Elliot,

 

I use X-Mouse Button Control. http://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/XMouseButtonControl.htm

 

What I did was create an FSX profile in X-Mouse, and switched the mouse look button from the spacebar to the enter key (Yours can be anything, just make sure you don't use it in-sim) inside FSX.  Then I setup X-Mouse to press enter when I hit the middle mouse button, so now when I want to look around, I press the middle mouse button and my mouse switches to the look tool, then press it again to freeze the view when I'm ready to press the button/switch/knob I want. Very easy to use.

 

This looks great - exactly what Im looking for thanks!

 

I believe Ctrl+O will do this and lock mouse look on. Problem is you can't adjust things in the cockpit without turning it back off.

 

Will try this out too. Yup, I would only use it on approach when the A/C is fully configured. Just makes it easier to look around faster with one hand and the other flying.

 

Thanks Guys!

Hello everyone!

 

I want the most realistic VC view. I red that some people set the WideViewAspect entry in FSX cfg to "True". I have a 22 " Display and a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Should i set the WideViewAspect value to "True"? 

 

Can you tell me which zoom factor should i set to get the view of real 737 NG pilots? 

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Here is how I have mine set up:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuMsrWcirMA

 

Cheers

Interesting thread!

 

I usually (I fly GA aircraft only) set zoom to 0.6, maybe 0.5, depending upon model. What I try to do is set the aspect ratio as if if were sitting the in cockpit, hands on the yoke, eyes straight ahead. You can't see everything, but there is enough peripheral vision, both up and down, that my eyes can scan the screen and see that all is well. A good reference for me (I am NOT a pilot) is to be able to see the tippy-top of the yoke - don't need to see my hands, but do want to be able do see what they are doing!

 

Edit: Forgot to add: WideViewAspect=True

i found a neat trick to this that i use for taxing. hold down the space bar then hold down the ctrl key then let go of the space bar. Effectively is a mouse lock and you only need to either right click or hit the space bar again to deactivate.

 

I used to have the wideview turned off and often use zoom .40 but now with wideview on i use .60, Reason i use this is because i like to see the entire cockpit without needing to pan around but at the same time i can't see everything unless i actually look at the instruments or look out the window. Feels much more realistic to me. Though i am glad that PMDG are setting up the view point properly since I've never sat in a 777 i wouldn't know what you'd normally see.

 

The point several of us are trying to make though is that it's actually not realistic at all to be able to see the entire cockpit like that. In a real life cockpit you basically have tunnel vision toward whatever you're looking at - if you're looking out the window on approach, you can't see your PFD and ND or your engine displays etc. Likewise if you're "head down" in the cockpit doing stuff with the FMC or whatever, you're missing anything going on out the front of the airplane. This is the really insidious part of what I'd call "FSX habits" when you go and try to get into a real full flight sim or a real aircraft. You can know everything about the systems but not be at all prepared for the actual field of view issues and cockpit ergonomics issues you encounter when in the real thing. I helped design the NGX and I still nearly crashed the full flight sim thanks to these kinds of bad habits causing mistakes. In FSX I'd never leave the speedbrake out all the way to the ground because I can see the light thanks to the unrealistic vertical field of view where I can see not only what's out the window, but what's down in the cockpit all simultaneously.

Interesting thread!

 

I usually (I fly GA aircraft only) set zoom to 0.6, maybe 0.5, depending upon model. What I try to do is set the aspect ratio as if if were sitting the in cockpit, hands on the yoke, eyes straight ahead. You can't see everything, but there is enough peripheral vision, both up and down, that my eyes can scan the screen and see that all is well. A good reference for me (I am NOT a pilot) is to be able to see the tippy-top of the yoke - don't need to see my hands, but do want to be able do see what they are doing!

 

Edit: Forgot to add: WideViewAspect=True

 

Even in a GA aircraft though this isn't how it is. The real thing feels way more cramped and constrained than what I see most people doing in FSX - if you're looking out the front window in a 172 or a Baron or an SR22 (all aircraft I have real life experience in) you don't see anything but that view out the window. This is what I mean about scans - you can't see everything at once in a real aircraft, you have to divide your time and attention to scanning around at the important things to make sure you're monitoring them all.

