Setting up cfg for model variations types and panels

[PhantomP]

Hey guys I am a little bit of a newbe, when it comes to this.I have a couple of questions for you ,and hopefully you can give me some examples.IF I want to be able to select a model type, or variant in the aircraft selection screen.For example, if I have two different models one without windshield wipers and one with windshield wipers.How would I set up the aircraft.cfg,to be able to choose between the two.The same goes with different panel selections,and weapon load outs,Paints ect.Thanks

[falcon409]

Actually, for repaints, panels, even sounds, the separation is easy:
For every livery, you have a separate texture folder and a specific name for each (ie: texture.black), so in the aircraft.cfg file you would add that "black" to the right of the line texture=.

The same follows for different panels (the default being "panel"), simply add a new extension and you can move any new panels into those file folders (ie: panel.new or panel.glass) and as with the livery, just add that new extension to the line panel=

Even soundfiles can be done that way by making a new sound folder with an extension (ie:sound.test) and adding the word "test" to the right of the line sound=

Models are a different animal, in that the mdl file is specific to the source files for the aircraft. If you designed the aircraft in question and have two mdl files, then you can as shown above simply add another model folder and add an extension (ie: model.wipers), then add that extension to the right of the line model=.

And finally, for every different livery/model/panel/sound, there should be a new one of these:

[fltsim.0]
title=A-4F Flying Gators Fuel tanks (I usually leave the aircraft type the same and add a different description here)
sim=A4F
model=1
panel=
sound=
texture=
checklists=
description=
ui_manufacturer=Douglas
ui_type=Douglas A-4F USMC
ui_variation=A-4F Flying Gators (This is your own unique description)
atc_airline=MARINES
atc_id=208
atc_flight_number=110
visual_damage=1

otherwise, you won't see or experience any of the changes you made or additions you added. Each time you add a livery (or any of the other changes you mentioned), it must have a unique information block, and each section must be numbered correctly for it to show up ([fltsim.0]), they are numbered sequentially starting at zero and you can look at any aircraft.cfg file and see what I mean.
The areas that must be changed are those shown in red above, depending on the type of change you made.

Hope this get's you started anyway.

[aeromed202]

Well I can help a bit with some basics. Using the following example:

[FLTSIM.0]
title=Cessna C-206 Stationair 6 II
sim=Cessna C-206 Stationair OH-CHZ
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=
kb_checklists=Cessna C-206 Stationair OH-CHZ_CHECK
kb_reference=Cessna C-206 Stationair OH-CHZ_ref
atc_type=Cessna 206
atc_id_enable=1
atc_id=OH-CHZ
editable=0
ui_manufacturer=Cessna
ui_type=C206 Stationair 6 II
ui_variation=OH-CHZ Amphibious
description=Cessna C206 OH-CHZ.

When you select an aircraft it goes by Manufacturer-ui_manufacturer=

aircraft model-
ui_type=

and variation-
ui_variation=

Besides this at the model= line it will load with the model folder named simply model. For other models it will load whatever the folder is named. EX: to load a model folder called model.float, type in float after model=. This is the same format as adding textures, which are similarly named and typed in at the texture= line. Each variant needs a full text to go with it from FLTSIM.X to description, numbering X up from the first 0 with appropriate descriptors in type= and variation= so the sim won't get confused. Whatever you type will show up but keep it brief. Hope this helps.

[dhazelgrove]

As both previous posters have said, it's all done (without mirrors) using the two lines "model=" and "panel=".

Alternate models must have their own subdirectory, named "model.modelname". This modelname text is what you place against the "model=" line. So, if you have a model called "alt1", you'll have a subdirectory called "model.alt1" and your config line would be "model=alt1". Easy.

The same applies to alternate panels. Each panel will have its own subdirectory, named "panel.panelname". I usually tend to number them, but it's your choice. Just make sure they're not duplicated.

Dave

[Mick]

In fact, you can use any line of the FS section to assign a different whatever to a certain variant.

Presumably the Manufacturer and Type won't change, and each combination of model + panel + paint + whatever will be identified by a Variation name.

Important: while what you see on your menu is what's listed under UI_Manufacturer, UI_Type, UI_Variation, FS doesn't look at those lines. FS looks at is the Title= line. So even though you don't see the Title on screen, every variation must have a different Title as well as a unique Variation name. If two variations have identical Titles, FS won't see the second one and won't show it to you on your selection menu.

You can use the UI section to select a model, panel, sounds, AIR file, checklist, etc., etc., etc. The only thing an aircraft folder can't have more than one of is the Aircraft.cfg file.

Also, you don't have to have a copy of, for example, a sound folder or panel folder inside the aircraft folder of every plane that uses those sounds or panels. You can alias the panels or sounds from different planes with entries in the Panel.cfg or Sound.cfg files. An example looks like this:

[fltsim]
alias=Douglas_DC3\sound

The above is the complete contents of a Sound.cfg file. It tells FS to use the contents of the sound folder in the stock DC-3 aircraft folder with this plane.

You can file tutorials on aliasing on any of the download sites. It's pretty simple. There's a folder in your main FS9 folder called "fsfsconv" (or you can make one there if it's not there already.) It's a pseudo "aircraft folder" where you can place panels and sound sets that you use with more than one plane, then you know right where they are when you write the alias line in a cfg file:

[fltsim]
alias=fsfsconv\sound.propliner

That tells FS to use the contents of the sound.propliner folder inside the fsfsconv folder.

BTW, fsfsconv stands for Flight Shop Flight Simulator Converter and it goes back at least to FS98, probably further. You could give your folder any name you want; I stick with fsfsconv because I'm something of a traditionalist.

[PhantomP]

Thanks guys will follow your advice.

[Wing_Z]

...BTW, fsfsconv stands for Flight Shop Flight Simulator Converter and it goes back at least to FS98...

I have this folder, and always wondered who put it there, and what the letters stood for.
Thank you for clearing that up!