Major Problem:PMDG 777-OPS CENTER

[An226 0]

Hello,

For a while I have had the PMDG 777-200lr and -300er for FSX:SE. I submitted a support ticket 0E4-1D038FC3-0420 about the -300er external camera. When I use any livery other than the default livery I only see shadows on the camera. I was told by Mr.Ryan it is an Operations cener problem. I then tried to copy a British Airways paint scheme into the Default folder beccuse that is the livery I wanted to try to make the program think that that is the default. I tired it in another B737 plane and assumed  it would work in Pmdg. I made a mess of the files.

 

To fix the problem, I ran the un-installler (200lr/300er) and deleted the pmdg folders in the local roaming and the simulator to do a clean uninstall. To avoid license issues i cancelled the licenses.

I then reinstalled both planes and reactivated the licenses.

 

Now, I am having some problems with the Ops center

1. i get an error message loading any liveries

2. The options cant be changed

3. It tells me i have the latest ops center even i know that isnt true.

 

I went to the installer and opened file properties and it said i have version 1.10.6492.0- I believe this is the latest verison to my knowledge

I then went to the change log in the ops center and i have 1.14.3 dated 3-5-15- I read of a 1.6 version

Also I ran the updater and it says I am up to date

Help will be greately appreciated,

Thank You,

Austin Johnson

 

[kevinh 409]

Hello,

For a while I have had the PMDG 777-200lr and -300er for FSX:SE. I submitted a support ticket 0E4-1D038FC3-0420 about the -300er external camera. When I use any livery other than the default livery I only see shadows on the camera. I was told by Mr.Ryan it is an Operations cener problem. I then tried to copy a British Airways paint scheme into the Default folder beccuse that is the livery I wanted to try to make the program think that that is the default. I tired it in another B737 plane and assumed  it would work in Pmdg. I made a mess of the files.

 

To fix the problem, I ran the un-installler (200lr/300er) and deleted the pmdg folders in the local roaming and the simulator to do a clean uninstall. To avoid license issues i cancelled the licenses.

I then reinstalled both planes and reactivated the licenses.

 

Now, I am having some problems with the Ops center

1. i get an error message loading any liveries

2. The options cant be changed

3. It tells me i have the latest ops center even i know that isnt true.

 

I went to the installer and opened file properties and it said i have version 1.10.6492.0- I believe this is the latest verison to my knowledge

I then went to the change log in the ops center and i have 1.14.3 dated 3-5-15- I read of a 1.6 version

Also I ran the updater and it says I am up to date

Help will be greately appreciated,

Thank You,

Austin Johnson

Hi Austin,

 

I had exactly the same problem with the external camera textures and the fix Ryan gave me was to uninstall and reinstall the affected liveries because the way the external camera textures were installed by the OC had been changed. This was fixed automatically for the house textures but any other textures had to be reinstalled using the new method. So it wasn't an OC problem as such. As for copying your preferred BA textures into the house livery to make them default, that wouldn't have solved anything and can only have created problems. I'm not a fan of house liveries at all but I accept that in some addons they need to be there and should be left alone.

 

Regarding version numbers the latest 777 is indeed 1.10.6492 and if you have that you must also have the latest OC version (as it checks for updates every time you open it). The current OC version is 1.14.3. 1.6 is much older (it dates from 2013).

 

The fact that you get errors does seem to indicate you have a licensing issue (when you uninstall to reinstall on the same PC there's no need to release the license). As you've tried uninstalling completely already, the best way to deal with this is to open a new Support Ticket.

[An226 0]

I had to reactivate licenses becase, I was afraid when i deleted the pmdg folder (under my documents)it would delete the license info.

I am going to submit a new ticket for support.

You are correct the house liverles are working fine but, none of the options show up for 300er

 

To answer your concern about the license issue, I loaded the plane in fsx:se and entered the license number and the server accepted it.

[downscc 1,327]

A very good example of why I am against reinstalling software in the hopes of solving a problem. Good example.

[kevinh 409]

 

 

To answer your concern about the license issue, I loaded the plane in fsx:se and entered the license number and the server accepted it.

I didn't have a concern about it for you to answer, it just seemed the most likely cause. I'm sure PMDG will be able to sort your problem out, but I would urge you to do exactly as they suggest and not try an alternative idea like overwriting the house liveries.

 

Did you actually try removing the -300ER liveries in the OC and then installing them again?

[An226 0]

I didn't have a concern about it for you to answer, it just seemed the most likely cause. I'm sure PMDG will be able to sort your problem out, but I would urge you to do exactly as they suggest and not try an alternative idea like overwriting the house liveries.

 

Did you actually try removing the -300ER liveries in the OC and then installing them again?

I did a complete delete and reinstall and even re downloaded the entire program installers and all. Now, the liveries wont even download except for the house ones. I did a second complete delete and fresh reinstall  because the 1st time i think i missed some files. Everything is now working except for the liveries being able to download. Somehow, the -300er configuration worked.

After going working on some school work, I came back to write this response and tried to run the livery installer and everything is working.

I still am checking to see if the camera issue is fixed.

[An226 0]

Everything is working except for the camera for non-house liveries (300er). All I see in the camera is the airplanes shadow.

[kevinh 409]

Everything is working except for the camera for non-house liveries (300er). All I see in the camera is the airplanes shadow.

Hi Austin,

 

Good to hear you have the 777-300 running again. I owe you an apology for assuming the problem you were talking about was the same one I had previously. I've just checked my -300ER GMC camera and I have this same issue too, no visible model or textures. (The previous problem had a model but no textures so it appeared black, which is what I assumed you meant). Clearly it's an OC livery installer problem (the version number for the GMC files is not the latest). You can fix it with a some manual editing of text files. This will get it working until PMDG fix the problem.

