Display a shape, or not?

[qballbandit]

Hello,
If I have missed any conversations related to this topic, I apologize.
While riding along at night during last evenings activity, I thought how realistic it would be to be able to code a shape file (with some single line of added code, and a time range.....or in the .sd file?) to flag a time-of-day range to display the shape. Outside of that time range, the shape simply doesn't appear. Of course the reverse logic holds - the coded range specifies for the shape file not to be rendered.
As I was commanding my train, I was envisioning parking lots half full, or empty at night vs. full during the day - stuff like that. Or, hot air balloons not visible at night. So many objects you can customize for "show or no-show".
Is this something that has been looked at for some future development for OR?

I am not a code genius, so there could be more efficient places to add this logic, doesn't matter to me where, just wondering if it can be done down the road.

I welcome your thoughts!

[veemr]

Some have done this already in MSTS by adding a blank texture in the Textures/Night subfolder for individual scenery items, so that parking lots look more deserted at night but full during the day, sailboats aren't out on the lake at 3 a.m., etc. For MSTS to use night textures, a same-named .ace also has to be in the snow subfolder. I believe Rich Garber did the parking lot trick on the Cumberland route.

[ebnertra000]

That would work if the shape was designed with all textures transparency-capable. Otherwise you'll end up with monochrome objects.

I would recommend this for a .w file entry, too, as an .sd entry would make it apply everywhere it was used