1.) Multi monitor mode will allow lossless to retain focus and keep generating frames for you even when you are using windows on another monitor. 

2.) Lossless obviously works better with a higher base frame rate, however, you could probably get away with 30, 40 would be preferred. Make sure you CAP your frame rate to 30/40 or whatever minimum you can achieve, you want frame pacing to be really good so that lossless can do its magic. Uneven frame pacing causes more artifacts. For best overall experience, locking the game frame rate is recommended. This helps to avoid 100% GPU load (reducing its impact on latency) and ensures smoother frame pacing.

3.) Input lag?, the best way to eliminate it is to turn off V-Sync in game AND in losless AND in Nvidia control panel for THIS game only.  Screen tearing then? Not if you have your frame rate capped. For example 120 hz display, with G-Sync enabled. Cap your frames to 38 (using RTSS or whatever you prefer). 38x 3 (if you are using lossless frame gen X3) = 114. This allows a little head room incase of frame spikes, and will ensure you never go above 120hz, eliminating input lag and screen tearing. 

You can change this depending on your monitor. 60 hz? Lock frames to 29. 29X2 = 58, gives you 2FPS headroom below the 60hz limit. Then set frame gen X2 mode. 

There are lots of combinations depending on your monitor and frames generated, X2,X3,X4 etc...

4.) Resolution scale = Set this at 50%.

For higher resolution, use at higher than recommended frame rates or use the "Resolution Scale" option to downscale input to 1080p:
For 1440p, set it to 75%.
For 4K, set it to 50%.

If you're like me and don't like to see bunches of towers on approach and in the direct path of the runway in some cases, they can be removed.

Removal of Powerlines and Towers
1. Make a backup of your roads.net file. It can be found in the following sub directory of X-Plane 12: Your X-Plane 12 Directory\default scenery\1000 roads

2. Open the roads.net in a text editor and search for wire.

3. In the Powerlines section, change the level of the powerlines from SHOW_LEVEL 1 to SHOW_LEVEL 9

4. Save roads.net and start X-Plane.

Some links to other forum broken Not sure its wanted.

Dos and dont’s of xplane 12

Can those who use MAC or Linux please add any additional info to the end.

Also can someone who uses steam and actually understands it add a topic at end, regarding updates, checking install etc

Thanks

Any corrections please PM me so I can update

Release notes

Here

https://www.x-plane.com/kb/x-plane-12-00-release-notes/#Public_Beta_8211_1206b7

Brief.

Xplane 12 is not xplane 11 and is a far cry from XP10.

Xplane 12 graphics engine uses Vulcan, for Windows, Metal for MAC and Vulcan for Linux

OGL is only utilised for plugins and this uses ZINK as an iterface to Vulkan to overcome some AMD driver issues. This will also be used by Nvidia but currently there is a Nvidia bug (20/11/2023) so the option is disabled for Nvidia users until such times we get an Nvidia driver update that fixes it.

Zink Forum topic

Here

The xplane 12 engine, if one reads Laminar notes is basically being rewritten form scratch. XP11 was the Vulkan test bed I suppose you might say.

ATC

Xplane 12 ATC has vast improvements over all previous versions, see forum topic

Here

And notes

Here

https://www.x-plane.com/2022/10/new-atc-features-v12/

There has being a lot of changes to make plugins and textures etc more compliant, this pretty much breaks scenery ans other addons earlier than 11, even those updated for 11, so don’t expect them to work in 12.

As a side Note for online flying plugins

Some online flying plugins disable Laminars ATC so it wont work as long as they are active, so if you try ATC and no sound you know why.

Flight model

Again there have being many flight model changes, wheel inertia, N2 star speed and lots of other stuff under the hood, so if you are wondering why developers are charging for updates, its because its not a simple job.

Datarefs

Again theer have being many changes to the datarefs to clean up and improve etc. so many planes even from XP11 will be broken and many plugins etc that use them need updaeting to the new data refs

Multi Screen

Yes you can run multi screen, but as mentioned in a post when I find it, the higher the resolution the more pixels one must push and that can cause an FPS hIt.

More screens/ bigger screens means less fps - proportional to your CPU/GPU processing power and cache size. whatever system you are on.

VR

Xplane 12 supports VR, Currently they are looking at Open-XR

Topic Here

https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/forum/618-vr-in-x-plane-12/

Networking and Multiplayer

Xplane does support limited multiplayer, they are currently updating all the networking to improve for this and multi machine usage, keep an eye on the release notes.

Airports

Xplane12 airports are not compatible with XP11 or previous versions. Gateway is currently only accepting XP12 validated airports. This is due to new textures and objects and other items that are not available in earlier version.

You need WED 2.5.2r1 or later (when updated) for XP12. There was a round of gateway airports released last beta, the next bunch will come when ready.

Installing Plugins

Plugins go in  xplane12/Resources/plugins and no where else unless specified in the readme file so read it.

Installing Scenery

All addon scenery goes in the xplane12/Custom Scenery folder and no where else, check install or read me instructions. And add on in this folder overrides the default, installing scenery in the incorrect order can cause your scenery to be displayed incorrectly. If you have issues, post your scenery_packs.ini file for people to peruse.

Installing Aircraft

Do not by any means install any addon aircraft into the Xplane12/aircraft/Laminar Research folder, it may break them.

X-Aviation Aircrfat by default go in the Xplane12/aircraft/X-Aviation folder, leave them there or you will break things.

Airfoil labs tend to install in the Xplane12/aircraft/Airfoillabs folder. Leave them there.

You can create folders to install you planes within the aircraft folder, see attached pic.

First 2 Big Donts

Do not put xplane in any windows managed folder that makes files read only, it wont work

If you dont like testing stuff do not use Betas. Theyre for us brave foolish people who like to break things. This is enabled/disabled on a checkbox on the installer.

