Cockpitbuilders.com

Hello,

We are a small software development company who have just launched an addon for FSX. We would welcome your suggestions for any new product features which would be useful to cockpit builders. Here is a basic description of what we have done so far...

(https://www.cockpitbuilders.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fopussoftware.co.uk%2Fopusfsi%2FOpusFSX_Logo4_m.jpg&hash=182b59dbcfbc9bdaa1c18faf002fd893198addbb)

OpusFSX - Flight Simulator Interface for Microsoft FSX

*  Ideal for cockpit builders both large and small
*  User friendly camera control and docking
*  Windowed views for multi-screen PCs
*  Ultra high performance IPC comms

On standalone systems OpusFSX provides excellent camera control and docking facilities, including support for multiple windowed views, all within its Live Camera user-friendly interface. OpusFSX also provides many excellent new weather themes for Microsoft FSX.

In addition,

On networked systems OpusFSX provides the optimum solution for all cockpit builders by allowing you to offload some of the display workload from your main 'flying' system onto one or more OpusFSX client systems. This is achieved through the Live View and Live Camera interfaces. All systems must have FSX installed. Your main (most powerful) FSX system becomes your main 'flying' OpusFSX server, other FSX computers (PCs or laptops) connect as OpusFSX client systems.

Your main 'flying' OpusFSX server is the machine through which you control the aircraft. The networked client OpusFSX systems are synchronised to the server through multiple ultra high-performance IPC links, the client systems are used primarily as view controllers. The networked systems allow you to create a multi-screened simulator system without placing the full workload and burden on your main system.

From this set up it therefore follows that all in-cockpit or instrument panel views used to control the aircraft must be displayed on the main server. All other views (scenic or external) can be offloaded onto the client systems. You can create wide panoramic vistas this way, or additional external aircraft views, without draining the resources on your main system or degrading its performance.

Please refer to our website http://opussoftware.co.uk/opusfsi.htm  (http://opussoftware.co.uk/opusfsi.htm) for further details where you can download a trial version of the software.

(https://www.cockpitbuilders.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fopussoftware.co.uk%2Fopusfsi%2FOpusFSX_Screen_1m.jpg&hash=39d95386d03b49240fb035687f9937d92ded804d)

Looks interesting guys, in fact I was checking you out recently while looking for something to interface with Lockheed Martin's Prepar3d.  Not sure if yours will or not but Wideview doesn't.  The LM multichannel option is just way too complex at the moment.  I hope to test yours this week.

Ken.

Hi Ken,

We haven't actually tested it on Prepar3d yet. We intend producing a fully compatible version in the near future.
Please let us know how you get on and if you need any assistance. We could have a look at P3D compatibility once we have finished the windowed views upgrade. Could you please do any testing with the current version 1.4x beta software. The beta software includes the windowed view option which you might find most useful. There is also an OpusFSX_Beta.pdf which provides a better description of the user interface.

Regards
Cheryl

Thanks Cheryl, will do.  I'll be doing the testing on Thursday and let you know.  It could simply be a matter of renaming the P3D.exe to FSX.exe as suggested by Immersaview for their Sol7 warping software, they are both FSX in reality.

Ken.

Ken

We will probably complete the Windows Views upgrade within the next couple of weeks. We don't mind having a look at the Prepar3d compatibility then. Our aim is to produce a fully compatible Prepar3d version, if necessary releasing an OpusP3D variant for download.

Regards
Stephen

Hello Cheryl,

Welcome to Cockpit Builders! Looking over your programs and I have a couple questions:

1. For the client program LiveView your webpage says external views or scenic views, so how does this work for surround setups? In a full size cockpit, we use either the Cockpit View or Virtual Cockpit View, and then we have four windows (three undocked). The main window is the background, and the three undocked ones are cockpit view left, cockpit view center and cockpit view right, with each zoomed out to about 75 degrees. Therefore, in your program how would external views work, since externals are spot, chase, and tower? It would need to be cockpit or virtual cockpit; especially, when adjusting for zoom and eyepoints...

2. How does your program deal with curved screens? Generally, we need a correction program like NTHUSIM or Warpilizer to correct for the curvature. And, what about color corrections based on the different clients that are using projectors of the same or different brands? Normally, the color correction is a big deal with client setups, as well as those that use TH2GO boxes inconjunction with projectors.

3. What about the issues with crabbing based on the center eyepoint from the captains seat as opposed to the first officers seat? Any ongoing work related to that since you're doing multiview?

