Hello, my name is Paul, I am new and very inexperienced at using forums, so if I am not going about this properly my apologies. I want to know if there are any books about the programming or how to program FS9 and FSX? I want to learn how it all works and start learning how to manipulate, change and/or upgarde the programs, and how to create aircraft, scenery. AI etc? So if anyone can tell me if there are actually book on how to do this I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you

Hi Paul and welcome. That's a great question and I sure wish there was a book but I don't know of any one-stop ways to acquire the knowledge needed to develop things for MSFS. The problem is that the subject matter is so broad and the tools and techniques so varied and evolving (and in some cases very complex), that trying to capture all the information needed into a single book would be very difficult, and the audience is probably not that big anyway so the rewards for such a work would be small.

 

I've only worked with FSX but my understanding is that there are many differences from FS9, so to keep things simple at first I suggest you pick one platform and work with that. Get the SDK (FS9 SDK is a free download, or if you have FSX Deluxe or Gold Pack it's on the DVD's) and look over the documentation. Sign up at fsdeveloper.com and start exploring the resources and forums there.

 

I would also suggest picking a specific subject to learn, such as how to create an aircraft repaint, or how to update an airport, and go search for tutorials and also find the tools you need and practice using them, then do a project with the skills you learned. As you repeat this process you'll learn more tools and skills.

 

Besides fsdeveloper.com there are tutorials online elsewhere (some here in AVSIM's libraries), and look on YouTube for tutorial videos. You'll be doing lots of Google searches as well. Just be persistent and ask questions as you go. Good luck!

Let's see... scenery, aircraft, AI.  Nuttin' like starting small, ha!  My advice from my own experience:

 

1. Start small - select a single object. get the basics.

2. Try something you would like to see in FS, maybe something in your home town.

3. read-Read-READ.  Plan weeks if not months to scour favorite websites and their posts.  Good start is over at FSDeveloper.

4. Something simple with basics could take a couple of months.  From there, getting more proficient may take a good couple of years.

 

It's a  fun journey... good luck.

Welcome!  AVSIM has two guides to help you set up FSX.  The AVSIM FSX Config Guide and the AVSIM CTD Guide if you have crashes or things go wrong.  See the links to the guides in my signature.