 

Open explorer and navigate to your root FSX folder, then through Sim Objects to Airplanes. Now locate a folder named PMDG 777-GMC.  (GMC is Ground Manoeuvring Camera). This should have a sub folder for each -300ER livery but currently only has one for PMDG.

 

For each livery you need to:

 

1. Copy the folder texture.pmdg, paste it and rename as texture.xx where xx is the livery extension as in the main 777-300ER folders. So for Emirates it will be texture.ek.

 

2. Open the new folder and edit the texture.cfg file using Notepad. Change texture.pmdg to texture.xx (i.e. texture.ek for Emirates), then save it.

 

3. When you have made folders for all the liveries and edited the texture.cfg files, open the aircraft.cfg file in Notepad and copy the lines under flightsim.0 for each livery, increasing the number by one each time (just as for manual repaint additions).

 

If the first livery is Emirates the entries in aircraft.cfg should look like this:

 

[fltsim.0]

title=PMDG 777-300ER PMDG House GMC

sim=default

model=

texture=PMDG

 

[fltsim.1]

title=PMDG 777-31HER Emirates GMC

sim=default

model=

texture=EK

 

Note the title line must be unique and follow the naming convention PMDG used for the house livery. In other words, the title used for the livery in the corresponding PMDG 777-300ER aircraft.cfg file but add "GMC" at the end. If you don't do this the camera will not show an external model for that livery.

 

You should end up with the following folders under PMDG 777-GMC

 

[model]

[texture.pmdg]

[texture.xx]

[texture.yy]

[texture.zz]

 

and so on for each livery. Hopefully this works for you, as it does for me. Obviously if you later add or delete -300ER liveries you will need to modify these folders and aircraft.cfg manually.

 

By the way, are you using FSX-SE, as I am? If so, it's possible this OC problem is Steam related.

 

cheers,

 

Kevin

[An226 0]

I am using FSX:SE

[An226 0]

Thankyou everyone,
I used Kevin H's advice to copy some files.

That solved everything.

Lesson learned: The default liveries copy but, the GMC camera portion doesn't.

[Mike777 163]

 

 

Good to hear you have the 777-300 running again. I owe you an apology for assuming the problem you were talking about was the same one I had previously. I've just checked my -300ER GMC camera and I have this same issue too, no visible model or textures. (The previous problem had a model but no textures so it appeared black, which is what I assumed you meant). Clearly it's an OC livery installer problem (the version number for the GMC files is not the latest). You can fix it with a some manual editing of text files. This will get it working until PMDG fix the problem.

 

I am using FSX:SE (dual install).

 

I just took a look at my 777-GMC folder.  16 of the 20 liveries installed in my 777-300 folder have the correct folders and entries in the GMC aircraft.cfg file, four do not. 

 

One of them I just installed, but it wasn't supplied as a .ptp file so it's understandable that the OC did not install the correct folders and files into the -GMC folder, or add the appropriate settings to the aircraft.cfg file.

 

But at least two third-party liveries I installed recently, missing from -GMC, did come in a .ptp file.  So I am wondering if some third party painters are not preparing the .ptp files correctly?  Or possibly they were issued before the camera function was added to the -300ER?  I don't recall whether the original release of the -300ER had the camera function.

 

For the fourth one I don't know the source.

 

I don't have time right now to open all the aircraft in FSX, but looking at the folders and files, they do appear to follow the instructions Kevin gave. 

 

So:  I am thinking there may be an issue either with some third party liveries -- especially older ones -- or improper preparation of the .ptp file. 

 

Thanks Kevin for the instructions on how to fix ones that are missing!

 

Mike

[kevinh 409]

 

 

Thanks Kevin for the instructions on how to fix ones that are missing!

Hi Mike,

 

No problem. In my case (FSX-SE single install) none of my liveries had an entry in the GMC folder. PMDG liveries and third party liveries (from PTP files).

 

Kevin

[Mike777 163]

 

 

No problem. In my case (FSX-SE single install) none of my liveries had an entry in the GMC folder. PMDG liveries and third party liveries (from PTP files).

 

Hi, Kevin

 

Looking further into this issue, almost none of the camera views are working properly, even when most or all of the folders, texture.cfg files and aircraft.cfg file entries are present in the 777 GMC folder.  This is true for both FSX:MS & FSX:SE. 

 

The reason is simple!  All of the texture= entries in the aircraft.cfg file are incorrect.  For example, for Air France, the texture= entry is "Air France" when it should be "AF".  All of them are like that except for the PMDG house livery.  They appear to be derived from the title entry, which of course usually isn't the same as the texture name.

 

Thanks very much, Kevin, for pointing out the proper relationship among the various files and the various entries.  I think I'll file a ticket and put in a link to this thread.

 

Mike

[Mike777 163]

I downloaded the Singapore livery for the -300ER from PMDG last night (to FSX:SE) and no entries were created in the 777 GMC folder.  So I think PMDG has shut off the OC's function in this area.  Anyway, I filed a ticket.

 

Mike

[kevinh 409]

I downloaded the Singapore livery for the -300ER from PMDG last night (to FSX:SE) and no entries were created in the 777 GMC folder. So I think PMDG has shut off the OC's function in this area. Anyway, I filed a ticket.

 

Mike

Mike, I think this is FSX-SE related rather than a general OC problem. Livery export doesn't work with FSX-SE installs either.

 

PMDG already know about the livery export problem but maybe not about the GMC problem.