4. Concerning weather, do you have a correction for the rain.fx in which the rain actually hits the cockpit window like fs2004 does as opposed to FSX not doing it? I know your software relates to views, clients and etc, but you mention weather aspects and that rain.fx is one of the bigger problems that no one has solved that I am aware of. Even more so, weather in general has been problematic with server/client setups.

5. What about programs like AS2012, will they work with your program? You mention updating weather based on the METAR, while AS2012 or other weather programs use METAR, the issue with FSX is it uses something like a global METAR updating and the weather that is at or near a station may not be the actual weather at that station in real life. Does your program solve or fix this without constant updating?

6. Again with weather, there is issue with wind speeds of what the METAR injects and what FSX reads near the field, as well as what the actual conditions that FSX projects compared to METAR (again due to global issue). For instance you could get a wind speed reading from the METAR stating winds 320/10G15, but when you get to the field, the wind is 120/8G12 because of the difference of the global nature. This also causes the FSX included AI-ATC to misdirect aircraft (even though I only use VatSim). Thus, how does your program deal with these issues and are you correcting the global factors or just replicating what other weather add-ons are doing (much like AS2012 uses DWC)?

Other than the questions, I plan to downlad your demo to check the software out. Thanks again for joining CB.

BSD

Quote from: OpusFSX on April 17, 2012, 04:47:06 AM
Ken

We will probably complete the Windows Views upgrade within the next couple of weeks. We don't mind having a look at the Prepar3d compatibility then. Our aim is to produce a fully compatible Prepar3d version, if necessary releasing an OpusP3D variant for download.

Regards
Stephen

That'd be great Stephen, I don't know if you've looked at P3D's multichannel setup but its complex to the max!  I just need something that will display another aircraft view on a networked PC (or 2) just as Wideview currently does with FSX.

Ken.

Quote from: OpusFSX on April 17, 2012, 04:47:06 AM
Ken

We will probably complete the Windows Views upgrade within the next couple of weeks. We don't mind having a look at the Prepar3d compatibility then. Our aim is to produce a fully compatible Prepar3d version, if necessary releasing an OpusP3D variant for download.

Regards
Stephen

Actually we were keen to try out P3D so we have just subscribed and will test out compatibility with OpusFSX ASAP!

Cheryl

Synchronised weather and traffic are also very important.

Ken.

BSD

Wow, I will try to answer your questions the best I can.

Firstly, Live Camera provides either 2D Cockpit, Virtual Cockpit, or Custom External views (labelled OpusFSX External View on the systems).

These are the only three types of view the software has any control over as far as the eyepoint position is concerned, via the standard SimConnect 6DOF calls. All surround views would therefore be actual 2D cockpit views. We are not able to support spot, chase, or tower views since we have no control over the eye position whilst editing.

On the client systems we advise setting the 2D transparency to 100%, and also advise moving the eyepoint forward a fraction (1 or 2 meters) to avoid seeing the virtual cockpit when you rotate the view more than 45 degrees. Although I know many of you disable the cockpit panels completely so the VC does not interfere with the view.

Your three undocked windows would be accommodated using the new 'windowed views' with the Save and Restore View buttons providing assistance in preparing your system for flight.

As far as the zoom factor is concerned you will have to wait for version 1.43 beta (or the release version) which will include Coarse and Fine Zoom control (the upgrade will be available within the next couple of weeks). You will be able to configure the required zoom level for all of your views, including the windowed views that are intended to be undocked.

2. We do not correct for curved screens, you will have to continue using NTHUSIM or Warpilizer to correct for the curvature. Nor do we provide any colour correction, although if it is humanly possible to add this feature in the future we will consider developing the software. I will need the assistance of people like yourself to identify possible upgrades and help beta testing though.

3. Could you please explain the problems you have with crabbing and what possible solutions you would like to see incorporated into the view control.

4. Again I'm not too familiar with the problem. Aren't the rain effects all down to the actual aircraft simulation? If you mean a problem with the rain falling vertically whilst in motion then the only solution I know is to reduce your target frame rate to something like 20, you won't notice the difference too much, but it will allow FSX time to simulate the rain correctly.

5. I have tested with other weather engines (e.g. REX 2). As explained in the User Guide there is still a problem with METAR voids to sort out within our METAR weather update. These occur over large expanses of water etc.

