Colin S

Thanks! This is awesome

Here is a shot I took with GPU-Z running in the foreground. I forgot to enable framerate display in X-Plane, but rest assured it's sitting somewhere around 5-10 frames per second. Please note that I currently have three monitors connected and have X-Plane rendering at 4480x1080, so I'm not too upset by this. Well, I wouldn't be too upset if I didn't see what I see in GPU-Z. I don't understand graphics cards too well, so as reddit would put it, "explain like I'm five..." if you even can explain. Why is it that I am "enjoying" a clunky, jumpy experience in a graphics intensive program when it claims the GPU load isn't even at 50%? How do GPUs determine when to slack off and do diddly squat? The monitors, adapters and cables cost me a combined $25.68 so I won't be too sad if my GTX780 can't handle them... but even at low settings? As you can tell from the screenshot, my settings are pretty low right now. And frame rates don't change whatsoever whether I crank everything to maximum or drop everything to FS95 quality. PS - just loaded the default 747, which is a bit hard on the GPU due to poor modeling. It only chopped about three frames per second off the original 5-10. This is confusing me a lot. Anyone who can briefly explain the logic of how GPUs work will be much appreciated PPS - Just shrunk the window down to nothing, the smallest X-Plane can render. Still at 6fps. Even with the default 172. What is going on.

10.50 killed RTH and it's no longer available at the dot org from what my searches have turned up. Just wondering if anyone has found another good free plugin that allows you to mess with atmospheric colours?

University and Delays Hi to the few people who check this/follow this. First of all, university is actually fairly reasonable this year, considering I'm in six full-time courses. That being said, reading Plato is kind of like trying to snort sawdust. So why haven't I turned out anything over the entire summer, or even given some empty promises like usual? I'm doing something pretty huge on the side, which will hopefully be done in about two weeks. That means that it's two weeks until Hawaii starts again. I'll give a hint regarding what I'm up to right now: It's not freeware, and it sure as hell isn't in the Pacific. That's all I'm willing to say. Thanks for everyone's patience through this. I've had my patience tested this summer a few times, so we're on the same page. Don't worry. Cheers, and stay tuned.

Minor Update: It works. Did a quick test with my laser printer to see if normal printer paper would agree with the backlighting in the AutoPilot buttons. It does. Here are the completed V1 buttons. V2 will be printed on InkJet or projector transparency for a crisper and darker look. But I'll wait until it's fully assembled and running before spiffing it out like that. In case you're wondering, yes, the paper is inside the button, I'm not that stupid. I do want this to look somewhat good.

JOYSTICKS (not for dismantling) Saitek X52 Pro - $0.00 gift Logitech Extreme3DPro* - $5.99 value village CH Products Virtual Pilot Yoke** - $35.00 craigslist Logitech Wingman Formula Force GP*** - $15.99 value village CH Virtual Pilot - $15.00 Purchased by friend, repaid since we're both in university JOYSTICKS (for dismantling as USB interface) Logitech Extreme3DPro - $0.00 gift, faulty Logitech Wingman - $0.00 craigslist Logitech Wingman - $4.99 value village ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS (all purchased from DiscountTown on Amazon) 10 backlit blue square buttons - $6.74 10 ON/ON white-handled toggles - $6.59 3 Rotary Encoders (20 detents) - $4.54 MISC. COCKPIT COMPONENTS 2 Used 17-inch monitors - $20.00 craigslist 1 IBM ThinkPad - $0.00 gift 1 LG Flatron (for instruments) - $0.00 gift 2 DVI-to-VGA adapters - $3.72 eBay _________________________________________________________________ Current Total: $98.56

THEY'RE HERE Well, some of them. I just got these beauts in the mail today (10 of them). They may not look exactly right for 737 autopilot buttons, but hey, for about 40 cents apiece, who am I to complain? Amazon is a great place. In other news I received this: Fun fact: Windows 10 doesn't agree with an old analog yoke. However, I will be starting my video series of constructing this joke of a cockpit with converting this thing over to a modern USB device. Also something that I don't have a picture of is the keyboard for my FMC... because it uses my tablet. I'll be using XFMC, and droidpad with a custom control layout as the keyboard as well as communication control buttons. That is all for today.

Glad to hear you're enthused! I'm pumped to get this done too Thanks for the kind words!

