Camera.cfg question: How do I get a fixed view with rigid camera heading?

-- I combed the SDK in depth last night, until my head literally hit the keyboard from falling asleep.

-- I edited keywords in the camera.cfg file, but to no avail. It didn't do what I want.

-- I perused prior flightsim.com posts where camera view settings had been discussed for various views. One guy did ask for a fixed spot that banked with the plane that wasn't "tail view" attached to the plane. That was a slick one, and whoever gave him the answer in the form of camera.cfg code to copy and paste, I might just steal that for myself. But no one quite touched on what I'm looking for.

I'm looking for the classic fixed spot plane camera view from FS2004-fame! The one where the camera is not only rigid (in respect to its motion with the plane upon turns, vertical changes, and speed changes)-- that's only half the criteria; but also, when the plane turns and changes heading, the camera doesn't !!! The camera continues to point at a fixed heading, so as the plane turns, the camera maintains set chase distance, altitude, and heading; and a result, a different side of the plane comes into view, as it turns.

I have yet to figure out how to get this view behavior back. Now I realize that this is a very unrealistic view (presuming the camera was attached to a chase plane-- because in real life if a plane is chasing another plane and the first plane turns and changes heading, of course the chase plane has to turn and change heading to keep up with it. Otherwise, it would have to slide sideways to maintain the same chase distance and heading, and that is a rather silly concept to picture), but it's one I grew used to in FS9 and I had situations where I wanted that flexibility... so I'm hoping to be able to recreate it here somehow... even if some people might think I'm crazy for wanting to do so.

Thank you,

-- John

Search on this site for 'camera keeps fixed compass heading'. Add the keyword 'il88pp'.

I'm pretty sure you'll find a good thread with a solution that way.

il88pp

Hah! Found it!

stringbean addressed this very thing on jan 10th 2015:

What the OP is talking about is how when you are making a turn in Locked Spot View the camera turns with the plane.

You can edit the cameras.cfg so the camera keeps the same compass heading when the plane is turning.

Look for...

[CameraDefinition.004]

Title = Locked Spot

...and in that section, make it look like...

Track = FixedChaseLocked // FlatChaseLocked //

The cameras.cfg is in C:\Users\your name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX

peace,

the Bean

Thank u 4 da pt in the rgt direction. Now why this was never mentioned in the original sdk, i will never understand. Every conceivable camera code should b included.

Hi b3,

Glad you found the solution. Actually this is covered in the SDK but the formatting makes it hard to find anything. To make life easier for me (and usually learn someting as I go along) I've taken the old HTML version of the SDK and edited it to reflect the Acceleration changes and reformatted for clarity. I don't know how to edit CHM files but It's not a problem with HTML so I can make whatever changes I find helpful.

Here are examples of the Camera Track sections of the SDKs:

They're a bit more legible if you click on them. I'm not trying to make the problem appear worse than it is.

Jim F.

Here is my cameras.cfg entry to change the (STUPID) SPOT to FIXED SPOT. To 'find' the view, from Locked Spot view you press 'A' key twice. Too easy.

Chuck B

Napamule

[CameraDefinition.003] //Added / Changed 15Jan21

Title = Fixed Spot //Locked Spot

Guid = {BCA3FDD1-FB83-4BBA-8407-4922A7F0D00C}

Description = This is the description of the fixed spot view.

Origin = Center

SnapPbhAdjust = Ordinal //Swivel

SnapPbhReturn = False

PanPbhAdjust = Swivel

PanPbhReturn = False

Track = FixedChase //FlatChaseLocked

ShowAxis = No

AllowZoom = Yes

InitialZoom = 1.0

SmoothZoomTime = 2.0

ShowWeather = Yes

XyzAdjust = FALSE

Transition = Yes

ShowLensFlare=TRUE

Category = Outside

ClipMode = Spot

PitchPanRate=30

HeadingPanRate=75

PanAcceleratorTime=1

MomentumEffect = NO //Is this needed?

//[CameraDefinition.003]

//Title = Spot

//Guid = {BCA3FDD1-FB83-4BBA-8407-4922A7F0D00C}

//Description = This is the description of the spot view.

