FSX/FSX-SE Aircraft and Panel Design Forum - How To

I use the GPS API provided in the SDK to read the GPS flight plan in my C++ gauges. It works perfect.I would like to know if I can be notified when there is an update of the GPS flight plan. In other words, when a new flight plan is created or loaded into the FS flight planner.As I don't know how to do this, I keep reading the GPS flight plan once per second to detect any change, but this is not very efficient...Eric

I want to know what king of device people use to digitally record engine sounds to make into a sound set. I just want something simple and inexpensive, but digital and easy to plug into a computer. What do the vets use? :)Thanks,Scott

I have a problem with my AC creeping on the ground while at idle. I came across a tip to adjust table 1506 which governs thrust at idle. The problem is the AC I am using is prop/piston powered and table 1506 does not exist in the airfile.What do I need to do to fix this?TIAShad

The 1st Annual Dark Shark Air Aircraft Design Competition is coming up!Design the most innovative new aircraft design and win V$1,000,000 and 25 Gmail invites, plus an optional position of Fleet Manager at Dark Shark Air. Create your craft and submit it to:[email protected] must be submitted by April 1st, 2005!!!

Hi!I have a big problem using the A340 from Aero-Designs... When choosing the airplane in my FS2002 everything seems normal, except all engines are immediately turned off when going back to cockpit view. There is no way to get them running again (also not CTRL-E for autostart engines). I searched all availiable buttons but none of them seems to work. Also the shortcut for engaging fuel flow (CTRL-SHIFT-F4) does not work. Can anyone tell me what the secret behind this panel is? Though it looks quite realistic, all buttons are fairly small and the description is fairly readable... I thank everyone in advance who might help me with this since I really like the A340...Kind re…

Does anyone model lighting effects in xml?, or is that possible. Sort of like the FSDZigns Excellent L049 Connie exhaust flames. If any of you have a file similar I sure would like to see the coding.I gather all the .FX coding is in C+?Thanks John

Rob,I know there is a rule of thumb how to calculate V1, Vr and V2, but forgotten and Google didn't give much help.You use these factors in your vspeed gauge: - L:VSPEED_V1: 114 + 36/35273 * ("total weight in pound" - 61729) knots IAS.That is for the Fokker.I have the V speeds of the 767-300 and total / empty weight.What does mean the factors:1. 36/352732. .....weight - 61729Are they universal?I couldn't find these numbers in the fokker weight/balance section of the aircraft.cfg.Jan"Beatus Ille Procul Negotiis"

Hi everybody,I'm new to panel design and XML. My question is: how do I create a simple placebo gauge that does not perform a specific function, but only switches back and forth when clicking on it? I tried to find one on flightsim.com and avsim but to no avail...Thanks in advancetadex

Hi all,I'm new with modifying panel.cfg file so I would like to know how to reduce trim sensitivity to avoid aircraft go suddendly up or down just "touching" the correspondant button on the joystick (Logitech Wingman 3D).I have got a new panel for the ATR42-500 but when I just push the trim command to adjust it and try levelling the aircraft, it puts the nose up climbing like a rocket to the moon (or down like a F15)!!It happens only with that panel since with other panels it's ok.I tried to edit the panel.cfg but I found nothing to modify.Thank you, best regards.Bob

I'm interested in tweeking certain aircraft.cfg to closely match the flight of the real planes...but I'm comming up on a serious lack of hard information. Even my Janes reference book is basically useless with statements like : "350mph"...I mean, what the heck is that:the never exceed?Max level speed?cruise speed?Airspeed or ground speed?And why's it not in knots? Or a statement of altitude to go with? At max or min takeoff weight?Anyway, I'm wondering where you guys get such data. I'm specifically looking for data on the smaller turboprops and jets, not the run of the mill Boeing and Airbus heavies as those FDE's seem to be well sorted today.

I would have thought this question had been raised before but I notice this forum only goes back 30 days!? (5 pages?)Anywho... want to add a few wing views (using .bmps), without going through the hat switch since I use all cockpit views. Can this be achieved using a keyboard combo?I see in Grassi panels you can press SHIFT+1, SHIFT+2, etc. (not the numeric keypad), and bring up different windows for the main panel. Can that be applied for other views instead? Heck if I can see how he does it.Also see in FS Panel Studio under their Fixed Window section there is an AUX 0-5 outside of the hatswitch selection but no information on how that works?Any insight would be most …

Hi all,I'm new here and I'm going to start a new aircraft project. At first, there is the choice of tools by which I mean a program to generate the 3d model. I tried gmax from the FS2004 cd. I solved the gmax tutorial ("p38") and at the moment I'm doing well with the "Stupid Idiots Gmax Tutorial". Now I'm at the point of wondering, wheter I should go on with gmax or switch to another program.What I noticed very soon, was that there doesn't seem to be a good possibility to make changes of parameters you made at the very beginning (provided you use "convert" operations). As I'm working with CAD programs such as SolidWorks, I'm used to this [possiblity to make these changes]…

