Using FS2004 as a display engine to another flightsim.

[bar86]

Hi,

I hope this is the right place to post.

I've used the netpipes SDK to connect a flight simulation program I wrote to FS2004 as a client. My program runs on one PC and sends the aircraft's state vector to another PC running FS2004. This arrengement works fine but sometime the original simulation engine (of the FS2004) takes control for a frame or two and changes the desired state. Is it possible to disable Microsoft's simulation engine ?

Thanks,

Baruch

[Pete Dowson]

Is it possible to disable Microsoft's simulation engine ?

Only by putting it into slew mode, or pausing it, or setting the simulation rate to zero.

Regards,

Pete

[bar86]

Thanks. I'll try and post my findings...

[bar86]

When the simulator enters playback mode it does not enter slew mode

(Y command). Pause mode stops the playback as in normal operation.

As I understand, during playback the simulators uses it's simulation engine to calculate all the state vector data thet were not transmitted from the external input.

I'll keep on looking...

[Pete Dowson]

When the simulator enters playback mode it does not enter slew mode (Y command). Pause mode stops the playback as in normal operation.

So? What's playback mode to do with anything? I never mentioned it? You are confusing me! (Not hard perhaps). Are you using record and playback data? I know nothing whatsoever about that i'm afraid.

BTW none of this is remotely connected to the software I support in this Support Forum, is it?

Pete

[bar86]

>>> I hope this is the right place to post.

As I said...Thank you for your time :oops:

[Pete Dowson]

>>> I hope this is the right place to post.

As I said...Thank you for your time :oops:

Well, I know about quite a lot of FS stuff, for sure, but not, I'm afraid, about NetPipes nor record and playpack files.

I think thast others who've synchronized two or more PCs have either used FSUIPC in them to read and write the data, and put the slave PCs into slew, pause or zero sim rate mode, or possibly managed to do it fast enough to stop FS's sim engine taking over noticeably (not possible anyway before FS2004), or they've used Luciano Napolitano's WidevieW (good for synching views more than actual simulation), or even just the straightforward in-built FS multiplayer facilities with the clients in "observer" mode.

Regards,

Pete

[bar86]

BTW How do you set zero rate simulation ?

[Pete Dowson]

BTW How do you set zero rate simulation ?

Either via FSUIPC's programmable interface (i.e. from a program) by writing to the Sim Rate offset (0C1A), or by using the FS control "SIM RATE SET" with a parameter of 0. The latter can be assigned to a keypress or joystick button in FSUIPC's user options.

Regards,

Pete

[bar86]

Thank you again !!

[Kenny K]

bar86:

I'm curious about how you are driving FS2004. My tinkering with the netpipes stuff has been fruitless so far. What do you put in the FLTF section (which looks to contain a .flt file?) I tried not passing one of those and just passing in aircraft parameters for lat, long and alt, but that didn't seem to have any affect on the simulation.

Are you generating an FLTF section when you pipe data in?

Also, did you notice that there seems to be an extra WORD of data in a Data frame at the very end? Maybe I am the only one seeing that :shock:

[bar86]

Hi,

I've recorded the header to a file and resend it as is.

About the data frame - a word is added to make it to a round DWORD length - that means that the number if bytes devides into 4 (it's a 32 bit OS..).

Baruch

[bar86]

When sending data, MS FS ignores parametrs that are the same as in previous frame. This means that some of the parameters would be overwritten by MS siulation. If the data is artificialy changed a bit, this phenomenon disapears.

bar86

Happy New Year !

[eviljonbob]

I have been looking at doing the same thing to visualize some data from another application. It would be great to hear how you are going with this! I tried Netpipes as well early last year, but got distracted on another project. Let us know!

[bar86]

I've started with the original code and chaged it to a dll structure. I've encapsulated the required data in the chunk structure as described in the documentation and send it periodically. With some additional tricks I've discovered during the development, it works pretty well now (but not perfect!). Last month I did a presentation with two laptops and a joystick at a major European aerospace company and it seems they were really impressed :shock: .

[Stoney3K]

BTW How do you set zero rate simulation ?

Either via FSUIPC's programmable interface (i.e. from a program) by writing to the Sim Rate offset (0C1A), or by using the FS control "SIM RATE SET" with a parameter of 0. The latter can be assigned to a keypress or joystick button in FSUIPC's user options.

Regards,

Pete

Maybe here's the right place to post my Q's...

I want to do the same, syncing multiple FS's, but mainly because I found a set of really good gauges (from RealityXP) which I want to run remotely on another computer. When you run WidevieW or FS Manager the position gets synchronised but no information regarding panel data (e.g. altimeter setting, indicated airspeed, engine information, etc...) is displayed. FS Manager claims to sync this data and its debug log shows it sending engine data packets. But the engine instruments are NOT updated. (the other instruments, dependent on position and orientation, like attitude, altimeter, DG etc are updated). Is this caused by the pausing of the simulation engine? Or does FS Manager have a problem synchronising? I reckon that when you set an engine's N1 value via FSUIPC directly (after receiving it through the network from a server program) that it should change on the screen.

