^^^Pretty much the topic.

In a similar note, bonus 2nd question I have is what is the difference between simconnect and FSUIPC?

For FSUIPC:  Do you have the paid (registered version?  in FSX go to the "Add-on" menu and "FSUIPC" should appear.  Select it and map a yoke or stick button to a function to check that it works.  FSUIPC is probably the most valuable tool you can get for FSX / P3D. 

Look in your FSXModules folder.  If there is FSUIPC stuff in there, then guess what??  It's installed.

They both serve the same purpose but I think FSUIPC is more up to date with things.

Actually, registered FSUIPC adds a ton of additional things to enhance your sim enjoyment well beyond the capabilities of SimConnect, but more to the point doesn't require anyone to code and compile modules that work to enable SimConnect's functions/features!

In short, SimConnect is effectively "non-accessable" for the average simmer. It is a tool exclusively for programmers to use.

Just to add   some  addons  actually  require  you  to have  it  as  well

21 hours ago, charliearon said:

...

They both serve the same purpose but I think FSUIPC is more up to date with things.

Hi Charlie,

That's not exactly correct. FSUIPC builds upon and uses SimConnect to get and set simulation variables. SimConnect is the official API that developers can use to interact with the simulator. Apart from the functionality that's offered to users through the user interface, FSUIPC offers its own API for developers to use. In the past (before FSX) there was no such thing as SimConnect and developers needed FSUIPC (Flight Simulator Universal Inter Process Communication) to interact with the simulator. Today, most add-ons no longer need FSUIPC because they can interact with the simulator directly through SimConnect and the added value of FSUIPC is for the largest part related to the configuration and calibration (buttons, axis) of peripheral devices.

Maarten

21 hours ago, bbuckley said:

For FSUIPC:  Do you have the paid (registered version?  in FSX go to the "Add-on" menu and "FSUIPC" should appear. 

I don't know if I have any version, hence my question. I assume both the reg and non-reg versions will have a pull down area within FSX 'addon' menu?

The reg version has far more tabs once you select it from the drop down FSX addon menu. It has stuff like upper wind smoothing, control mapping, auto-saving etc.

6 hours ago, mawibo said:

Hi Charlie,

That's not exactly correct. FSUIPC builds upon and uses SimConnect to get and set simulation variables. SimConnect is the official API that developers can use to interact with the simulator. Apart from the functionality that's offered to users through the user interface, FSUIPC offers its own API for developers to use. In the past (before FSX) there was no such thing as SimConnect and developers needed FSUIPC (Flight Simulator Universal Inter Process Communication) to interact with the simulator. Today, most add-ons no longer need FSUIPC because they can interact with the simulator directly through SimConnect and the added value of FSUIPC is for the largest part related to the configuration and calibration (buttons, axis) of peripheral devices.

Maarten

So you say fsuipc is almost exclusively dealing with peripheral devices such as your yoke or joystick?   If so does the program need to be installed to make the yoke function more smoothly or accurately?  

Hi,

2 minutes ago, Saucey12 said:

... does the program need to be installed to make the yoke function more smoothly or accurately?  

It depends on your yoke. It might help if you are having issues. I suggest you read the documentation to find out if you want or need any of the features that FSUIPC provides.

Maarten

5 minutes ago, mawibo said:

Hi,

It depends on your yoke. It might help if you are having issues. I suggest you read the documentation to find out if you want or need any of the features that FSUIPC provides.

Maarten

thank you for the link.  Currently im just using a cheap joystick temporarily until I can save up enough money to get a quality setup.  These cheap yokes are made for combat flight sims.  They're incredibly stiff and cumbersome. 

8 hours ago, mawibo said:

Hi Charlie,

That's not exactly correct. FSUIPC builds upon and uses SimConnect to get and set simulation variables. SimConnect is the official API that developers can use to interact with the simulator. Apart from the functionality that's offered to users through the user interface, FSUIPC offers its own API for developers to use. In the past (before FSX) there was no such thing as SimConnect and developers needed FSUIPC (Flight Simulator Universal Inter Process Communication) to interact with the simulator. Today, most add-ons no longer need FSUIPC because they can interact with the simulator directly through SimConnect and the added value of FSUIPC is for the largest part related to the configuration and calibration (buttons, axis) of peripheral devices.

Maarten

Your not strictly correct either. FSUIPC is stand alone. It is not "just" for calibrating joy sticks either. Many programmes use it to interface with all the sims depending on what version of FSUIPC the sim requires. For example PF3 uses it. No joystick calibration needed there! Some add-ons require simconnect some don't. FSUIPC does not need simconnect.

It also monitors Virtual Address Space (VAS) and you can set it up to produce a log at the end of the flight telling you how much was used.  If you are low on VAS, the utility will "ding" several times warning you that you are about to run out of VAS.  No one likes the "ding".  I do not need the registered version (no one does in FSX) but purchased it anyway when the developer used the utility to trap the infamous G3D.dll error where no one could find a solution for this sudden crash.  IMHO this was the greatest feat in all of flight simulation as everyone got the g3d.dll error. 

I would be careful with using the utility to program your yokes and throttles.  There have been many known crashes caused by those who failed to program the utility properly (see AVSIM CTD Forum).  The utility also has an Autosave function for flights so that you can come back later on and continue the flight but this has been known to cause crashes too.  This may have been fixed by the developer but, if you get a crash with Autosave on, suspect it as the cause and turn it off.

Best regards,

Jim

1 hour ago, vololiberista said:

Your not strictly correct either. FSUIPC is stand alone. It is not "just" for calibrating joy sticks either. Many programmes use it to interface with all the sims depending on what version of FSUIPC the sim requires. For example PF3 uses it. No joystick calibration needed there! Some add-ons require simconnect some don't. FSUIPC does not need simconnect.

Hi,

1) 'FSUIPC is stand alone', well no, it's an in-process dll and as such part of the simulator process.

2) I did not say it was just for calibrating joysticks, I said it's added value is for the largest part related to configuring and calibrating peripherals. It's weather features are now almost all taken care of by dedicated weather programs like ActiveSky.

3) 'Many programmes use it to interface...': depends on what number you consider to be 'many': virtually everything can be done using SimConnect and it's just the developers that are used to interface with the sim through FSUIPC, because they did so before the advent of FSX, that are still using it.

4) 'FSUIPC does not need SimConnect' ... well, what can I say.. it's simply not true. FSUIPC gets almost all of its simulator data through SimConnect. Before FSX, FSUIPC got its data by inspecting memory addresses, but today it's all SimConnect. Go read some forum posts by Pete Dowson. You can also very this to be true by inspecting the SimConnect log (if you turn that on).

Maarten