Is there an addon similar to PDF Kneeboard that will run on P3D v4?

[captain420 3,099]

I use to use an amazing tool called PDF Kneeboard to have all my PDF charts, flightplans readily available from within my sim, however that addon no longer works with the new 64bit P3D v4 and I was wondering if there's something else out there that would work? This is one app I'll miss a lot, wish the author would update it to work with P3D v4.

[armchair_pilot 54]

Also interested to know this. I'm not on v4 yet but will upgrade as soon as more addons are updated. This is one must-have tool that should not be left out.

[Guest JustanotherPilot]

3 hours ago, captain420 said:

wish the author would update it to work with P3D v4.

I'd be interested as well, have you contacted the Author to find out if he intends to update.

[Demious 23]

In a real aircraft theres no window floating in front of you, with a checklist and charts, its an actual handheld tool, that is completely seperate from the cockpit environment. If simulation is meant to have computers replicate reality as much as possible, in my oppinion, the most logical way to go would be a tablet as kneeboard. Strap it to your theigh and you even have an actual kneeboard, if you'd want to, for the people who are into the oldschool stuff.

The most realistic kneeboard addon Ive seen so far, is Acrobat PDF-reader for iOS and android. Its free and its compatible with every sim platform. ;)

[armchair_pilot 54]

38 minutes ago, Demious said:

In a real aircraft theres no window floating in front of you, with a checklist and charts, its an actual handheld tool, that is completely seperate from the cockpit environment. If simulation is meant to have computers replicate reality as much as possible, in my oppinion, the most logical way to go would be a tablet as kneeboard. Strap it to your theigh and you even have an actual kneeboard, if you'd want to, for the people who are into the oldschool stuff.

The most realistic kneeboard addon Ive seen so far, is Acrobat PDF-reader for iOS and android. Its free and its compatible with every sim platform. ;)

The problem is what if you don't have a tablet? Smartphones are too small IMO to be used as a kneeboard. I found myself zooming in and out all the time which became annoying quickly since you have to keep an eye on the sim and at your pdf files simultaneously.

PDF kneeboard is less painful as you keep your eyes at one spot. Also the controls for changing files/pages etc. are quick and easy, especially helpful when there's no FO that could look up things for you. While I agree that printing out charts, checklists and so on would be a closer sim to real life, you'd have to waste a lot of toner when printing out those ~30-50 page charts/airport from jeppesen . I did it years ago but won't look back since I've used PDF kneeboard, it's just so much better and comfortable.

[captain420 3,099]

11 hours ago, JustanotherPilot said:

I'd be interested as well, have you contacted the Author to find out if he intends to update.

Yes I have, but no response. :(

I wonder how difficult it would be to update this for 64bit compatibility? What would it require? I believe the sourcecode is available for anyone who wishes to try.

I believe this is the sourcecode for the add-on, located on his page. With this, is it possible for the community to continue making this addon even better by incorporating more features and somehow someone can compile it to make it 64bit compatible for P3D v4?

https://github.com/nmeier/fscode/tree/master/pdfkneeboard

[Guest JustanotherPilot]

Shame, I really like this feature, I think it's a matter of updating the dll to 64 bit....beyond my programming ability.

 

 

[captain420 3,099]

Guys, I have some good news,

I have contacted the author and he has kindly granted permission so that we can modify the code to work with P3D v4 and to further develop and add features into the app if needed. This requires somebody with Visual  Studio knowledge or experience. Here is the link to the source code and everything we need to get this working is located here:

https://github.com/nmeier/fscode/tree/master/pdfkneeboard

He mentioned that the app is dependent on 4 external modules which may have to be reconfigured and recompiled as well, but I'm also not a programmer, but I'll pass the info along to those who can get this to work: 

1. fitz/mupdf (source contains fixes/improvements by Krzysztof K made available as part of his SumatraPDF)
2. freetype
3. libjpeg
4. zlib

[armchair_pilot 54]

So who wants to take the plunge?

[captain420 3,099]

No programmers out there? Somebody who's experienced in Visual Studio. I'm not sure whether it involves rewriting the code, or just a simple modification to the existing source code and recompiling it for 64bit or what. Wish I knew how, or I'd do it myself.

[armchair_pilot 54]

I'm no programmer unfortunately but still bumping this topic up. Maybe someone who has sufficient knowledge in coding finds it and will do us this favor.

[armchair_pilot 54]

Any news? I searched for hours to find something similar or at least a PDF reader that shows on top op fullscreen applications that you can manage with shortcuts, but to no avail. This is saddening..

[captain420 3,099]

Sigh, looks like nobody is interested. I mean I'm willing to even pay someone to make this work for P3D v4.

[franjoflyer 10]

Do lots of people still require a kneeboard?  Just out of interest I'm wondering if this would be a popular addition or would just a few dozen people use it in the community?

[captain420 3,099]

Can't speak for others, but for me, its a must have, especially when flying tubeliners and having access to all your pdf charts and flight plans right on top of your sim is so convenient. Of course I can use a tablet too, but I prefer this way as its much more intuitive.