We use both local and global METAR reports, but I'm afraid many of the problems with the handling of METAR data lies within the FSX engine. The weather morphing within FSX is also annoying. That is why we prefer the use of Weather Themes. I included an extract from our webpage that describes a future upgrade that we have planned; this upgrade should alleviate the METAR problems completely;

Dynamic Weather Themes : We are investigating the possiblility of using dynamic weather themes to provide a Live Weather option. As you are probably aware the use of METAR data to update the weather in FSX leaves a lot to be desired. To adjust the weather correctly using METAR updates you are forced to clear the weather and reload the new METAR data. This process results in a great deal of flickering of the displays while FSX loads the new data. There is also a problem with METAR voids within FSX which have to be overcome within the weather update software. On the other hand, weather themes load instantly into FSX with no flicker or disturbance to the flight.

Our aim is to provide a sophisticated weather update system through our Live Weather interface using dynamically created or adjusted weather themes.

6. As far as I am aware the use of localised METAR data alleviates this problem, provided there is a valid METAR station at or very near to the airfield in question.

After we have completed the Windowed Views and DHM options we intend making a start on the Live Traffic and Live Weather interfaces. If we are forced to use METAR data then I doubt if we will do any better than AS2012 and REX etc. But if we are successful in using dynamic weather themes then all the problems with FSX weather should be solved.

Well I hope that clarifies a few of your points.

As far as the demo is concerned, please download the latest beta version of the software and accompanying OpusFSX_Beta.pdf. This version of the software includes the Windowed Views upgrade and provides a 10 minute demo. Best to run all the FSXs first then start the server program to make the best use of the 10 minutes. Let me know if you have any problems.

We will be adding a Fine Zoom control to the Live Camera view configuration, including the windowed view configuration, very soon. We will also be adding FSX menu options for the current Save, Restore, Open and Close Views button options for those of you that fly full screen.

Regards
Stephen

Quote from: Kennair on April 17, 2012, 05:58:43 AM
Synchronised weather and traffic are also very important.

Ken.

Both Live Traffic and Live Weather figure prominently in our development plans. We will also produce prototypes and beta versions for those of you eager to try things out.

Stephen

This is pretty slick stuff.  Thanks for showin up here, and I appreciate your participation here at Cockpitbuilders.com

Best regards,

Trev

Trev

You're welcome.

It's nice to be able to hear people's comments and chat with like minded folk.

Stephen & Cheryl

Very interesting......But from a strictly external view application how does your program differ from WideView which already includes AI traffic and weather sync?

FredK

We use multiple ultra high-performance IPC communictaions to provide the smoothest possible operation without the need to 'tweek' anything.

We have over 25 years experience developing software to communicate data in real-time and have used that experience to produce this package. We also have a 'user-friendly' interface for creating, managing and aligning your views, including windowed views for use on multi-screened PCs.

Basically we combine EzDok and WideVieW into one package. We already synchronize the weather and cloud formations; but unlike our competitors we provide an option to use weather themes (excellent in FSX) as opposed to METAR data (very problematic in FSX).

Our future Live Weather interface will be a Weather Engine, if we are successful, we will be able to synchronize 'dynamic localized weather themes' with instant update (no weather interruptions, no screen flicker as the new METAR data loads, no discrepencies between the METAR data and ATC, etc.).

Our future Live Traffic will be included within OpusFSX free of charge (just like all the other options currently in development or planned for development), you will not have to purchase another licence. Once complete, we will have combined EzDok, WideVieW and WideTraffic + More into a single ultra high-performance package.

We will soon be providing full compatibility with Prepar3D (possibly releasing an OpusP3D variant).

Anyway, don't take our word for it download the latest beta version and try it yourself. Alternatively come back in 6 months time and check out the new features. We have already budgeted for a further four years continued development in this product, if we don't come up with something that wets your britches in that time - I'll eat my mouse mat  :D



Stephen

Quote from: Kennair on April 17, 2012, 03:57:17 AM
Looks interesting guys, in fact I was checking you out recently while looking for something to interface with Lockheed Martin's Prepar3d.  Not sure if yours will or not but Wideview doesn't.  The LM multichannel option is just way too complex at the moment.  I hope to test yours this week.

Ken.

Ken

We have now had a chance to check OpusFSX with Prepar3D and found a number of minor issues that would have to be resolved in order to achieve compatibility, mainly to do with view selection and window handling (there are some new 'sensor' categories to take into account, plus changes needed to the Camera.CFG file). It shouldn't take us too long to prepare an OpusFSX that will work with both FSX and Prepar3D.

We did have to reduce many of the settings (terrain, water, scenery, autogen etc.) before we got an acceptable performance compared with FSX, but I suppose that is to be expected.

We will keep you informed and let you know when we post a demo or beta download to try out.

