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

I'm looking for good quality, license-free photography of a Cessna 172SP cockpit for my current panel project, which may be distributed as freeware. I've been using several photos from airliners.net for reference and my own use, but I was hoping for something from the simmer community that I could re-distribute. Any ideas, or someone with a camara, a Skyhawk, and some photography skills?I'd also be interested in Mooney, Beechcraft or other light GA for my next project...Douglas

I have noticed alot of aircraft, such as lears and boeings, etc etc, that have landing lights that flash. The lights are nice, and look good in my opinion. They simply just flash when turned on. Left flashes then dims out as the Right comes on, then the same with the left. :-rollIs their a way that this can be simulated in FS? I think it would be great if it could. :-jumpyThanks and Happy Holidays! :-wave

Hi Doug and othersI absolutely adore the fokker 50 panel by Esben

Well,What about FPS?Got a new computer!With "all to the right" and everything as heavy as possible, without any tweak and a clean version of MS, 1280 x 1024 x 32 resolution and with all my silly code, I get 30 FPS, locked, flying into and landing at KSEA during business hours.It is a miracle.Only problem:All former bitmaps were 1024 x 768, so i have to redo litterally everything from start.Fun!Jan"Beatus Ille Procul Negotiis"

Is there any way to remove the static rotor blades visible from the VC, in Antti Pankkonen's AS365 Dauphin helicopter? I think I once saw that by using a hex editor, such a thing is possible, but I have no experience there at all. The AS365 is such a nice heli, but being a VC flyer, that static blade definately needs to go, if possible - providing it doesn't interfere with Antti Pankkonen's copyrite, naturally.Thanks,Mike F.

I know this question has been asked and answered many times but in my search I haven't found the answer yet. What utility/program is used to open gauges to be able to change the textures in them? Maybe this is one question that is general knowledge and I should already know it please help.

Hi guys,Problem. I'm happy with the performance of my aircraft overall, but above 35 000 feet, and particularly at 40 000 feet, the nose rises quite steeply, cruising with an AOA of about 8 degrees probably because the speed is dropping off. How can I keep the nose down at these altitudes.Your help would be appreciated,nick BTW, Thanks for the help so far Milton.

It took a bit of faffing about, but I finally found a way to force a sub-panel to open in the 2d in an "undocked window..."I needed the gauge displayed to remain visible even if the user switches view modes, such as 2d or VC to Spot View.The solution is simple, yet elusive. The key lay in realizing that any sub-panel opened in any mode other than 2d View is by default "undocked."BOOL FSAPI mouse_cb0( PPIXPOINT relative_point, FLAGS32 mouse_flags){trigger_key_event (KEY_VIEW_MODE,0) ; trigger_key_event (KEY_PANEL_ID_TOGGLE,250) ; trigger_key_event (KEY_VIEW_MODE_REV,0) ; return FALSE;}The sequence KEY_VIEW_MODE; KEY_PANEL_ID_TOGGLE,250; KEY_VIEW_MODE_REV happens s…

Is it possible to have a single mouse area do two different things based on right/left mouse click? I've tried (1) two different items (using type="SingleLeft" and type="SingleRight")in the same , or (2) two different s with the same coordinates, neither is working for me.Thanks!

Hi allI recently installed a great stoll aircraft Antonov AN-14 (an14ussr.zip)but unfortunately because the author prefers to fly in a VC cockpit he is not producing a 2D version I have scoured the net but cannot find a 2D version so would ask you - is it possble to convert the vc to 2d. My opologies if this is either obvious or stupid but I am a very non-technical elderly idiot and I really would like to fly this kite in 2DOh yeah - if it is possible does anyone know or can recommend someone who could tackle this conversion?Many thanks & regardsGeorge Aldridge

Here's one for the XML gurus.In the attached text file is a gauge that controls the speed when autotaxi is switched on. The speed is set in the AP and the variable (L:atspeed,bool) activates speed control. (L:atspeed,bool) is switched in another gauge, and I know this is working because the lamp is working in this other gauge.The problem is that after this gauge is switched off, so that (L:atspeed,bool) equals zero again, the brakes cannot be activated with the period key or the set joystick button. I also have a gauge on the panel that can be clicked to operate the brakes, but this won't work either. The breaks just die completely. Reloading the plane solves the problem.…

I've been flying a lot of the Bill Lyons planes lately, both the ones that are payware and the former payware planes that are now freeware. This second class of planes includes, among others, the Tiger Moth, the Ryan Sportsman, and the Globe Swift. The trouble with these planes (if one can call it that) is that they were made for FS2002. Changes to the flight modeling in FS9 don't make them unflyable, but you do need to use a lot more elevator to keep them in the air. They're still fun to fly, but I noticed on a flight today that the Ryan Sportsman never got above 92 KTAS. This was at 9,000 MSL. I haven't flown it enough to know if that's odd, but it seemed a bit on the s…

hi!is there a way to link the same gauge in 2 different planes during an online flight? when i trigger the gauge in one aircraft it should also trigger the same gauge in the other aircraft in this moment.thx for your help.

