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Turbine777

TrackIR questions

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Hiya peops, I just got the TrackIR5 the other day and am trying to get use to it but have a couple questions for users of it and PMDG products.

  1. Is there an alternate way to see and work in the virtual cockpit without having to zoom all the way out?
  2. Are there keyboard shortcuts to bring up screens in the VC that may help me config things for startup?
    • Example being, I don't get the CG value from the engine display in the VC (MD-11) as I would in 2D mode after waiting a few seconds going off of the SD.

[*]Does anyone have a good profile they can share for the 747, MD-11 or FS in general?[*]I haven't been able to do some things in VC either, like turn the volume knobs on the comm panel (like marker, ILS, etc).[*]Any other tips, or specific pages in the manuals that may help would be greatly appreciated!

I have always been a 2D panel user and the VC switch for me may be a little slower that has been for others. I do love the TrackIR and the depth it adds, especially when in a smaller AC and tilting my head to see under the wing tips better when say, crossing a RWY. It adds a lot to the whole experience. In the past when trying the VC I would just switch to 2D mode since the shortcuts for things like the SD has always been the faster way for me, but running at the resolution I do, I do not get the 2D cockpit for the 747 or MD-11 unfortunately (5040x1050).Thanks for any pointers!


i9 10920x @ 4.8 ~ MSI Creator x299 ~ 256 Gb 3600 G.Skill Trident Z Royal ~ EVGA RTX 3090ti ~ Sim drive = M.2  2-TB ~ OS drive = M.2 is 512-gb ~ 5 other Samsung Pro/Evo mix SSD's ~ EVGA 1600w ~ Win 10 Pro

Dan Prunier

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Dan,while I use TrackIR 5 with MD11, 747 and the 737 in FS9 (I have FSX's versions too but don't use FSX) the cockpits are of course the same and as far as I could tell, TrackIR 5 works the same in FS9 as in FSX. Now, I never have to zoom out even one step from the default zoom in order to operate the whole cockpit except for the FO station. I do have a 25,5" inch monitor that I run at 1920x1200 which might cause a difference - then again I have a feeling you're not the kind of person who is satisfied with a 17" at 1024x768? :D (edit: sorry, had my brain in power save mode and forgot that you did mention your resolution).I also use the default profile and usually it works very well. I do experience this annoying habit of trackir all the sudden putting the point of view straight into the roof or floor (despite not having any light sources that could disturb the transmission/receptio). I really haven't checked around in the forums though and there is probably a simple solution/explanation to it.The only piece of advice regarding the general use of TrackIR I can give, is to use the Center (default F12) function often. Sometimes it can cause a bit of a strain on the neck when you eg operate the pedestal for a while because of unnatural angles. Instead, look down and press your designated Center button (very practical to put it on the yoke/joystick) and do your stuff. Then done, look straight forward again and again press Center. After a while it becomes very natural and at least I find it very convenient. I've used TrackIR for a few years now and find to be just an amazing piece of equipment - especially all the way from when you first enter the aircraft until you are established in cruise - after that I usually switch to 2D mode or deactivate trackir since I will anyway will mostly look away from the monitor reading charts, manuals or watching movies! Honestly though, I didn't see much of a difference when going from TrackIR 3 to TrackIR 5


Krister Lindén
EFMA, Finland
------------------
 

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The only piece of advice regarding the general use of TrackIR I can give, is to use the Center (default F12) function often. (very practical to put it on the yoke/joystick)
Hi Dan,Same opinion here.I use TrackIR4 in FS9 with the 737NG and I have both the "Center" AND the "Freeze" commands assigned to buttons on my yoke. I have also assigned two additional buttons to different fixed views while I am in "freeze" mode so that during the critical periods like take-off roll or final approach I can remain in VC but select a known view angle without s... around (excuse my French...). I find I use trackIR mainly from engine start to take off, then (sometimes) during final approach/landing and then again while taxiing to the gate/parking. I never use the zoom and go back to the 2D cockpit the rest of the time (but this post gives me an idea...). I must say that it is a credit to PMDG that the VC they produced back in 2002 (I believe) was already that good.Bruno

