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

Can someone give me advice or help on how to create photorealistic textures for repaints. I started painting last week with PS 7.0 and I was wondering if most repaints are done by hand or by a different method? I really like the quality of the Posky repaints but I don't know how to achieve that level of quality. Any help would be appreciated.Thanks,

Hello all!Can anybody help me!I install the new version of the A320-panel from M. Marciano, but it doesn

As I'd like my gauges to work both for FS2002 and FS2004, do you know a way to get the current FS version number?Some things work differently in FS2002 and FS2004, so the gauges need to know what version of FS is running.Eric

I was reading a review elsewhere on Vmax's RFP 747 and the reviewer mentioned what a frame hog it was because of the size of the textures (22meg texture folder). He talked about resizing the textures to improve framerates. Possible? John

NOTE: I am a complete novice in the land of gauge editing. I want to edit both the GPS295 and the GPS500 bezel bitmaps to eliminate all but the "frame" surrounding the displays. (I use hardware controls to operate the GPSs so the bezels take up screen real estate unnecessarily.)I tried editing the gps_295_background.bmp found in the "fs9gps.cab" file, but I can't figure out how to get the bitmap back *into* the cab file and furthermore I have no idea whether I would then need to do more stuff to make this work right.Can anyone give me a few pointers on how to accomplish this?Thanks,Dave Blevins

I have not used fsds2 in several months, so today I installed the latest upgrade, 2.24, and now the program will not start at all. The error message shown is as far as it will go before crashing. I saw some earlier posts about Nvidia drivers being the problem. Is there any way to fix this? Surely Abacus would not eliminate a major portion of its customers, would they?ThanksJohn Woodward

The MS panel SDK for FS2002 was provided with a sample code and a DLL (gps_export.dll) that allowed to read the GPS flight plan information. This does not work in FS2004.Do you know how to read the GPS flight plan info in FS2004?Do you know if Microsoft has plans to release the same SDK for FS2004?Thanks for any help !!Eric

Are there any good gauge programmers out there that would be willing to try to fix Bill Morad's ATC gauge files so they will work OK in FS2004? Bill made an excellent set of gauges that worked GREAT in FS2004. There is a sound dll problem in FS2004. I love his gauges and have tried them in FS2004. The gauges work OK except for the "Sound Unglueing" or some similar error. His gauge sets in the Grumman Duck were really good. Thanks, regards to all, Bob.

As I wish some days ago:-)In attached ZIP file You can find demo gauge and some info about it. I hope it will be interest for someone.

Hi.If your starting point is a DXT3 bitmap i.e. one that has already been saved as a single layer image with an alpha channel embedded, is it possible to take it back to the non-alpha stage?As you'll know, all the default aircraft bitmaps in FS2002/FS9 are saved with alpha channels. This causes a greenish tint, usually, and a breakdown or deterioration of pixelation, which would get progressively worse if you kept saving revisions in DXT3 format as you added alpha layer after alpha layer! Clearly, the way to do it is not to save it with alpha until all work is complete. But, as I say, given a starting point of an image that already includes an alpha overlay, is there a…

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a Conquest II that accurately models the Garrett engines, or if a model for Garrett engines even exists for Flight Sim?I know Corporate Pilot has one, but their visual model shows a C-441 Conquest, but the cockpit models a C-425 with PT-6 engines. Just so everyone knows, Garrett engines only have 1 shaft and therefore no N2 gauges or prop levers.Also, if one does exist does it model the fuel computers with options for manual mode control?If a model for Garrett engines does not exist yet for flight sim, I'm sure there's enough buff's out there who fly Conquests, Metros, and a few other planes to make it worth while. Imagine being the firs…

Hello everyone,I am not by any measure literate in the matters of gauge design hence my question might sound rather simple: I tried using the Fokker 50 panel created by Espen Oijordsbakken in FS9 with the unfortunate result that I could not make the EADI and EHSI show up. Everything else seems to work satisfactorily. The same phenomenon occurs when trying to import DF 734 in the new sim. I read in another thread that this could be due to the way that FS9 handles transparencies in textures and that the fix for this is relatively easy. I.e. the gauge per se is working. Perhaps one of you could certify that this is the case and describe in a few words the procedure to perfor…

I've got the basics down but I'm wondering if there is a good tutorial on repainting planes with photoshop 7. Dealing with alpha channels and stuff too.

