The direct link to the 3D Cockpit videos I mentioned earlier is here:http://www.simradar.com/Feature/2824/3D_Co...D_Cockpits.htmlThe video includes Lomac, IL-2 and FS2004 footage. Basically it serves as a comparison for 3D vs 2D cockpits. and how they impact realism and immersion factor.I particulary love Lomac. That's the future of Flight Simulator cockpits. what do you think?

For me it depends on the plane. For GA and airliners that don't have a lot of automation, I find myself flying in the VC a lot, except when instrument conditions are really demanding, or I need to make precise changes in engine settings etc. In most cases, the VC gives a perspective and feeling of immersion that you really can't get in the 2d panel - and it is often the only way to get the primary flight instruments dead center on the panel, something that I really, really like. I do have a pretty hefty investment in hardware though - and this is really helpful for VC flying. I have PFC flight console with yoke and throttles - plus a Thrustmaster Cougar HOTAS set up. So, when flying MSFS, I have left-right and up-down panning mapped to the rotaries on the HOTAS throttle which makes looking around (esp. when flying the pattern) a real joy. I don't use VC much for flying planes like the PMDG 737 - simply because it is difficult to do the overheads, MCP and FMC stuff in the 3-d environment. Once I'm on the autopilot though, I do switch over, because I really don't like the PMDG 2d panel - the primary flight instruments are so far to the left I have a real hard time knowing which way the airplane nose is pointed. So, put me in the VC fan camp. And, they just keep getting better and better.

Sorry to bring this old topic back up...This is exactly what I'm experiencing. Whenever the gauges update, the scenery jerks a little bit. This only happens in VC mode. I've been through a video card, mobo, and memory upgrade and the same things persists. The interesting part is that another computer I use, which is slower in every respect, though not by much, does not have this problem. VC mode is smooth as glass (but the graphics options are turned way down). Any thoughts or progress come to light in the last couple of years? Thanks,Earl

>Sorry to bring this old topic back up...>>This is exactly what I'm experiencing. Whenever the gauges>update, the scenery jerks a little bit. This only happens in>VC mode. I've been through a video card, mobo, and memory>upgrade and the same things persists. The interesting part is>that another computer I use, which is slower in every>respect, though not by much, does not have this problem. VC>mode is smooth as glass (but the graphics options are turned>way down). Any thoughts or progress come to light in the last>couple of years? Thanks,>>EarlHi Earl, The reason for the stutters is mainly because when you turn there are graphics that aren't loaded yet. The sim doesn't necessarily load textures that aren't being seen.... To test this theory, fly along for about 15 minutes from the VC. Keep going straight. Now after 15 minutes, use a thumb hat on a joystick or something and look 90 degrees to your left and your right.... do you see that same stutter? When you fly in a straight line, MSFS only loads the textures in 'high resolution' (ie close up) when the sim demands it... obviously in a straight line while looking straight out, it will load those automatically, but everytime you fly straight for a bit and then quickly look to the side, you ALWAYS see textures that were in the low-res version being loaded into the high-res version. I am NOT a MSFS developer or anything, but I am an application programmer, so I'm just applying my debugging logic here.

I generally only fly GA and will only fly VC . One of the big problems that I see are a/c that are desogned with numerous [Vcockpit]entries in the panel.cfg file. I think that it may be a design tradeoff between good looking Vcs and gauge updates. Panels with fewer VC entries are smoother. Barry

If you really want the full benefit of using the VC I would highlyrecommend the TrackIR3 or 4. A world of difference.I mainly use it for low and slow where it really makes a difference,especially in the landing pattern.I don't use it as much in the flight levels as there really isn't that much to see if your cruising at FL390 for instance.I also have two monitors so many of the needed panels can be draggedto the 2nd monitor.Craig

Over time, I became a VC only flyer from a 2D only flyer. For me it was definitely a step up. I now fly from VC only with trackIR. I even removed all 2D gauges to get better performance in VC on some aircrafts.I know I can't expect the same kind of performance in VC as I may get with 2D panels. 2D panels are still better in some ways...performance and gauge refresh rate, etc. But VC makes me feel so much more "there". Jason

