Light objects questions

Storm_Sullivan · Postby **Storm_Sullivan** » Wed May 07, 2014 11:10 pm

What's the max HLIGHT objects a car can have?
Useful 4: a large truck w/clearance & accent lights

What's the max SIREN light objects?
Useful 4: Ambulance with multiple flashers on grill/box/etc.

Finally, what's the max of different colors for siren objects?
Useful 4: police car with red & blue lightbar w/white strobes of more than 2 colors

Oops, not finally. The final question is, what will happen if I exceed one of these limits?

Postby **Franch88** » Wed May 07, 2014 11:51 pm

The HLIGHT object is always one, normally with the "_H" suffix at the end of the name. The SIREN objects are two, also in this case with the "_H" suffix at the end of the name. These objects are related with MM1 and so they are useless in MM2.
The respective objects for MM2 cars are called HEADLIGHT0_H:m and HEADLIGHT1_H:m for the right side and left side headlights, and SRN0_H:m, SRN1_H:m, SRN2_H:m and SRN3_H:m for the cop cars type lights, from right side to left side. From how you can see, the limit for the first is of 2 objects and for the second is of 4 objects. If you try to exceed this limit adding other of these objects going on with the number, most likely won't happen nothing: they'll be present in the .pkg file, but the game won't consider them because they're using isn't implemented in the game, obviously.
You can well have a different siren color for each of the siren lights, and it's enough change the material color. The texture loaded to them has to be fxltglow.tga.

Storm_Sullivan · Postby **Storm_Sullivan** » Thu May 08, 2014 12:42 pm

Okay, thanks.
So could I have as many lights as I want if I connect them all as 2 L&R headlights or 4 L&R siren lights?

e-cobra · Postby **e-cobra** » Thu May 08, 2014 2:13 pm

Okay, thanks.
So could I have as many lights as I want if I connect them all as 2 L&R headlights or 4 L&R siren lights?

No, that way the glowing balls that appear for headlights will appear at the geometric center of the headlight object you made, unless you manually move its local axis position. If you want more lights, you can always make a small surface and assign it the fxltglow (or whatever) texture with _ni suffix which will make the texture appear only in the night. For day time, make another completely transparent texture with the same name except the '_ni' part.

Notice the orange lights of this truck, although it's .ar file is locked, you can see how lights work in game.

Postby **Franch88** » Thu May 08, 2014 11:41 pm

So could I have as many lights as I want if I connect them all as 2 L&R headlights or 4 L&R siren lights?

Of course not, because connecting the flat polygons of those objects you'll get a new unique object (then you decide how name it). It's the single object what counts for the lights which use the .mtx files (the suffix ":m"), or to better say, is its axis position which count to determinate the light glow ball positioning.
That kind of technique works for the flat and mapped objects to look like headlights if connected with the TLIGHT object; it's made so with the headlights of this car, for example. The result is decent, but it's well seen that its headlights don't work like the game implemented headlights glow balls. Kinda the same is concerning the flashing indicator lights in reverse gear, which are part of the RLIGHT object; several vehicles add-ons have this feature.

Storm_Sullivan · Postby **Storm_Sullivan** » Fri May 09, 2014 5:16 pm

So could I have as many lights as I want if I connect them all as 2 L&R headlights or 4 L&R siren lights?
Of course not, because connecting the flat polygons of those objects you'll get a new unique object (then you decide how name it). It's the single object what counts for the lights which use the .mtx files (the suffix ":m"), or to better say, is its axis position which count to determinate the light glow ball positioning.
That kind of technique works for the flat and mapped objects to look like headlights if connected with the TLIGHT object; it's made so with the headlights of this car, for example. The result is decent, but it's well seen that its headlights don't work like the game implemented headlights glow balls. Kinda the same is concerning the flashing indicator lights in reverse gear, which are part of the RLIGHT object; several vehicles add-ons have this feature.

Well, I guess it doesn't matter if they don't work exactly the same, as long as I make them bright colors, since they're only accent lights.
I take it then that there's no similar trick to "expand" the max number of strobe lights?

aaro4130 · Postby **aaro4130** » Fri May 09, 2014 7:36 pm

These HLIGHT/SIREN objects never show up in the game. SRN0-3 are only used as siren lights, so the only night time lights you can have are HEADLIGHT0 and HEADLIGHT1. These originate at the axis and the model for these style lights DOES NOT MATTER. it can be a duck, and it'll be at the axis as a glowball.

You should maybe use a texture-type effect for night with _NI suffix on the texture.

Storm_Sullivan · Postby **Storm_Sullivan** » Fri May 09, 2014 11:17 pm

These HLIGHT/SIREN objects never show up in the game. SRN0-3 are only used as siren lights, so the only night time lights you can have are HEADLIGHT0 and HEADLIGHT1, These originate at the axis and the model for these style lights DOES NOT MATTER. it can be a duck, and it'll be at the axis as a glowball.

You should maybe use a texture-type effect for night with _NI suffix on the texture.

Yeah, I got that much. I was just wondering if there was a way to do texture-based flashers that work in cooperation with the siren lights like the texture-based _NI objects working as makeshift headlights or the cars I've seen with flashers working in cooperation with the RLIGHT object, only with the siren object.