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

Here is my problem. I need to calculate %CG MAC based upon typical aicraft.cfg variables.Let's say we have following (that's b763er):(WEIGHT_AND_BALANCE)reference_datum_position=0.000000,0.000000,0.000000empty_weight=196000.000000empty_weight_CG_position=0.306000,0.000000,0.000000station_load.0=1848, 53.72, 0.0, 0.0, Zone Astation_load.1=8904, 29.58, 0.0, 0.0, Zone Bstation_load.2=9072, -7.19, 0.0, 0.0, Zone Cstation_load.3=10080,-36.81, 0.0, 0.0, Zone Dstation_load.4=3209,50.66, 0.0, 0.0, Hold 1station_load.5=2240,29.47, 0.0, 0.0, Hold 2station_load.6=2170,-20.63, 0.0, 0.0, Hold 3station_load.7=1685,-38.87, 0.0, 0.0, Hold 4station_load.8=787,-52.02, 0.0, 0.0, Hold 5and f…

Has anyone created an audible warning (chime, etc) when the Altitude Hold is disengaged. This would be useful when using the Approach mode on the autopilot to know when the glideslope was picked up. Sometimes I am multitasking and miss when this event occurs. Would greatly appreciate being pointed in the right direction or any other help anyone here can contribute from your wealth of expertise. Thanks for reading! :-)

My heli - based on the FSX R-22 model - will start to do a very slow clockwise yaw while sitting on the ground. No amount of increasing countertorque (by increasing size or distance of the tail rotor) has any effect. It doesn't happen when you first load a flight, but as soon as you add collective then lower it back down, it happens. It never seems to settle back down to it's normal idle speed. Reload the aircraft and it's fine; add/decrease power and it starts spinning again. I did some screwing around with the idle mechanical efficiency scalar and idle friction scalar, but these only seem to affect the idle speed when you first start a flight, and don't seem to affect t…

I merged a payware MD-80 with a beautiful panel to a payware MD-80 with no panel. Everything is fine except the landing lights and wing lights won't shut off. I'm pretty sure the model file has to be altered but I need a program to be able to read and alter it. Can one of the experts out there give me a hand.

Okay so I've pretty much finished making my MFD and it has 5 pages, so I need individual switches for me to switch to and from each page.Now I've had a problem, I set up the switches and they work but it's a little tricky and anoying. Why? Well to open one page you have to close another and some pages override others etc. it's a really difficult task to do.Now what I want/need is a way so that when I click one of the buttons to open one page I want that click to close all other pages and then open the page I need. Here's an example of one of my Buttons:---------------------------------------------------------------------(A:Circuit general panel on, bool)(L:MFD-ENG, bool)(…

Has everyone come up with a solution for animating props in FSX?I am using FSDS 3.5.1 to design an aircraft with a 3-bladed prop.For prop_spin, I can use a prop texture with no alpha channel. However, it throws a shadow on the ground.If I try substituting the default DC-3 prop texture (or any of the others), the prop has a jerky movement.I read about changing the prop rotation angle in modeldef.xml from 0.1592 to something else. However, when I look at the mdl files for the default aircraft (including the DC-3), they all appear to have used a prop rotation angle of 0.1592.I have tried inserting the default air files and changing the [prop] section of the aircraft.cfg fi…

Hi everyone, it's been a long time since I've posted and everyone was very helpful in the past, so here's another question.I have two buttons next to each other. Pressing the first one toggles the door, works perfectly:Toggle Fwd Cabin Door(L:FwdCab, enum) ! (>L:FwdCab, enum) 0 (L:DoorsEnergized, enum) 1 == if{ (>K:TOGGLE_AIRCRAFT_EXIT) } What I want the other button to do is to toggle the Concorde nose visor from fully UP to fully DOWN, but I'm having trouble since there's no one "Concorde Toggle" action.Here's what I want to say in English for the other button:If the button is pressed, then if DoorsEnergized = 1, then Toggle FwdCargo (I…

Hi folks, I know this was asked before. I also did a search to verify. I still can't seem to get a definitive answer.I keep seeing, I believe's, or I'm almost sure etc. But, no definite yes.Does the FSX SDK support 3D Max 9 at this time?I'm considering looking into modeling a specific aircraft, so before I set evrything up; wanted to know if Max 9 is supported now.Also, is there a good source to explain what versions of FSX, and SDK need to be installed; and in what order.Any assistance appreciated folks. I got a long way to go, I know.But, it may be fun trying. :-)At this time, I don't have FSX installed at all.Best,David

I have a strange need to try to shoot my first cockpit and I'd rather skip all the trial and error. How do those that do it

Hi I was tryng to search on the forum but didn't find any usefull answer,I am tryng to use the special material name ZBIAS_01 as state on the SDK on some 3d object like several layer of needle in the vc. but i am not luky as they mix and don't shows correctly.I just apply the material ZBIAS_01_needle01 to the last polygon then ZBIAS_02_needle02 to the top one, but it dosen't work. What is missing? I am also having another problem, I use some circle polygon for GDI screen with subdivision of 24 segment, but when translate with makemdl, those circle loose accuracy and become less segment.Is there a way to to tell the accuracy on convert poly with makemdl.Thank youFabrizio

