FS2004 panel dummy question! Please help!

[Wolfko 0]

I guess the answer on this is easy for the panel gurus. At the moment I'm designing my first panel (FS2004) and it all works pretty good so far. I only have problems with adjusting the outside view on added sub panels. In addition to the main panel I have designed an FO panel and a landing view panel. That was no problem and also toggling between the differnet panels works perfectly. My question now is: how do I get the default view into the sub panels? At the moment, when the sub panels are open the outside view is actually full screeen, but I would like to have the bottom of the outside window right at the upper edge of the sub panels, just like it is on the main panel. I'm useing FS Panel Studio and in the preview there everything looks good, but not in FS2004. Is there a way to manage this?Thanks in advance for any replies,Wolfgang(I hope I have expressed myself understandable.)

[Dark Moment 0]

Your question is perfectly clear, Wolfgang!You need to create the "outside view" as your Window00 and then all other windows must follow that. You can still have your main view (or whatever) opening as default simply by enabling it that way, even if it is Window01, 02 or the like. But you must have the open view, correctly adjusted for that "bottom edge", as Window00.If you want an example of this working just fine, download my DC3_PAN.ZIP and have a look at one of the three PANEL.CFG files within. Like your panel plans, these have FO views and many windows. Naturally you will need to align your own horizon, not just copy mine, but the principle is there.I might add that this foxed me until gauge guru Matt Kaprocki gave me invaluable help.Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumonthttp://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg

[Wolfko 0]

Hello Mark,thank you very much for your reply. I have downloaded your DC3-panel file and learned so much from your panel.cfg. I included yours and Matt Kaprocki's ideas into my panel.cfg and the views from my subpanels are now perfect.BTW your dc3-panels are great. I did not do too much testing my panel last night, because I spent most of the time with flying the DC3.One thing I realized, when reserving window00 for the outside view is an fps drop on my system. I guess this is, because now there are 2 windows open at the same time. I tweaked the panel.cfg a bit and found a solution based on your and Matt's ideas, to prevent from this performance drop. Now I'm able to keep the default view also for the FO panel without creating an additonal "outside view window". At the moment I'm at work and I'll post the relevant parts of the panel.cfg tomorrow (if I'm fit, because tonight we have our company's christmas party).The only disadvantage of my solution is, that at the moment no simple toggeling (e. g. with simicons) between the main panel and the sub panels works. You have to open/close the windows via the keyboard (e. g. shift plus 1 etc.). But I hope to find also a solution for this issue.Regards & thanks a lot again for your help.Wolfgang

[Dark Moment 0]

Hi again Wolfgang<<<>>>That surprises me. There shouldn't be, as you have nothing there that would not normally be open when you use a normal panel default view. That half-view is hidden behind in the same way. A recent comparative test of my IFR panel by an independent simmer put it only 1-2FPS behind default; that is not surprising as there are several extra gauges and it is more complex than it at first looks. I shall go and run some more tests, anyway, based on what you say, as I am just about to update the package.I'll also be interested to see what you come up with. With my own panels I couldn't live without the simicons, I confess, as there are several on both sides (Capt/FO) and they are all configured differently; with eighteen or nineteen windows as I have (I've forgotten offhand) trying to do that by keyboard would be a nightmare.Anyway, this is all about you finding YOUR answer, so I hope I have been of a little help in any case, amateur that I am.Mark "Dark Moment" BeaumontP.S. Word of warning; NEVER try to update panels the day after a big night out. I did that recently with a vital aircraft texture and ended up overwriting my master. Aarrrggghhh.http://www.swiremariners.com/newlogo.jpg

[Wolfko 0]

>P.S. Word of warning; NEVER try to update panels the day>after a big night out. I did that recently with a vital>aircraft texture and ended up overwriting my master. >Aarrrggghhh.>I considered your hint. That's why it took me 2 days to answer>>Anyway, this is all about you finding YOUR answer, so I hope I>have been of a little help in any case, amateur that I am.Mark, off course you have been a help, actually a big help as I steted in my last post.Re. the fps, they really drop on my system with every extra window I open, no matter how much or less is displayed in this window. So if I close the "view window" you suggested to create by hitting shift & 1, my fps immediately rise from approx. 22 to approx 25 at my testing airport Paine Field with fair weather and UT set to 100 % (fps set to unlimited). That's not much difference and I can live with it. You see that means I will use your idea for my panel too!Now to the solution I thought I had found to prevent from this fps drop. I thought, it must be possible to get the default view also into sub panels without creating an extra "view window" when you write the lines from this section directly into the subpanel's window section.And really it worked. All subpanel windows, which I modiefied in the panel.cfg as mentioned now had got the default view and the fps did not drop. But the reason for this was a differennt one than the one I thought. When I copied and pasted the text from the into the different subpenel sections, I also pated the line ident=0. Now I found out, that it is only this ident-line, which is responsible for the view. Every subpanel, which has indent=0 has got thr default view. You can have as many subpanels with ident=0 in your panel as you like (although FS Panel Studio warns, that panels with the same ID may not wor