Hi,Well, with (>K:ADD_FUEL_QUANTITY) we can refuel inflight.It gives a 25% refill.The Fueldump Gauge doesn't work, has probably to do with FSUIPC.Has someone already figured out how to adjust the "25% Refill" to make the amount smaller or even NEGATIVE!!?I tried -1000 (>K:ADD_FUEL_QUANTITY) and a lot of other combinations, but the results were always 25%+.Curious....Jan"Procul Negotiis"

Hi,hope I din't missed it from the long threads here...I played alot (that is actually what I did) with tbl 404 and other already mentioned sections in the air and cfg, bud did not achieve any success, wing apex is off for me also, no effect. Comparing the standard b737 in fs2k2(!) air file I found section 1534 (Wing Center of Lift Offset, from aired.ini). Included it into the airfile and heavvy nose was solved completely in fs9. Three lines in the section, set all to 0. Strange huh, fs9 b7373 is without section 1534.RegardsMartin

Hi I hope im in the right forum Im doing a little repaint (well slight color modification) of the default c182s (green and white -ifr) as you can see in the pic I have the aluminum about the way I want it but my windows are... well its like reflective sunglasses kinda ruins the effect.I was wondering if some kind soul would tell me how to correct this I have been mucking around for the past 3.5 hours :) and its got me stumped... http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/32195.jpg

just wanted to get this info in here. an email from discreet: PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL Attention All gmax

I am trying to modify a plane which has no "lights" in rhe aircraft.cfg file. When I add some lights in the cfg file the aircrafts own lights seem to turn on first then off, then the aircraft.cfg lights go on and this seems to interfere with the smoke system. There is smoke in the cfg but no smoke with the I key. Can anyone help me? Where is the info on the aircrafts own light stored?Thanks in advance.

I'm wondering if there is any way other than the Pen tool to paint curved lines.

Hi,I have the old FPDA_Boeing_Callout guage installed in some of my aircraft. What I noticed is when I installed it in FS9, it only works in the 2D panel, but not while in the Virtual Cockpit. In FS2K2, it worked in both 2D & VC. Any ideas? Thanks!Mike A.

I've noticed that the zoom parameters in the view stanza in the panel.cfg file do not seem to work in FS2004. I have set up all my aircraft with a zoom of 0.75 in the virtual cockpit without problems. But although I change the 2D zoom to 0.75 and then save the flight, the value in that saved flight reverts back to 1.00. So I edit the saved flight manually and that correctly gives me my 2D view zoom of 0.75. But the problem is this cannot be done for side views like it could in FS2002 and earlier versions. For example, I edited the panel.cfg file and changed all the 2D view directions to 0.75 zoom. FS2004 seems to ingore my doing this. The only 2D zoom value it seems to ac…

Hi all,I am wondering if there is a way to relocate the altimeter gauge in the Ford Trimotor virtual cockpit please? I love this aircraft, but with the foward view I have chosen to adopt, I can't see the altimeter unless I pan to see it. I'd rather have it in view the whole time. I realise I could change the zoom and eyepoints and pan to see it, but after much experimentation, I prefer the zoom and eyepoint settings that I have now.If I was able to move the altimeter upwards on the instrument panel so that it appears directly under the turn coordinator, this would solve my problem. There is already a blank space there with no instrument. I looked into the panel.cfg file a…

Hi!Could somebody please help me out by posting a list of the files in their FS2004 gauges directory (I really only need the default ones, but if there's something else there that's OK) ?Thanks in advance,Balint BartfaiFSClean author

Has anyone tried a different sound file for the DC-3? I have been trying to get the R4D6 sound file to work. I moved the complete sound folder in as is. All the engine, gear, and flap sounds work. However, the touchdown sounds either don't work or they are defaulting to the FS sounds. I compared the R4D6 sound cfg file with a default one and it looks correct. Any ideas? The DC-3 really deserves something better.Note: I moved the FSD Piper Cub file in and it works as is. Big improvement.Thanks,John Woodward

Hello,It seems to me that modeling th fuel temp and fuel heat switches are features that are not supported directly by FS2002. I can't fin any parameters to read or control these fucntions.Any recommendations on how to best code this in XML? what is the best way, using FS variables, to simulate fuel tempurature and a fuel heating system?Here is some basic data I have been given by a DC-9-41 pilot and the attachedment is my current XML code set for the DC-9 fuel system (..and also a screenshot):1)"The fuel heat is used if we have fuel temp below zeroat this stage. Sometimes also before takeoff during thewinter, if we have a fuel temp below zero during taxi.When the fuel …