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Thanks for the post Krister, Well, like any new piece of hardware, I beat it to death. Not physically but in other words no rest til I figure something out, and tweak, tweak and then tweak the tweaks :( . I also always seem to have issues that most people don't have due to my hardware configuration. Reading that you had a 25.5" running @ 1920x1200 made me think of my monitor,,, do you have a ASUS VW266H by chance? Hehe.Well I have 3 running FSX on all at the same time so I did a test, and hooked up just one at 1920x1200 and it ran exactly as you said, no needed zooming out and all was fine. After I saw that I felt much better and rehooked up the other two and am happy. I mainly wanted to know if it was something I must have missed since I spent hours searching for similar issues on forums and couldn't find any. Now that I know, I can live with it since it really isn't major and I found a better solution than needing to zoom all the way out (besides if it was an issue, the Triplehead2Go would stay before the TrackIR ;-).I have a few profiles I found and spent a good amount of time learning what others did and have my own profile running excellent (knock on wood). I have also think I learned some other tweaks but need to test them more before I bother listing them since I have spent far more time reading the last couple days than simming.Here are some things I have learned that help a great deal for anyone new to it. I actually have 3 hotkeys mapped for my TrackIR on my flight stick, Pause, Center & Precision. Pause = Pause, pauses Track IR, allowing you to use your hat switch for panning. I use Pause whenever I am in an outside view since panning with my neck is a little straining. Center = As mentioned by Krister is a must because you will use it, and often if your like me. It also helps me with my Trip2go. Centering is needed because whichever solution you have, whether it be the hat stickers, TrackClip, or TrackClip Pro (I got this and love it) you still will change your seat position or in my case, slouch more or less each time I sit. Also like he said, sometimes it does seem to just lose exacts and should be reset often, at least once a flight but I do it much more, it depends on how sore me arse is from sitting and how much I squirm :( Precision = Precision is just that, very precise and will pick up your slightest of movements and moves very fast. I normally have this on, but sometimes use the alternate by using my hotkey to stop it. The non-precision way is a more gradual slew motion, thats end result seems to be the same ending position from your movement but a more gradual and slower transition. Both have their benifits and work great.In my case since I run at 5040x1050, the guages are HUGE and don't quite scale right and the POV seems to be off just a smidge (cannot fix with camera edits, I tried). I just lean in toward the monitor just before I use my Center reset hotkey. That way when I lean back all is near perfect. Also to note, when I was zooming all the way out it is very different than if most people do it without a trip2go setup. Mainly because the outside itself doesn't seem to zoom out 1/10th as much as it did when I was running 1 screen.Last thing to note for now, is spend your first hours using the default profile, then after you see what you want different, spend some time learning about the curves that you can easily set. This will vary greatly from user to user and size of screen and even how far away you sit. It makes a great difference for me.All in all, I'm very glad I got it and only problems I am still having is with the MD-11 I mentioned above. Shortcuts in VC mode, because I cannot use the 2D panel for any of my PMDG products at my res...


i9 10920x @ 4.8 ~ MSI Creator x299 ~ 256 Gb 3600 G.Skill Trident Z Royal ~ EVGA RTX 3090ti ~ Sim drive = M.2  2-TB ~ OS drive = M.2 is 512-gb ~ 5 other Samsung Pro/Evo mix SSD's ~ EVGA 1600w ~ Win 10 Pro

Dan Prunier

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Hi Dan,Same opinion here.I use TrackIR4 in FS9 with the 737NG and I have both the "Center" AND the "Freeze" commands assigned to buttons on my yoke. I have also assigned two additional buttons to different fixed views while I am in "freeze" mode so that during the critical periods like take-off roll or final approach I can remain in VC but select a known view angle without s... around (excuse my French...). I find I use trackIR mainly from engine start to take off, then (sometimes) during final approach/landing and then again while taxiing to the gate/parking. I never use the zoom and go back to the 2D cockpit the rest of the time (but this post gives me an idea...). I must say that it is a credit to PMDG that the VC they produced back in 2002 (I believe) was already that good.Bruno
Hehe, you must have chimed in while I was typing away Bruno.See my post above, I totally agree but in my version it calls it Pause, but same thing. Your right about the VC. It looks completely reborn using trackIR, especially if you have "Roll" enabled allowing for tilting your head side to side!How do you go from cold and dark though? At least in the MD-11, there are some short cuts I need that so far can't find and as I mentioned, cannot do certain things in VC mode such as turn the volume knobs on the comm panel.Thanks,

