It's so close to the panel that you could rest your chin on it. I want to see the window pillars, and some of the displays when I am looking at the screen.

You are confusing distance to the panel with angle of view. When you zoom out you are still the same virtual distance from the panel, you just have a larger field of view.  Such a view is distorted and unrealistic. In the real aircraft the field of view you get, without moving your head, is comparable to a zoom setting of 0.8 to 0.9. You can't see all the window pillars, the overhead, aft pedestal, etc without turning to them. I can understand why you might want a "one size fits all" view but it isn't realistic.

 

If you zoom out to 0.5 how on earth can you read the flight deck displays? The effective resolution of those must be terrible. In the NGX, how can you read the HGS displays?

I use a zoom of 0.5 in the 777 and 737NGX. I really can't understand why the default VC zoom would be the recommended option. It's so close to the panel that you could rest your chin on it. I want to see the window pillars, and some of the displays when I am looking at the screen. In fact, as soon as I purchase a new plane, the first thing that I do is move the viewpoint further back (no less than 25 clicks in the 777), and reset the zoom to either 0.5 (for the large airliners) or 0.6 (in the Citation Mustang).

 

As kevinh pointed out, zooming out to 0.5 distorts your view as in a fisheye lens.

 

I really really recommend Ezdok for managing views, now that I have it, I couldn't live without it. And if you can spend a little bit more, TrackIR. 

 

Ezdok in conjunction with TrackIR is the real deal.

I know exactly what it does, but I prefer to see some of the panel displays when in "look forward" mode. With the viewpoint moved back and the zoom set to 0.5 in (for example) the 777, I can see all of the information that I require (speed/altitude/rate of descent/engine power/heading etc) without having to "move my head" (so to speak).

 

As for being able to read the displays, you can't see any of them with the default viewpoint!

 

 

As for being able to read the displays, you can't see any of them with the default viewpoint!

Sorry, but I can see them. I certainly don't need a zoom of 0.5 to do so. At that zoom level your EFIS displays have around half the resolution they would have with a normal zoom setting and are about half the size. So you may be able to see more of them but how readable are they without using popups?

guess its only me .

 

Now after a cockpit ride in real life with the Maddog, PC is  like flying with fish eye btw . The runway is just eating you up in real life.....

 

This is exactly why I tried to urge people to use a higher zoom value in my explanation of the proper view setup in the 777 intro manual. This idea a lot of simmers have that you should be able to see the entire cockpit *and* the outside view simultaneously is flat out wrong - you pan your head in real life and have to choose what you're looking at (scan pattern etc).

I know exactly what it does, but I prefer to see some of the panel displays when in "look forward" mode. With the viewpoint moved back and the zoom set to 0.5 in (for example) the 777, I can see all of the information that I require (speed/altitude/rate of descent/engine power/heading etc) without having to "move my head" (so to speak).

 

As for being able to read the displays, you can't see any of them with the default viewpoint!

 

Go sit in the real airplane - you cannot look out the window at the outside world and see the PFD/ND at the same time, it's one or the other and you have to avert and refocus your vision to do it. Having to pan down to see the displays is realistic.

This is exactly why I tried to urge people to use a higher zoom value in my explanation of the proper view setup in the 777 intro manual. This idea a lot of simmers have that you should be able to see the entire cockpit *and* the outside view simultaneously is flat out wrong - you pan your head in real life and have to choose what you're looking at (scan pattern etc).

 

Go sit in the real airplane - you cannot look out the window at the outside world and see the PFD/ND at the same time, it's one or the other and you have to avert and refocus your vision to do it. Having to pan down to see the displays is realistic.

 

 

Are you guys going to lower the Overhead on the NGX? It's way too high.

Ryan,

 

Whether it is totally realistic or not isn't the point. How realistic is it to look at a 777 panel through a monitor screen? Shouldn't we just accept that everyone has the right to pick and choose what works for them? I find it amazing that we are even having this debate.

