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[bounty_hunter66]

Hello,

Is there a tracer mod that makes the tracers bigger/brighter/thicker? I am not looking for realistic ones.

If not, can someone kindly point me to some modding resources for this game so I can do it myself?

I am familiar with using 3dmax to model objects. I just need the particular know-how on how to mod for this game.

Thank you.

[WxTech]

The only tracers you can readily play with are the so called '3D' ones which are drawn within a certain distance threshold.

The farther tracers are simple line vectors, and I'm not aware of them being accessible to us modders.

In my effects mod I include tracers in three flavors the player can choose from. You could take out of that pack just the tracers and have a go at them.

You could start with the simple, straight tracers, as they have the minimal number of vertices to adjust. I do all my 3D model work with a spreadsheet. I graph views in the X-Y, Y-Z and X-Z planes.

If you open a .msh file with any text editor, here you will be concerned only with the [Vertices] section. Each line has 6 numbers. The first 3 are the X, Y and Z positions of that vertex. The other 3 define the surface normal vector, and can be ignored.

Copy the data from the vertices section into a spreadsheet, graph the 3 views to see the construction, then increase the relevant XYZ values to fatten up line.

The long line portion will be straightforward. The 'head' of the thing, representing the round blob that is important for seeing the tracer from directly behind or ahead, is made from 3 mutually perpendicular planes, and requires a bit more care to get right. But all told, the model is pretty simple.

Once you have one model fixed up to satisfaction for one color, you will copy these new vertex data to the other meshes for the other colors.

If you already have the tools required to handle the mesh in a more sophisticated way, I envy you. 

[bounty_hunter66]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

So if I understood correctly, you guys change the mesh files in text format? You don't import objects into 3dmax or some other 3d software?

I am familiar with the overlapping perpendicular planes with textures on top that make up a "projectile" as I used to mod another game that used a similar way to represent bullets in game.

For context I have 4.12.2 version from steam and VP modpack.

[WxTech]

I'm probably the only one who spreadsheets his 3D work.  😀

I gather that in order to play with Il-2 models it requires to use more than one piece of software, with converting being part of the process. I started out by examining the text of a mesh for a simple object like a house, and once understanding its construction proceeded to edit the text directly, via a spreadsheet.

You could download an existing tracer mod, so that you have the folder and file structure in place. Then edit the meshes.

You can probably find a mod or two that deals with the original form of tracer; a straight line. Or you can get the GunCam tracer mod, which is more complex in that it animates an alternate straight and 'wiggly' tracer. If you want to make the tracers fatter, you don't really need the GunCam variation, I'd say.