Stephen

Ken and all Prepar3D users ...

Should have the OpusFSX protoype for Prepar3D (incorporated into beta version 1.43) on our downloads page tomorrow (Thursday 19th April) along with its OpusFSX_Beta.pdf document. We will describe how to configure the OpusFSX server and client programs for Prepar3D operation in the document. You only need to browse for the install folder and select the Prepar3D option in the OpusFSX Configuration dialog.

http://www.opussoftware.co.uk/opusfsi.htm (http://www.opussoftware.co.uk/opusfsi.htm)

Please let us know how you get on.

Stephen

Quote from: Kennair on April 17, 2012, 05:58:43 AM
Synchronised weather and traffic are also very important.

Ken.

Ken

We already sync the weather using either METAR data or Weather Themes. Live Weather will add a weather engine, hopefully using dynamic localised weather themes. Live Traffic will extend the sync to include AI Traffic.

Stephen

Quote from: OpusFSX on April 17, 2012, 09:02:44 PM
FredK

Our future Live Weather

Our future Live Traffic

Once complete, we will have combined EzDok, WideVieW and WideTraffic + More into a single ultra high-performance package.

Alternatively come back in 6 months time and check out the new features. We have already budgeted for a further four years continued development in this product, if we don't come up with something that wets your britches in that time - I'll eat my mouse mat  :D

I would be very interested in all that once you can make good on all those promises - I am told mousepads do not taste so good....

A wideview user (with all its problems and shortcomings) for many years.

Quote from: a340-th on April 19, 2012, 03:28:01 AM

Quote from: OpusFSX on April 17, 2012, 09:02:44 PM
FredK

Our future Live Weather

Our future Live Traffic

Once complete, we will have combined EzDok, WideVieW and WideTraffic + More into a single ultra high-performance package.

Alternatively come back in 6 months time and check out the new features. We have already budgeted for a further four years continued development in this product, if we don't come up with something that wets your britches in that time - I'll eat my mouse mat  :D

I would be very interested in all that once you can make good on all those promises - I am told mousepads do not taste so good....

A wideview user (with all its problems and shortcomings) for many years.

Thanks for the interest.

Latest update ...

We've just posted the version 1.43 Beta with updates to the Windowed Views control and configuration settings to select either the Microsoft FSX or Lockheed Martin Prepar3D simulators. We are now busy preparing the final release version which will include the coarse and fine zoom control for the camera configuration, this will be ready some time next week.

After this we will be continuing with the DHM software and undertaking some preparitory work on the Live Weather 'engine' and Live Traffic 'sync' options. We're not quite sure which option should take precedence at this stage, we would welcome any comments.

Stephen

Thanks guys for your speedy work.  I'll be trying this out in P3D shortly.

Ken.

Hello Stephen,

Thank you for the opportunity to test something new, which might be very useful.  8)

I tried to test OpusFSX in my simulator setup.

I see two main scenarios for outside scenic views (setting aside the rest of functionality so far) where us, hardware-cockpit builders would use OpusFSX:

1. Single PC with Matrox TH2Go.(most typical)
2. Single PC with the latest powerful video cards with 3 or more separate video outs (no Matrox TH2Go used)
3. Three main PCs dedicated for outside views.

Would be very useful if you could create a YouTube video with the walk-throughs demonstrating the right sequence of actions.

Here are the results of my testing (so far not successful  :(  ).

What I have is, I believe, the most typical visual setup with single PC and  Matrox TripleHead 2Go:

-Single PC (2600k, 8GB RAM, GTX570, Matrox TripleHead 2Go), Windows 7 - 64bit.
-MS FSX Acceleration
-Three projectors  (Optoma GT720)
My visual system successfully working with 3 undocked window and Immersive Display Lite 2 as a warping software.
Undocked windows are only outside (scenic) views - the cockpit panels are disabled in particular aircraft model.cfg file.