Try it at somewhere between 1.8 and 2.2, as that's closer to default and it's also what I designed it for. Gives a bit richer and crisper imagery.

I suppose one should say that I took the old SkyMaxx out for a drive. Stick in some default clouds and wham I've never seen anything like this before. In any sim or game.

What is your Gamma setting, Jim? I just realized that it's not supposed to be that bright green. Since I'm doing an overhaul on the existing sceneries, I can address that.

Prepping my rig and rendering options for when I have an actual physical home panel to fly the 737 from. Got default clouds AND SkyMaxx running at the same time. If you haven't tried this drug, honestly you haven't lived yet. There is a time and place for the default clouds, and that is alongside SkyMaxx.

So it has begun. I'm X dollars (see below) into switches from eBay and Amazon and I only need five more rotary encoders and I'm set. The backlit momentary pus buttons for the autopilot panel were the hardest to track down, luckily I found some blue square buttons with label slots. I'm doing all the lighting of the panel in blue since it's what my Saitek X52 throttle has on it and I want this to look pretty. I've also determined my official budget: $300. That will basically take care of the pay I got on Canada Day because it was a stat holiday. I plan on building a fully usable (minus radio stack) basic 737 cockpit for $300. Here's the breakdown so far of budgeting: JOYSTICKS (not for dismantling) Saitek X52 Pro - $0.00 gift Logitech Extreme3DPro* - $5.99 value village CH Products Virtual Pilot Yoke** - $35.00 craigslist Logitech Wingman Formula Force GP*** - $15.99 value village JOYSTICKS (for dismantling as USB interface) Logitech Extreme3DPro - $0.00 gift, faulty Logitech Wingman - $0.00 craigslist Logitech Wingman - $4.99 value village ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS (all purchased from DiscountTown on Amazon) 10 backlit blue square buttons - $6.74 10 ON/ON white-handled toggles - $6.59 3 Rotary Encoders (20 detents) - $4.54 MISC. COCKPIT COMPONENTS 2 Used 17-inch monitors - $20.00 craigslist 1 IBM ThinkPad - $0.00 gift 1 LG Flatron (for instruments) - $0.00 gift 2 DVI-to-VGA adapters - $3.72 eBay __________________________________________________________________ Current Total: $83.56 THINGS I STILL NEED Blue LED 12V strip lighting - cheap as all heck on DiscountTown (and I know it works because my dad lit our cabin with it). Wiring (Likely going to be getting this from the pile of junk in my dad's shop because he has too much miscellaneous stuff in there and is always throwing out wiring). 1/4" MDF board for panel (Home Depot sells it really cheap, I'll only need two panels which will come to about $8.00) Acrylic sheets/plexiglass, 1/3-1/4" thick (for the sectionsof the panel where I need backlighting for the labels. Anywhere near switches and knobs, basically). This will likely be the most expensive thing compared to how much it will actually do for me. Miscellaneous hardware - screws, bolts, nuts, etc. Boeing Grey spray paint. Not the easiest to find. Canadian Tire for this stuff, since they have the largest selection of spray paints and the lowest prices. iFMS app - still thinking about this one because it requires you to learn how to use an actual Boeing FMC, which is something I'm not sure I have the patience for. But without an FMC, an airliner cockpit is kind of bare. Sadly there isn't a basic X-Plane style FMC for tablet. That will be about $20.00 depending on exchange rates. Damn Brexit and our economic fluctuation in Canada. Yoke. That's an ongoing battle, hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll have some pictures of my failure to show off. That is the next big step. I want to point out that this is the most extensive (and expensive) project that I have taken on "single handedly" (in quote because of the help from the community), my first my-hands-only project. It's going surprisingly well. I am scared for when I actually have to start engraving the words into the acrylic paneling and wiring in the 12V back lighting. Then there's the issue that our apartment is so poorly wired that using a printer throws the breaker. But we'll deal with that when it comes to that. Next on the checklist is the patterns and stencils for the MDF and plexiglass cutouts. Nothing else at this point. All instrumentation concerns are dealt with, all components have been found. We're into plain and simple (heh) manufacturing now. Thanks to those who are following along with this never ending saga. Soon I will actually have something to show for all this bragging and blabbering. *The throttle of the X52 will be used on the right side, the joystick will be left in case I feel like flying Airbus style. **15-pin connector. Will not use in purchased condition, will be attaching custom yoke handle hand carved from MDF, repainting, removing throttle, etc... ***Using pedals and buttons. Will leave wheel intact for other gaming purposes as it is force feedback and worth keeping.

