Custom Camera Assignment

[FatherDane]

I have created some custom camera views in P3Dv4.  Is there a way to assign the custom camera views to a button, for instance, to make it easy to select the view when required?  How would I go about doing that, please?  I saw the item: View Camera Select 1 through 6 in the dropdown list, but how do I go about assigning a specific custom camera view to that button, please?  I have attached the Custom Cameras XML file from P3Dv4 - there are two listed there: front and left window, if it will help.

Many thanks

Father Dane

CustomCameras.xml

[Gypsy Baron]

//----------------------------------------
[CameraDefinition.001]
Title = "Right Seat"
Guid = {8ff6c134-098d-409f-baec-caba3f683f98}
Origin = Virtual Cockpit
MomentumEffect = YES
SnapPbhAdjust = Swivel
SnapPbhReturn = False
PanPbhAdjust = Swivel
PanPbhReturn = False
Track = None
ShowAxis = YES
AllowZoom = TRUE
InitialZoom = 0.69
SmoothZoomTime = 2.0
ZoomPanScalar = 1.0
ShowWeather = Yes
XyzAdjust = TRUE
ShowLensFlare=FALSE
Category = Cockpit
PitchPanRate=100
HeadingPanRate=100
InitialXyz=0.8533983, 0.0, 0.0
InitialPbh=0, 0, 0
HotKeySelect=5

NOTE: The above is one of my CameraDefinitons. The Copy/Paste feature on this board insists on putting it at the TOP of the post rather than the bottom so read on then refer back to the above!

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

I don't have P3DV4 but I have FSX and P3DV3. If there are the same 'View camera select 1  through 9 in V4 then simply add this line to the end of your camera definitions:

HotKeySelect=5   or 6 - 9

Then assign the button/switch you want to use for that view in the simulator Controls menu for the like-numbered view:

View camera select 5 for the above example.

In FSX some of the lower numbered views, 1-4 are pre-assigned I believe so I always use 5 on up.

Typically I assign my left and right seat views pluse 2 otheres to my #2 hat switch on my joystick. That way I can 'move around' the aircraft with a flick of my thumb. If you have a registered version of FSUIPC you can expand the 4 views to 8 using a 'conditional' assignment, say with or without the stick 'pinky switch' set. 

In my setup the 'left' switch is assigned to F9, the VC defualt view (left seat). The rest use the HotKeySelect method.

EDIT: I just looked at your definitions file. I do not use that method to define cameras but instead define them in the aircraft.cfg file so I am not certain how to maake the assignment using your 'global' method.

  Paul

[Gypsy Baron]

After a bit of searching I have concluded that to use the View camera select assignment feature via the HotKeySelect method the camera definitions must be of the 'aircraft' type, not the 'global' type as your example shows.

This means you would need to create the camera definitions in the aircraft.cfg file as opposed to the camera.cfg file. They will be rather straightforward entries and not the overly-verbose XML variety that I tend to avoid whenever possible!

Here is an example of three of my definitions which I use, customized for each of my aircraft types that I fly:

//----------------------------------------
[CameraDefinition.001]
Title = "Right Seat"
Guid = {8ff6c134-098d-409f-baec-caba3f683f98}
Origin = Virtual Cockpit
MomentumEffect = YES
SnapPbhAdjust = Swivel
SnapPbhReturn = False
PanPbhAdjust = Swivel
PanPbhReturn = False
Track = None
ShowAxis = YES
AllowZoom = TRUE
InitialZoom = 0.7
SmoothZoomTime = 2.0
ZoomPanScalar = 1.0
ShowWeather = Yes
XyzAdjust = TRUE
ShowLensFlare=FALSE
Category = Cockpit
PitchPanRate=100
HeadingPanRate=100
InitialXyz=0.8533983, 0.0, 0.0
InitialPbh=0, 0, 0
HotKeySelect=5

[CameraDefinition.002]
Title = "Center Panel"
Guid = {195EAB58-9E4A-2E2A-A34C-A8D9D948F078}
Origin = Virtual Cockpit
MomentumEffect = YES
SnapPbhAdjust = Swivel
SnapPbhReturn = False
PanPbhAdjust = Swivel
PanPbhReturn = False
Track = None
ShowAxis = YES
AllowZoom = TRUE
InitialZoom = 0.7
SmoothZoomTime = 2.0
ZoomPanScalar = 1.0
ShowWeather = Yes
XyzAdjust = TRUE
ShowLensFlare=FALSE
Category = Cockpit
PitchPanRate=100
HeadingPanRate=100
InitialXyz=0.4, 0.0, 0.0
InitialPbh=5, 0, 0
HotKeySelect=7

