Panel Creation: Where do I Start? -C172 Skyhawk G1000 NAV III

This aircraft does not exist. =(

I am a freshman flight student at ERAU and the aircraft we fly here (specs in subject line) have yet to be created for the flight sim community. Having it on my simulator would be an invaluable tool to my flight school experience. I would become more proficient in all aspects of study: Checklists, flying, flight deck and aircraft familiarization, and just general experience.

My only solution is to create it myself. that being said, I have no idea where to start and what it really takes to be able to undergo this project. What are the possible solutions? What guides do I need? What tools? Is there a sort of crash course one of you can give me or direct me towards?

If this community could help me out, I would be extremely grateful.

The Mindstar G1000 is FS9 compatible and comes with instructions on how to install it into a Cessna 172 panel and several others:

http://www.mindstaraviation.com/G1000_Retrofit.html

Thank you for the idea, but I'm more interested in the proper layout right now instead of a more accurate G1000.

Apparently X-plane has a product that offers exactly what i need. Would there be a way to port that over to FSX?

No. Nothing of X-Plane is compatible with FSX. If you want to work on 2d panels, the most essential tool is FS Panel Studio*. It has been the best investment I've ever made, and I've enjoyed free upgrades for the past fifteen years.

You also should read the FSX SDK paying attention to the panel section, as well as the commands and sim variables.

I highly recommend FS Developer** as a go-to source for learning about panel and gauge design. Some of the finest freeware and professional gauge/panel developers are there.

* http://www.fspanelstudio.com/

** http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/