Alright, so I just had a play around with this. I use a zoom level of .40, no fisheye effect or view like flying from the jumpseat because I have moved my viewpoint closer the PFD ND etc using the arrows keys.    Or to be more price, my virtual a$$ is sitting on the virtual seat.... 

 

The only difference I see from zoom levels is how close the scenery outside the flight deck appears to you.  

 

If you are only using the +/- zoom keys to adjust cockpit perspective then of course it will look wrong, you have to use a combination of zoom and adjustments using the arrow keys to find a good perspective.

 

And before anyone asks, yes I have sat left & right seat on the 777 and quite a few other aircraft.

 

Regards

To the OP: Try setting your zoom level at something between 0.8 and 1. I use 0.82 and it's okay, 0.6 is too far back.

 

I do feel the 777 much higher than the 737. And the first times you land the aircraft, you can't really believe it when you touch down due to how far back and low the landing gear is with respect to the cockpit (did I touch down already? wow!). The 777 feels "big". 

 

 

I use a zoom of around .85 these days, although it's kind of hard when you're flying on the equator and with every change of heading you have to readjust your head position. 

Ryan,

 

Whether it is totally realistic or not isn't the point. How realistic is it to look at a 777 panel through a monitor screen? Shouldn't we just accept that everyone has the right to pick and choose what works for them? I find it amazing that we are even having this debate.

Yes it's your choice of course, but what Ryan is suggesting is that you try the more realistic view. Give it a reasonable trial, a few complete flights. You never know, you might find you prefer it.

 

Although you are viewing it on a screen it still looks more like the pilots actual view when zoomed in. Pilots do not have wideangle vision.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I used to use the standard zoom and default viewpoint, but I wasn't comfortable with it. That's why I decided to "pull back" to get a better view. Ryan is no doubt correct with respect to not being able to see everything at the same time in the real aircraft, but actually being there in a 3D environment would still give you a better "feel" for the space around you (including what you can see in your peripheral vision). You don't get that feeling with a monitor (particularly a standard 4:3 monitor like I have).

 

Now, if you think my viewpoint method is unrealistic, try this one on for size......

 

I control the 737NGX and 777 with a joystick :lol:

Maybe it's because I'm used to sitting in real flightdecks (or at least fully simulated ones), I certainly could not get on with the wide angle view. Whatever makes you happy I suppose. I still don't see how you can read EFIS and EICAS displays properly, select VC clickspots, etc with that set up though.

dont forget the main Q about this topic i started. Things has sometimes an effect to turn away from the original Q 

 

Michael

I change zoom depending on what I'm doing. If it is ground ops/visual approach then I'll use 0.40, otherwise I'll use 0.60 or 0.50, depending.

 

If I'm flying an instrument approach, I'll zoom so that the ND is touching the right-hand side of the display. I can see a bit of runway, but mostly instruments.

 

Regarding what you can/can not see in the real aircraft vs. the sim, the difference is you can flick your eyes. It's like driving a car - I can either look at the speedometer or I can look at the road, but not both. However, there is a thing called *peripheral vision* whereby you can still see generalities. If you zoom such that the only thing on the screen is the instruments or outside view, you lose this peripheral vision, and situational awareness will drop as a result.

 

Regarding the zoom "number" - beware that if you have a wide-aspect monitor that the value vs. distance will change. On my system a zoom of 0.40 is the same as a zoom of 0.60 on a wide aspect system. There is an option in the fsx.cfg that is set false/true depending. It is set to false on my system.

 

Best regards,

Robin.

Maybe it's because I'm used to sitting in real flightdecks (or at least fully simulated ones), I certainly could not get on with the wide angle view. Whatever makes you happy I suppose. I still don't see how you can read EFIS and EICAS displays properly, select VC clickspots, etc with that set up though.

 

Bingo.

 

People who have been there try to simulate being there.

 

Simmers simulate what they expect being there would feel like.  Apparently that means developing wide angle vision.  Unforunately, the FAA never set up my appointment with my optometrist.  I thought that came standard with the license, and I got it seven years ago.

 

...holy crap...I just realized it was actually today...