I have made my XML digital gauges for my reciprocating engine panel and am working on the same gauges for turboprop engines. I have hit on a problem and need some help. The "Tooltip" for the RPM gauge on the King Air 350 panel, says that the gauge is "Gas Generator RPM" . I can not find this item in the XML parameters or token variables. What parameter should I use to display the turboprop engine RPMs? An example of the correct code,(for the string), would be a big help. Thanksgreenco

Hi,I have a problem with MAKE_STRING. In all examples DRAW_TEXT_FLAGS parameter is set to:DT_CENTER | DT_VCENTER | DT_SINGLELINEAlso FONT_SIZE is set to 0, and size is managed idirectly by the SIZE_X and NUM_CAHRS parameters.I tried to set FONT_SIZE and also change DRAW_TEXT_FLAGS, but any modifications led to the text dissapear totally.Can I use these parameters? May I align the text to left? May I use multiple line texts (with n or r in the string)?Gabor Hrasko

Is there a parameter I can pick up to monitor the frame rate?I'm new at gauge building and am starting with a simple but useful project: monitor the frame rate and if it falls below a pre-determine threshold value, play a tone and display the current rate in a small box, then continue to display the rate until it rises a little above the threshold. I've read through Microsoft's panel and gauge SDK, but can't find a parameter to call to get the frame rate. Any help would be appreciated.On the other hand, if anyone knows of such a gauge, please let me know. No use duplicating efforts!Thanks,Ron

HiOnce again Im stuck and wondering if anybody can help.Ive knocked up a simple XML gauge which works but is firing off all the time preventing all the exits form openingOk what Im trying to do is have slats(animated and set up as flaps) which auto pop out at a certain AOA,but are locked closed when the spoilers/speed brake is out(the locking animation) (A:SPOILERS RIGHT POSITION,position) 0 == (A:INCIDENCE ALPHA, degrees) 4 > && if{ (>K:FLAPS_DOWN) } els{ (>K:FLAPS_UP) } Thanks In AdvanceWarwick

I have a freeware plane (a twin jet)that is good in all aspects except when in the approach: it is impossible to hand fly. Any slight aileron or rudder input causes a side-to-side swaying around the roll and yaw axes; very much like what a feather or a leaf does as it falls. Is there anything I can do in the cfg file to help? I was thinking that perhaps the MOI's are too low? Is that a good place to start? I also noted that the drag factors are set around .6, where in all of the other planes I have they are set at 1.0. Any help appreciated. Mike

I'm looking for a light switch that I can use to change panel lights from one color to another. In military aircraft at leas the chopper :-rotor I flew you could change from regular light to red light on your inside and panel lights. Anything out there like this or would someone be interested in making one for me? Im not the brightest candle in the box when it comes to doing gauges. Any help? :-hmmm

Hi All,At the moment I'm working on a panel which has two windshear warning lights (amber and red). The warning system should be capable of detecting severe decreasing (and increasing) performance shears (i.e. increasing tailwind/decreasing headwind and/or downdraft) which could present an immediate danger to the aircraft. A detected increasing performance shear will result in an amber and a decreasing shear should result in a red warning light when enabled. I know how to scan the wind direction but I have absolutely no idea how I could realize such a windshear warning. Maybe someone here in the forum has an idea. I'm deeply grateful for every hint which is helpful to rea…

Hi,I have an XML ECU gauge applied to the cockpit and VC view. Works perfectly in the cockpit view. In VC view, the throttle drag positions change when the eyepoint moves around the VC to a point where the drag positions are so far off the gauge, the throttles cannot be moved. If I change fromtothen the click positions are correctly positioned on the gauge and do not move when the eyepoint is moved.I also noticed that when dragging is enabled with , clicking on the gauge, the throttles shoot straight forward to full. If I click behind the throttles, they momentarily shoot back to the click position but the forward again on their own accord.Any ideas, please,Nick.

Hi!I am trying to toggle an animation on and off with a switch. Can anyone point me in the right direction or a gauge that I can study?Best,Roger

I am useing 3DS Max 7 to do my modeling for Flight Simulator 2004. I have just started to learn how to do this with max. I had gotten pretty good at gMax, but this is different. When I export the model to make mdl, i get a error message and my animations dont show up. The error says "animation trigger door_passanger not found. Mapped to "user defined8"". I dont know what this means and I have tryed everything that I know how to do. If any one could help, i would appericiate it. Thank you-Alan-

Hello everyone, this is my first post in the panel forum and i am seeking an answer to my dilema. i am trying to place a custom ADI over an existing ADI on a panel. The panel, however is not many separate gauges but rather one whole gauge. after placing the new ADI over the exisint one (using fs panel studio if that helps) i decided to try it out in FS and found a problem. when i fly, in level attitude on the ground the new gauge is fine. but when in motion the old gauge flashes through the new one, continually flashing back and forth throughout the whole flight between the old and new gauge. as i said there is so way to get rid of the old gauge since that would mea…

HI folks.Does XML language allow one to display the contents of G and L type variables in XML gauge Text windows?Example: A:GROUND VELOCITY,knots) (>L:Var1,knots) %((L:Var1,knots))%!d!%In panel I do not see any background nor any digits....Of course if I replace the L:Var1 with A:GROUND VELOCITY in the string construct I see the velocity displayed in the text window.Thanks for any help. George