Do’s

After you install XP12, run it once, shut it down and copy the whole XP12 folder some where as a backup. This will be you basic clean install. XP is not tied to any window registry entries, so when it gets corrupt, you can simply delete the messed up install and copy the backup back and it will be fine 99.9999% of the time.

Do ensure you only use XP12 approved or updated addons and plugins, also ensure you check for updates replacements for old plugins.

When you have a complete and working XPLANE 12 with addons, again make a back up, I and many others run 3, saves a lot of reinstalling.

You can also than use 1 copy for Beta testing, the installer allows multiple copies to be updated separately, so make sure you name folders appropriately. Ie “ xp12_Beta”.

Don't Reinstall Xplane before attempting running the Xplane Installer or Steam verification process. These processes will identify and correct, missing or corrupt files pertaining to base (vanilla) Xplane. There is often no need to download the entire Xplane set of files.

If you have any issues ensure you post a copy of you log.txt saved right after issue so we can look at it, see this topic

If you have an issue peruse or search the forums, most have already being discovered and its frustrating rpetaing ones self.

Do ensure you read the addon compatiblity for XP12 before purchasing, if it doesnt say it is, BBW

Fault finding Guideline – Thanks @Janov

This is a guideline on how to cure your X-Plane problems of crashing or device loss errors (DLE):

1.) Make sure your operating system is in prime shape. No overclocking. Latest drivers. Default graphic settings (no esotheric Nvidia settings, etc.), no paranoid anti-virus, no "I got this on a cool reddit forum with Windows tips" stuff.

2.) Remove all third party content from your X-Plane installation. Physically move them somewhere else, disabling them in X-Plane is not enough. This includes plugins, aircraft, scenery. If you are not sure you can do this reliably, just delete everything and install X-Plane fresh.

3.) Fly a default aircraft for several hours. Let it go on autopilot if you don`t have the time, but fly a default aircraft in a default ("vanilla") simulator setup until it crashes or 6 hours are up, whatever comes first.

4.) If the simulator crashed or you suffer a device loss error, file a bug with Laminar Research (google X-Plane bug reporter). Wait for LR to fix the problem. You can now post here and let us know about your problem, maybe someone can spot something wrong with your system that you missed.

5.) If you completed the 6 hours with no problem, you can install your FIRST add-on. ONLY ONE! Fly it for 6 hours. If XP crashes or has a DLE, you have found the offending third-party item. Do not use it anymore. Contact the developer of said item to fix it.

6.) Add your NEXT  add-on. Repeat testing, discarding all add-ons that cause crashes or DLE´s.

Remember, there are no "must have" add-ons. There are only compatible or incompatible add-ons. It is the developer´s responsibility to make his add-on compatible or take it up with LR if the problem is not on his side.

Donts

Do not just copy all your addons from 11 or any other version into 12, and expect it to work, you will simply get a link probaly to this post or a copy of the above.

Do not simply install xplane12 without making a backup copy, this saves a lot of frustration, but ensure you run it first with a default plane to make sure it works before doing so.

Do not submit an issue on forum withoput a copy of your log.txt you will simply be asked for one. Must be complete not just the bit you think is the problem.

DONT move all the graphics sliders to maximum, even with a top end graphics card.  Start low and work up methodologically - some settings (especially AA) have different effects upon system performance. What you see and what frame rates you target depend very much upon your monitor(s)/VR setup, add-ons etc.

Don't go chasing the perverbial high FPS for the sake of high FPS.

In conjunction with a couple of utilities, RC4 does run with X-Plane 11 (I use it with XP 11.55r) and, as luck would have it, with X-Plane 12.00 (release).

The RC4 program and a key generator for it are available from the AVSIM library.  We also have a dedicated user-to-user support forum here on the AVSIM forums.

To run it with X-Plane (11 or 12) you'll need to track down a copy of XPUIPC v2.0.5.9--this freeware utility emulates a subset of the IPC interface of the popular FSUIPC program used with the ESP sims.  It installs as a plugin for X-Plane.

In addition, you'll need a utility called Makerwys for XPlane (V1.2, or later if a new version emerges). 

You'll also need a ~$20 add-on made by FS++ (the makers of Multicrew Experience) called RC4toXPlane, which enables the RC4 menus to work inside a window in X-Plane.  FS++ recently re-compiled the program with the new XPLM libraries for X-Plane 12.  If you're already using an older version, you'll want to download the new one from your account page at SimMarket before trying to use it with XP12.

There are a couple caveats for making RC4 work with XP12, however.

First, Makerwys for X-Plane was last updated in 2016 and the author appears to have left the hobby.  The program crawls through your X-Plane scenery configuration to create a data file called r4.csv, used by Radar Contact to identify the airports/runways around the planet.  Unfortunately the utility, as it stands now, does *not* work with XP12--the file structure and most likely the dsf file format have changed in XP12, rendering the utility inoperable.  Currently, though, the XP11 and XP12 airport databases are pretty close to identical, so you can run Makerwys on a copy of XP11 and point Radar Contact to your XP11 main folder for a database build, and it will populate its database from the XP11 dsf folders, which, for now works in the vast majority of locations.

Second, XPUIPC is also a legacy/unsupported utility whose author has apparently left the field.  It still works with the release version of XP 12.00, but it is now throwing warnings about around 20 old datarefs that have had their names changed.  Presently XPUIPC 2.0.5.9 still works, but at some point LR is likely to deprecate (do away with) the old datarefs, and that will require either a re-write of XPUIPC or some other alternative solution.

Still, at present it's a pretty good ATC option for the IFR sim pilot in XP12.

