MSFS Multiple Windows

[Bumbleo 0]

I would like to be able to run multiple (2) windows, one for the panel and one for the outside view which I find too far down the cockpit, even if I raise the point of view. When I fly for real, I get a good view outside and have to look down to the panel. Therefore I would like to run the panel on my laptop screen and the outside view on my monitor without the expense of running a desktop with 2 cards as in FSX. 

Anyone got any ideas?

Note to moderator: I couldnt find a search box to see if this has been asked before.

[pmb 5,137]

There are several solutions in the Home Cockpit Builders category of the official forum. Personally, I use a hardware panel driven by SPAD.neXt, so this is slightly different.

The best solution if you want to have the panel on a networked laptop screen, might be Sim Innovations Air Manager 4.0 beta, which you can try for free. While I don't need it right now as I have the named hardware panel, I tried it and it works.

That's for steam gauges. If you want the G1000 on the laptop, there are several ideas floating around the official forum as well. One is based on a bezel from Air Manager plus a popped out G1000, but I think this only works if you connect the 2nd screen to the main machine (not networked). There are a few alternative approaches as well.

You still have to ged rid of the panel on the main display, but there are solutions on the official forum as well. The one I use shifts the pilot's seat forward of the propeller. It's dangerous, I know 😉, but works pretty well. Asobo implemented a panel-free mode recently as well, it's somewhere in the menu but doesn't work properly yet - hopefully the next sim update will amend it.

Kind regards, Michael

[sal9000 210]

Hi,

there is a quick tour around my Desk-Simulator with different solutions.

All written in the discription below

Panels RVC MSFS TBM 930 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maurotn.remotevirtualcockpit.msfs.tbm930&hl=de&gl=US

GlassCockpit To Sim https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.peixsoft.glasscockpittosim&hl=de&gl=US

MSFS Mobile Companion App https://flightsim.to/file/2828/msfs-mobile-companion-app

FsRadioPanel Pro https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tambucho.fsradiopanel&hl=de&gl=US

Edited February 5, 2021 by sal9000

[Ianrivaldosmith 5,317]

31 minutes ago, sal9000 said:

Hi,

there is a quick tour around my Desk-Simulator with different solutions.

All written in the discription below

Panels RVC MSFS TBM 930 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maurotn.remotevirtualcockpit.msfs.tbm930&hl=de&gl=US

GlassCockpit To Sim https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.peixsoft.glasscockpittosim&hl=de&gl=US

MSFS Mobile Companion App https://flightsim.to/file/2828/msfs-mobile-companion-app

FsRadioPanel Pro https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tambucho.fsradiopanel&hl=de&gl=US

I was contemplating going for something like this, but I will try VR first when my G2 arrives soon, before I make a decision. 

[sal9000 210]

7 minutes ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

before I make a decision. 

I will try to get both, because flying the drone with VR is feeling like Superman.

But flying with a plane, is only real when you can touch a cockpit 😉

[Cargostorm 151]

Asobo will adress multi monitor support in the future. One problem I see for the time-being is that multi monitor environment will cost some significant FPS if one just relies on MSFS.

For example: just pop out the PFD panel in the A32NX and this will cost you already around 10 FPS even if you just use one monitor. Luckily, the FPS decrease is not worse when you shift said panel to an other monitor. Certainly this is something that should be improved in the future.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Cargostorm

[pmb 5,137]

20 minutes ago, sal9000 said:

I will try to get both, because flying the drone with VR is feeling like Superman.

But flying with a plane, is only real when you can touch a cockpit 😉

I am back and forth between both solutions. On the one hand, only VR gives me the real feeling of sitting in a plane. On the other hand... as you say, real knobs are real knobs.

But sorry, this drags away from the question.

There's (at least) one more solution. SPAD.neXt, which was originally made for the Saitek FIPs, allows "Virtual FIPs" to be displayed on a separate display. SPAD.neXt is based on Simconnect and works on a networked machine (my everyday use).

Kind regards, Michael

Edited February 5, 2021 by pmb

[109Sqn 1,552]

5 hours ago, Bumbleo said:

Note to moderator: I couldnt find a search box to see if this has been asked before.

Top right of your screen, underneath your user name.

