NZFF

Guys,
I have lost my wingtip vortex's, instead of being white as they should be, they are just black lines.
Obviously it is probably finger trouble, but if anyone has any ideas how I can recover them, it would be appreciated.

Cheers
Phil

Have installed a texture effect program recent .. REX , Shade , Active Sky , these have had some issues when MS updates come through on automatic installs . One fix is to cage all old previous flights and start afresh .

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Oct 11 2011,11:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have installed a texture effect program recent .. REX , Shade , Active Sky , these have had some issues when MS updates come through on automatic installs . One fix is to cage all old previous flights and start afresh .

Hi Ian,
yes I have installed Shade, its effect is awesome.
So when you say 'cage' my old flights and start afresh, what exactly do you mean ?

Cheers
Phil

My guess is that you'll be missing an effect file in the effects folder. Something might have deleted it (eg while you were uninstalling something else).
If anyone knows the name of the file responsible for it someone could email you the missing fx file. Or, you could insert your FSX discs (start at disc 1) and do a repair of the installation. Don't forget to reinstall SP1 and 2 afterwards.

AlisterC wrote:

QUOTE (AlisterC @ Oct 12 2011,9:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My guess is that you'll be missing an effect file in the effects folder. Something might have deleted it (eg while you were uninstalling something else).
If anyone knows the name of the file responsible for it someone could email you the missing fx file. Or, you could insert your FSX discs (start at disc 1) and do a repair of the installation. Don't forget to reinstall SP1 and 2 afterwards.

Hi Alister,
thats what I was thinking.
If anyone knows the effects file and could email it to me would be awesome.

Cheers
Phil

Phil, have a look in your Effects folder, in your main FSX folder. Can find the following two files?

fx_wingtipvortice_l.fx

&

fx_wingtipvortice_r.fx

If not, pm me your email address and I'll send them to you.
Cheers

AlisterC wrote:

QUOTE (AlisterC @ Oct 13 2011,3:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Phil, have a look in your Effects folder, in your main FSX folder. Can find the following two files?

fx_wingtipvortice_l.fx

&

fx_wingtipvortice_r.fx

If not, pm me your email address and I'll send them to you.
Cheers

Thanks Alister,
but the plot is thickening, I have both of those in my effects folder.........now I am stumped......lol

Cheers
Phil

Yes it certainly is thickening!
Best suggestion I would now have is back up your effects and texture folders from FSX main folder. Delete them from that folder, insert FSX discs and repair installation. Then SP1, then SP2, and if you wish, copy and paste your backed up folders back into FSX. I doubt anything is corrupted, mostly likely just missing.
Unless anyone has any better ideas!
It's not a huge process, maybe 20-25 minutes or so.

If an effect is 'showing' but showing incorrectly then it usually means the texture associated with the effect is missing.

Timmo wrote:

QUOTE (Timmo @ Oct 13 2011,6:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If an effect is 'showing' but showing incorrectly then it usually means the texture associated with the effect is missing.

Thanks for that Timmo, do you think Alister's suggestion is the best way to go ?
Just concerned if I do a 'FSX Repair' that I may loose files from the multitude of add ons I have.

Cheers
Phil

repair won't overwrite files from addons, just replace default files. if someone knew the texture files to send you, I could just email them. I don't know the files unfortunately

AlisterC wrote:

QUOTE (AlisterC @ Oct 14 2011,6:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

repair won't overwrite files from addons, just replace default files. if someone knew the texture files to send you, I could just email them. I don't know the files unfortunately

Alister, many thanks, I took the plunge and did the 'FSX Repair' option.
Everything is back as it shouls be and the vortex's are beautiful.........one happy simmer here.....

I am always cautious when I do that as I am afraid that with the amount of add ons that I have that they will be corrupted, but I bow to a wiser sole....

Once again, many thanks to you all for your help.
Now I will work on my AI.......

Cheers
Phil

I'm glad to hear it worked for you. Makes sense really that it did though. Take something out, FSX will attempt to replace it since FSX knows best what is missing. It's kind of the long way to go about it, but since we don't know the exact files you are missing, this is a sure to work blanket fix
Now AI... sorry, can't help you there lol (unless you want to turn it off that is!)

Ex ANZ Eng wrote:

QUOTE (Ex ANZ Eng @ Oct 7 2011,10:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Guys,
I have lost my wingtip vortex's, instead of being white as they should be, they are just black lines.
Obviously it is probably finger trouble, but if anyone has any ideas how I can recover them, it would be appreciated.

Cheers
Phil

Hello I joined this forum after reading and benefiting from many posts here and elsewhere on the different FSX forums around the web. This is my first posting here so I apologize in advance if I am posting an obvious solution that may be commonly known but I was very happy the way it worked for me.

I saw your post and wanted to say also what has worked for me to repair the same problem. I want to share a solution that is much faster than doing a "repair" from the installation disc.

I make it a habit to backup any FSX file folder that I add files to. I keep a "dummy" backup FSX file folder stored on my computer. It doesn't have a backup folder for all of the FSX files, just the folders that get modified as I modify them. So if all I have done is add some add-on aircraft, and the only folders that get changed are the aircraft, gauges and effects folders, then those are the only ones that I copy to my backup FSX folder before making any changes to the retail OEM installation of FSX. After reading many horror stories of problems and the experts always telling everyone to keep backup files one day I found out why I should be glad for heeding their advice.

I have installed many add-on aircraft and try to learn as much as I can about what plane will work in FSX acceleration but, try as I might, once in a while a plane gets installed that has, or causes problems for my FSX program. This is where I relate to your original post. After having installed a freeware aircraft and adding it's files to the effects folder I found that all my wingtip vortices, touchdown tire smoke and dust kicked up while rolling down grass airstrips were now black just as you have described above. This problem now applied to all my installed aircraft both add-ons and FSX original planes too.

I decided to copy my backup effects folder to the FSX main folder. Of course there was already a folder named effects there so windows asked me if I wanted to merge the folders. I answered yes and yes to copy to for all files that have the same name. This over-wrote any original effects folder file that might have been changed by an add-on and the problem was fixed.

Alternately I could have avoided this problem altogether by answering no when I merged the add-ons effect files to the FSX effects folder. But having a backup original effects folder on hand meant the problem was fairly easy to reverse.

I decided that one of the aircraft I had added was compatible with a past verision of FS but not fully compatible with FSX acceleration and there must have been an effects file that had been changed after having been overwritten by an add-on file with the same file name.

Welcome! This is very good advice. I also keep back ups of important sim folders. Wise advice

AlisterC wrote:

QUOTE (AlisterC @ Dec 11 2011,6:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Welcome! This is very good advice. I also keep back ups of important sim folders. Wise advice

Thank you Alister. I have really enjoyed getting back into the FS world after a long absence and wanted to share what I have learned. As I posted before, I have benefited tremendously from the experience and sharing of others. It really was quite frustrating at first trying to get FSX working to my liking, but I am a stubborn person and I stuck with it. I learned a lot in the process of getting FSX tuned. (both hardware and software) I still have a lot to learn. That is what will probably keep me at this for quite some time to come. That sharing of all the problem solving is one of the great things about forums like this one and that is what keeps me coming back for more. Merry Chrismas all!