Steve, you can set the zoom scale for the various directions in the aircraft's panel.cfg file, in the panel sub-directory. You add or edit the settings under the VIEWS section. Here's an example with the zoom set to a fairly wide angle of 0.5 Views - enclosed by square brackets.VIEW_FORWARD_DIR= 3.0, 0.0, 0.0VIEW_FORWARD_ZOOM=0.5VIEW_FORWARD_RIGHT_ZOOM=0.5VIEW_RIGHT_ZOOM=0.5VIEW_REAR_RIGHT_ZOOM=0.5VIEW_REAR_ZOOM=0.5VIEW_REAR_LEFT_ZOOM=0.5VIEW_LEFT_ZOOM=0.5VIEW_FORWARD_LEFT_ZOOM=0.5 Best regards, Chris

>at a>lower zoom level (say 0.7) the landscape starts too look a bit>squished, ie you see more landscape than you really should.I have to disagree here because this is the part that can be easiliy measured and I have done the measurement. To see the the same amount of scenery in my 767 panel window I need in fact a zoom of around 0.7 - 0.8. This zoom setting has been confirmed by real 767 pilots to be closest to their real-life experience. With zoom 1.0 in fact you see too little scenery up front and you are zooming in too much. Again, this stuff can be easily measured and I encourage anyone capable in geometry to perform calculations.Michael J.

You're doing something completely different though. You're just trying to place a 2D panel in 3D space. In effect, calculating the zoom factor from where the 2D panel (or eye point) is placed in the aircraft.cfg or changing the eye point (placing the 2D panel in 3D space) in the aircraft.cfg according to a given zoom factor is the same thing, and not what the author of the thread was asking about.The original question (and the original author has even clarified that in a second post) is how to get the _landscape_ to correspond to a 'realistic' view. As discussed it depends on how far you are away from the monitor and how big your monitor is, but a fov value of 45 is usually a good starting point (unless you're sitting 2 meters away from your monitor or you're using a widescreen).A zoom factor of 0.7 may give a more realistic view in relation to your 2D panel, but then you're panel is wrongly located in 3D space and that should be fixed in the aircraft.cfg in the first place. Using 3D panels solves that problem entirely, since that's automatically placed correctly (as it's part of the 3D space), independent of zoom factor.Christian

Real pilot here, I am using either .50 or .75 in the VC and usually 2D also depending on the panel and conditions, either of these seem to work very nicely and dont give me a "too zoomed in" or "too zoomed out" view, especially when Im on the approach. For me it seems to approximate the real world as best as you can on these 2D monitors :)Hornit

>according to a given zoom factor is the same thing, and not>what the author of the thread was asking about.Yes, I realized what the author wanted and gave him exact formula or you must have missed it.>but then you're panel is wrongly>located in 3D space and that should be fixed in the>aircraft.cfg in the first place. I wonder what can be fixed in aircraft.cfg ? I would like to learn perhaps how to place them "correctly" in the 3D space. I admit I have not seen or heard before of any such attempt. Again, as I said from the outset I only use 2D panels and this where my computation applied to. Since 2D panel is pretty much a fixed object -the only thing I can control is the zoom and adjust the view to the panel. If someone can show me how to do the reverse - and adjust the panel to the view that would be great but I am afraid half of the panel then would be beyond the monitor and I doubt I would be very pleased with such arrangement. Michael J.

I remember checking this a while ago in FS2002 and agree that it depends on your monitor and how close you are. Since I use a Virtualizor (fresnel lens gadget I designed a few years ago), the effective distance from the monitor never changes (fixed at about 11 inches). You can check the field of view by looking at some distant landmark and turning so that it is at one edge of the screen. Check your bearing then turn so that it is on the other edge. The difference in bearings is your field of view. You then need to match this to your screen size and (since most people don't use Virtualizors) eye to screen distance. For those with no geometry knowledge (probably none), the angle is twice the arctangent of (half the screen width divided by eye to screen distance).Obviously pick a landmark sufficiently far away that the bearings don't change significantly while you're moving. Best do it at sunrise or sunset and use the sun, or if you're a real perfectionist use the pole star.