FSX flight planners - a run in 2008?

[rich135 0]

Happy new year to all!There seems to be much interest in flight planners and moving maps these days. I have been experimenting in this arena for several months. My early results can be seen here:http://picasaweb.google.com/rich.lucas.maps/FSXFlightPlannerThe software utilizes the new GPU-accelerated vector technology in Windows Presentation Foundation.I am trying to gauge interest and determine if this should evolve beyond a fun personal project. A beta candidate is probably several weeks away. Your honest feedback is appreciated.Best Regards,Rich Lucas

[n4gix 4,947]

Well, the screenshots sure look promising! :)

[bkeske 0]

Wow, sure does look clean. I would definitely keep working on this.

[timcook 0]

It certainly looks very good so far, so I very much hope you keep working on this.

[Guest TheSidewinder]

As much as I hate "Me, Too!" posts, this one is that rare exception.Me, Too!!Keep at it, it looks promising!I volunteer to Beta test! :DMark

[jdk2 1]

Hi Rich,Happy New Year to you too.I am trying to gauge interest...You should have no problem enticing others to use this piece of art. Since FSNav is history, this could easily take its place. The shots you've shown hold a great deal of potential.Best of luck and please continue its development. Regards,Jim Karn

[Dougal 165]

Can't wait Rich. Looks very professional. It's not like there's no opening for you.

[Guest Vigilius]

:-hah Look very interesting!

[Barnes 192]

Rich,Those shots look fantastic, like actual low altitude aviation charts. Please keep working on this project! I would love to get my hands on this planner.Dave :-wave

[Tim Arnot 5]

I've got to say "Me Too" - since I've also been working on a flight planner! There sure is going to be a glut! :-lol http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/182714.jpg(sorry I don't have a gallery of images, since the UI is not so polished yet, and this one is zoomed out, scaled down and cropped as part of a flight screenshot sequence)My planner, "VFP - VFR Flight Planner" concentrates on VFR aspects of simming, which is under-represented IMHO, and is best suited for VFR flights of ;)CheersTim Arnot

[Guest PPSFA]

This has some serious potential. FSNav has some very handy features, are you planning on incorperating any on them, or is this just a basic planner?

[JiBrady 20]

This looks very interesting. Please continue to work on it. By the way, might it be possible to run it while in FSX? That is, hit a function key to get a map/tracking view, just like FSNAV allowed?Thanks,Jim

[rich135 0]

Thanks Tim.That looks very good too. It is great to see others are stepping up given the recent interest.The vector quality in WPF is really worth the effort (compared to GDI+). You will not be sorry. However, I think there is a catch. To get acceptable performance, I really had to dig down into the low-level WPF functions. These include heavy use of StreamGeometry, overriding OnRender(), GlyphRun objects, and freezing any objects (Brushes, Pen's, etc.) that can be frozen. Higher level WPF objects, even FormattedText can really eat up CPU.Getting SimConnect to work from WPF in C#.NET can also be a little tricky, as all the examples in the SDK assume Windows Forms. Fortunately I solved that one a while ago: http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...ing_type=searchGood luck with your project and WPF!Regards,Rich

[rich135 0]

<Right now I am considering a freeware basic version. This would generate FSX flight plans and provide moving map via SimConnect.As usual, the moving map feature would be ideal for a second computer. Unless you have a quad core machine, I would hesitate to cut into FPS by running along side FSX on the same CPU.Once I understand the ongoing interest and support issues, I could potentially expand to an upgrade version that supports advanced planning features, SIDs, STARs, and 3rd party navigation data. Fairly easy to implement, but somewhat harder to maintain.Much depends on what the other projects are providing as we get down the road in '08. If the features are well covered in other offerings, I would be sensitive about "watering down" a small space where other add-on developers are trying to make an honest living; some full-time.Best Regards,Rich

[rich135 0]

Thanks to Simconnect, there is much potential. There are three possibilities.1. Second computer. Already working, no CPU/FPS impact on FSX machine.2. Along side FSX in separate process. Also possible, but need to study the impact on frame rates and smooth task switching.3. Inside the FSX process. Very nice to have as this would allow tight integration with an aircraft's panel. WPF inside FSX process requires some further study. My hat is off to Bill Leaming and other gauge programmers who can do #3 so well.Regards,Rich