Newbie looking for panel editor

[Guest skylanepilot]

I'm new to this whole a/c design thing ... but willing to learn :-)Right now I'm just looking to make a few mods to the stock 182 panel to more closely mirror what's in my real airplane. Tried FSEdit, but it barfed anytime I tried to open a panel.Looking for recommendations on a decent panel editor .. freeware or payware (as long as it's not too much pay!).Ultimately, I'd also like to design a KLN94 GPS for GA panels (not all GA planes run Garmins ya know!!) ... so I guess I'm looking for any gauge design tools as well.Thanks in advance ..

[Guest]

As far as panel editors go, you have pretty much two options.The first is the freeware CFGEdit ( http://www.cfgedit.com ). It is a great freeware program, but the limitation with it is it cannot handle the new FS2k2 XML gauges. Apart from this, it is definately worth having.If you want to include XML gauges in your panels, FS Panel Studio is the way to go. It is from the same author as CFGEdit, and, in addition to allowing you to use XML gauges, you can create and edit them. It also allows you to edit the bitmaps in the *.gau files.This program is payware, but it is DEFINATELY worth the price ($24.99). You can get it from http://www.fspanelstudio.comCheersMalcolm

[Guest skylanepilot]

Thanks for the info!Looks like fspanelstudio is the way to go.For my own edification ... how many of the FS2002 stock guages are XML vs. holdovers from FS2000? If I do a KLN94 guage, it would probably be easier if I based it on the existing GPS or ND guage.Also, how easy is it to create a guage completely from scratch using the tool? It appears that the tool requires you to copy an existing guage as a base.Thanx again ..

[Guest]

To tell you the truth, I have never tried creating a gauge. I haven't had the time to learn XML, due to university commitments. As for your question about XML vs. .gau gauges, there are a lot more .gau files than XML, but I have a feeling that FSCOF (FS2k4) will introduce more XML gauges. Don't quote me on this, as it is just a guess, but it could very well be that way.CheersMalcolm

[badderjet 181]

Actually, there is around exactly three XML gauges in the default installation of FS2K2. Baron's, 747's and SimIcons's gauges.For building a gauge from scratch you'd have just a few ways:- I don't have FS Panel Studio, but as far as I remember you can make gauges with it, don't know if it are just XML or C gauges- Get EasyGauge. It's darn expensive and I cannot tell if it's worth the money (the 'useful' edition where you can change the source code is $130); not too many seem having it (I personally don't know anyone). With this thing you can build C gauges from scratch.- Do everything by yourself. Don't cost a cent, butcha needa be capable of C coding. That means, get a free compiler, either BCC or GCC and code everything in the Editor (in the most simple, but most controllable case).Regarding your GPS: I'd highly recommend making it in C. There is no default GPS which could be edited since the default one is a compiled C thingy. Furthermore, XML is not capable of 'vector drawing' which is extremly important for a GPS, especially with a moving map.For a GPS sample in C, get the official Panels and Gauges SDK (1.08MB).Good luck! :DEtienne :-waveEDITOh darn I can't get these links working, so here are the URLs. Can't see any error in the code, maybe it's just too long... I don't know.EasyGauge:http://www.bluesky-net.dePanels and Gauges SDK:http://download.microsoft.com/download/Fli...tPanels_SDK.exe

[Guest skylanepilot]

Thanks for the info guys :-beerchugI'll still grab fspanelstudio for some of the mods I want to make to the stock panels (and who knows .. maybe even design a new one :-))I've looked at the SDK (briefly) and kinda figured I'd be doing my gauge in C, but I didn't know what capabilities existed in XML. As I haven't coded in C for a few years, any hope for a KLN94 is probably a ways out, but who knows!Oh well ... off to download gcc and see if can remember emacs :-(Thanx again ..

[Guest]

>For my own edification ... how many of the FS2002 stock >guages are XML vs. holdovers from FS2000? If I do a KLN94 >guage, it would probably be easier if I based it on the >existing GPS or ND guage. >>Also, how easy is it to create a guage completely from >scratch using the tool? It appears that the tool requires >you to copy an existing guage as a base. XML is fairly easy to build using nothing but notepad.exe and a paint program. However, most of us creating XML gauges use one of the free XML editors, such as XMLNotepad.exe available directly from MS's support website. It will at the very least validate that your coding is "well-formed," but of course that isn't the same as "valid." You can still make syntax errors that aren't caught.I do not use FSPanel Studio's XML editing function at all, but couldn't live without it for panel creation! :)Easy Gauge is a wonderful and almost painless way to make C gauges, but the only truely useful version is $130, which is rather steep if you intend to create only 'freeware' gauges!