The point several of us are trying to make though is that it's actually not realistic at all to be able to see the entire cockpit like that. In a real life cockpit you basically have tunnel vision toward whatever you're looking at - if you're looking out the window on approach, you can't see your PFD and ND or your engine displays etc. Likewise if you're "head down" in the cockpit doing stuff with the FMC or whatever, you're missing anything going on out the front of the airplane. This is the really insidious part of what I'd call "FSX habits" when you go and try to get into a real full flight sim or a real aircraft. You can know everything about the systems but not be at all prepared for the actual field of view issues and cockpit ergonomics issues you encounter when in the real thing. I helped design the NGX and I still nearly crashed the full flight sim thanks to these kinds of bad habits causing mistakes. In FSX I'd never leave the speedbrake out all the way to the ground because I can see the light thanks to the unrealistic vertical field of view where I can see not only what's out the window, but what's down in the cockpit all simultaneously.

 

Even in a GA aircraft though this isn't how it is. The real thing feels way more cramped and constrained than what I see most people doing in FSX - if you're looking out the front window in a 172 or a Baron or an SR22 (all aircraft I have real life experience in) you don't see anything but that view out the window. This is what I mean about scans - you can't see everything at once in a real aircraft, you have to divide your time and attention to scanning around at the important things to make sure you're monitoring them all.

Hmmmm. I will have to try this. I have been "in" GA aircraft before, and I don't remember them being that constricted. Of course, that was when I was a kid, maybe 3/4ths the size I am now...   

 

 

The point several of us are trying to make though is that it's actually not realistic at all to be able to see the entire cockpit like that. In a real life cockpit you basically have tunnel vision toward whatever you're looking at - if you're looking out the window on approach, you can't see your PFD and ND or your engine displays etc. Likewise if you're "head down" in the cockpit doing stuff with the FMC or whatever, you're missing anything going on out the front of the airplane. This is the really insidious part of what I'd call "FSX habits" when you go and try to get into a real full flight sim or a real aircraft. You can know everything about the systems but not be at all prepared for the actual field of view issues and cockpit ergonomics issues you encounter when in the real thing. I helped design the NGX and I still nearly crashed the full flight sim thanks to these kinds of bad habits causing mistakes. In FSX I'd never leave the speedbrake out all the way to the ground because I can see the light thanks to the unrealistic vertical field of view where I can see not only what's out the window, but what's down in the cockpit all simultaneously.

 

I understand your point on this. But i don't treat the views in fsx as my view point, because i don't have the ability to move my head around.

I've been following this topic and have decided to move my actual viewpoint in the VC backwards vs. just zooming out, all while setting the zoom at 1.0. This way, I can have the realistic outside depiction of the world, but actually see some of the NGX's instruments.

I've been following this topic and have decided to move my actual viewpoint in the VC backwards vs. just zooming out, all while setting the zoom at 1.0. This way, I can have the realistic outside depiction of the world, but actually see some of the NGX's instruments.

Actually, the HUD seems to not be correctly visible with this method, but I can always reset the eye view point and remain at zoom 1.0 with the HUD, as that's what it's for.

FYI 90% of the time I use the mouse+spacebar to pan around - I find that a surprising number of simmers don't know about this feature in FSX. I have a TrackIR and EZCA and Opus and all of that, but most of the time when I don't feel like getting that stuff all set up, I just use the mouse - functions exactly like "mouselook" in a first person shooter game.

 

 

Also, for those running EZCA, there's an option in the options ( where else..?) that makes the middle mouse button act like the spacebar when pressed. It doesn't mess with the scrolling at all, either. This way you can use one hand to look around! It's quite handy.

 

 

777 is fixing this zoomed out with huge windows look btw too, we spent a crazy amount of time getting the view right. It's much more constrained out the front and looks very close to what you actually see sitting in the seat.

 

Very exciting!