FSX Stars and Planets with Projectors?

[blueskydriver]

Hey Everyone,

Using FSX with 3 projectors here and the curious question I have is, are you seeing Stars and Planets in your night time skies? If so, how bright are they and do they look real enough to you?

For mine, the Stars and Planets are not showing at all. I've been working with AutoStar X to incorporate more stars and to brighten the planets. Yet, I do not see them when in flight. Also, been looking into the ENB Mod to change redenering styles into the HDRI realm (WIP).

The point is, if you have not modified anything regarding stars and planets and they look good with your projectors; did you adjust the brightness/contrast of the projectors to make the stars and planets look better? And/or are you seeing them at all?

BSD

[Maurice]

As far as I know BSD, I have not modified anything re. stars and I see lots of them. They look quite bright & fairly realistic to me. In fact, I see too many of them and some of them are so close to the horizon that you can mistake them for lights on the ground (known FS issue I think).

Now, I don't know whether there are some visible planets as well since I am not an astronomer but I imagine they are there.

So, don't really know what to suggest here except have you tried running FSX on a regular screen and see if they show up or even accessing FSX via TeamViewer and see if you can see them on the remote screen. If you don't, then it would at least eliminate the projectors?

Maurice

[Maurice]

One more thing. I just confirmed I can see stars in a remote screen while using TeamViewer to access the FSX PC. So, this is a good test to eliminate the projectors as the culprit.

Maurice

[blueskydriver]

Hey Maurice,

Would you email a copy of your stars.dat file located in your main FSX folder? If yours are showing, then the stars.dat is working correctly. So, if I try yours I should see them...or that's the hope anyway.

I just checked the projectors and not sure if that is it... I am thinking maybe Active Sky?

BSD

[blueskydriver]

I think the Active Sky's haze is preventing them from being visible below a certain altitude. I just turned the weather in FSX to clear skies (Active Sky off) and can now see the stars. Although, with using AutoStar X and editing them through that program, they are much smaller.

I suppose if you feel there are too many or too big then you could change them with AutoStar X. However, I'd like a copy of your star.dat file since yours has not been edited, and that in turn, would verify what I am testing. I can just send you copy of mine, the current (edited) version, to save you from going through the leg work of installing and learning the AutoStar X program. In fact, if anyone else wants a copy of the edit star.dat file just PM me.

Thanks so much Maurice,

BSD

[Maurice]

I sent you the file but I have no idea what Autostar X is and frankly, I hesitate to play around with a system that is actually working quite well now. But I'm sure curiosity will kill the cat once again and use up one of its 9 lives

Maurice

[Maurice]

 I just read the description for Autostar X and I don't want it. I certainly have enough stars and I couldn't care less whether planets are in the right place 

"FSX AutoStar X, v1.01, a utility that adds new features to the night sky such as brighter planets in the correct position for any date, comets and even user objects such as an eclipse or Messier object. The SAO star catalog can be imported to greatly increase the number of background stars"

Maurice

[blueskydriver]

Understand what you mean, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... However, if you think you have too many stars you could use it to reduce the amount as well. Also, you don't have to use the planets, coments or what-nots.

The better part of it is you can add more stars or subtract them based on the brightness/dimness close/distant aspects. In other words, if the setting is set to remove the dimmer stars up to the mid brightest stars, then you have less stars altogether. Of course, the opposite is true as well.

I found AutoStar X because I could not see any stars at all. I just got your file and will try to test it. Although, thinking about calling it a night first. And Bob just said to himself "what the Mr Allnight BSD the Vampire is going to bed before me? Say it aint so!"....Oh well, maybe being a vampire is losing it's appeal...uh, scratch that and give me till tomorrow night...lol.