SimConnnect Development Blog

[DadJokeCinema 145]

I've been working on some small projects in SimConnect (and on an unrelated note, MS XNA Framework), and I've just started logging the trials and tribulations, and hopefully some successes in a new blog on my website.Beside just talking about weekly projects like my current one, a glass cockpit primary flight display for the default FSX aircraft, I'll also be doing some short "starter kit" style tutorials talking about how to get rolling with SimConnect programming in C#. It's very important to me to keep new blood flowing into the hobby, and I think the best way to do that is to get people playing.Taking a cue from the XNA Game Studio, I'll be providing full source code to finished SimConnect C# projects with full documentation, and some tutorials outlining how to make some simple changes to the code.http://www.notasenator.com/blogAny comments (especially on the posts themselves) are welcome. It's my goal to add content daily to the blog, since I plan on working on something everyday.

[Guest MikePowell]

Thanks. Your efforts are much appreciated.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.comwww.mikesflightdeckbooks.com

[DadJokeCinema 145]

>Thanks. Your efforts are much appreciated.>>Mike>www.mikesflightdeck.com>www.mikesflightdeckbooks.comThanks Mike! I love your site. Even though I'm not able to afford a home flight deck myself, I love looking and dreaming.What sort of software do you most need for FSX? I'd like to target my work with better input than just whatever pops into my head.Right now, I'm just building a simple "glass cockpit" style Flight Display:http://www.notasenator.com/media/images/si...deskcap1_th.jpg

[Guest MikePowell]

Brian,One of the common needs of flight deck builders is knowing how to extract data from the simulator application then format and send it to various external devices like instruments and annunciators. Then there's the desire to have physical switches that control assorted aircraft systems.It's difficult to point to just one or two applications and say "that's the most important". It's all interesting, all important. Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.comwww.mikesflightdeckbooks.com

[DadJokeCinema 145]

Mike, I'd very much like to discuss this with you.What it sounds like is that we just need a customizable interface built that sends the data back and forth between external devices. Please drop me an email at brian.gefrich@gmail.com and we can talk about what would be necessary in a system like this.Thanks,

[DadJokeCinema 145]

Part three of the SimConnect tutorial is posted.

[Guest MikePowell]

Very useful stuff, Brian.ThanksMikewww.mikesflightdeck.comwww.mikesflightdeckbooks.com

[Guest SIDDickDastardly]

Hi Brian,Thanks for the tutorials m8. You asked:>What sort of software do you most need for FSX? I'd like to>target my work with better input than just whatever pops into>my head.As another home cockpit builder, my dream application would be something you could run on one or more client PCs which would be capable of displaying any FSX compatible panels and connecting to a server PC (running FSX) to get the values of all the required variables. I envisage it functioning something like this:1. On firing up the app for the first time on a client you'd get a dialogue box asking for the IP address of the server and the location on the server of FSX. After you fill these in the app would connect and copy all installed gauges and panels over to the client PC. (There'd also be an "Update panels" menu option which could be used if you add any new aircraft or panels to FSX after the initial running of the app).2. Once a flight is launched on the server, the client app would display a black screen and you could then press SHIFT+1-9 (on the client) to display the panels associated with that aircraft. These could then be resized and dragged around exactly as in FSX itself. If more than one monitor is connected to the client PC then it should be possible to drag the panels from monitor to monitor.3. When you're happy with the layout you could press CTRL+F1 to save it. This would then be the default panel arrangement for that aircraft so next time you start a flight in it the default arrangement would be loaded automatically.4. Other arrangements could also be saved using CTRL + F2-F12. So, for example, you might save a fullscreen PFD with CTRL+F2, and a fullscreen GPS with CTRL+F3. Once this is done, you could then just hit F1 to display the default arrangement, F2 for the PFD and F3 for the GPS.5. For bonus points, it would also be very handy if the link between the server and the clients could be made in both directions so that you could click on a button on any of the panels on the client and have that trigger the appropriate action on the server.I've no idea how technically feasible any of this is, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.Cheers,DD

[DadJokeCinema 145]

I haven't really done much work on gauges, but I'll take a look at it.

[Guest SIDDickDastardly]

Fantastic -thanks very much m8.Cheers,DD