EDIT: I installed 32-bit python instead of 64. XJoyMap now appears in my plugins, along with half a dozen other plugins I have always been frustrated with because of their absence. I have not solved the biggest issue though. XJoyMap claims to be able to communicate with axes. I don't see where this is possible. Through custom commands, I understand the custom buttons. What I don't understand is how to use the custom axis designation. Guess who's winning. And by winning I don't mean winning my affection. I am trying to use XJoyMap to maybe add some custom buttons into my new home panel build. That sounds all fun and games until you actually try to use the utility, which to my observational understanding, does nothing. I truly have no idea what it is doing behind the scenes or how to control it. I have read all the documentation. Three times now (going on four once I hit the "post" button). The main reason I looked for it was because I hate that there isn't a built in function for a rotary selector to switch between map modes (default XP only has an option for a button to be mode select up, mode select down). Anyways, if anyone has a step by step guide starting from "you have a complete *.xjm file" to "you press the button and the thin happens," I'd love it. I know how to make the selector select each map mode. What I can't do is figure out how to get my joystick itself to use that new custom function. Where is that middle connection between XJoyMap and X-Plane? It doesn't even show up in my plugins window in XP, which makes things even more painful to use. Maybe I'm screwing things up as Colin usually screws things up, but for once I feel like there is justification in my idiocy. Help please.

Cheers Paul, thanks for so many kind words. You've been one of those people who makes it worth it to keep working on this stuff

Wait for the end. Very pleased. Yay. I'm an odd one out, Froogle featured freeware scenery.

So I heard you folks want Maui... ...Me too. And it's going to be a while. This is the ultra low-resolution version (about 16x lower resolution than it will be in the end), and it's only one of six quads inserted. Not even UHD mesh yet. Going to start work on that later, I have a song to record for now. And a cockpit to build after that. And a beach to go relax on after that. Man, the schedule it packed today. Such a stressful weekend.

I just want a picture of Vancouver I'm stuck with Steam so we don't get it.

Wow, the new autogen looks incredible. I can't wait to see Vancouver and Seattle rendered with these buildings.

Help Needed: Button assignments missing Going through the available buttons to program in X-Plane, I've noticed on heck of a lot of missing - vital - options. I need autobrakes for the main panel of the 737. Not an option as a "selector," only an "up down" option. Same thing goes with the EFIS zoom and modes. I was pleased that the map display buttons are their own thingies. Even the X737 custom commands don't have an autobrakes setting thing. Driving me a bit nuts. Basically, I'm wondering if there is a plugin out there that makes it possible to actually have rotary selectors to select your EFIS/ECAM modes and zoom levels. They are buttons in X-Plane by default, so it should be possible to set a joystick to do the same. Right now I will have to use (ON)-OFF-(ON) switches as up/down toggles. Edit: Looks like there is a great python utility... which I can't make work... for this purpose.

I want to thank RedPiper1 for making this amazing video for the Hawaii Photoreal Project, He really gets the feel of the island right. Check it out and make sure you subscribe.

Cheers When I poke fun at typos it's in good humour, never in a grammar-Nazi trolling kind of way. Sorry if I seemed to be. Brief Update This happened way faster than expected: I have all the files necessary for work to start on Maui. It's unlikely much of it will be done before Summer's end, but I will be putting as many evenings into it as possible. However, I've realized that I need a second hard drive exclusively for Hawaii Photoreal work, so development won't start until I get myself one of those. Thinking about SSD to cut down on loading times, but I really do want a terabyte, which I can't afford in SSD at this point. Paul, don't worry about the plus version - I don't need any shared resources for that, and it will be pumped out before the end of July, guaranteed. Thank you for your patience (and everyone, for that matter). Molokai hasn't proven nearly as popular as I hoped, and if Molokai doesn't prove as popular... well, I'm praying it does prove more popular. It's the first of the four mainstream islands we have.

Still no word on whether the stuff is mine. We have to get permission from a manager before we can claim abandoned stuff, and my managers were out today.