i9 10920x @ 4.8 ~ MSI Creator x299 ~ 256 Gb 3600 G.Skill Trident Z Royal ~ EVGA RTX 3090ti ~ Sim drive = M.2  2-TB ~ OS drive = M.2 is 512-gb ~ 5 other Samsung Pro/Evo mix SSD's ~ EVGA 1600w ~ Win 10 Pro

Dan Prunier

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Hi Dan,I fly in VC 99% of the time with TrackIR however I also have 2D panels on a second monitor. With the MD11 from memory I have the FMC, Engine start switches, radio panel, Anti Ice, Lights, Both EAD's 'Engine & Secondary' IRS, Apu start and panel switcher so I can bring up the different displays on the secondary EAD. It all fits on one 17" monitor with a little resizing, and means I never need to go back to 2D from startup to shutdown, so it's the best of both worlds.


Rob Prest

 

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Example being, I don't get the CG value from the engine display in the VC (MD-11) as I would in 2D mode after waiting a few seconds going off of the SD.
Dan,are you still not seeing the CG value on the SD in VC view? Never had problems with this in VC and I see no reason why the SD should behave differently in VC...Markus

Markus Burkhard

 

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Hi Dan,I fly in VC 99% of the time with TrackIR however I also have 2D panels on a second monitor. With the MD11 from memory I have the FMC, Engine start switches, radio panel, Anti Ice, Lights, Both EAD's 'Engine & Secondary' IRS, Apu start and panel switcher so I can bring up the different displays on the secondary EAD. It all fits on one 17" monitor with a little resizing, and means I never need to go back to 2D from startup to shutdown, so it's the best of both worlds.
Hey Rob,Thanks for you input, I have read a lot of your posts and almost PM'd you specificly but in a more recent post saw your TrackIR was needing replacement or something along those lines. Did you get a new one, or get yours back up and running?I'm currently running out of space for an additional screen and have 2 - 22" monitors in my closet, so your method would work. Is there any way to bring up those panels via keyboard shortcut without having to enter 2D? I ask because I cannot access 2D at all with my current res. I could if I start FSX in windowed mode and the window resized to fit just one screen and will do so if I have to, but would rather not add any un-needed steps if I can avoid them.Thanks again!

i9 10920x @ 4.8 ~ MSI Creator x299 ~ 256 Gb 3600 G.Skill Trident Z Royal ~ EVGA RTX 3090ti ~ Sim drive = M.2  2-TB ~ OS drive = M.2 is 512-gb ~ 5 other Samsung Pro/Evo mix SSD's ~ EVGA 1600w ~ Win 10 Pro

Dan Prunier

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Dan,are you still not seeing the CG value on the SD in VC view? Never had problems with this in VC and I see no reason why the SD should behave differently in VC...Markus
Hi Markus, I was hoping you might visit this post, mainly because I think I read posts way back that you too were using the Triplehead2Go. I do not get the CG value as I should, but have been thinking it may be a resolution issue with the Trip2go. I don't see why it would be but unfortunately there is a cost at running in such high resolutions (still worth it though ;-).To better show what I am doing is, in VC mode, I enter my data as normal in the CDU. I enter my weights and then from the pedestal I click Engined and look at the center display on the MIP. The CG vlaue normal displays in a few seconds when I use 2D mode, but in VC I never see the values. I then have to right click the CDU LSK to get the value and have been inputting it that way lately. As I mentioned in an above post I have a major difference to what VC field of view is when in windowed mode compared to full screen and in the MD-11 I still need to zoom out all the way to comfortably slew around the VC. I just wish there was a way to bring up the SD and Radio stacks the way I could in 2D mode for these situations if possible and something I may just have missed.Do you still use your Trip2go? Have you experienced any of these abnormalities when using it?Thanks for the help!

