Hi everyone. I'm new to MSFS 2020. What I'd like to do is use MSFS to show visuals only, while the aircraft (instruments, cockpit, etc.) is rendered elsewhere, outside of MSFS. That part is done; what I need to know is on the MSFS side of things. Is it possible to remove the aircraft completely, so that you sit in an invisible cockpit? Or an entirely absent cockpit? No cockpit textures, no gauges, nothing at all, just and empty screen that shows the outside world?

And if this is possible, are there any performance implications for the external world display? (Does MSFS draw the outside world more smoothly if it isn't busy drawing a cockpit and flight instruments?) 

Also, if this has been discussed before, please kindly let me know what search terms I can use to locate old threads. I wasn't able to find anything via search, probably because I didn't know what terms to search for.

Thanks.

Just hit the end key when you're in the cockpit and you will be outside. Make sure to turn off the HUD display under user experience if you don't want it. If you push down the scroll button on your mouse, you can aim the camera anywhere you want. You will still see the plane but no cockpit. I wish they would fix this for us with actual homemade cockpits.

Edited May 13, 20224 yr by FreeBird(Josh)

There is the "Home Cockpit Mode" option under General > Camera that should do what you need, but I've never tested it.

EDIT: Ooops, looks like the option is still broken as Michael has explained...

Edited May 13, 20224 yr by tymk

This has been often requested, see e.g. here:

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/front-view-without-cockpit/128542

Asobo was not able to realise this so far. There is a home-cockpit mode in the settings which, unfortunately, doesn't work.

The best you can do is shift the seat in front of the plane and save the view. That's what I do if I want this. Exampless are in the official forum (I think in this same or a similar thread).

Kind regards, Michael

Josh, just saw your answer. I'll try the end key later.

This is helpful, thanks. "Home cockpit mode" sounds like just what I want... maybe someday it will be activated.

In the meantime, I'll try the End key (with no HUD display), and moving the camera forward.

Edited May 13, 20224 yr by prolixindec

There was mentioned in several threads here a  youtube video that allows this no cockpit forward view in any plane in community folder. You are still in the cockpit view mode and can use your normal keys and hats to look around, reset you view etc.

(42) [MSFS] How To Get Custom Camera Views In The PMDG 737-700 & Other Aircraft - YouTube

 

You only have to go thru this once for each plane. You are creating a custom view for forward from a blank screen  which is what you want. That custom view will then appear or disappear at the press of single key

On 5/13/2022 at 3:07 PM, prolixindec said:

Hi everyone. I'm new to MSFS 2020. What I'd like to do is use MSFS to show visuals only, while the aircraft (instruments, cockpit, etc.) is rendered elsewhere, outside of MSFS. That part is done; what I need to know is on the MSFS side of things. Is it possible to remove the aircraft completely, so that you sit in an invisible cockpit? Or an entirely absent cockpit? No cockpit textures, no gauges, nothing at all, just and empty screen that shows the outside world?

And if this is possible, are there any performance implications for the external world display? (Does MSFS draw the outside world more smoothly if it isn't busy drawing a cockpit and flight instruments?) 

Also, if this has been discussed before, please kindly let me know what search terms I can use to locate old threads. I wasn't able to find anything via search, probably because I didn't know what terms to search for.

Thanks.

I suppose what we want is what the old W key did in FSX.

Still no simple solution to this?