I noticed that in the usual lists, nothing is mentioned about LIBRARIES, e.g. WorldTraffic_Library or flags_of_the_world and where they are placed in the list.

What about things like Airport Environment HD?  Where does IT go in the list?

What about the default Landmarks scenery?

Here's my best guess.  Please tell me what you think:

I
1000 Version
SCENERY

SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/KPHX - Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/X-Plane Landmarks - Chicago/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/X-Plane Landmarks - Dubai/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/X-Plane Landmarks - Las Vegas/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/X-Plane Landmarks - London/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/X-Plane Landmarks - New York/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/X-Plane Landmarks - Sydney/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/X-Plane Landmarks - Washington DC/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Step 1 (Scenery Pack)/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Vehicle Library Extension/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/NE-OHIO SCENERY PACK X V0.1/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Aerosoft - EDDF Frankfurt/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Aerosoft - EDLP Paderborn-Lippstadt/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Aerosoft - EGLL Heathrow/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Aerosoft - LFMN Nice Cote d Azur X/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Aerosoft - LFPO Paris Orly/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Aerosoft - LPFR Faro/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Global Airports/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/KSEA Demo Area/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/LOWI Demo Area/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/WorldTraffic_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/flags_of_the_world/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/The_Handy_Objects_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/C Columbus/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/MisterX_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/OpenSceneryX/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/R2_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/3D_people_library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/ADSparks_library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/BS2001_Objects/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/CDB-Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/People_LIB/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/RD_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/RE_Library/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/Airport Environment HD/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/zzz_hd_global_scenery4/

https://simsketch.com/ground-textures/

This warning has been raised...

“Will redirect you to install some Chrome extension.”

#  World Traffic Airport Operations File Importer
#
#      This program starts with the ICAO of the airport you wish to create an AO file for
#      then scans your 'Custom Scenery' folder for the airport and if not found it will search the
#      'Custom Scenery/Global Airports'.  In no flow rules exist for the airport, a basic "skeleton"
#      AO file is generated and the program will simply terminate.
#
#      Note:
#       The new file 'icao'.txt will be written to
#       'X-Plane 11'/ClassicJetSimUtils/WorldTraffic/AirportOperations
#
#       If an existing 'icao'.txt file is found, it will be renamed to a time-stamped version
#       (e.g. KSAN.txt --> KSAN_1562810149.87901.txt) before creating the file.  This assures that
#       even if you run this program over and over, nothing will get lost.
#
#      In addition to the flow rules extracted from the apt.dat file,
#      the Navigraph data that is included in the WT3 product is used to determine the various
#      "Supported Approaches" in the Runway table.  Each approach name is preceded by a three-letter
#      code that describes the approach type.   Scanning all the files in the
#      "ClassicJetSimUtils/NavigraphData" directory yielded 14 unique codes.  A degree of quessing
#      produced the following table used to fill in the "Supported Approaches" portion of the Runway
#      table:
#               Code    Approach Type   WT3 Code                Code    Approach Type    WT3 Code
#               --------------------------------                ---------------------------------
#               GLS     ILS/DME             2                   NDB     Non-precision       1
#               GPS     RNAV                3                   NDM     Non-precision       1
#               IGS     ILS/DME             2                   RNV     RNAV                3
#               ILS     ILS/DME             2                   SDF     Non-precision       1
#               LBC     Non-precision       1                   TAC     Non-precision       1
#               LDA     Non-precision       1                   VDM     Non-precision       1
#               LOC     Non-precision       1                   VOR     Non-precision       1
#
#
#      The following data structures are created in which to extract the information necessary to
#      build the airport operations file.
#
#           flowRules - Built from apt.dat and consists of a list indexed by "Ops Index".  This
#                       structure is used to create the "OPERATIONS", "RUNWAY OPERATIONS" and the
#                       "Runway" and "Supported AC Types" sections of the "RUNWAYS" tables.
#
#           These structures were built from the ClassicJetSimUtils/NavigraphData files:
#
#           APPRs -     Contains the Approach Procedures.  The first three letters of the procedure
#                       name (e.g. "ILS08L") is used to create columns "1 2 3" of the
#                       "Supported Approaches" portion of the "RUNWAYS" table.  Columns "4 5 6" (CAT
#                       II/III) were created by reading the "CAT_II_III.txt" file. Columns "7 8" are
#                       always set to 0.  The "Final Approach Angle" and "Final Approach Distance Nm"
#                       portion of the "RUNWAYS" table are left blank.
#
#                       APPRs is also used to create the Navigraph "APPROACH SETTINGS" table.
#
#           STARs -     Contains the STAR procedures.
#
#           SIDs -      Contains the SID procedures.
#
#       The "PCT GATES USED" table is created from the Percentage variable in aoi.ini.
#
#       The "TIME BUFFERS" table gets the runway information from the  flowRules structure and the
#       "TIME BUFFERS" comes from the TimeBuffers variable in aoi.ini.   The same value is used for
#       all runways.   This table will need to be modified if times are different for the different
#       runways.   Not enough information is available to make this more useful.
#
#       The "FLIGHTS PER DAY" table is left blank.
#
#   NOTES:
#       No "Catch-All" rule was added because it could not be reasonably determined which runways to
#       use.  If you find that the rules read from the apt.dat file are not adequate, you may need to
#       "close the gap" either with tighter rules or add your own catch-all rule.  Most airport authors
#       who bother to include airport rules usually take care of this.
#
#       Great care was taken to make sure no data gets lost because of running this program.  Before
#       a new Airport Ops file is created,  if an old one already exists, it gets renamed using a
#       unique time stamp.   If you see AO files with really long numbers in their names, these are
#       backup files and can be deleted if your AO file looks good.
#
#       Though this program tries hard to get everything right, there may still be the need to edit
#       the AO file by hand and fix anything it doesn't get right.   One example is KATL.  The
#       Navigraph data does not appear to contain any non-precision approach procedures for KATL.
#       This is because the approach plates for ILS approaches also cover the localizer non-precision
#       approach.  Since the Navigraph data for ILS approaches do not mention this, there is no way in
#       a program to tell these approaches do this double duty. One of these is named "ILS OR LOC RWY 08L"
#       in the approach plate but the Navigraph procedure is simply named "ISL08L" therefore there is no
#       way to know this procedure also covers a non-precision approach.  Thus the program leaves
#       column 1 of the "Supported Approaches" portion of the "RUNWAYS TABLE" set to 0 instead of 1.
#       Hand editing is required to fix this.