Hi all,Does anyone know how one can start an engine fire through code in FSX ?Also when I use the extinguisher bottles, is there any way these can be reloaded ? Thanks,Bj

Its probably my age, but why can I not activate the same switch in VC when I can in the Main (2D) panel. I am using a Ted Cook .xml magneto switch that works in both 2D & VC on his model, but I can only activate it by mouse in 2D on my model. If I change its state in 2D it changes state in VC, but I cannot activate it by mouse in VC. I cannot find any difference between the two panel.cfg instructions.Thanks in advance,Keith

Ok, I have reviewed as much information on software and hardware, now I have some questions that require clarification. What exactly is

Hi everybody,Like many of us I'm doing some things for a 3PD. And like all of us we're thinking about a way to protect our work against piracy.I'm trying to realize a new approach by making parts of the aircraft or gauges invisible so that the use of the aircraft gives no real fun (I hope). For this I need to read out a computer (hardware) specific information like the computer name, the MAC-ID or whatever.This info will have to be sent to the 3PD to generate a computer specific code. This code will be compared at aircraft ini with the info of thePC where the sim is running on. Actually it's a bit more complicated, but I guess you can imagine how it will work. Something s…

Hi,I have made my own photorealistic panel. I was wondering how do I use photoshop to create smooth edges when I cut out my panel windows?Find my panel here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KUAoT8jtPxg ( sorry about the aspect ratio, I'll try to get a new monitor that's 4:3. At the moment it's 16:9 ) :-)RegardsJonathan

I have just replaced the Radio Stack on my Carenado C182RG to the default FS2004 Cessna Bendix panel. This was done with the latest version of FS Panel Studio. Everything works fine except the Audio panel buttons will not latch on to here a radio ident, they just flash once then go off again. I have tried another audio panel from another aircraft and that does the same.All other aircraft work normally, any ideas what could be wrong ?ThanksGlen

looks like Microsoft have decided to remove the veil from the .air file black box:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc527033.aspxscott s..

As those who've ever "converted" an EasyGauge project to a multi-gauge knows, one of the problems I (and everyone else) have encountered when trying to use the GaugeStopSound function in MSVC++ is that -well- the darn sound won't stop!I spent most of today trying to find out why the function works when compiled with MinGW (a la EasyGauge) but will NOT work when the same gauge is compiled by any other means (Borland, MSVC++ .NET 2003, et cetera)...While I still don't know why an LPTSTR "string" isn't being passed by the function, but after several hours of study and frustration, it finally occured to me to try passing an integer instead... Well I'll be darned... it works!F…

I would like to have the default dehaviland have wheels so it could land on land or water. The default can only land on water. Is this possible?Don

Hi all,I have been redoing my 2D panels to fit my widescreen monitor but I have one problem that I haven't quite figured out. I have been living with it but it's time I find out how to fix it.The problem is that after I make my panel the way I want it, when I load the plane the panel is scrunched vertically and I have to click and drag it to the top of the screen and all is fine. I don't know how to make the panel size itself to full screen. What am I doing wrong? I have one other question panel related. If I modify the bitmap and the panel.cfg, would it be legal to share it with others with widescreen monitors as long as I am not charging for it? I.E. post it to perhaps …

Hi,if your XML gauge contains : 1 (>L:sound1, number) 1 (>L:sound2, number) 1 (>L:sound3, number)the 3 sounds 1, 2 and 3 are played all togetherIs it possible to play sound2 when sound1 is finished, then to play sound3 when sound2 is finished, ... (is it possible to chain the sounds ?)RegardsRAS-MIB the VTH=HUD programmer (www.rasasso.org)

In FSX, is there a way to specify the default zoom level that comes up in the 2D cockpit when a user first loads the aircraft? I've seen some aircraft that have a line like this in the panel.cfg: VIEW_FORWARD_ZOOM=0.500But this has no effect in tests I've done...the view in the 2D cockpit always defaults to 1.0.-Mick

Hello again!i use only XML for my gauges. I try to make a gauge with moving map in VC. For this i need to define some bitmap values to show the map in the right way. I dont want to force simmers to edit xml- gauge files.Is there any possibility, to edit a ini-file or cfg-file and read it with xml?any idea?

Hi all,I'm using AP_N1_HOLD feature to hold the N1 speed to a speed bug on the XML gauge.It works ok, but the speed tends to overshoot and takes a while for the speed to settle back to the required speed. Anyone know how to stop this overspeed, or at least speed up the process?cheers,nick

When using "CASE" statements I often see different examples of the following:The "Image Name=" I understand this part of the statement identifies the Bitmap file that is to be used.What is the purpose of the "ImageSizes="? I have changed these values and they do not seem to make a difference, when I reloaded the gauge. I would have thought that it was the width and height of the Bitmap named in the first part of the statement.