FS Panel Studio - 2d, 3D, or both?

Hello,

I'm interested in purchasing FS Panel Studio. My main interest is swapping some components in a handful of 3D panels. I know I can do some of what I am after "manually" by editing the VC section of the panel.cfg file, but would like to use FPS for a more robust experience.

 

I see this blurb on their page, "While FS Panel Studio can be used to perform some editing of gauge placement in Virtual Cockpits, VCs are primarily implemented in the model.cfg file, which defines 3D geometry which cannot be edited in FSPS."

 

What I am looking to do is swap ADE's, XPDR's, AP's, DME's....not necessarily the basic flight gauges. Based on their above statement, will I be able to do this, or am I SOL?

 

Thanks for any info provided.

 

Neil :cool:

FSPS will show the VC gauges on a black background and not necessarily in the positions they are in the sim. If you are simply swapping gauges in situ you are better off editing the panel.cfg, it's quicker!

There are two types of gauges in the VC - 2D (listed in the panel.cfg file) and 3D (inside the MDL itself). Sometimes they are combined (3D background with a 2D needle or visa versa). You will be able to edit the VC as tiger described above for any 2D component. But note the restriction he listed - the gauges will not necessarily be displayed in their correct locations, only the locations the VC's author placed them onto the gauge sheet. Sometimes (especially in early VCs) this will be the gauge layout on the panel itself, but later VCs often have them displayed in random order.

Thanks very much for the speedy replies, I appreciate it.

Looks like a product I don't need, based on my immediate goals.

 

Tom, thanks for the education - I never really took note of this until reading your explanation:

"There are two types of gauges in the VC - 2D (listed in the panel.cfg file) and 3D (inside the MDL itself). Sometimes they are combined (3D background with a 2D needle or visa versa). "

 

Neil :cool:

FS Panel Studio can still be handy if you're new to working with panels, but as posted above it wasn't really designed for 3D/virtual cockpit gauges. :)

 

One of its strengths is an included gauge browser which allows you to look at the old (FS2000) "multi gauge" GAU files, where MS could place a lot of individual gauges inside a single gauge file (like the older CAB files).

 

It can also be VERY handy if you want to accurately place or replace a gauge that has a modified bezel or a removed bezel (the ring around an old "steam gauge" for example).

 

While most of us get used to working directly with the panel CFG file, sometimes its tough to figure out what the gauge author did. :confused:

 

Its also handy if you downloaded a plane or panel and noticed that some gauge pointers, displays, or compass cards freeze or freak out during a flight. Gauges don't play well when they overlap each other and finding that overlap can be a bear unless you have a lot of graph paper and patience. :pilot: