DominicS

Hello fellow X-Plane flyers, I thought I'd share this little tip with you (apologies to those who are already aware of it). Due to the numerous add-ons installed on my X-Plane installation and also the limitations set by my VRAM, I have had to drop my main X-Plane texture resolution down from 'Very High' to 'High'. The upshot of this change, is that frame-rates have greatly improved and object detail and draw distance is almost doubled. However, texture resolution, especially in aircraft with low default textures (1024x1024) suffer considerably. Aircraft with higher default resolutions, or with HD textures such as those from Carenado and Alabeo maintain their quality...to a degree. What I have recently found out though, is that it is possible, via Plane-Maker, to set parts of your aircraft to its maximum resolution. This means that your aircraft is not affected when the main X-Plane texture resolution is lowered (pretty good huh:D To do this, you first have to first open up Plane-Maker and then load your desired aircraft (acf file). From here, select the 'Standard' option in the main menu and then the 'Misc objects' option in the drop down menu. This will then display the following page: As you can see from the picture above, there are numerous options called 'hi-res', which in this case I have selected (now green). What this option does is to boost the texture resolution of an object to its maximum possible resolution. It's up to you how many you select, as each one will affect the amount of VRAM used. When you have finished selecting the desired objects, simply save your aircraft and then load it up in X-Plane to see the difference. To give you an example, above is Heinz's default DC-3 cockpit with no changes made and with X-Plane's default texture resolution set to high. As you can see, the text, due to X-Plane's relatively low default texture, is blurry and hard to read. However, when we use Plane-Maker to alter the parameters, the text maintains its clarity and is easy to read. The image above shows the exterior with no changes made and with X-Plane's default texture resolution set to high. And now with the changes made. Quite a difference, especially in regards to the decals. Of course, your milage will vary depending on the aircraft selected, but I hope this has been of some help to you. Happy flying:D Regards Dominic

X-Plane's Core Libraries In using X-Plane scenery it's necessary to understand the importance and use of scenery libraries. Because certain libraries are common to so many scenery files, and are stable with only rare changes. we've assembled them into a core group that all X-Plane users should have installed. Here I explain how scenery works and how this common set of libraries should be used and where to get them. https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?16705-X-Plane-s-Core-Libraries

Jim...most of the developers we have interviewed have requested community feedback. Going by that, plus the numerous emails the team have received, I'd say that community feedback is very much warranted. Cheers Dom

Hi chaps, I've received quite a few posts of late from developers concerned by the lack of feedback given to their uploads. As much as they enjoy creating these add-ons for you, they would really appreciate some user feedback. This type of communication is vital (good or bad) as it helps the developer improve on their work. As members of FlightSim.com, it's up to YOU to 'give back' to the community. Simply downloading files and not giving any feedback is not...participating. The upshot of this, is that if things continue as they are, then I fear that new uploads will become less frequent. So chaps...if you enjoy a file, if you think it could be improved, if you think there's an issue with it, or you just want to say thank you...let the author know in the comment box under the file. Let's get that comment section used:D Many thanks Dom

Hi chaps, I've received quite a few posts of late from developers concerned by the lack of feedback given to their uploads. As much as they enjoy creating these add-ons for you, they would really appreciate some user feedback. This type of communication is vital (good or bad) as it helps the developer improve on their work. As members of FlightSim.com, it's up to YOU to 'give back' to the community. Simply downloading files and not giving any feedback is not...participating. The upshot of this, is that if things continue as they are, then I fear that new uploads will become less frequent. So chaps...if you enjoy a file, if you think it could be improved, if you think there's an issue with it, or you just want to say thank you...let the author know in the comment box under the file. Let's get that comment section used:D Many thanks Dom

Hi chaps, I've received quite a few posts of late from developers concerned by the lack of feedback given to their uploads. As much as they enjoy creating these add-ons for you, they would really appreciate some user feedback. This type of communication is vital (good or bad) as it helps the developer improve on their work. As members of FlightSim.com, it's up to YOU to 'give back' to the community. Simply downloading files and not giving any feedback is not...participating. The upshot of this, is that if things continue as they are, then I fear that uploads will become less frequent. So chaps...if you enjoy a file, if you think it could be improved, if you think there's an issue with it, or you just want to say thank you...let the author know in the comment box under the file. Let's get that comment section used:D Many thanks Dom

