RealityXP VC display in Twin Otter DCH6 300 (resolved)

[juniper 0]

I have recently bought RealityXP GNS 530 v2 and successfully installed it into my my flight sim.  However there is a display problem in the Virtual Cockpit (VC) that I cannot solve. 

If I display the RealityXP GNS 530 with no bezel I can modify the co-ordinates (in the panel.cfg)  to set the display within the existing GPS bezel in the VC.  From looking at the forum this is also what others have successfully done.  However this then means that the controls do not function as they are not those associated with the XP GNS530.  If I enable the bezel the complete instrument, with operational controls, appears in the old display area of the original GPS, effectively showing a nested display with two sets of controls. I would have thought that it would have been possible to add the complete GNS530 into the VC completely replacing the old GPS including its bezel...?

So I guess my question is how do you completely replace the old GPS with the new RealityXP GPS in the VC.  On the face of it his would seem to be a function of co-ordinate setting in the panel.cfg file but so far I have not managed to make it work.  Interestingly if I increase the size of the RealityXP GPS gauge to something greater than that occupied by the display area of the old gauge all that happens is that the extended RealityXP GPS gauge hides behind the old GPS bezel rather than it appearing pasted on top.

Any ideas or thoughts wouldbe greatly appreciated.

 

 

[fppilot 4,371]

Which Twin Otter?

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

It really does depend on the airplane.. but your first option is usually the better one.

For the Aerosoft Twin Otter, I replaced the GNS by an RXP equivalent

//gauge10=TW_GPS!GPS_530vc3D, 4,4,332,248
gauge10=rxpGNS2!GNS_530_1, 4,4,332,248,VC

and made sure that the ini file had

UseSimGpsCmds = true

in it.

That connects the RXP GNS to the standard knob and button commands that most airplanes use.

I did have to add some buttons that were still not functional, as follows:

<Gauge Name="GNS 530 missing buttons" Version="1.0">

<Element>
     <Select>
      <Value>
   (L:GPS_CDI,bool) if{
   (>K:GPS_NEAREST_BUTTON)
   0 (>L:GPS_CDI,bool) }

   (L:GPS_Vnav,bool) if{
   (>K:GPS_VNAV_BUTTON)
   0 (>L:GPS_Vnav,bool) }

   (L:GPS_ComNav_select,bool) if{
   (>K:GPS_BUTTON1)
   0 (>L:GPS_ComNav_select,bool) }
      
   </Value>
     </Select>
   </Element>
</Gauge>

 

Edited May 22, 2020 by Bert Pieke

[juniper 0]

Guys firstly many thanks for for taking the time to reply to my post.

The (Aerosoft) aircraft I am flying is the float variant.  The orginal GPS model/gauge is called from the panel folder in the Wheeled version, this seems to be the way Aerosoft set things up, this is the path:

.../Aerosoft_DCH6_300_WHEEL/Panel/TW_GPS!GPS_530vc3D

 

For info my modification to the gauge10 statement in the panel.cfg file was very similar to the one you suggested Bert

gauge10=rxpGNS2!GNS_530_1, 10,10,321,240, RESIZEDGAUGE

The 5th parameter (RESIZEDGAUGE) relates to an additional section I created in the RealityXP.GNS.ini file which allows me to play with the bezel settings etc.

 

I tried out the settings you suggested Bert (with the bezel selected but excluding the button additions for the moment ) and the picture at the link below shows what I saw as a result, a complete RXP gauge with display and controls nested within the old GPS control bezel.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gFDhcegXVEmpRwfhHXWPFmA4CECZHm_a/view?usp=sharing

If you deselect the bezel then the RXP GPS (display only) fits nicely in the frame but you are left with the original GPS controls surrounding it.

So I am still left not really understanding why it is not possible to replace the whole of the old GPS element in the VC.  I feel that I am missing something fundamental about the way the VC panel is consructed and implemented.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RXP 2,338]

5 hours ago, juniper said:

why it is not possible to replace the whole of the old GPS element in the VC.  I feel that I am missing something fundamental about the way the VC panel is consructed and implemented.

Hi,

This is very simple:

- The gauge is displaying as a flat texture and this is how it is meant to be.

- The 3D cockpit bezel is a 3D texture mesh and embedded into the whole 3D cockpit polygons.

The former can only display where the later leaves places to render to (in this case right in the middle of the 3D bezel in the 3D cockpit), and the FltSim rendering engine doesn't let any gauge rendering atop existing 3D polygons (these are 2 different things).

[juniper 0]

Hi Jean-Luc, many thanks for the reply. 

Ok, in essence what I am trying to do is not possible, however it is good to know why 🙂

So the best setup is to configure the RXP GNS to fit in the existing VC display co-ordinates with the bezel removed. 

An additional question then... would you expect the VC controls from the original GPS  to work correctly with the RXP?

 

 

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

That question was answered above..

It is up to Aerosoft to decide what codes are generated when you push a button in their 3d model... luckily, most of their buttons are coded to generate something that the RXP GNS can understand.

Not all airplanes follow this pattern though.. sometimes it takes a custom coding translation table..

Edited May 23, 2020 by Bert Pieke

[RXP 2,338]

It is important to understand 3D cockpit interactivity on 3D knobs, levers etc... is embedded in the form of "code" into the 3D model file.

Most 3D models embedding the default GPS are also usually embedding the default GPS commands for the 3D button. There is a RXP option for this: "Use Simulator GPS Commands".

Bert has provided you additional custom-made code you could use to bind additional controls.

 

Edited June 23, 2020 by RXP

[juniper 0]

Many thanks both, I guess I was trying to understand the display issue first, before moving on to looking at the behaviour of the VC controls.  Bert your suggestions for inclusions are very helpful.

[mslim 13]

On 5/22/2020 at 5:40 PM, Bert Pieke said:

It really does depend on the airplane.. but your first option is usually the better one.

For the Aerosoft Twin Otter, I replaced the GNS by an RXP equivalent

Spoiler

 

//gauge10=TW_GPS!GPS_530vc3D, 4,4,332,248
gauge10=rxpGNS2!GNS_530_1, 4,4,332,248,VC

and made sure that the ini file had

UseSimGpsCmds = true

in it.

That connects the RXP GNS to the standard knob and button commands that most airplanes use.

I did have to add some buttons that were still not functional, as follows:

<Gauge Name="GNS 530 missing buttons" Version="1.0">

<Element>
     <Select>
      <Value>
   (L:GPS_CDI,bool) if{
   (>K:GPS_NEAREST_BUTTON)
   0 (>L:GPS_CDI,bool) }

   (L:GPS_Vnav,bool) if{
   (>K:GPS_VNAV_BUTTON)
   0 (>L:GPS_Vnav,bool) }

   (L:GPS_ComNav_select,bool) if{
   (>K:GPS_BUTTON1)
   0 (>L:GPS_ComNav_select,bool) }
      
   </Value>
     </Select>
   </Element>
</Gauge>

 

 

 

 

Bert where exactly is this file inserted and what buttons are now operational?

Edited June 23, 2020 by RXP

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

This needs to be added as an xml gauge in a subfolder to the panel folder..

I used:

gauge16=TW_GPS!GNS_Buttons,  0, 0, 1, 1

in the panel.cfg file,

and added the above text file as GNS_Buttons.xml into the TW_GPS folder.

Adds three missing buttons.. CDI, Com Nav, and whatever VNAV does.. 😉

Edited June 22, 2020 by Bert Pieke