[pmb 5,137]

Just released a few hours ago:

https://www.aerosoft.com/en/sale/further-offers/3353/4flightsims-skyelite-msfs?c=1704

Didn't yet find time to try it.

Kind regards, Michael

 

 

 

[saifs 153]

Wow thanks! Been waiting for something like this for a long time. 

[svallott 1]

what about a 2D panel to get all the in formations from cokpit like a real one ? no use of camera to look right/left/down/up ? Serge

[marsman2020 1,310]

29 minutes ago, svallott said:

what about a 2D panel to get all the in formations from cokpit like a real one ? no use of camera to look right/left/down/up ? Serge

This is what Air Manager does.  It connects to the sim via SimConnect and displays a 2D instrument panel.

Right now there is a big performance drop in the sim just from spawning a 2nd MSFS window.  Open the VFR map in sim and break it out into another window on a 2nd screen, instant 10fps drop.  Unless Asobo identifies and solves this as part of their "multiple window support", SimConnect based tools like Air Manager will likely remain a better option for displaying 2D instrument panels. 

Honestly I'm skeptical of Asobo's ability to understand what we are asking for when we ask for multiple windows and actually implement it well.  They seem to frequently not read past the first post of a Wishlist threads, or really dig into what is needed - we end up with half baked implementations of things that don't really meet the need, and it is claimed to be "done", and then they feign not knowing in the Dev Q&As.  The Multiple Windows feature is an area where we will learn how much they are actually paying attention.

Edited February 5, 2021 by marsman2020

[himmelhorse 1,276]

8 hours ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

I was contemplating going for something like this, but I will try VR first when my G2 arrives soon, before I make a decision. 

Ian,

I personally think that VR is the way to go, I think this because I had 6 monitors running off one computer using three GPUs and this was for FS2004.  I thought it was a brilliant concept and worked wonderfully well. 

With the advent of FSX I tried the same thing and was reduced to about 3-4 FPS, not only far from ideal, but totally unworkable. I steadily reduced screenss until I came back to a single monitor and even then the frame rate was pretty bad. This was mostly down to my computer specifications admittedly, but FS2004 continued to work brilliantly.

I upgraded computers with no apparent benefit and thus I never completed a successful flight with FSX. I went on to FSX-SE but that too was a futile effort.  P3D came along and again I upgraded my computer and managed to follow that platform right up to v5.1.  Performance with a single monitor was reasonable (never good until my last upgrade) but utilising even a second monitor depleted FPS at an alarming rate.  

I have yet to be convinced that MSFS will not be the same when it is eventually available.  By the way, all the above efforts were using 1080P screens. 

Then you have to take into account the cost of an extra, good monitor or a good LED/LCD TV/TVs.    

Personally, again, I loved the use of the 6 screens (see my Avatar) as I felt the immersion was incredible.  I have yet to try VR but it is on my bucket list for sure, and I am just trying to raise some money for the purchase (In Australia they are not cheap)

I hope this does in fact influence you and your decision.  I have two monitors at the moment and performance is OK with P3D but not with XPlane and again this is only with 1080P. I use the second monitor mostly for real estate reasons with normal computer working.

Good luck mate

Tony

[Ianrivaldosmith 5,317]

2 minutes ago, himmelhorse said:

Good luck mate

Tony

Thanks! If I like VR (when my G2 shows up) then I am also going to get one of these https://www.yawvr.com to go with it, as they look super good! 

[marsman2020 1,310]

8 minutes ago, Ianrivaldosmith said:

Thanks! If I like VR (when my G2 shows up) then I am also going to get one of these https://www.yawvr.com to go with it, as they look super good! 

I'm curious about this because if it moves you, based on the airplane motion, then the head tracking on your headset will pick this up and change your viewpoint inside the cockpit.

Watched a youtube video of some twitch streamer trying this with MSFS and every time she was in a bank she had her head at a really uncomfortable looking angle to keep the viewpoint level. Did not look like it would be comfortable for any length of time.

Hardware like this needs to talk to the sim to work effectively, the sim needs to be able to 'subtract out' the motion of the headset due to the motion of the motion base.

Edited February 5, 2021 by marsman2020