i use fspanelshop (fsps) it has a feature to setup the 'fixed views'they can be run by the numpad key. works well except i have a head-down panel, i would like to have the 5 key 'see' my head down view rather then seeing through the cockpit to the ground directly below.this forum has pulled lightning out the bottle for me before - 1 more time-please!

Hello,If I understand your question correctly, you would like the "Down" view to show a head-down panel.First you obviously need a window which represents your head-down view. In my project I used the IFR_MAIN_PANEL ID, but it could be any custom ID as well. The window definition looks like this:[Window01]file=lookdown.bmp size_mm=1024,768window_size_ratio=1.000 position=7visible=0ident=IFR_MAIN_PANELgauge00=MYGAUGES!GAUGE1, xx,xx,xx,xxgauge01=MYGAUGES!GAUGE2, xx,xx,xx,xxgauge02=MYGAUGES!GAUGE3, xx,xx,xx,xxetc...In your panel.cfg add the lines under the [VIEWS] section for your Heads Down view with the VIEW_DOWN_WINDOWS and VIEW_DOWN_DIR definitions.[VIEWS]VIEW_FORWARD_WINDOWS=MAIN_PANEL,YADDA,YADDA,YADDA,...VIEW_FORWARD_DIR=6.2, 0.000, 0.000VIEW_DOWN_WINDOWS=IFR_MAIN_PANELVIEW_DOWN_DIR=6.2, 0.000, 0.000Note that my view direction for my look-down (6.2,0.0,0.0) is the same as for my forward view. You need not do the same thing, but essentially what that did was convert the down view to a forward view in terms of viewing angle. However since my look-down panel blocks the entire outside view, it isn't necessary to specify a particular direction.When I press the number pad 5 key I get the head-down panel with any associated gauges.--Jon

jondleted my responce here----just saw something in your instuctions i can try--stdby

jondoes the view down have to be listed as a fixed or aux view?[Window Titles]Window00=stage1 gps <-- forward view under windowWindow01=stage2 gps <--under head down viewWindow02=stage0 gps Window03=stage1 <-- main forward window Window04=stage2 <-- main head down viewWindow05=stage0Window06=stage2 throttle <-- over head down viewFixed Window30=RIGHTFixed Window31=LEFTFixed Window32=REARFixed Window33=FORWARD_RIGHTFixed Window34=FORWARD_LEFTFixed Window35=REAR_RIGHTFixed Window36=REAR_LEFT[VIEWS]VIEW_FORWARD_WINDOWS=0,04,100,105VIEW_FORWARD_ZOOM=1.000VIEW_FORWARD_RIGHT_WINDOWS=33VIEW_RIGHT_WINDOWS=30VIEW_REAR_RIGHT_WINDOWS=35VIEW_REAR_WINDOWS=32VIEW_REAR_LEFT_WINDOWS=36VIEW_LEFT_WINDOWS=31VIEW_FORWARD_LEFT_WINDOWS=34VIEW_DOWN_WINDOWS=01,102,140 <-- this does not work with the numpad 5 key.i entered a fix view in fs panel program and got that to work (sort of) but it changes the ident to 37 ( next number in the fixed view) it does it as an aux view.i call the head down view stage2. it also has 2 other head down windows with it in a series of overlays, stage2 gps & stage2 throttle. my panel is the saab viggen, which uses cathode displays, to make the gps gauge appear round i have to use an overlay. the gps gauge bleeds through anything i put on top of it so i put it in its own window underneath the main stage2 window. same problem with the throttle, it moves across other gauges in the stage2 window and those gauges bleed through it, so it also has its own window that lay on top of the main stage2 window. the rest of my 'fixed windows' 45 right, 45 left,right,left,rear right,etc do not have overlays. but do have working gauges.something else, i can only get gauges to show up in the fixed windows if i do not use a bitmap as a background. for those windows i made the main bitmap into a gauge and that works. but there seems to be some unknown hierarchy besides then the order of listing in the panel.cfg that determines which gauuge is on top. i used a rather non-elegant solution for this by cutting holes in the main background gauge for those gauges i can not get to appear on top useing listing order. whew--- hope this doesnt drive you south! if you are curious, you can get the beta of the panel at www.stormlords.com (personal webpage) the version there is before i started trying to use the 5 key. you can take a look at it with what ever program you use to do your panels ( surely you dont edit this stuff in notepad. if u do your a better man then me gunga din!)

got it !all is working, except that fs panel studio hates the new config.i have 3 down views ( the overlays ) and everytime i open the config with fsps it removes all but one of the down views...i just put it back in note pad.....i can live with that!

Glad all is working for you now. Actually I DO make edits to the panel.cfg manually.I used FS Panel Studio a couple years back, but that was when I didn't understand the panel.cfg very well. Now I find those tools too limiting. As you've discovered by now, they make inappropriate changes in some cases, and can even crash quite easily, particularly if a gauge doesn't have a background image.--Jon

Hmm, in revisiting this I noticed my explaination was incomplete. I see I had to use a gauge in my main panel which looks for a view event and then opens the look-down panel when the VIEW_DOWN event is given. 175 (*IFR*) (>K:PANEL_ID_OPEN) --Jon