Camera Position X

[VFRHawk 16]

Hi,

 

I'm looking at buying CameraPositionX but just wanted to check it'll do exactly what I need first.

I'm using P3D V4 with the PMDG 737NGX.  What I want is to be able to assign the existing VC views to either keys (then use FSUIPC to assign the keys to switches on my HOTAS), or directly to buttons if it can do that.

As a secondary issue, if I can set up a new view based on the existing pilots view in the VC, but tipped down by a few degrees that'd be even better!  I've read the product page and feel pretty sure it can do what I need, just want to be sure..

Many thanks

Graham

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hello Graham,

Sorry, but CameraPosition X doesn't offer a separate set of hotkeys. All you can do is to assign the view hotkeys that the simulator always had anyway (Number keys 1-9) to the camera definitions.

The second one (=visually creating camera definitions and saving them in the  aircraft.cfg) is the main purpose of CPX.

For separate hotkeys to work, CPX would have to be active all the time while you fly. That isn't the real focus of the app, it rather is a configuration tool that allows you to make better use of the native camera system of the simulator. Contrary to the usual way that camera addons work, camera positions defined with CPX will always be there, even when CPX isn't running at all.

Best regards

[VFRHawk 16]

Cheers for the answer Oliver.

Guess I didn't explain myself too well.  Being able to assign 1 to the VC view, 2 to the overhead lower view and 3 to the pedestal view is basically exactly what I want - I can then assign those numbers to buttons or switches in FSUIPC.

So, went and bought the product.  Installed, runs fine.  I've loaded each of the views, and added the hotkeys as the line above, then replaced the camera.  Apart from faintly hilarious end results where the plane pogo's across the airfield on save, it seems to have worked in that there's no error messages, and the aircraft.cfg  has gained hotkey entries against those cameras.

Problem is, pressing those numbers doesn't bring up the view assigned to it?  Am I being incredibly dumb and missing something obvious?  For instance, I load the aircraft and press 2 and nothing happens - 2 should show me the VC overhead lower.

Any help appreciated!

Graham

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hello Graham,

sorry, my mistake, I forgot that those events aren't assigned to keys by default.

Go to the Options->Controls dialog, select the Event Category "Views" and assign the Events "View camera n" to keyboard combos (n corresponds to the hotkey). I am using Ctrl&Numberkey (those on top of the keyboard). But IIRC not all of those events are present by default, only about 5 or 6 of them, and one has to add the missing view event definitions to the standard.xml config file manually. Not sure though how that was done, will have to check.

Edit: now I remember. The missing events are already assigned by the cameras.cfg to the standard views and associated keys (F9, F10, F11, F12). But you should be able to override them in the aircraft.cfg (? or at least some of them)

Best regards

[VFRHawk 16]

Thanks Oliver - that's sorted it.  I ended just changing the default VC view slightly using your software, then there's already a key to go back to that (F9).  Then assigned Overhead Lower to 6 and Centre Pedestal to 7.  Added them to buttons using FSUIPC and we're done!

May I be so bold as to suggest a possible addon that doesn't seem hard to do, but might see a small market?  I tend to fly a lot of the "study" level aircraft - PMDG, the Dash 8 etc - and most use external flight models that don't play well with accelerated time.  They're all fine when a flight is straight and level but you have to remember to reset time compression back to 0 before each waypoint, then accelerate it again afterwards.  I wonder if that would be difficult to do programatically?  So a small in game GUI that lets you set how far before the waypoint you return to normal time, and how far after a waypoint you want to return to your previous compression.  Then I could put my aircraft into my normal 4x acceleration once I've finished climbing out, confident that if I get distracted it'll drop to normal time (say) 5 miles before each waypoint in the flightplan and speed back up again 3 miles afterwards.

Is that feasible?  This came up in a conversation in another forum here on Avsim, but no-one knew of an addon that did it, and it occurs to me that you may be just the man to make one!

Graham

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hello Graham,

a flightplan based time accelerator. Isn't that logic included in the PMDG planes already (at least in the 777)? I think a have a plane somewhere that does this. 

But generally speaking you are right, this is relatively easy to do. I should have all of the required modules already developed between the Lorby addons. I will think about that for a while. Problem is time, I currently don't have enough of that for new projects.

AFAIK the issue isn't really the external flight model. The whole time acceleration principle in itself is by definition inaccurate, because it leaves out a lot of calculations to "compress" the processdings. So rounding errors are introduced into everything the sim does, including the FDEs, multiplying with simulation rate. A little bit like very low FPS.

Best regards

[VFRHawk 16]

Yes, think someone mentioned that the 777 did it already in the other convo - not heard of any other planes that do that and I've not got the 777.

Understood on the time thing - not a problem, just thought I'd mention it.

Have a good day.

Graham

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

11 hours ago, VFRHawk said:

Yes, think someone mentioned that the 777 did it already in the other convo - not heard of any other planes that do that and I've not got the 777.

Understood on the time thing - not a problem, just thought I'd mention it.

Have a good day.

Graham

Hello Graham,

I have a prototype of the "Lorby Time Machine" ready. If you would be willing to test it, please send me a PM here in the forum.

Best regards