//Origin = Center

//SnapPbhAdjust = Ordinal

//SnapPbhReturn = False

//PanPbhAdjust = Swivel

//PanPbhReturn = False

//Track = FlatChase

//ShowAxis = No

//AllowZoom = Yes

//InitialZoom = 1.0

//SmoothZoomTime = 2.0

//ShowWeather = Yes

//XyzAdjust = FALSE

//Transition = Yes

//ShowLensFlare=TRUE

//Category = Outside

//ClipMode = Spot

//PitchPanRate=30

//HeadingPanRate=75

//PanAcceleratorTime=0

Hi b3,

Glad you found the solution. Actually this is covered in the SDK but the formatting makes it hard to find anything.

Damn! I'll say!

To make life easier for me (and usually learn something as I go along) I've taken the old HTML version of the SDK and edited it to reflect the Acceleration changes and reformatted for clarity.

Okay, stop... you're losing me. What does HTML mean? Is that a programming code like C++? Cause I don't know how to do any of that.

I don't know how to edit CHM files but It's not a problem with HTML so I can make whatever changes I find helpful.

Here are examples of the Camera Track sections of the SDKs:

 

Jim F.

Good points you make, but your pictures above of the SDK still glaringly illustrate my main point: Nowhere in those list of tracks does it say "FixedChaseLocked". So how did Stringbean, Napamule (Chuck), and you even know this option existed?

I mean... if it doesn't say it in plain black and white (or in this case... black & pale yellow), how are you supposed to know it even exists?

Hi b3,

HTML (hyper text markup language) is text with additional information as to how the text should be displayed in a web browser.

At the bottom of the lighter image I posted you'll find this:

FlatChaseLocked – Camera moves with the object, maintaining a fixed distance from it (similar to Spot view in prior versions of Flight Simulator). Camera movements are rigid.

Pretty much sounds like what you were looking for in the OP.

Jim F.

Hi b3,

HTML (hyper text markup language) is text with additional information as to how the text should be displayed in a web browser.

At the bottom of the lighter image I posted you'll find this:

FlatChaseLocked – Camera moves with the object, maintaining a fixed distance from it (similar to Spot view in prior versions of Flight Simulator). Camera movements are rigid.

 

Pretty much sounds like what you were looking for in the OP.

Jim F.

Actually, by replacing the word "Flat" with the word "Fixed", that's what gives the spot view the locked compass heading/azimuth. That's what Bean had suggested in the post I found on another thread. So I edited that view in the camera.cfg, and it worked! I just tested it not so long ago.

Now what Chuck (Napamule) had suggested was ever so slightly different... "FixedChase". This locks the compass heading of the camera as the plane turns, but keeps the camera loose and not rigid.

So it looks like we have four choices in these two sub-sets:

1. FlatChase-- Loose camera, camera heading changes with plane heading.

2. FlatChaselocked-- Rigid camera, camera heading changes with plane heading.

3. FixedChase-- Loose camera, camera heading stays fixed.

4. FixedChaseLocked-- Rigid camera, camera heading stays fixed.

So there does appear to be some slight distinctions within the subsets. Now I wonder if there's a way to add the word "Bank" or "Banked" in there to get the spot camera to tilt when the plane tilts? I shall see if it's a hidden command, but I'm not holding my breath.

UPDATE:

Okay, so without bumping this thread up by adding a reply I'll just quickly edit this post by saying that I was successful in adding all four of these view combinations to my outside spot plane view. Some people might think that it is silly to have all four in succession. Why would I possibly need all of them, and that's just 4 more times I have to hit the A key to get past them. But I figure there may be a time that I need them all so there they are.

Now no big surprise, but the crown jewel, or holy grail if you were of spot views-- one that tilts with the X and y axis of the plane as the plane pitches and banks respectively, I was not able to recreate. Simply placing the word "bank" or "banked" (while cute and creative) doesn't do anything. I think according to the SDK the bank feature is only in combination with the "track" view which would be used from control towers and such. But hey! It was worth a try.