Adding clickspots to an existing VC model

[JET 1 0]

Hi,As we all know, tinkering with an existing VC model is not possible if the sources are not available. It still is possible to add plain clickspots to achieve a function, such as pop up a window or switch on/off the lights by editing the panel.cfg?What I'm trying to do here is add a simple clickspot (no fancy 3d animations needed) to operate landing/taxi/passenger lights from the VC of a commercial addon. It seems frustrating to switch back to 2d to do these as all else can be done from the VC.Thanks,

[n4gix 4,947]

Simply edit the [VcockpitXX] section of the panel.cfg to add a light switch... :) If the model is a FS2004 model, that is...

[JET 1 0]

Yes it is a FS2004 model. But how to get a slightest hint on what coordinates and and sizes to try? I remember sometimes trying to edit VC configs with old editors like CfgEdit and it would not even open the VC texture files.Also, the idea is not to make the particular gauge visible, just to have a "spot" where to click to have the desired effect (a click sound an lights turning on ;-) )

[n4gix 4,947]

Well, you can NEVER miss with coordinates 0,0... (upper left corner)...You can easlily determine a general location simply by looking at the panel.cfg and identifing an area close to an existing gauge.For example, if the clock is at 25,30,100,100Then placing a switch 25 pixels wide a 0,30,25,39 would work. If you strip out the bitmap and replace it with a transparent bitmap, the switch will be invisible, but leave the click spot active.

[JET 1 0]

Sounds easy when you say it, but..Is there any good tutorial around about creating/editing a virtual cockpit? I'd like to look a bit deeper into how the whole thing is built.There are parts I don't understand, like when you look at a panel.cfg you see the individual [VCockpitxx] parts referring to textures by the name $panel1,2.. in the texture section but there is no texture by such name in the directory.Apparently these refer to "parts" of a larger bitmap file which contains all the components that makes up a cockpit. But if I try adding gauges under one of these sections, the gauge will only appear in the area limited by that particular "$panel" texture. So it is not possible to add gauges anywhere in the VC.Hope you get what I mean. I'd really like to get to the bottom of this. Maybe I'll get bitten by the airplane design bug in the process myself.. hahaThanks,:-)

[n4gix 4,947]

>Sounds easy when you say it, but..>>Is there any good tutorial around about creating/editing a>virtual cockpit? I'd like to look a bit deeper into how the>whole thing is built.Have you looked at the tutorial that's mentioned at the very top of this forum?Even though the tutorial is for VC gauge lighting, it describes in detail the "physical parts" of a VC.The $texture.bmp files you asked about are dynamic textures generated by FS at run time. The are the "movie screen" onto which the gauges are projected.If you see an entry something like this:file=left_main_panel......texture=$left_main_panelit simply means that there is a "real texture" that will also be applied to the gauge polygon (the physical geometry), in addition to the $xxx.bmp dynamic texture.

[JET 1 0]

I have not gone through that particular tutorial yet but I did find a few others after some research.It seems that what I am trying to do can't be done because there is no such "dynamic texture" or polygon mapped in the model in the area where I want the gauge, and I guess I would need to have the original model sources for that. Searching though this forum I see many have tried and run into the same conclusion.Too bad. Thanks anyway Bill.