Cockpit panel view point ?

[gypsymoth]

I'm asking for a friend who has a Saab 2000 panel with the eye point behind the centre pillar. He asked how his view could be moved to the left to make landing more realistic........real life pilots would have a better view he suggested !! I said I'd ask here.

 

I've put 3 red X in the region where he'd like it to be in this cropped picture - preferably near the top X. Thanks.

 

[mrzippy]

By any chance do you have a link or filename to this Saab 2000 panel/aircraft. It shouldn't be too difficult to move the eyepoint.

[gypsymoth]

Hello.

Yes - I have it in a zip pen to have a look myself later but I konw nothing about changinf view points I hasten t add!

 

It's by Horst Paetzold from simviation = saab2000p.zip

[mrzippy]

This is gonna be a bit of a bugger! This is the panel view I get:

 

 

This is the .bmp file that view is using:

 

 

For the view your friend wants it should use this .bmp file that is also included with the panel, but isn't used. If I replace the files, then the gauges and other cockpit items don't line up in their proper places. Changing eyepoints only moves the outside view, not the seat position.

 

[BobSeaman]

This is gonna be a bit of a bugger!

 

Maybe the OP's friend wants to be an FO or CFI? :p

 

The first part is fairly easy. Have them open the aircraft.cfg file in Notepad. From there, find a section of text that looks like this:

 

[Views]

eyepoint=0.02, -0.75, 1.3

 

You are seeing X, Y, and Z co-ordinates of the eyepoint position.

Adjusting the view point away from the center should be easy, it will be the the number that's closest to 0. In fact, it should be zero for this aircraft. Change the number to a negative value. The numbers actually correspond to feet, so start with something like -2.4 and save the change to the .cfg file.

Now, start FS and load the aircraft. Go to the virtual cockpit view and admire your handywork. :D

The view point should be offset to the left by about two and a half feet.

 

Look straight down and note the position of the seat cushion (I'm assuming this aircraft has a full virtual cockpit view).

Go back and re-adjust the eyepoint number to center the view on the seat cushion. Small changes can make a big difference in this step.

 

You may also want try making some small changes to the other numbers for the eyepoint to adjust the view. Just be aware that the eyepoint is referenced to the model's center point (this is like the COG but slightly different), so keep the changes small (.1 or .2 feet plus or minus at a time).

 

One quick tip to making these changes is the good old "//" trick. "//" at the start of a line of text tells FS to ignore everything after the "//" in a line of text and skip to next line of text. This is handy if you want to back up the original data while you're dialing it in. :cool:

 

From the above example, you could add the // to all of the VIEWS lines then repeat the lines with the changes. It would look something like this:

 

//[Views]

//eyepoint=0.02, -0.75, 1.3

 

[Views]

eyepoint=0.02, -2.75, 1.2

 

In most cases, this should also change the view point reference of the "2D" panel view (but not always).

Fixing the 2D panel view in this case will be more tricky and your friend might want to look around for downloads of updates to this aircraft. :cool:

Sometimes we luck out and someone else has already done all the work. :pilot:

[mrzippy]

No virtual cockpit view, only 2D and making any adjustments to any of the numbers in the aircraft.cfg eyepoint only changes the outside view. I have this panel installed in a FS2004 Flyby Saab2000.

[bam1220]

Would this fix also work for other aircraft? I downloaded a beautiful B717 a few years ago that has the same issue. Love the plane and it flies great. But the darn windshield pillar blocks the view. So it sits in my virtual hangar unused.

[gypsymoth]

Thank you both. I'll feed your findings to the appropriate person & I think you're right that it's not amenable to changes. I've got a nice Mike Stone ATR he can have that has a lovely panel as well.

 

 

Thank again,

Terry.

[nadlzfw]

As Mr Zippy noted, the problem is in 2D view, and the 'proper' solution is to move the whole bmp background off to one side, but this creates the problem that all the gauges are misaligned with the bmp and look wrong.

 

As a quick and easy solution, just eliminate the center pillar. Back up the original bmp, edit the original, and cut-and-paste a section of window over the pillar. In the sim, it will disappear and you will see the outside view. Not 'proper', but easy solution to the problem.

 

Nadlzfw

[gypsymoth]

The problem is the centre pillar slopes to the right when it should go to the left, & it's not in the middle of the panel so the perspective from the pilot's view is wrong. I tried in one of my aircraft & it just felt wierd. I might have a go at repainting it one day.

[tiger1962]

It would be far simpler just to install a different Saab 2000 panel from the library here - the Horst Paetzold panel is also in the library here by the way - your friend has the choice of saab2kpanel2d.zip by Matt Ervin or bts2kp20.zip by Tamas Biro. Both have the required eyepoint, but I'd probably go for Matt Ervin's panel.

[gypsymoth]

Hello there. I have the Biro panel & have fiddle around with it to produce this

 

My local simmer friend likes it & is using it in his Saab.

 

I've made a panel using this Biro panel for my Piper Comanche btw..............!

 

Cheers.

[NEBOJSA]

Personally i would do what " Nadlzfw " suggested.

 

nebojsa

[gypsymoth]

The Saab 2000 has a centre pillar. He's very happy with the edited Biro Saab panel above I gave him.

[johnhinson]

Try adjusting the [views] section on the aircraft.cfg file.

 

Example:

[Views]

eyepoint=-3.95, -0.85, 2.1 //(feet) longitudinal, lateral, vertical distance from reference datum

 

John

[gypsymoth]

It's too late I'm afraid - he's ditched it & is using the one I gave him but thanks anyhow.

[mrzippy]

Try adjusting the [views] section on the aircraft.cfg file.

 

Example:

[Views]

eyepoint=-3.95, -0.85, 2.1 //(feet) longitudinal, lateral, vertical distance from reference datum

 

John

 

I tried that but it only adjusted the outside view. It did not move the eyepoint inside the cockpit.