I'm very new to panel editing. I just purchased the Mindstar G1000 and would like to add the PFD, MFD, and audio panel to the flight 1 cessna 172. It is my understanding that Flight 1 panels are easier to edit compared to other 3rd party aircraft (at least that is what I was told), so hopefully this isn't too difficult. While I would like to add the G1000 to both the 2D and VC panel, I'd like to try the 2D panel 1st.My first question - do I need to use a paint program to modify or cover the default gauge locations on the original bitmap main panel file?Can you add a large gauge like the G1000 using FS panel design studio?I also noticed that the flight 1 cessna 172 panel folder has bitmaps for VC views. These bitmap images show the panel with gauges. The VC section of the panel.cfg file, however, actually lists the individual gauges similar to the 2D window sections. Does this mean the VC panel will be easy to modify, or will they need to be edited with a paint program to remove the gauge images (if that is even possible)?I appreciate any help!Todd

You can certainly add large gauges using FS Panel Studio. You can open the images of the VC in DXTBMP or a paint program (if not DXT or DDS) and see what they look like. If you start moving/changing gauges you will need to edit (with a paint program) whatever you find in there that doesn't match your new arrangement (or just ignore it).

Thanks for the tips, Tom. So, if I open a VC bitmap with a paint program and the panel has gauges, can I simply paint over the gauges to effectively "remove" them, or do I need to cut them out first, and then paint over the empty space? I assume that is what you mean by "edit." Is it best to paint over the gauges using a separate layer in the paint program?Todd

Yes, you can paint over them, cut them out first, or do whatever you like. That's pretty much a matter of taste. I normally copy an area nearby and paste it into the gauge image (or the gauge hole image) to eliminate it.You can use a separate layer if you wish, in case you want to change things later. Keep that as a PSD or PSP file. Then make your BMP file from that "master image".

OK, I modified the VC bmp's and was able to add the Mindstar G1000 without trouble. The panel functions well and looks great ... in the daytime. At night, I get ghost images of the original gauges that bleed through the PFD and MFD. These images are turned on when the lights are turned on. Is there any way to fix this? I looked for any xxx_L.bmp files, thinking hey might be the culprit, but there aren't any.Todd

The lightmask will be located in the ..texture folder, and may not necessarily have an _L suffix. It could be named Fred.bmp or Ginger.bmp for all I know.... :Nerd:It's always been my convention to use the same name as the $xxx entry, but dropping the $ prefix and adding a _L suffix, but......that's my recommended convention. :(

..and then there are some Flight1 aircraft that have the lightmap integrated into the model... :sad:Suggest renaming the entire texture folder to see if these images disappear - or not..

Well, I found the files. I didn't think to check the texture folder. I figured they would be in the panel folder with the other panel files. Anyway, I moved the files to a temp folder and the ghost images are gone. What is the best way to modify these files so that you keep lighting for some gauges but remove others? And how do I add lighting effects for new gauges like the G1000?Todd

Here are the steps:0. Back up the files!!1. Open the bmp in Imagetool2. Change format to 24 color bmp3. Save4. Edit with your favorite paint program. Note that the bmp is upside down, compared to it's position in the cockpit.5. Save6. Open with Imagetool7. Change format to DXT3 and add MipMaps8. Save

You will usually find that they are "upside down", since that is the way they work in a VC. You will need to flip them, edit them, flip them again, and save them.Hope this helps,

Well, I found the files. I didn't think to check the texture folder. I figured they would be in the panel folder with the other panel files.

Well, I did tell you to look in the ..texture folder. :( Anyway, now that you've found it (them?) you should be able to create custom lightmap(s) to illuminate your revised 3d panel.

Yes you did, indeed! My brain must have taken that day off.Now that I know where to find them, is there a good tutorial on how to edit those files? I read Bert's post, and the steps seem easy enough, but I'm thinking creating a new gauge lighting file for the G1000 is more involved. I did read the VC lighting tutorial that is stickied. It looks rather straight forward but there seems to be some how-to holes I don't understand. I also downloaded the FSPS demo but couldn't open the VC panel. Now, it is a demo, so perhaps that feature isn't available, but I would like to know how to open the VC panel with FSPS before I buy the program. Todd

For this exercise you do not need FSPS..Depending on how fancy you want to get.. the editing could be as simpleas cutting out a rectangle, filling it with the same grey color as the round "holes"and testing the outcome.Then comes the fun part... going back to the paint program, adjusting the rectangle fora better fit, saving, converting, testing and doing the same thing over again, until your critical eyeis happy with the outcome.Paying attention to the coordinates shown as you move the cursor around in the paint programcan save a lot of time vs eyeballing it.. but either way works!

Yes, don't over think this. It's just a black texture with some lighter areas that make things light up. The color of the lighter areas is the color of the illumination (i.e. green panel lights that are not part of a gauge, etc.). If you want the light to "wash over" the panel, then create that using illumination effects in your paint program. Othewise it's just simple shapes.