metalnwood

As is done in other sims we need some smart person to make a program that will convert scenery from other sims format, e.g. fsx to dcs. So as to not have the copyright fight it doesnt even have to be commercial as there is a lot of freeware hi res mesh and texture around.

Frank, the hard part will be putting three or four cockpits on a carousel so when you change from a10 to tank in CA, to ka50 etc you will get lifted out of your seat as the carousel turns around and drops you in to the correct cockpit :)

I can't say as I know how to keep it at 640x480. It seems there is a bit of voodoo and luck involved before I had an option for it. My 7970 has the full size DP adaptors so I needed to get this one http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=13591

Dude! what have you been doing? Sitting at a cafe drinking latte's all day?

I was more thinking out loud how it might help other people out. I would have played around with it to prove the concept but for myself I will be using a scan matrix on a microcontroller with middleware which is sorted out. The joystick is so much easier - if it was to work than what I and others are attempting to do via other means.

I have 3 sapphire active dp adapters. setting up can sometimes be a pain but once it's done my setting stick. The cdu was a little problematic, from memory it didn't want to let me choose 640x480 as a resolution. I used the dvi-> VGA dongle plugged in to a VGA ->composite adaptor. But as I say, once it was all done, maybe taking 10 minutes of trial and error it works and stuck. I just don't unplug anything to screw it all up.

Yuck, just yuck! :) :)

Frank, looks like you have a nice spot to put a pit with enough space for the projectors. I take it that the 3 projectors on the wall is a test and that you will be going to the wrap around screen for final? I agree with Loz that 3 views on a flat surface doesnt work. I use track ir so even 3 views set up correctly goes out of whack when looking up with TIR.

I still dont like those designs, it seems to be a case of have your cake but not eat it because they are not designed to take much more than the person and basic controls. Also there is no heave just pitch, roll and yaw. I think there is a reason most sims are on a 3-6 degree platform. Having that amount of pitch would be awesome though, I could imagine it going to airshows with an oculus rift and the queues would be large.

I use the UFC on helios. I still plan to use helios for a number of things so the UFC I will keep on my touchscreen. I checked it out and it looks like dcs does want the modifier to be pushed before the other button so out of the box it will not work. Having said that, for a dollar and a few capacitors/resistors you could introduce a delay. So if the matrix was set up as 8 modifiers and 9 other pins for inputs you could use the capacitors with the 9 inputs and get those to trigger maybe 50ms later. Not as elegant as first thought but only a slight modification to make it work I think.

You may be correct, the order would not be guaranteed. I can check on another controller I have. As none of the buttons would be mapped without the modifier then nothing would happen until both were pushed - assuming (ass) that once both are pressed together DCS would treat it how we want it to.

I was thinking I need to get my A in to G and do some more work on my panels and finish my CDU. This got me to thinking about the electronics. There are nearly 70 buttons on this requiring a lot of inputs or a matrix set up with a controller. Then you need some way to integrate it all so it talks to DCS. A lot of smaller panels could have a simple joystick controller board to do all of the work of the switches. While I was thinking about the matrix wiring for the CDU I wondered why it could not be done with a single cheap joystick board and wiring it the same way? I think you could - unless I have missed something obvious and am about to be embarrassed :) Similar to a matrix a button is wired in to two inputs on the board. If you have a board like leo bodnars with 32 joystick button inputs you could use three inputs as modifiers and then use the others to go to the other buttons. By wiring each to a modifier and sharing the other inputs with the 69 buttons on the CDU you would come to an arrangement where each button when pressed would send a button press of one modifier and one other button at the same time to the computer. Each modifier needs to be configured in the input options and then it should just be a matter of setting each key which should take ten minutes. No doubt it's been though of before but for anyone who has not thought about it then there is a way to control your 69 button CDU off one controller mapped directly in dcs world.

Whats your wife going to say when she gets home and sees the lounge has been commandeered :)

Screw messy, if you dont get a vid up today.......!! I am jealous, I dont have the room to do it in my tiny space. A 3gig 7970 with 6 outputs may get the eyecandy turned up with the same framerates.

Frank, yes you can :)

Glad to hear it. Unless something has changed recently the easy monitor config has not worked with dcs for some time unfortunately.

This is more like the kind of design that is practical to take a bit of weight. Those geared motors are not cheap!

Yes, wood although wood is still heavy. When you add yourself, all the timber, all the screens all the controls you can be up to a few hundred kilos. Even at only two hundred kilos that still requires some expensive equipment to move it around at speeds that would be acceptable. I think in the end something like the GS-4 seat is the way to go for an in between. When you dont want to give up the big pit but you want to feel the g's http://www.ultraforcesim.com/Page_Home.htm

If it was me it would swap it out. The price difference is not enough to not have a 1080p panel. It will make a difference. Perhaps not for TV watching but as a computer monitor there really is a difference between the two resolutions on a monitor of that size. As far as monitors that you would use for a desktop there is a reason you dont find any monitors at that resolution on anything under about 18".

Whats happening is that softth is overriding DCS and turning off aero. So, while you need to uncheck 'disable aero theme' so dcs doesnt turn it off you also need to make sure keepComposition=1 so that softth doesnt turn it off either. This will fix your problem of not being ane to quit and should keep a good framerate with helios running. The fact that helios is slow and that you have the quit bug which only happens with aero off proves that something is turning it off - most likely softth.

Hang on. Are you using softth? I didn't see that. You need to make sure that in the main section of your sffth config you have keepComposition=1 Thats why you cant click on the quit button as well because your aero is turned off. That is a known bug because aero is turned off. (the cant quit thing)

Yep, I use it that way when I cant use helios although I am the opposite of you, I find it easier with helios on. No matter though :)

Yes, the small lcd is nice for the CDU. I have a 4" lcd I use for mine. Way cool to have one :) If you are using helios and that slows you down then you probably have the option set to turn off Aero! Go to the options in dcs world and there is the option to disable Aero. You do NOT want to disable it when running helios. Make sure it is not ticked and things will be good.

You mean went to triple tv's :) Between here and the iracing forums there are quite a few triple tv setups making their way in to simulation. A good tv costs about the same as a good monitor did a number of years back so it seems much easier to justify :) I don't know how GregP does things, I assume he just uses his 4th screen as a touch screen and presses buttons on the virtual cockpit that way? I do that in some sims where something like helios is not an option. It works well and I could imagine with DCS and a combination of snap views that it could work really well by placing the console areas on the touchscreen in an easy to press orientation. The only thing I dont like about spanning the view/VC across my smaller touchscreen is that the view also goes there and it sometimes looks strange as it spans from the larger monitor above to the smaller below. Often it lines up very well and gives a very strange 3D effect as the smaller screen is closer. Not sure I like that a lot.

Frank, I do run helios on the same computer without issue. I have only heard of one other person running it on another PC. Most run it on the same one. In my testing I am losing 2-3 FPS when helios is turned on. I am using this card with onboard 4 display ports and two dvi ports, 6 in total on the board. http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/AMD_Series/HD7970DC2T3GD5/