Thank you all for your responses.I don't think that you quite understand my point, though. It's not a "textures loading" stutter that I'm experiencing. I'm familiar with those. This is a different type of stutter...as though the sim is running 2% too slow, and then every time the gauges update, it rushes to catch up. When I use an A/C with no gauges in the VC, there is no problem. When I load an A/C with gauges in the VC, the stuttering happens, but only when the gauges are updating (when they are static, i.e. unaccelerating flight, there is no problem anymore). I only experience this in VC mode.I'm fairly certain that this is tied to the VC gauges somehow. Again, when there are no gauges in the VC, everything is fine. On A/C with a high VC gauge update rate, the jerkiness is much less noticable. When the gauges update every 1 second or so, however, the effect is quite apparent.More thoughts?Earl

Actually, it makes sense. The lower the framerate, the more time FS9 has between frames to do its calculations. I find that even if I lock at 16, when it's able to stay at that rate, FS looks smooth to me (I have a fairly slow system).Thomas

I feel differently. When I sit in the cockpit of my plane (Cherokee 180), I have a much wider field of view than what I see from the 2D cockpit at zoom 1. I tend to feel that a zoom of .65 to .85 (depending on the plane and cockpit setup) is more realistic to me. Granted, it is a compromise, because objects look further away than they are. But it helps my sense of immersion by setting a wider field of view.Also take into account I fly mostly small GA, and I imagine immersion would be different for a jet jockey who doesn't have much of a view anyway from a 747 or the like, and perhaps a zoom of 1 is more realistic there.Thomas

Yes, I have noticed on my new laptop with ATI 300X 64MB graphics, that I get a "throbbing" in VC view when I'm looking at the gauges. I didn't notice this with my old laptop with nVidia 4200 Go 64 MB. I have also notice that the "throbbing" will go away if I pan my view to either side so the gauges are not visible.I'm still setting the system up and testing various settings, so it may be a settings thing.Another thing I've noticed is that the ATIS voice stutters now about every 4th or 5th word. I have never had this happen to me before on any other system. My previous systems were Dell C840 2GHz P4, D800 1.7GHz Pentium M (actually was faster than the 2GHz P4), and now a D810 1.86GHz Pentium M, all with 1 GB mem.Thomas

Question - What do you mean you "removed 2D gauges"?In most of the panels I use, the VC uses the same gauges as the 2D panel. Are there some planes that use different gauges in the VC than those in the 2D panel?Thanks,Thomas

Running two monitors slows fps more than anything else!Your CPU is doing two jobs instead of one.Dave T. .........On the Devon Riviera and active 'FlightSim User's Group' member at http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/

Interesting?I run three monitors and see absolutely no impact on frame rates at all compared to a single monitor with my choice of what is USUALLY on the secondary monitors. (Two 21", one 19"). In fact, if I can find the right MB/Video card combinations I am considering adding to this on my next upgrade, however dual computers might be the wisest choice for such a combination.USUALLY, I have whatever combination of radio, throttle, FMC, and whatever else seems applicable for the individual bird on my secondary monitor. If I am flying on line with VatSim, I will alternately have the communication panels for that application on the secondary monitor. With some aircraft, I may occasionally have a spot view on the secondary monitor, but I conceed that this does have an impact on framerates (To an undesirable level with some birds, and to a lesser level which can be implemented with others).On my third monitor, I have FSNav.Now my concession to your statement as I am sure you have already figured out (Key word above: "USUALLY"). If the GPS, fsmeteo, or some other select windows are implemented on the secondary monitors, I agree with you wholeheartedly, that they slow things down dramatically. However, framerates drop if these windows are opened on my primary monitor as well, although (to a far lesser level I totally agree).For me at least, the choice of what is implemented on the secondary monitors is critical. Many windows can be moved there with no noticable impact, while others are to normally be avoided.Respectfully:RTH

>As for your low FPS in 2D you might want to try and add>PanelasTexture=0 in your fs9.cfg file under the display>section.>Dear Mikkel,What exactly will this line (PanelasTexture=0) in the cfg file do?I intend to try it, but I would like to known what I should expect.Regards,