Adding a second view to VC in FSX?

[JSpal]

Hi Guys,
I'm newly registered here, but I've been lurking around for a while now studying up on FSX as much as I can. This site is an invaluable resource for FSX fans!

Something I'm looking for that I have not been able to find is a tutorial for setting up the gauges in a VC - can anyone point me in the right direction,

What I am trying to do is to take an existing FSX native freeware add-on of a tandem two-seat trainer and add an "instructor seat" view.

I've successfully set up the view, so I can right click and get to the view easily, but I'm a little stymied by the panel.cfg. Browsing through it previously, I figured the four numbers after the gauges in the [Vcockpit01] were coordinates of where the guage was, and then maybe some number to represent the rotation off of vertical - or something like that anyway. But apparently I'm wrong on that.

So now I'm wondering if it's even possible to add guages in the VC. Something I read seemed to indicate that the locations for the gauges was defined in the texture???

The particular model I'm doing, all the gauges would be redundant from the front seat, in the same basic location, and the texture in the back cockpit area already has dummy gauges as part of the texture, so it seems like this should be a relatively easy project and a good way to get my feet wet before diving into making a complete aircraft.

If I'm successful in this, I have no ambitions to upload the aircraft and/or take any credit, I'm really just doing it to learn the ins-and-outs and for my own flying enjoyment.

So, anybody know anywhere to find a good tutorial that might help me fumble my way through this?

Thanks in advance!

-James-

[Milton Shupe]

James, great to see your interest in design work.

In a two seat trainer, fore/aft, if I understand your question, there are two cockpits and panels/gauge sets.

In your instance, the rear cockpit has a panel with only a bmp of gauges. If this is the case, you cannot put working gauges there unless you have the source code of that model.

The designer must have established the $bmp on that surface to tell FS that gauges would be used there. FS uses that texture to get coordinates of the panel in order to project gauges there. As it stands, it is likely that only the front panel had this done.

If the secondary $bmp was there, there would be a corresponding vcockpit section for it and the bmp name would be different.

For example, here are two vcockpit entries from the xa38.

[Vcockpit02]
file=vcpanelleft.bmp
file_1024=vcpanelleft.bmp
size_mm=1024,1024
visible=0
pixel_size=1024,1024
texture=$left <<<--------- this is the coordinate texture name
... followed by a list of gauges.

[Vcockpit03]
file=vcpanelright.bmp
file_1024=vcpanelright.bmp
size_mm=1024,1024
visible=0
pixel_size=1024,1024
texture=$right <<<--------- this is the coordinate texture name

... followed by a list of gauges.

If that rear panel has at least one working gauge on it, then it will have the capability.

If not, then the person who has the model source code would have to add it.

I hope this helps.
Milton

[JSpal]

Thanks for the help!

The planes I was working with (Piglet's T-2 and PC-7) do not seem to have the additional texture set up for gauges in the rear cockpit instrument panel so I guess I'm out of luck.

That's a shame too, because the number of hours I've logged in these planes, I should be the instructor by now.

I guess I'll have to start from scratch on a plane of my own design.

[FelixFFDS]

The catch that I've found is that the VC position is really set from the "pilot's eye-point", so you, the modeller, has to decide which is your main view.

I notice that in the Piper Cub (and ultralight trike), the VC is from the front seat - with all the instruments. The rear seat is a camera position. In both these models, though, you "see" the instruments plainly.


In the case of a typcial tandem two seater, what I suggest is to set up two VC panels (simlar as to Milton's set up) and set a camera location to be the "rear" seat.