The camera views created with excellent WindowMaker tool 
http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/showthread.php/23199-Windowmaker-tool-updated!?highlight= (http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/showthread.php/23199-Windowmaker-tool-updated!?highlight=)

My camera definitions for the undocked views are located in the saved default flight and look like this:

[Window.1]
Order=0
Active=True
Undocked=False
Maximized=False
ScreenUniCoords=4, 4, 1, 1
CurrentCamera={B1386D92-4782-4682-A137-738E25D1BAB5}

[Camera.1.1]
Guid={B1386D92-4782-4682-A137-738E25D1BAB5}
Zoom=255
Translation=0, 0, 0
Rotation=-90, 0, 0

[Window.2]
Order=2
Active=False
Undocked=False
Maximized=False
ScreenUniCoords=1, 0, 2731, 6144
CurrentCamera={C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}

[Camera.2.1]
Guid={C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}
Zoom=0.522978816687533
Translation=0, 0, 0
Rotation=0, -60, 0

[Window.3]
Order=3
Active=False
Undocked=False
Maximized=False
ScreenUniCoords=2731, 0, 2731, 6144
CurrentCamera={C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}

[Camera.3.1]
Guid={C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}
Zoom=0.522978816687533
Translation=0, 0, 0
Rotation=0, 0, 0

[Window.4]
Order=4
Active=False
Undocked=False
Maximized=False
ScreenUniCoords=5461, 0, 2731, 6144
CurrentCamera={C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}

[Camera.4.1]
Guid={C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}
Zoom=0.522978816687533
Translation=0, 0, 0
Rotation=0, 60, 0

Now what I wanted to achieve:

-Create 3 undocked windows that match my current setup (above) with OpusFSX LiveView cameras.

How I expected it to work:

- Create 3 outside views, manually undock them, then resize them to the necessary size.
- Create 3 cameras the desired direction using LiveView controls (Yaw)
- Visually verify the views.
- Save the views.
- Restart FSX and OpusFSX and see the outside scenery in  3 undocked views that were created.

What really happened:  :huh:

I've read all the documentation, which seems to have lots of details.

Installed OpusFSX 1.43 Beta. Set up FSX folder. Set number of clients = 1 (this is confusing as I do not have clients, only server).

-Selected Boeing 737-800 for the flight.
-Created 3 outside views in FSX and undocked them manually.
-Created 3 cameras in OpusFSX and assigned them to Boeing 737-800. Set checkbox to Windowed for all three.

-I click on Yaw (or any other camera control) - I can see camera moving in the desired direction. If I click on Red button (stop??) the view immediately returns to initial view. I can see that the boxes below the control have changed the values, but it does not affect the displayed view after clicking red button.

- I Click on another view, then select another camera (or vice versa) and try to change the selected view again (that's how I expect it to work).
However, the previously active view window starts changing, not the view I want to change.
So, I do not see the way how the selected camera is associated with the desired view.

"Select Camera View" and "Display Windowed View" buttons bring up identical dialogs, however:

-"Select Camera View" actually switches the selected camera and I am able to change its parameters;

-"Display Windowed View" on selecting a particular camera brings the error message:
"Selected Windowed camera view is not configured as a custom view for the currently loaded aircraft type"

Then I changed all three views directions to something different, saved the views as is through OpusFSX.

When I restarted FSX, started OpusFSX and selected "Open Views" then three views appeared, however they were still pointing in the default direction and they were not undocked.

So, my  questions so far are:

Looks like undocked views were not linked to the camera, how do you link them?
Why view controls work on the same undocked view, no matter which camera/view window is selected? Am I missing anything in the sequence?

What is the actual meaning of checkboxes:
-Default view
-Windowed View (this is for undocked views, but what others are?)
-DHM

What parameter "Active" box displays?

I also do not understand why there are two places where you can select the aircraft. One is for the selected camera, but what the top  button ("Select Aircraft Type of Interest") is for? Do I have to select both, or selection for the camera will be enough?

Can your software remove the existing one-pixel border around the undocked views? Some warping software has this border-removing option and some not, so it would be very useful if OpusFSX could do this.


Here are a few screenshots illustrating my testing.

Flying Fox

Thank you for your interest  :)

Firstly, If you have a standalone (single PC) system then you should configure the number of clients to 0. You just run the FSXSERVER program by itself on your FSX system.

Most important ...

Please download the latest 1.44 release version along with the accompanying 'OpusFSX Live Camera' document. This new pdf document should answer many if not all of your questions. The latest software also includes coarse and fine zoom controls for the camera views which you may find very useful.

Please make sure you read the new Live Camera document.

This document will describe the use of the 'Display Windowed View' button, this button is provided to assist you in creating your panoramic 'scenic' views by allowing you to display other pre-configured windowed views to assist with the editing and alignment of your current view. The error message is telling you that you have not selected a previosly configured 'windowed' view to display. The software can only display a windowed view that has been previously configured since its definition must be loaded into FSX within the relevent aircraft.cfg file.

It is impossible to alter the camera view (the eye position) for any view other than the FSX main window. Microsoft never provided the means to do this. Hence, you create and edit all the camera views in OpusFSX while they are displayed in the main view window (View 00). After you have created and saved them, when you fly they will be displayed as seperate 'docked' windows. Your new windowed view settings are just used to automatically configure the relevent aircraft.cfg file(s) for you so the views can be displayed within FSX.

It is also not possible to automatically undock camera views, so this must be done manually by the user.

Again please refer to the new 'OpusFSx Live Camera' document for details.

Answering some of your other questions ...

You must not create the views in FSX, you must create all the 'windowed' views via the Camera Control dialog in OpusFSX. After you have created them, saved them, and reloaded the aircraft (refer to our Live Camera guide), your 'windowed' views will be displayed as new 'docked' views on the main screen. You must then undock them, reposition and resize them on the screen, then click on the 'Save Views' button to save their current position and sizes for future 'Restore' operations.

Next time you fly, simply load the flight, wait for all the windows to be created, undock the 'windowed' views, and click on the 'Restore Views' button, or select the 'Restore Windowed Views' OpusFSX menu option within the simulator. The undocked 'Windowed' views will all be moved and resized for you.

The 'Default View' checkbox allows you to assign one of your 'non windowed' views as default. This view will be displayed when the flight first loads or you change aircraft.

The 'Windowed View' checkbox must be ticked if you are creating a Windowed View (i.e. a view that will eventually be displayed in a separate window, one that you can undock and 'Restore' its position and size on the screen).

DHM refers to the Dynamic Head Movement (or camera shake) a feature which is currently in development and only applicable to 'non windowed' views (since it is impossible to change the eye position within any 'windowed' view). Again, it is explained within the new Live Camera document.

There is no 'Active' box. Do you mean the 'Assigned' box? In which case ...

The 'Assigned' box shows you how many aircraft have been assigned to the camera view via the 'Assign Aircraft Types To Camera View' button.

On the other hand, the 'Select Aircraft Types of Interest' button is used to limit the list of selectable camera views (accessed via the 'Select Camera View' button) to the specific aircraft types of current interest.

Imagine you have created hundreds of different camera views for an assortment of aircraft types. This option allows you to restrict, or filter, the list of selectable cameras to the specific aircraft of interest. For example, you may want to edit the camera views for the 737-800, so this option saves you searching through all the configured views to find your 737-800 ones.

The OpusFSX software will not remove the one pixel border it is not that sort of package.

Hope this helps, I'm afraid camera views are a very messy business within FSX (and Prepar3D) because there was very limited provision included for their display or control via SimConnect or anything else for that matter.

Regards
Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Thank you for the quick answer.

I downloaded the version 1.44.1 and retested. Pictures below illustrate my process.

This time I did not create any views in FSX and only created three cameras  (all checked as Windowed View).
The views now point to correct chosen direction whether it's done interactively or by entering the value. I set zoom to 0.5 for all three views.
I saved all cameras.

After restarting FSX and OpusFSX the new views appeared cascaded in the upper left corner.

I undocked the views and moved/resized them.
After clicking "Save Views" button the undocked views suddenly got stretched well beyond screen.

Close/open views or restarting FSX/OpusFSX  restored the initial screen with three small windowed views cascaded in the upper left corner.
I undocked the views and clicked "Restore views" button.

The views got  restored to the correct positions  but stretched like after using "Save Views" button - which is not the size I set for them before saving. I don't know how/where OpusFSX saves the view parameters, so far I was not able to check what it saves.   :huh:

Do I understand it correctly, that  only undocked views can be  saved/restored by OpusFSX? And therefore, there is no way to save/restore docked windowed views, unless they are manually undocked first?



Thanks,
Nick

P.S. BTW, you have the typo in your camera definitions parameters:

Description = OpusFSX Cutomized Scenic View

Nick

No problem, its very nice to hear from you.

You are correct in your asumption, at present, only 'undocked' views can have their positions and sizes saved. Although we will investigate adding all 'docked' views other than the main 'View 00' to the procedure if you wish  :).

Do you use docked windows or always undock them?

Would you find such a feature useful? If it helps I don't mind trying to do it.

We did try to undock the windows automatically within the software, but every attempt resulted in FSX failing; usually complaining by not accepting any further mouse or keyboard input :(

There is a very good reason why the windows get streched then restored when clicking on Save Views. It is a process we have to go through in order to determine the current 'internal scaling' of the view within FSX. So the procedure you witnessed was carried out deliberately by the software to convert the FSX window coordinates (sizes) to the actual true 'physical' screen sizes. Unfortunately this process has to be done completely outside FSX since MS did not provide any proper view control within SimConnect.

