully we can get a full program of English soccer FA cup matches today and tell 'that Covid bug' to "clear off!".

Rod EGBB really cold 'n drizzly out there so I'll defiantly select a fair-weather flight

[guillaume78150]

Hi Dudley,

I guess you checked that already, but did you turn on the "Auto-Exposure" option in the "Live Graphics" "Options" sub-Menu ?
(It makes a big difference in P3DV5.3).

[DHenriques_]

Hi Dudley,

I guess you checked that already, but did you turn on the "Auto-Exposure" option in the "Live Graphics" "Options" sub-Menu ?
(It makes a big difference in P3DV5.3).

I'll check this next time I open P3D. Thanks
DH

[DHenriques_]

Hi Dudley

thanks for your encouragement, I appreciate your words.

When someone is keen and honest enough, like yourself, to raise an issue or shortfall then, in this case it's led me to discover something new about light entering the plane's cockpit/panel. I value this new insight that's come from your messaging.

Though taking you literally, I hope this doesn't really limit you to flying at a "specific time of day". How about: your morning time, open up P3D, start plane up and gentle taxi turn to "panel-brightest" parking orientation (Sun in 6 o-clock to 8 o'clock arc). Then shut down plane and exit P3D and select Save when asked on screen. Then give your parked scenario a name like "Morning". Ditto for creating and saving an "Afternoon" parking orientation. Then on next P3D start-up, click scenario/load and select one of yer saved ones. Then if this helps, then you could go-to-town and create/save "early morning", "later morning", "early afternoon", "later afternoon" start-ups!

I have not actually done all of this Dudley because FLUKILY I have parked/saved my start plane (Mooney Acclaim G1000) facing North West-ish at Gloucester EGJB, and with fair weather the sun is approx. by default in the 6-8 o'clock arc, when I start up plane both morning AND afternoon. (All of that is roughly true!)

Have a great weekend.

Hopefully we can get a full program of English soccer FA cup matches today and tell 'that Covid bug' to "clear off!".

Rod EGBB really cold 'n drizzly out there so I'll definitely select a fair-weather flight

The main issue with P3D is night flying. Where LM missed the boat concerns peripheral light available on parking ramps at night. I don't recall ever getting into a plane at night where the cockpit interior environment was totally void of light. There was always SOME peripheral light from ramp lighting or even moonlight. Even on moonless nights it was never as dark as it is in p3D.
I've gotten around it by leaving the interior lighting on until the next to last item on the shutdown checklist. But when you click that battery switch you are in an inkwell.
I seriously don't want to limit myself to specific times to fly so I'll have to deal with at least some "adjusting" when flying at night.
There is a flashlight available as an add on that I can get that seems to help a bit.

DH

[rod55]

Now I've caught up, Dudley. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

Of course, YOU would know exactly what illumination to expect in a night-time cockpit/panel. Not an ink well!

So this is not really about falsely compensating for the lack of illumination and trying to park so that external lighting, be that the Sun or artificial airfield lighting, is in the 6-8 o'clock arc. Looks like further realism improvement of the LM P3D Sim is needed; fabulous that it already is!

And I'm definitely staying with P3D v5etc.

AND how comes Wycombe Wanderers equalised 3:3 in the 98th minute (!!!) with historic Sunderland, so spoiling my soccer accumulator bet? "Drats and double drats!"

Just landed at Welshpool EGCW (great work by ORBX).

Rod EGBB (now I'm in the winter evening dark, too)

[MkIV Hvd]

Dudley,

I'm quite surprised to see that you're still struggling with this. You're implying that you've tried the Lighting settings within the sim and that didn't work? Below are screenies of my Mustang's cockpit at night. It's a bit hard to see (I'm thinking because it's dark outside? ) but it's certainly not an ink well that's devoid of ambient light. I can easily see every switch and control and even read the labels if I zoom in a bit...









It seems perfectly normal to me given the conditions.

Btw, I was wondering what sun angles and shadows had to do with night lighting...

Cheers,
Rob

[DHenriques_]

Dudley,

I'm quite surprised to see that you're still struggling with this. You're implying that you've tried the Lighting settings within the sim and that didn't work? Below are screenies of my Mustang's cockpit at night. It's a bit hard to see (I'm thinking because it's dark outside? ) but it's certainly not an ink well that's devoid of ambient light. I can easily see every switch and control and even read the labels if I zoom in a bit...









It seems perfectly normal to me given the conditions.

Btw, I was wondering what sun angles and shadows had to do with night lighting...

Cheers,
Rob

Hardly "struggling", simply gathering suggestions to try and get things a bit more natural.
Your taste may differ of course. My eyes are not nearly as sharp as they once were.
As for the sun; I don't believe anyone suggested the sun had anything to do with the night lighting.
P3D is unnaturally over contrasted to begin with and even in the daytime the cockpits are dark...........not over the hill dark.......but darker than they should be.
I've tried some of the suggestions given and they seem to help a bit for the daytime interior lighting anyway.
Your images aside from the first one are WAY too dark for me. Glad they work for you.

[Paughco]

I like to fly mostly in the daytime, but sometimes I'll fly at night, say if specifications for a rally leg call for a startup in the dark. I find that I can see what's going on in the cockpit better if I reduce ambient light in the room. Maybe turn off the light on my computer desk and close the vertical blinds on the nearby sliding glass window. It helps, just a bit.

Seeya
ATB

[DHenriques_]

I like to fly mostly in the daytime, but sometimes I'll fly at night, say if specifications for a rally leg call for a startup in the dark. I find that I can see what's going on in the cockpit better if I reduce ambient light in the room. Maybe turn off the light on my computer desk and close the vertical blinds on the nearby sliding glass window. It helps, just a bit.

Seeya
ATB

Absolutely. I use a small low voltage nightlight on the keyboard at night. That's about it. Helps a lot.
DH