[CameraDefinition.003]
Title = "Engine Controls"
Guid = {195EAB58-9E4A-3E2A-A34C-A8D9D948F078}
Origin = Virtual Cockpit
MomentumEffect = YES
SnapPbhAdjust = Swivel
SnapPbhReturn = False
PanPbhAdjust = Swivel
PanPbhReturn = False
Track = None
ShowAxis = FALSE
AllowZoom = TRUE
InitialZoom = 0.7
SmoothZoomTime = 2.0
ZoomPanScalar = 1.0
ShowWeather = Yes
XyzAdjust = TRUE
ShowLensFlare=FALSE
Category = Cockpit
PitchPanRate=100
HeadingPanRate=100
InitialXyz=0.4, 0, 0
InitialPbh=50, 0, 0
HotKeySelect=6

I simply use these as templates when I wish to create custom views for new aircraft and simply modify the initialXyz and Pbh values for the new view. Other changes could be the origin, title or any of the listed parameters. The GUID must be unique within the confines of the aircraft.cfg file but not globally since these definitions are only loaded for a particular aircraft and are discarded when a new aircraft with its definitions is loaded.

The editing/creation process isn't too difficult but I find that during the process it is helpful to have a key combo assigned to the 'Aircraft(reload)' control in the Buttons/Keys menu so you can reload the aircraft.cfg file and observe your edits/changes.

These definitions go  into the aircraft.cfg file just below any existing 'CameraDefinition.xx' views. If there are pre-defined CameraDefinition.001 thru .003 views, then simply add your new views below them, keeping the numbering consecutive.

Hope this helps.

Paul

[FatherDane]

Hello Paul

Thank you for the response.  However, there are a number of changes in P3Dv4 and the new FSUIPC v5.  Here is the FRONT camera definition in the scenario file:

        <Section Name="Window.1">
            <Property Name="Order" Value="1" />
            <Property Name="Active" Value="True" />
            <Property Name="Undocked" Value="False" />
            <Property Name="Maximized" Value="True" />
            <Property Name="Locked" Value="True" />
            <Property Name="ScreenUniCoords" Value="0, 0, 8192, 3500" />
            <Property Name="UndocCoords" Value="0, 0, 0, 0" />
            <Property Name="CurrentCamera" Value="{B1386D92-4782-4682-A137-738E25D1BAB5}" />
            <Property Name="ViewLocation" Value="Front" />
        </Section>
        <Section Name="Camera.1.1">
            <Property Name="Guid" Value="{B1386D92-4782-4682-A137-738E25D1BAB5}" />
            <Property Name="Title" Value="Cockpit" />
            <Property Name="PanelOnlyView" Value="False" />
            <Property Name="Zoom" Value="0.5" />
            <Property Name="Translation" Value="0, 1, 0" />
            <Property Name="SensorMode" Value="0" />
            <Property Name="Rotation" Value="-4, 0, 0" />
            <Property Name="PostProcess.0" Value="HDRPostProcess" />
            <Property Name="PostProcess.1" Value="FXAAResolve" />
        </Section>
 As you can see - it is quite different from the older version.

I did try adding a line:

            <Property Name="HotKeySelect" Value="5" />

But that didn't work - it just ignored it. So, I am back to the drawing board.  Any thoughts?

Cheers

Father Dane

[Gypsy Baron]

Where are those view definitions located? In the Camaera.cfg file or the Aircraft.cfg file.

According to the P3DV4 SDK it appears that camera definitions in the Aircraft.cfg file can be defined just as they were in FSX and prior versions of P3D.

That is, using the same templates that I posted above for the CameraDefinition.001 thru .003 views,  This is completely separate and different from the global user defined cameras located in the Camera cfg file.

Try adding one of the definitions I posted above into one of your aircraft.cfg files and assigning the view number to a switch in the Controls menu. That will tell you if this method is still valid.

 

 Paul

[FatherDane]

Hello Paul

Thank you for that excellent information.  I found the cameras.cfg (rather than the aircraft.cfg) file in C:\Users\name\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4 and added one at the end before assigning a button to it in FSUIPCv5.  It worked, so the problem is now solved - thanks to you!

Best wishes

Father Dane

[Gypsy Baron]

Fr. Dane,

Great. Glad you have it working! I'm always happy when I can help!

Paul

[Guru KN]

Hello there! Would you mind trying something like SimpleCam? It's from Aivlasoft, and it is indeed free. You get 10 assignments, nothing more, nothing less, and of course, if you do want to get fancy, then there's orbX's ChasePlane.