We will see if we can achieve this in a way that is hidden to the user. What you should have seen is the window first being streched first much larger than normal, then after a short time being restored to its original size. If the views got restored to the correct positions after subsequent undocking, then the process worked, if not then it looks like we have some more hoops to jump through in order to decipher what FSX is doing internally.

What physical screen resolution do you have and what display resolution have you set in FSX?

That should help us to unravel what is going on.

Many thanks for your cooperation Nick, look forward to your reply.
In the meantime, if I find any answers here I'll let you know straight away, I should be able to investigate further later today.

Stephen

Nick

I see you are using a Matrox TripleHead 2Go, we don't have one of these to test with, maybe the use of the TripleHead 2Go has resulted in the streched image.

Would you care to test a modified version of the software, if we provide you with the means to input a test parameter so that the program can alter the scaling, perhaps divide the width by three. I could also display a text box with the width height values in, these should help us to determine the actual scaling differences with the Matrox TripleHead 2Go installed.

If you are agreeable could you please email me at opusfsi@opussoftware.co.uk and I will prepare something for you.

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

On my system I use TH2GO at 3840 x 1024 resolution which goes to 3 projectors. There is also second LCD monitor at 1366 x 768 connected.

The docked views are very important for single pc + TH2GO + projectors setup.

This is what is used for 3 projectors display, however in the forum messages I believe it  often referred as using "3 UNDOCKED views". This is not correct, because in fact they are docked windowed views and they exist within the FSX application window.

Just to clarify what I mean again - correct me if I am wrong :)
-The DOCKED views have only 1-pixel black border around them (if the view is active then the border is white) and they exist only within FSX application window. They cannot be moved outside FSX application window.
-The UNDOCKED views have also the window frame around the image with the window title and x button. They can be moved outside FSX application window.

In any case the frame and the border are not needed for projectors setup. The warping software like NTHUSIM or Warpalizer can crop the 1-pixel border from docked windowed views. I use Immersive Display Lite 2, which also has the options to remove the border and the frame, but I could not get border removin option to work, so I still have those vertical lines so far.

There can be more than 3 views used, but that will give even bigger hit on the frame rates.


I believe many of us use WindowMaker tool (created by wledzian) to setup those views - I referred to that in my previous message. However, the views also can be created interactively through FSX and then adjusted manually. This is also described in Ivar Hestnes  "Visual system tutorial" which you can currently find at

http://www.flightdeck737.be/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Visual-system-tutorial.pdf (http://www.flightdeck737.be/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Visual-system-tutorial.pdf)

I will just repeat here how this setup works. This appies to the setup with 3 projectors and warping software. Using TH2Go with 3 monitors or flat TV screens is somewhat different, and probably could use undocked windows.

In fact this setup needs 4 views - three actual scenic views (left, center, right) - they are not active windows - and one active view [Window.1]. FSX requires at least on active view in order to use it in Maximized mode (Alt+Enter). This active view is not needed to display anything, so to minimize its impact on performance [Window.1] is resized to 1 pixel size, zoomed way in  and its camera pointed straight up. This minimizes its workload. Here is again the sample data from my .FLT file for the 1-pixel Active window and Left view window:

[Window.1]
Order=0
Active=True
Undocked=False
Maximized=False
ScreenUniCoords=4, 4, 1, 1
CurrentCamera={B1386D92-4782-4682-A137-738E25D1BAB5}

[Camera.1.1]
Guid={B1386D92-4782-4682-A137-738E25D1BAB5}
Zoom=255
Translation=0, 0, 0
Rotation=-90, 0, 0

[Window.2]
Order=2
Active=False
Undocked=False
Maximized=False
ScreenUniCoords=1, 0, 2731, 6144
CurrentCamera={C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}

[Camera.2.1]
Guid={C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}
Zoom=0.522978816687533
Translation=0, 0, 0
Rotation=0, -60, 0

...


All 4 views are saved in .FLT files. It's convenient to have those window definitions right in default flight .FLT file. Then when FSX starts all you need to do is to switch to the desired airport, load the flight and press Alt+Enter to go to Maximized screen.


Your OpusFSX software could be useful here because it can help creating, zooming and aligning the views interactively.
However (so far) saving/restoring views is not suitable for the work with TH2GO projectors setup.

I tried to:

Position/resize 3 docked views within FSX application window.
Converted them to UNDOCKED views
Save them
Closed views
Reopened views
Again, converted them to UNDOCKED views
Restored views (they were restored incorrectly sized and positioned)
Tried to convert then back to docked views - it resulted in 3 overlapping full-screen forward views.

