Changing the Rate of CTRL+Backspace

[IMSands]

Kind of a weird question. I've been using freeware planes from POSKY, SSP, TDS, etc. for years and install them so I have a blank virtual cockpit view (mostly just using the FS9 models) that can act as a wingview instead, since it uses the sounds from the cockpit. To move the camera forward or backward, I use CTRL+Backspace or CTRL+Enter.

 

Just for the sake of convenience, is there any way to increase the speed at which the camera moves forward or backward? The duplicate FSRecorder VC view, for example, has the camera move around much faster than the default, but sadly FSRecorder and my sim don't play nicely. Any way to shave 2 minutes off sitting at the gate to move the camera all the way to the back of the wing is a win in my book!

[llivaudais]

Not a weird question at all; I was frustrated and incensed with that default viewpoint motion of 0.25m/sec - especially in all the outside/aircraft views.

 

Reading the SDK information provided the the solution. The default value of Sssssllllllooooowwwww motion is just that: default. I usually leave that as the value in the VC but adjust my movement speed of most other cameras to a more "productive" values of 1 to 25 meters/sec.

 

 

adjust to suit your needs...

 

VC

XyzAdjust = TRUE

XyzRate = 0.25 // m/sec default rate

xyzAccelleratorTime = 0

 

2D

XyzAdjust = TRUE // I can move the camera ref point

;XyzRate = 0.25 // m/sec default rate

XyzRate = 1.0

xyzAccelleratorTime = 0

 

Spot; tail; left wing; right wing etc

XyzAdjust = TRUE // I can move the camera ref point

XyzRate = 10.0 // to 25 m/sec

xyzAccelleratorTime = 0

 

the custom aircraft views are, of course, in the various aircraft.cfg files and the general views (vc, 2d, spot, locked spot etc) are in the cameras.cfg located in the users AppData\Roaming folder on your system - NOT the cameras.cfg in the install folder; that's a backup file ONLY.

 

Make a backup copy of your various cfg files before editing but feel free to experiment with various values. FSX must not be running when editing Cameras.cfg but you can edit the aircraft.cfg while flying and reload the aircraft to make the changes effective immediately. Assigning a hotkey to the 'reload aircfraft' function is probably the most useful addition I've ever made to the control settings.

 

just a FYI...

I have never completely gotten used to the tophat moving the spot views the "wrong" direction.

Tophat to the right in the VC looks to the right;

tophat to the right in Spot view looks LEFT. WTF?

 

This is the main reason I had no interest in TrackIR for years. Then one day I backed the Tail camera up a ways, sped up the pan speed and found the workaround for the reversed spot viewing: just use the adjusted tail view instead - now I can occasionally enjoy TrackIR with normal head viewing direction.

 

These days, I feel like I have to clean up the cameras in every downloaded AC - I could almost replace them completely with a personalized set of cameras.... oops! I think I just created a new "project" for myself.

 

this is what my typical tail cameras looks like:

 

[CameraDefinition.2]

Title = "Tail"

Guid = {D8D67955-2E9B-4e75-9D8B-8EFFBBFAC64A}

Description = Looking forward from behind the aircraft

Origin = Center

Track = None

Category=Aircraft

MomentumEffect=False

 

SnapPbhAdjust = Ordinal

SnapPbhReturn = TRUE

PanPbhAdjust = Swivel

PanPbhReturn = FALSE

 

PitchPanRate=20

HeadingPanRate=60

PanAcceleratorTime=0

 

XyzAdjust = TRUE

XyzRate = 20

xyzAccelleratorTime = 0

 

AllowZoom = TRUE

InitialZoom = 0.85

smoothzoomtime = 0

zoompanscalar = 1

 

InitialXyz = 0, -2.0, -20.0

InitialPbh = 7, 0, 0

 

ShowAxis = FALSE

ShowWeather = Yes

ShowAxis = FALSE

ClipMode=Minimum

 

This is what one of my typical camera.cfg definitions looks like: (I made my tower cameras movable)

 

[CameraDefinition.007]

Title = Nearest Tower

Guid = {60BC0819-BD04-4AF6-8954-8FC8AA3545FF}

Description = This is the description of the tower view.

Origin = Tower

Track = Track

Category = Tower

 

SnapPbhAdjust = Ordinal

SnapPbhReturn = False

PanPbhAdjust = Swivel

PanPbhReturn = False

 

PitchPanRate=15

HeadingPanRate=30

PanAcceleratorTime=0

 

AllowZoom = Yes

InitialZoom = 2.0

SmoothZoomTime = 0

zoompanscalar = 2

 

XyzAdjust = TRUE // movable tower view

XyzRate = 5.0

xyzAccelleratorTime = 0

 

ShowAxis = No

ShowWeather = Yes

ShowLensFlare=FALSE

 

Transition = No

ClipMode = Tower

NoSortTitle = True

 

 

I hope this is not 'too much information"

 

Loyd

 

Afterthought: I would suggest leaving the actual VC speed alone and perhaps use the aircraft 'front' view. Initially it looks in the 180° direction but you could turn it around to face the front easily enough

 

just change the pbh line from

InitialPbh = 7, 0, 180

to

InitialPbh = 7, 0, 0

 

and adjust the location perhaps a little closer to the nose.

[IMSands]

This is brilliant! Not "too much information" at all. My cameras.cfg file didn't have the XyzRate lines at all, but a simple copy-paste did the trick. I also never noticed the backwards hat switch controls before. I've got other questions that pertain to convenience that I hope the forum can answer, should I start a new thread or continue this one?

 

Thanks again!

[llivaudais]

Well, I suspect that almost anything directly connected to views, cameras and the related config files would be fine. Certainly is with me. No questions about programming the flight computer in the PMDG while in the Spot view, OK? Otherwise, it's up to you...

 

L

[llivaudais]

General FYI for any interested party: All the camera info from the SDK can also be found online if you don't have the SDK installed. ESP camera configuration: here

 

Loyd