Enjoy

-mark

http://snomhf.exofire.net/data/aoi_v1.0.zip

The Paintshop also covers answers and questions about painting for  X-Plane.

See you there


Leen de Jager - paintshop-moderator.

https://www.avsim.com/forums/forum/200-the-paint-shop-the-aircraft-painters-forum-how-to/?page=1

Step 2. Unzip the aircraft folder

Step 3. Copy the aircraft folder here: X-Plane 11\Aircraft\Laminar Research

Step 4. Happy flying! 🙂

Step 1. Install the aircraft.

Step 2. Unzip the aircraft folder

Step 3. Copy the aircraft folder here: X-Plane 11\Aircraft\Laminar Research

Step 4. Happy flying!

If you have a nVidia videocard and want to use X-Plane you need to turn off Threaded optimization in the nVidia control panel. This is mandatory! Keeping it on may/will hurt performance! This is the first thing you should do after a (re)install of your system or driver or X-Plane.

- Open the nVidia Control panel.

- Select Manage 3D settings on the left. 

- Select the Program Settings tab on the right.

- Select the X-Plane profile and turn Threaded optimization OFF.

Done! Happy flying!

BTW To prevent (very common) confusion: Threaded optimization has absolutely nothing to do with Hyper-threading! Threaded optimization, as explained above, is a nVidia setting which has to do with your videocard while Hyper-threading is something you have to enable or disable in the BIOS and has to do with the cores of your CPU. The two are not related in any way!

1) Download the latest version of Ortho4XP from here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cjjwu92mausoh04/AACt-QzgMRwKDL392K_Ux3cPa?dl=0 (126MB total as of current v1.20b version)

1a) Optional: if you have already downloaded an old version of Ortho4XP, you can just download the updates to the binary files from here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/f63e2dal8wll0uo/AACAYeUDKSkTy1oSZDvab0n8a?dl=0 (put the updated binary files in the Ortho4XP "bin" folder)

2) The current version is self-contained, so you do NOT need to download additional modules like Python, etc.

2) Extract the zip file in a folder

3) Open the newly created Ortho4XP folder, go to the "Install/Win64" folder, and install the VC++ Redistributables (you might get a prompt if your PC already has them installed)

USE:

1) Open the "bin" folder and run the Ortho4XP exe ("Ortho4XP_v120b.exe" for the current version)

2) Choose the Latitude and Longitude of the tile you want to process (remember it's the latitude and longitude of the lower left corner of the tile, positive values are for North/East)

3) In the "Base source" entry, choose a provider for the orthophotos. Keep in mind the quality and availability of orthophotos varies for each provider. As of current version, the selectable providers are (the list is contained in the "Carnet_d_adresses.py" file):

-------------------------------------------------------------

"BI": Bing maps

"GO2", "GO", "g2xpl_8", "g2xpl_16": Google maps

"Here": Here.com

"Arc": Arcgis Online

"OSM: Openstreetmap

"USA_1", "USA_2": The National map (USGS)

"ASK_1", "ASK_2": The Alaska Statewide Orthoimagery Mosaic

"FR", "FRom": National geographical institute for France   

"FRsat", "FRsat2", "FRsatp": National geographical institute for Francem Low resolution

"Top25": National geographical institute for France Just for fun over topo map

"DE": German Geo Data Centre - DOP Online

"SP": National geographical institute for Spain

"IT", "IT2": National geographical institute of Italy

"SE2": National geographical institute of Sweden

"Hitta": Sweden Hitta

"SE": Sweden Eniro karta

"PL": National geographical institute of Poland

"NO", "NO2": National geographical institute of Norway

"DK": National geographical institute of Denmark

"BE_Wa": National geographical institute of Belgium (Wallonie only)

"NE": National geographical institute of the Netherlands (lufoto2005)

"NE2": National geographical institute of the Netherlands (dlnk2014)

"SLO": Geoportal Slovenia

"CRO": Geoportal Croatia

"OST": National geographical institute of Austria

"CH": Swiss Federal Geo Portal

"CZ": Mapy.cz CZ

"AU_1": Australia South Wester territory : Sixmaps

"NZ": New Zealand

"JP": Japan 2007 imagery

"FO": Kortal.fo (Farao Islands)

"EST": Estonian Geoportal

"F44": La Loire atlantique vue du ciel

"GE": Geneva area Visible on ge.ch/sitg

--------------------------------------------------

4) Choose the "Base zoomlevel" for the Orthophotos

5) Click on "Step 1: Build vector data"; wait while Ortho4XP downloads and processes data, until the message "Completed in XXXsec" is visible on the right panel

6) Click on "Step 2: Build base mesh"; wait while Ortho4XP downloads and processes data, until the message "Completed in XXXsec" is visible on the right panel

7) Click on "(Step 2.5: Build masks)";

8) Click on "Step 3: Build Tile"; wait while Ortho4XP downloads and processes data, until the message "Completed in XXXsec" is visible on the right panel

9) Open the "Tiles" folder, you will find a folder named "zOrtho4XP_XX+XXX"

10) Move the newly created "zOrtho4XP_XX+XXX" folder to the "Custom Scenery" folder of X-Plane

11) Enjoy the newly created custom scenery.

So made a quick video of a solution that is sorta a compromise (no AI traffic showing up in GTN 750):

Because WT3 AI traffic is "injected" (object instances generate "on the fly") and it seems third party products like Little Nav Map and RealityXP GTN750 don't see the WT3 traffic "as is", there was/is a need to add XP11 AI traffic using WT3 as the source and then enable the remote plug-in under WT3 preferences.

My semi-solution that seems to allow WT3 AI traffic to still show in Little Nav Map, but not in the GTN750, does recover performance back to "normal" levels.

As we all know, stutters/pauses can have many sources, hopefully this "solution" might help those that encountered it with WT3 and remote plug-ins.

Personally I think this is a bug in XP11, I can't see why adding just 7 or 8 XP11 AI traffic should trigger a 30-40% drop in FPS.  Hopefully this potential bug can be addressed in future releases.  But for now, this is the best compromise I could come up with.

Cheers, Rob.

I hope I make at least some sense...I hope for some feedback, as I plan to do more tutorials on WED in the future...

Good luck, Jan

Edit: Full tutorial series here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGRsg_6rB1D4vm0UHvHm6J-rvIyUBGN_K

Firstly, it is important to note that in order for all of this to work properly, you will need to already have a Navigraph account (http://navigraph.com).  Navigraph offers flexible data subscription options, so choose whatever you feel you need.  Once you have your account established, be sure to download the latest Navigraph FMS Data Manager.  This will facilitate ease of importation and subsequent updating of your XP11 FMS data.

Once you have the FMS Data Manager installed, log in to your account, via the prompt, within the FMS DM.  You will be greeted with a message stating that "You do not have any add-ons mapped", and that will need to be populated with your paths to whatever add-ons you have, as well as the core XP11 data location.  Click on the Addon Mappings button, now click on the +Add button.  

To the left of the window, there will be a dropdown menu, that has various add-ons in the list (this should be updated periodically, as new add-ons are made compatible with Navigraph).  Click on the down arrow, and scroll to the very bottom of the list, where the entry "X-Plane 11" appears, and accept.  Go to the dropdown menu next to this labeled "Install Into", and click on the down arrow and select "User Defined Folder".  This is preferred method to ensure that the data will be installed to the folder you know needs populated with the latest data.

Select the directory where the X-Plane 11 FMS Data is to be located: [X-Plane 11 install location]\Custom Data

Click on the save button, once you have chosen the directory.

In the upper right, click on the "Addon List" button, which will now display your recently added folder location.  Tick the checkbox next to the entry and then click on the "Update" button above.  This will now initiate the download of the latest AIRAC cycle data available from the Navigraph server to your directory.  Once the data has been downloaded, you can now click on the down arrow next to the Navigraph AIRAC cycle (green label), which will now update and process the FMS data.

At this time, your FMS data has been successfully added to X-Plane 11.  You can now check to make sure this was successful by opening X-Plane, loading the default 737 Aircraft, and checking the FMC, you should not see the "Navdata Is Out Of Date" message.  Click the LSK1 key, labeled STATUS, and you will now see the updated AIRAC Cycle displayed.

This process can now be used for your other add-ons as well.  Go back to the Addon Mappings button, select your product from the drop-down list, and again, select the appropriate folder, corresponding to the product that needs updated, save it, then go back to the Addon List, tick the checkbox for the new product mapped and then update.

A more concise, albeit long-winded explanation of the Navdata for X-Plane 11, can be viewed in the following video, presented by Phillip Munzel:

If the Moderators feel this is handy for the Tips & Tricks subforum, feel free to move it.

Once you upload your image to a hosting provider, the image should have a box in one of the corners that you can check.  Once checked, you should be given the option to "get an embed code".  Click on that and it will offer HTML embed codes or BBCodes embed codes.  AVSIM uses the BBCode system so click on the "BBCode embed' and a link should appear (if not, check with your hosting provider on procedures for obtaining an embed code).  Copy the link and then go to your post or topic and paste the link into the topic.  You can also choose to link to the file on one of the hosting services too.  In that case, the image will now show up on AVSIM and members will be sent to the hosting site to view the image.

Your image will not appear until you click on reply or submit topic.  If you want to edit the post or topic after you have replied or posted a new topic, you can edit it for up to two hours.  If, after two hours, you want further edits, you will have to click on the "Report" button and tell our moderators what action you want taken.

One of our members has posted a more detailed explanation in the Screenshot Forum here on AVSIM that may help you if you are still having problems posting an image -

Make sure images comply with our Screen Shot Rules - https://www.avsim.com/AVSIM Pages/screen_shot_rules.html/

If you continue to have problems posting an image, please use the Contact Form under the 'Contact Us' tab at the top of the AVSIM Forums.

http://questions.x-plane.com/

In case new folks are not aware of this, or those who follow the X-Plane 11 development closely, this link is extremely valuable in that it provides a lot of Q & A, from developer to user, as well as the ability for a user to submit their own questions.  Quite a bit of common issues related to the Beta and now the RC are present, but if you don't find your own specific issue here, feel free to ask the question and you will get answers from LR.  In my opinion, this helps avoid needless rants and raves at the forums, where getting good solid factual information may be crucial.

IXEG Stuff Problems and great addons: Problems mainly focused on the XP11 Beta15 - IXEG 1.07

Some things I learned about the IXEG guys.
They all have full time jobs besides creating this plane. They do this part time.
So do not expect fast patches or fixes. Not everything in the plane is finished but it is still great and highly flyable.