i9 10920x @ 4.8 ~ MSI Creator x299 ~ 256 Gb 3600 G.Skill Trident Z Royal ~ EVGA RTX 3090ti ~ Sim drive = M.2  2-TB ~ OS drive = M.2 is 512-gb ~ 5 other Samsung Pro/Evo mix SSD's ~ EVGA 1600w ~ Win 10 Pro

Dan Prunier

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Hi Dan,I have also assigned two additional buttons to different fixed views while I am in "freeze" mode... .../...I never use the zoom and go back to the 2D cockpit the rest of the time (but this post gives me an idea...). Bruno
Hey Dan,In fact I just did a flight with each one of the two fixed views preset to a different zoom factor (like 0.82 and 1.0 for example). It's not bad at all and gives two different perspectives when unlocking the view (Probably someone had already posted this before but this was new for me) ! Conclusion : I am not ready yet to fly only in VC mode (on the FS9/NG at least) but this helps. Bruno

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Thanks Bruno, When you say "preset" are you referring to something you're editing in the camera section of the TrackIR settings or Aircraft.cfg? Or do you mean by hitting the - key and zooming out once in VC mode?As I mentioned above, it is just the way it looks at the high res I'm running and looks very different when running on one monitor at any resolution, so in other words, no need to adjust anything. In 5040x1050 however, it looks completely different and the VC is more "in your face" as anything I can explain. See screenshot below.Markus, I have done a few things on my comp today and not sure which fixed the CG problem, but now see the value appear after the normal delay in the VC, even at the higher res. I ran from the tutorial panel state twice and once I've entered the weight info as needed, the CG value is appearing now as it should. Before it just stayed blank. I have added a lot of hardware toys to my setup and once they were all installed I moved a lot around (different usb ports). This of course wasn't the issue, but since the control.xml was causing me a few issues with a not remembering my settings, I blew out my registry entries for VID_06A3 in +HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (CURRENT_USER if on Vista)+System+CurrentControlSet+Control+Media Properties+Private Properties+Direct Input and had it it rebuild all new everything is FSX (control.xml & fsx.cfg). I also uninstalled, cleaned up, and reinstalled my video drivers and it's working. I'm not sure what was the culprit since I also changed a couple settings in nhancer also, but seems to be working fine now.I still cannot turn any of the nobs on the pedestal while in the VC view, but again think because of my FOV, I may be inside the seat and even though I can see everything, may be actually trying to click thru a texture, if that makes any sense.To show my FOV when in the MD-11 with the Res I have, here is a screenshot showing how my view is. This is only after setting the IR reset while close to the transmitter then sitting back, and also fully zoomed out using the - key (A huge difference then when in windowed mode as you can see in this pic).


i9 10920x @ 4.8 ~ MSI Creator x299 ~ 256 Gb 3600 G.Skill Trident Z Royal ~ EVGA RTX 3090ti ~ Sim drive = M.2  2-TB ~ OS drive = M.2 is 512-gb ~ 5 other Samsung Pro/Evo mix SSD's ~ EVGA 1600w ~ Win 10 Pro

Dan Prunier

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When you say "preset" are you referring to something you're editing in the camera section of the TrackIR settings or Aircraft.cfg? Or do you mean by hitting the - key and zooming out once in VC mode?
Hi Dan,The second one : I manually adjusted the zoom factor, and then saved the view and assigned it to a yoke button. So every time I hit this button, I get the same zoom setting. Remember I am using TrackIR 4 and I am not too sure if there is another way to do this. BrunoPS : I have a second monitor too, so it's easier to display the FMS and other stuff permanently there.

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Dan,I see you're running the MD-11 on FSX. Using this together with a TripleHead2Go you MUST run FSX in widescreen mode (setting in the fsx.cfg). That way you don't have to zoom back and therefore you're not sitting inside the seat.Regards,Markus


Markus Burkhard

 

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Hi Dan!I see you have invested in TrackIR. It

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