Installing Add-Ons Into FSX: Steam Edition Although largely the same as the original edition, FSX: Steam Edition does have some differences that have confused people when trying to install add-ons.In this tutorial, Tristan Ayton goes over the details of making all the great available freeware work in the FSX: Steam Edition. https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?16547-Installing-Add-Ons-Into-FSX-Steam-Edition

X-Camera Stick and Rudder Studios X-Camera has similar capabilities as EzDok EZCA but for X-Plane. Now with Airport Cameras. X-Camera, from Stick and Rudder Studios a is an enhanced camera system for X-Plane 9 and 10 that lets you define multiple view categories and multiple views within those categories that are associated with specific aircraft. Take a look at this short tutorial on YouTube. Note: If you are upgrading from X-Camera 1.1 and using any of the registered features please read the following blog post carefully. It will tell you how to get you 2.1 license key. https://www.stickandrudderstudios.com/x-camera-2-0-is-complete/ You can watch a series of X-Camera Tutorial Videos by visiting: https://www.stickandrudderstudios.com/x-camera-tutorial-videos/ You can also visit our Q&A area for answers to questions or to offer suggestions for improvements: https://www.stickandrudderstudios.com/answers/?question_type=all&search= X-Camera Features TrackIR Each view can enable or disable the TrackIR input. If the view is out the cockpit window having TrackIR enabled is desirable. However, if the view is a close-up of an instrument panel then having TrackIR disabled is probably the better choice since the view will be stable making it easy to click on cockpit controls with the mouse. We also support LinuxTrack on Linux and Mac systems. HeadShake If the HeadShake plugin from SimCoders is installed then the view can accept input from HeadShake. Similar to the TrackIR feature you will likely want this enabled for certain views but disabled for views on instrument panel close-ups where a stable camera makes it easier to use a mouse to control cockpit knobs and switches. The HeadShake plugin must be at version 1.3 or higher for the integration to work. Smooth Transition When this option is enabled the camera with smoothly transition from one view to another over approximately half a second. When the option is off the view will transition immediately. Views can be controlled in a number of ways Each view can be positioned by using keyboard keys or a control panel The camera’s X, Y, Z, Heading, and Pitch can all be adjusted for each view Views can be assigned to a HotKey or JoyStick button for easy selection A HotKey or JoyStick button can be used to navigate to next or previous views The views for a specific aircraft can be saved to a CSV file for easy editing Walk Mode Any view’s camera can be placed in Walk Mode. While in this mode the camera can be walked or floated around using keyboard input. If you ever played the video game asteroid that is what walk mode is like. The mode is particularly useful for pre-flight inspections of your aircraft. You can create a external view and after selecting that view you can “Walk” the camera around checking out your landing gear, props, etc. Linear Transitions and Auto Advance Linear transitions allows you to define a transition between two adjacent cameras in category. This capability, in conjunction with the auto advance feature, allows you define fairly sophisticated animations that can be used for automated Pre-flight inspections, scenery viewing, and cool transitions affects that can be used when creating flight videos. All the transitions in our YouTube video were done with X-Camera. Bezier Curve Transitions Bezier curve transitions allows you to define a transition between three or more adjacent cameras in a category. This capability, in conjunction with the auto advance feature, allows you define fairly sophisticated animations that have an ultra smooth movement between the curve control points. Many Unique Camera Attributes Tracking Cameras Camera Leveling Smooth Camera Joining Auto Advance to the Next Camera Individual Zoom and Field of View Setting External Cameras Free Cameras Cineflex Cameras Automatically Generate Unique Orbit and Fly-By Animations X-Camera can create unique orbit and fly-by camera sequences by providing a few key parameters Airport Cameras You can define a set of free cameras associated with an airport. You can create up to 2,000 cameras per airport. X-Camera can also automatically populate airport cameras by reading the airport scenery files and creating cameras at runways, starting locations, taxiway signs, and airport viewpoints. You can map a joystick button to quickly switch between your aircraft camera set and the nearest camera at the nearest airport. Click HERE to signup for our email list if you would like to be notified of new versions and pre-release beta programs. Download X-Camera here: https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php?do=search&fsec=0&fname=x-camera.zip

How do I keep FSX interesting? I deviate between FSX and X-Plane. When I'm in need of a change, I'll swap FSX for X-Plane and use its incredible range of features (many absent from FSX). Then...when I'm temporally done with X-Plane, I'll go back to FSX and enjoy flying around the PNW (Orbx) in the A2A Cessna. It works for me and I get the best of both worlds. Cheers Dom