Here is one of the greatest post from a developer ever:
http://forums.x-pilot.com/forums/topic/8526-things-that-are-not-going-to-be-in-v10/

For the APU in Cold and Dark: (If your APU will not start)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZmh6GOLNmM

For Parking moving around:

From Cold and Dark - You need to quickly power up, get ground to hook power and get the electric hydraulics working to keep from sliding. (works for me)

Several people have said different reasons for the sliding (Slope to wind)

For Friction/pushback:

No Solution I have found. I believe IXEG has their own ground friction model which does not work with XP11. But sounds like other planes are having this problem too.

Push back - This almost always is a rocky (pun intended) process. (Straight or to the side I still get bouncy)

I have not found a fix yet.

This also happens- the plane can just stop on the taxiway or runway and when you stand the throttles up to get it to move it goes backwards….? Not figured this out yet.

Cool addons for the IXEG:

Ground handling by JARDesign

This is kind of a GSX type thingy.

There are not voices (IE "pin is inserted")

Manual setup can be a bit frustrating to figure out but someone has already done the work for you (Link below).

http://handling.jardesign.org/

and get the planes file (ie already to go for the IXEG) from:

http://jardesign.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1942

Liveries:

http://jardesign.org/forum/viewforum.php?id=32

Haversine FMS:

This tool is awesome if you have an iPad!!!

http://air.ipobjects.com/airfmc

RemoteFlight:

Worth every cent!! This will let you set your radios, nav & comm as well as your transponder.

The gauges also work.

There is a moving map app too if you want that kinda thing.

BTW -it works in FSX too. Value for money!!!

https://remoteflight.net/

iGocConnect:

I personally have only lightly tested this as I use PFPX.

Works great to give you a better visual reference to setup your weights.

As for the flight planning. It can send your route to the FMC (One of the only ways to do this for now - Another program listed below)

(PFPX cannot send routes ….yet but sounds like they are working on it)

http://igoapp.ca/page10/igodispatchsaab.html

Route to FMC:
I actually use PFPX but to get the route to the FMC I found one option is:

Route to FMC: (A quick paste option)

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/32688-route-to-ixeg-fmc/

I just use the Haversine FMS outlined above then just save my routes in sim.

X-RAAS2:

Easy to setup and loads of configurations. I am still amazed by the great X-Plane community with free addons like this.

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/36360-x-raas-runway-awareness-and-advisory-system/

Vspeed callouts:

Vidal. For some reason the sounds from the default copilot for vspeeds are super low and I could not hear them. This plugin fixed that for me:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/33150-ixeg-b737-300-v-speed-call-outs/

Crew:

This works ok. It gives you crew announcements. It is a bit spotty from my experience and the callouts can be awkward sometimes. This probly has to due with my setup or a conflict somewhere and not the authors fault.

Still I would not go without it.

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/35761-b733-crew-by-georgy-for-ixeg-737/

TugMaster:

Bouncy too but when it works right will be mint! Works great in XP10. IXEG has a default tug that works great but this one you an use your joystick.

http://store.x-plane.org/TugMaster-Deluxe_p_310.html

This would work great for if your plane sits overnight at a remote stand (pretending here) and needs to be tugged to the gate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZelzO-OKIc

Nav Data: To update your FMC.

I use Navigraph (paid app) and direct it to the IXEG folder (it does support it). I also found it easier sometimes just to do a manual placement into the IXEG folder. This will get the FMC (CDU) to read up to date on the opening screen.

https://www.navigraph.com/fmsdatamanualinstall.aspx

GoFlight Interface Tool.

If you have GoFlight panels

See at bottom of post for description.

For the Sim: Not IXEG Stuff

A good free text editor:

Notepad++

I use this occasionally for my job and it is free. Maintains good formatting and can save "text" files in many different formats like .lua

It has no addware.

https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

For the environment: (Beta15 "fixes")

Banding around the moon band aide also (NVidia no stars or moon):

[known bug] Color Banding - XPD-6898 Jagged sky color transition:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/topic/110111-known-bug-color-banding-xpd-6898-jagged-sky-color-transition/

How I kinda fixed:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/topic/117560-x-plane-11-better-night/

Use the Notepad++ to create a blank file and paste this code then save (call whatever will help you remember). Then put it into or save it to your  FlyWithLua scripts folder. (Flywith lua discrb and link below)

Just fix the banding:

_{set("sim/private/controls/dome/kill_glares", 1)}

_{set("sim/private/controls/lights/exponent_far", 0.47)}

_{set("sim/private/controls/lights/exponent_near", 0.43)}

The below script is what I use now and have not tested in conjunction with the banding script above.

Moon and starts: Hey there are stars and a moon AWESOME!

 _{dataref("Sun_Pitch", "sim/graphics/scenery/sun_pitch_degrees")}

_{function Stars()}

    _{if Sun_Pitch > 0 then}

            _{set("sim/private/controls/caps/use_multilayer_fog", 1.0)}

        _else

            _{set("sim/private/controls/caps/use_multilayer_fog", 0.0)}

    _end

_end

_{do_every_draw("Stars()")}

Ground HDR Lights:

One of the things that bugs me in X-Plane is the ground seems always to be a black void expect where there are lights.

This does not fix the black ground at night but adjust lights on the ground for the US and Europe.

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/36139-hdr-lighting-upgrade/

Blocky Shadows:

Maybe need a higher end system to keep from slowing down your FPS. I had no problem.