So, as it is now, it will not work for TH2GO + projectors.

I am still not sure how/where OpusFSX saves the views, I can only see the camera definitions in aircraft.cfg file, like

[CameraDefinition.992]
Title = "OpusFSX Windowed View 3"
Guid = {01021987-E220-6507-1024-462840738992}
Description = OpusFSX Cutomized Scenic View
Origin = Cockpit
SnapPbhAdjust = Swivel
SnapPbhReturn = FALSE
PanPbhAdjust = Swivel
PanPbhReturn = FALSE
Track = None
ShowAxis = FALSE
AllowZoom = TRUE
InitialZoom = 1.0
SmoothZoomTime = 0.0
ShowWeather = Yes
InitialXyz = 0,0,0
InitialPbh = 0,0,60
XyzAdjust = TRUE
AllowPbhAdjust = TRUE
Category=Custom
MomentumEffect=FALSE
ClipMode=Minimum
PitchPanRate=30
HeadingPanRate=75
PanAcceleratorTime=0
hotkeyselect = 4

but that one, for example, has InitialZoom = 1.0, and  Zoom = 0.5, which I set for this camera is  apparently stored somewhere else.

What if you would try to save the views parameters in .FLT file instead, in [Window.x] definitions referring them to OpusFSX camera definitions GUIDs? This possibly could work for both docked and undocked views.  And there might be no need to Restore the views.


Thanks,
Nick

Hi Nick

You are perfectly correct in your assumptions about docked and undocked windows.

Thanks for all the information, we are going to investigate upgrading the Save Views and Restore Views options to act on both docked and undocked windows. I will look to save the window details separately so when you restore the window, the final position and size will depend on the window state. In other words, you will be able to have preferred docked and undocked positions and sizes.

I will keep you informed of our progress and put all beta versions on the web for people to try out.

We will also look more closely at the FLT file options, but there may be problems trying to select the window from within software, the view controls in SimConnect are very basic and very limited.

The definition for our standard OpusFSX External View is stored at the front of the Cameras.CFG file in the user's AppData Roaming folder.

The configured OpusFSX Windowed Views are appended to the relevant aircraft.cfg files.

We have to tie everything together carefully, always considering the very limited view controls provided by MS within SimConnect.

As I mentioned before, we can only alter the eye position within the FSX main view window, hence, we edit all views in this window. The final window definition which includes the fixed eye position, camera type etc. is built and all aircraft.cfg files modified when you click on the Save All Camera Views button.

We are able to set the zoom level for both the Windowed and non-Windowed views (docked or undocked) within the software, but to do so it is very important, essential even, that the correct default zoom level is stored in the aircraft.cfg file definition. This is because all zooms are referenced from this known base level.

I should be able to make a start on the above upgrade either tomorrow or at the weekend. If successful we can discuss further enhancements after the beta testing.

Regards
Stephen

We have upgraded the Save Views and Restore Views options to act on both docked and undocked windows.

Live Camera DHM (Dynamic Head Movement)

Version 1.50 of OpusFSX is now available for download. This version includes the initial release of the ultra-realistic Live Camera DHM (Dynamic Head Movement) or virtual cockpit Camera Shake options. These options provide a realistic DHM for the taxiing, takeoff, and landing phases of flight (airborne and turbulent phases will be added in the near future). All DHMs are based on actual real-life 3D accelerometer data.

Version 2.0 Beta with Live Weather Engine Now Available

The OpusFSX version 2 Beta software and accompanying PDF document is available for download on our Downloads page. This Beta version includes our new Live Weather Engine (only available to licensed users, not available in the Demonstration software).

OpusFSX version 2.0 will be a free upgrade to all licensed users. The OpusFSX Live Weather Engine makes use of our new Dynamic Weather Themes to provide the most advanced weather updating software in the marketplace.The use of Dynamic Weather Themes has without any doubt set a new standard for weather updates within the FSX and Prepar3D simulator community. These dynamic themes have allowed Opus to provide the most efficient and accurate weather updates for the Microsoft FSX and Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D simulators. These benefits include,

  Instant weather updates with no screen flicker.
  Perfect synchronisation of dynamic weather and cloud formations on networked systems.
  Specify your own dynamic weather themes using a simple METAR import file.
  No METAR voids or unrealistic globalised weather.
  Changing weather patterns visible en route.
  No inconsistencies with ATC.