Question about dev on MS2020

[erjdriver]

I'm familiar with writing plugins using SimConnect for P3D.

Has that API changed much on MS2020 - e.g. Can I port over my plugin for P3D w/ minimal issues.

I wrote the code for a FMS for PMDG 737 and I'd like to use it on MS2020 now.

Where should one start starting into this - MS2020 sdk? Where?

Thanks.

 

[John Dowson]

1 minute ago, erjdriver said:

Has that API changed much on MS2020 - e.g. Can I port over my plugin for P3D w/ minimal issues.

I wrote the code for a FMS for PMDG 737 and I'd like to use it on MS2020 now.

The SimCommect API has changed but is basically the same, although some functions have been deprecated and are no longer available. You should just try building your application against the MSFS SDK. You can download this from MSFS itself - you need to be in dev mode to do this.

You will probably find that more changes are needed due to the PMDG aircraft, rather than the simconnect API.

The Simconnect API documentation is available here: https://docs.flightsimulator.com/html/Programming_Tools/SimConnect/SimConnect_SDK.htm

John

[erjdriver]

Thanks.

My understanding is FSUIPC is built on top of Simconnect. Right?

So SimConnect - published by MS - is the lowest level interface to the sim itself.

Is that the only interface to the sim? For example in Xplane, you can have plug-ins that seem to interface more directly.

[John Dowson]

1 minute ago, erjdriver said:

My understanding is FSUIPC is built on top of Simconnect. Right?

Yes.

1 minute ago, erjdriver said:

So SimConnect - published by MS - is the lowest level interface to the sim itself.

Is that the only interface to the sim? For example in Xplane, you can have plug-ins that seem to interface more directly.

There are other interfaces - WebAssembly (for WASM development) and JavaScript - see the MSFS SDK documentation.
FSUIPC also uses a WASM module, which runs in the sim itself, and communicates to FSUIPC (an external application in MSFS) using SimConnect Client Data Areas.
To develop anything that runs in the sim itself, you need to use the WebAssembly API. You can also use SimConnect in WebAssembly, and you also have access to the Gauge API, as well as other APIs (Network, MapView, NanoVG).