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/topic/117903-improved-cockpit-shadows/

Use the Notepad++ to create a blank file and paste this code then save (call whatever will help you remember). Then put it into or save it to your  FlyWithLua scripts folder. (Flywith lua discrb and link below

_{set("sim/private/controls/fbo/shadow_cam_size", 8192.0)}

_{set("sim/private/controls/shadow/csm_split_exterior", 2.0)}

_{set("sim/private/controls/shadow/last_3d_pass", 2.0)}

Fix cockpit colors for sunset and sunrise:

This can fix that strange color in the cockpit at sunrise and sun set.

X-Plane pictures of what this problem is:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/topic/113556-solved-sunrise-and-sunset-wrong-illumination-in-cockpit-very-annoying/

Solution By Murmur:

Ideas for other things to get:

1st How to's:

Addon Scenery:

You need to watch out for how things stack up in your scenery file. Wrong stacking and you may have one file over the top of another. ( ie you do not see your airport or something)

Edit your scenery file: (note use the free Notepad++ described above -not required but it was free. haha)

Not a must but good ones to get first:

XPUIPC - the FSUIPC for Xplane…..nuff said.

http://www.tosi-online.de/XPUIPC/XPUIPC.html

Flywithlua:

This ends up being a must for some addons. People get annoyed at the pop up that appears when you start xplane telling you to read the manual. As a civilian and not going to be a big developer I did not want to read the whole manual.

Basically install it by the instructions given then I removed all of the plugins in the Flywith lua plugin folder. And started putting the plugins I wanted in that folder. This got rid of the message.

But we owe huge thanks to this guy for creating this plugin!!

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/35579-flywithlua-for-x-plane-11-and-10-windows-linux-mac-os-x-version/

There are about another baaaazzion other plugins: (here a a few I use)

X-Camera - #1 Tool - Kinda the EZDok/Chase camera for XPlane:

https://www.stickandrudderstudios.com/x-camera/

X-Life: (free)

Get a few planes flying and parked around the airport.

This is an alternative to World Traffic 2.

I am mixed on this. Not many airports supported and it moved the liveries from the proper gates for me.

I have not gone overly into configuring this yet.

I will buy World Traffic 3 when it becomes available.

http://jardesign.org/x-life/www/

For The Geek:

Openscenery -

Good library stuff required by some airports (ie PAJN) . Easy to install.

https://www.opensceneryx.com/

Autogate- Same reason to install as above:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/616-autogate-animated-jetway-and-docking-guidance-system-kit/

DataRef Editor - Once you get a bit more advanced. Good for "on the fly" type edits.

http://developer.x-plane.com/tools/datarefeditor/

Logbook - My geeky side keeps paper logbook but when I forget to log this has my back.

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/36498-acelogbook/

Weather:

I have not gone the pay for weather yet. For me I need for beta things to settle a bit first and see what developers offer then. Or when REX arrives :)

NOAA plugin read more here:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/15453-xpgfs-noaa-gfs-weather-real-weather-for-x-plane/

GoFlight Interface Tool.

Setup those goflight panels in XPlane.

I have 7-GF panels and MCP.

Man o man I cursed this tool at first but once I got the hang of it, it works great. Just no good tuts on using it in XPlane. Rob has a good one for FSX/P3D but it works a little bit different in Xplane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M2YrVHU2ew

It is actually easier to use in XPlane than how it works in FSX/P3d since it uses  "Datarefs".

I hope to do a write up on using the GIT tools in the future.

http://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/

BTW I tried several other tools for the GoFlight panels. Save yourself from gray hairs and just pay for this one.

Datarefs:

Learning to work with "Datarefs" This one was a bit confusing and frustrating at first but I had a good teacher:

http://forums.x-pilot.com/forums/topic/12717-how-to-access-custom-manipulator-datarefs/

Ok  I only hope this helps another newbie like me.

Then you can fly!!!

There has been a lot of discussion lately, both here and at other forums, concerning our old friend FPS.  Back in FSX and P3D, monitoring framerates (or as it has been nicknamed "chasing frames"), has been quite the subject of interest.  Whether your system just makes the cut to the supercomputers overclocked to kingdom come, we all have at some point, chased those frames because it was the first indicator of how well a given sim was performing.  In X-Plane though, Laminar Research has been gracious enough in providing very detailed information, otherwise known as Data Output, to monitor just about every data-driven aspect to the sim.  More to the point though, is the subject of framerates and how they equate to the overall performance of your sim on your system.

Accessing this information has changed a bit from XP10 to XP11, via the new UI interface, though the feature heading is the same and the choices of data output is the same as well.  To do this, access your upper menu bar in X-Plane (which stays hidden during flight), and in the upper right, you will see some icons, and the one we want is the settings icon (resembles sliders on an equalizer).  Clicking on this will bring up the settings menu, and you can click on the Data Output tab.  This new screen will display a multitude of data features, starting with Frame Rate.  To the right of this are a series of checkboxes, allowing the user to click on any of these, depending on how the data output is to be delivered.  We want "Show In Cockpit" checked (not to dissimilar to FSX's red text displayed in the upper left corner of your screen).  After you have clicked on that, click on the Done button, in the lower right corner of your screen, to bring you back to your cockpit.

You should now see a grey rectangular box in the upper left corner of your screen, displaying a series of data output results.  Below is a list of the outputs, with simplified explanations for the purpose of this post:

• f-act/sec - This is the actual (real time) frame rate being processed in X-Plane.  This number is the direct result of two other outputs, shown below
• f-sim/sec - This is the frame rate the simulator is processing for the purpose of maintaining stability to the flight model.  If you haven't adjusted your flight model, in the settings, disregard this for now.
• frame time - This is the time required to render one frame, in seconds, based on the current position of your aircraft in the sim, taking into account of weather, scenery objects and mesh.
• cpu time - A rate (in seconds) at which the cpu is processing one frame in the sim, and outputting to the frame rate time.
• gpu time - A rate (in seconds) at which the gpu is processing one frame in the sim, and outputting to the frame rate time.

The last two outputs, grnd ratio and flit ratio, have not been officially explained by LR, so for now, we will skip these.

Now that we have active data being communicated to the screen, we can now start interpreting what is going on in the simulator.  As a test, I encourage you to place yourself at a large airport, near a metroplex, such a KLAX.  The expansive area of scenery, scenery objects, as well as the large airport will help you to see what your simulator is doing (or not doing).  Deciphering the data outputs, will help you to tune your simulator and hopefully provide you with a smooth and stable experience.

Let us look at the f-act/sec value.  If the number is below 19, the simulator is not working efficiently at all, and you have a huge load on both the cpu and gpu.  To LR, a frame rate value of 19 or below, means that the sim is now running in "slow motion", attempting to process and render the output to your screen as fast as it can, with the settings values as you have set them, but not processing and rendering in real time.  If you have a value of this or below, you will need to check your settings and lower them a bit.  To achieve 25 or above, means that you are at least running in real time and high values equate to a very efficient and stable simulator, processing and rendering everything as it should.  Some have questioned if their frame times are 19-24, what would they expect and the short answer is that the sim is either on the recovery from or decline to slow motion processing.  if you find your frames are held at that range, you will still need to make further adjustments.  As for the f-sim/sec, this value (as explained above), can fluctuate as much as the f-act/sec, and if the f-act/sec is different than the f-sim/sec , this means your system is bogged down, and once again, you will need to adjust your settings.

The value from the f-act/sec output, is directly to your cpu time and gpu time, and in turn, are governed solely on their assigned responsibilities to process the simulator data.  In an ideal setting, you want both of these values to be as close to the same, and as low as possible, showing an even distribution of processing and rendering of the data in X-Plane.  These two values are pretty simple to figure out, as the numerical value is based on milliseconds of time taken to process and render one frame.  Lower numbers, equal better frames and of course, great performance and then with higher numbers, worse performance.  With these two values, they can  and will fluctuate, which are dependent on what is going on in the sim at the time.  For example, If you are flying at FL80 in the default C172SP, over the Los Angeles basin, you may find your frames running between 30-40, with your cpu and gpu times at around 0.037 or higher, and that can be understandable, considering the dense autogen in the area, as well as the high mountainous terrain that borders the area.  Now if we were to flying at the same flight level over the desert, your frames would jump higher and your cpu and gpu times will decrease...again, it's all about what is going on in the sim.  Of course, flying more complex aircraft with heavy weather also factors in to the your cpu and gpu times, so unless you have a beefy system with the latest hardware, you may find that you have to sacrifice some settings for the good of stable performance.  Finding balance is key here and important for everyone to understand.

Nailing down what the cpu and gpu do in X-Plane is important, and shouldn't be taken lightly.  As we are exposed to more and more add-on content, or content improvement in XP11, we will find ourselves having to make proper adjustments to the settings to maintain that balance we all want.  It isn't as bad as the days of FSX, where our major concerns over VAS and OOMs was a big issue.  With X-Plane being a 64-bit application now, it can take full advantage of all memory in our system, both gpu VRAM and system RAM, so rejoice that the 32gb of RAM in your system wasn't for not!  

Now that XP11 Beta is in full swing and soon will be wrapping up, Below is a rough list to which features are processed with the cpu and gpu.  Please note though that while XP11 is in Beta, the topic of adjusting the settings similar to the advanced options of older versions of XP, has been well discussed and could (though not confirmed) be changed before final release (for example, birds and wildlife, number of vehicles, etc) :

CPU Intensive

• Number of world objects
• Field of View (with or without "Allow windshield effects" checked below it can also be an additional factor)
• Plug-ins

GPU Intensive

• Visual Effects
• Texture Quality
• Antialiasing (with or without "Draw shadows on scenery" checked below it can also be an additional factor)
• Reflection Detail (with or without "Draw parked aircraft" checked below it can also be an additional factor)

Unfortunately, when LR decided to streamline and simplify their settings dialog, they inadvertently made it too simple, so if you had experience with XP10 or lower, you remember that there were a lot more things you could control separately.  With that said though, it is this simplification that makes it a little easier to understand where our cpu and gpu times come into play.  Specific features, such as Antialiasing, do pose a significant cost to your gpu, so make wise adjustments.  Texture quality, while everyone would want everything to look as crisp and clean as the real world, also comes with a cost, so pay attention to the grey text below the slider, that indicates the amount of data loaded into your VRAM.  If you have a 8gb gpu with 10gb of textures loaded, it'll most certainly decrease your frames.  The Texture Quality is applied globally, meaning that your scenery, scenery objects and the textures within the VC are accounted for.

As I said previous about the cpu and gpu times, making settings changes help to stabilize the simulator. The main purpose of this post is to expose the transparency of X-Planes capabilities, and it is quite important to pay attention to what they provide.  Granted, it isn't necessary to display these values all the time, but they do make a great troubleshooting tool, if you experience issues in X-Plane.  As for optimal settings in X-Plane, this varies quite a lot from one system to another.  The internet is chock full of suggestions, but the right one can only be determined by your own experiences and testing.  If you feel that you need to be in the market for a hardware upgrade, utilizing these data output values, combined with the settings adjustments you make, will help determine what you need to get your sim running at peak performance.

In closing, I voluntarily posted this in hopes that perhaps the admins could look upon this as valuable information to help those who may be struggling with X-Plane, both 10.51 and the current Beta, to get their systems running better.  What was written above is a simplified explanation, with more detailed discussion and interpretation being available elsewhere, I know that AVSIM is a prime site for virtual pilots to visit, and any helpful information can be of benefit.