Edit: Success! When you put the simulation engine in its slowest speed through FSUIPC (write a 0 to 0x0C1A) you can basically fiddle around with every variable in FS as the engine runs too slow to ever touch it before you will. Worked for me on the engine N1 through offset 0x2000... does not seem to work through the 'classic' offsets though (in the 0x0896 range)... only the doubles work.

[tuomas]

I want to do the same, syncing multiple FS's, but mainly because I found a set of really good gauges (from RealityXP) which I want to run remotely on another computer.

Couldnt you use WideView with the gauges on *master* PC, with a super small visual 3D view so it doesnt eat much cpu, with most visual options set to zero (I think one has to have one visual view open) - and use WideView *slaves* for the real visual view?

This way your master pc runs the gauges and slaves the outside view? Isn't this what you are looking after? Wouldnt this work?

//Tuomas

[Rotodyne]

Those reality XP gauges look like a good starting point for what I am trying to do.

I can model in 3d and have been making gauges for flightsims of one sort or another for some years now, but I can't currently find a coder to work with who knows about ALL of this stuff.

What I need to find is a coder who can understand how to load and use say DirextX models and link to FS via FSUIPC/WideFS.

What I am mostly interested in doing is GA gauges running on a latop, and hooking into FS via Pete's progs to keep it all pretty simple. The ageing laptop can't cope with flightsim, but it could very probably do this really fine. If not, then why not on another machine?

I'd really like to co-develop a new panel system, so others could even add new intruments as they discover they really can make good ones and it's not that hard to make them! It's potentially a huge niche waiting for the right program to allow it all.

I wrote the author of My FS Panel, asking him if I could just send him a picture of the WIP 172 like panel I've been working on, but not even got a reply to say no!

Anyone else fancy working on this?

[tuomas]

This also is quite close to what Enrico is working on the Project Magenta GA panel. http://www.projectmagenta.com

//Tuomas

[Rotodyne]

This also is quite close to what Enrico is working on the Project Magenta GA panel. http://www.projectmagenta.com

//Tuomas

Yes I downloaded the demo of that yesterday. I'll be honset, I think it could be better. I rate the galss panel stuff they do, but I'm not into flying liners and jet stuff. For GA, I suspect much, much better could and should be possible.

For a more specific example; I'm not sure how one can make something blocky and fuzzy at the same time, but they found a way in some places, and it was not all that impressive, since that was a bit of information that was renedered useless as a result. The point of a panel being entirely to relay information in a clean and crisp manner.

I'd settle or a panel that is not specific to one plane, but it must be at the very least convincing, surely?

I've done panels and instruments that were clean, smooth moving and tidy in another sim, Sadly, due to rather too many other issues, that sim has no future as far as anyone can tell. So I'd like to bring that work to FS and expand on it if at all possible. Doing it via Pete's programs makes total sense to me. It's worth having as it'd then be a fair alternative to a simkits display. Obviously not quite as immersive, but as good as one could get short of being a physical dial if it is handled right in the first place. Previous versions have featured shadows, highlights, and reflections that actually change on the front glass. It's very natural feeling. Physical dials can't do that really, as they don't have access to the position of the sun or background to reflect, they must be quite sterile as a result. I liked using the more lively version, but it did not have all dial features working, I want to see the little wheels (odometers) running right too! ;O)

It's getting very frustrating not being able to find a coder though. As FS users we could have it all, and we could have had it yesterday! The need is for a coder who knows and uses Pete's software and can use DirectX as that has the most hope of success. Does not have to be DX 9 particularly, but that would only help I'd guess.

Oh well, back to the drainingboard. :roll:

[scottme]

Hi all,

Some good stuff here. I am doing similar, but I am running a real time MATLAB/SIMULINK code to generate fm data and using the xPC API to communicate with the FS module. I have successfully written a plugin for X-Plane, but now I am trying FS2004 using an internal FS module and talk to FSUIPC (with FS set to 0 frame rate - thanks again Pete!).

Oh yeh, the real time code also generates motion / jack data :)

Sorry, I don't know enough about direct-x gauges - I am struggling enough with this internal module.

Question - Can someone tell me a good starting point / source code for an internal module for FS2004? I have Jose's source (big thanks), just trying to figure out which one is best - the ones based on Joel's code (clock / rain) won't register in FS2004 (Ah ha! I found it! fsmenu.zip)

[Manny]

Actually this is a good idea.

I wouldn't mind running ELITE or ON TOP flight sim with MSFim visuals.

:D

Manny

[bar86]

with the connection module to MS FS.

http://www.newbyte.co.il/

bar86