A question to experts who know this sort of thing:
What about using GLSL, it is an Open-GL shader function which can be accessed using Java commands that tell the program to use GLSL rendering techniques over the standard shader modules. Not sure if it can be done with the old code of IL-2 but it seems these shaders have been in OpenGL for years before IL-2 was created. Here is an example of what can be done with certain values. (Minecraft - Mostly written in Java):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLSLLet me know what you think.
Also I remember what Hades said:
Shadowing can work in IL2, in all cockpits with not bad results. The only thing that needs to be done is to enable the shadowing in IL2's engine. The feature IS there, it just needs someone that knows-how to Enable it.
Once someone enable it, we will all have a nice surprise A positive one. And i know exactly what i am talking about
I also saw on youtube that ChampionFX was working on some GAPA, lighting mod that he unfortunately lost...
Now I am not nessacarily thinking of internal shading but rather external.