Hi,How do you aircraft guys, create aircraft glass, like, for example, the bubble dome cockpit of an f16.What settings in Gmax are used?Is the material given a specific name?Is the texture give a specific name?I build scenery mostly and what to use a see through glass, but for scenery, its a #### of a job to get it to work. If I use a texture with an alpha channel, it is see through but no scenery is visible behind it, only the fs horizon.I've used a simple texture and the set the opacity in the gmax Material editor to 60%, this works well but things like aircraft seem to be drawn in front of it which looks strange.Most aircraft with glass windows dont seem to have this p…

Its true... Continental Airlines has already retrofitted many of their 757-200's with winglets. click the link below to see photos of them. Question is, are there any designers planning on making a model like these for MSFS???http://www.airliners.net/open.file/792264/M/Chad BlackExecutive Vice PresidentVirtual Continental Airlineswww.vcair.com"We Fly a Fine Line!"

Hi allIn FSDS, you could select a bunch of verts, then press control-P, and you would have a new poly in your object. How do you do this in GMAX? I've tried the "create" feature in the poly subobject, but it seems to create a new object.Thanks in advance!

I made a little gauge that you can control the -eyepoint- with.after playing with that, I wanted to make larger jumps per click. Like over to the copilots seat.so I cant figure out how to repeat the event a certain number of times.. like 10.can someone point me in the right direction?sanksjoe

Hi all,A few weeks ago Fr. Bill gave me a tip on how to illimiate "view drop" when switching panel views by defining the main panel as transparent, and overlaying the other panels on top of it.It was a perfect fix. It also exposed an issue that I had noticed before but could never get to clearly until I made the main window in Bill's method. There is a black line at the bottom of the window (See attached screen).I dont mind it because it is not interfering with the view at all, infact I would like to increase its size. The reason I wish to do this is because when I turn anti-aliasing on the 2d panel gets a 1 pixel transparent border around the screen edge... this is ugly …

I'm trying to expand the functionality sdk.flightmap.c and have renamed it as a C++ file - "sdk.flightmap.cpp". Now when I build I get the this error:error C2440: '=' : cannot convert from 'PVOID' to 'GPS_INFO *'snip/////////////////////////if (!gpsinfo){ MODULE_VAR var; initialize_var_by_name (&var, GPS_INFO_PANEL_VARIABLE_NAME); gpsinfo = var.var_ptr; //this line is the indicated culprit}/////////////////////////I'm very new to programming and need help to fix this.RegardsBlair

Hi, I'd need a little help with my part in makemdl.parts.xml file.I have four parts, in a plane, I want to make them hide/show with a single variable in all combinations. The basic visibility condition is something like:mypart1BRAKE LEFT POSITIONpercent2550But what if I wanted to use a bitwise AND condition (say, for instance, "BRAKE LEFT POSITION & 1" to make mypart1 visible only for odd percentage values)? Thankyou.

Hi all,This may seem an odd question to post here, but it is related to developing my project. I am working on my docs and I am not sure how to refer to a corporation as an entity.Which of the following is more correct: 1) Beechcraft thought they might be able to...2) Beechcraft thought it might be able to...TIAShad

The XML gauge parameter AUTOPILOT ALTITUDE LOCK appears to engage the altitude select mode.Which Parameter engages the Altitude Hold so that the autopilot will remain at the altitude the aircraft was at when the Altitude Hold button is pressed?AUTOPILOT ALTITUDE HOLD did not semm to work.Some sample code would be appreciated.

Hi, using FSDS2, when I compile the aircraft some parts have moved a little from their original positions, showing gaps between adjacent parts. I use windows XP with SP2. This was not a problem on win98se. Anybody have any advise?nick

I've done this hundreds of times...I have a proper setup in GMAX:Exterior Model_LOD_400 ( Parts ) ...Interior ( Parts ) ......but for some odd reason my VC has stopped showing up. MakeMDL happily goes through compilation, but no VC.I have other models that have the same structure and the VC creation has nver been a problem. But in this case, for some reason, VC is not compiling. Is there anything hidden in the MakeMDL that I should know? Any "gotchas"? Please help!

Hi everyone. I have two minor issues. I'm trying to create a panel that lets my users fly a Learjet to practice RVSM procedures. FS2004 was created without RVSM in mind and there's certain things that have to happen. From an equipment standpoint, I have no problems. But I'm simulating a Learjet that is not RVSM compliant, which requires the pilot to make special radio calls when checking in. Is there any way for me to intercept the default ATC radio calls and subsitute it with my own phrases. For example, FS currently says something like this when checking in:"Los Angeles Center, Learjet 123 is type Learjet, Flight level 230."I need it to say:"Los Angeles Center, L…

I'm not sure if the Visual Basic runtime file will be compatible with XP..Anybody know ? I guess I could buy FS Panel Studio....