Vyrtuoz

Done! I have fixed the aspect angle calculation in Tacview 1.3.3.

The object under the mouse is now outlined in Tacview 1.3.3! What idea do you have in mind about other uses for colored outlines? You can put uncompressed NASA SRTM1 files in \Tacview\Data\Terrain\SRTM1\ folder. It is suggested to also put corresponding SRTM3 files in the SRTM3 folder to get the best transitions and interpolations results in Tacview. You don’t have to cleanup SRTM1 or SRTM3 data: Tacview will use data from lower resolution terrains to fill the holes. However, it is suggested to cleanup very uneven terrain like the Grand Canyon. The rest will be improved in Tacview 2.0. There are some features I cannot push further with the current system...

Please try the following checklist and let me know what was wrong with your config: http://lomac.strasoftware.com/tacview-dcs.php

Are you talking about something corresponding to the W or the little plane visible in the HUD? If you are talking about the plane attitude, it is visible as the W plus three arrows: one on top of your head and two the left and right of you. I admit they are not very bright, I may increase their visibility if necessary.

I’m going to replace the old LUA script exporter by a brand new C++ DLL. The old exporter may be slow in some cases, is very hard to maintain and does not have access to all the information I would like to see in flight recordings. The excellent work of DArt on LotAtc and the research and prototyping work of Vicx opened new doors to me. With the new exporter, I’m going to push the limit of what we can do as an unofficial add-on for DCS World. For instance, the new DLL is going to be much faster and will be able to access way more information than what the old export.lua script is able to see. All of this is going to be transparent to the user and cleanly integrated in DCS. An option panel will enable you to tweak the way data are exported, and an appropriate theme is included for the E-2 fans ;) I’m almost done with the prototyping phase. I will start the effective development soon. The first dev phase for Tacview 1.x will be to release the new exporter using the old acmi format. It will offer new data like RADAR locks and ground objects. However, its full potential will be unleashed when I will have created the new acmi format and the new graphical user interface for Tacview 2.0. The new format will be more extensible and powerful. The exporter will be able to record data in a compressed format (zip or 7z) so you will not have to repack the files to save space anymore. And it will probably support password protection to prevent cheating during network games (this will be obviously optional). The new exporter will also be able to serve multiple network clients eventually. But this is for Tacview 2.0+. The online debriefing and the real-time flight recording are two independent features. The online debriefing is a way for a squadron leader (not necessarily the host computer of a flight) to control the 3D view, and selected objects, so other pilots could be debriefed about the same things. I have not yet fully defined how the online debriefing is going to work license wise. For now, I’m on the idea that only the host will have to own a Professional license. You will not need to own a Professional License to enjoy a debriefing as a client. However, I still have to define, if you will need a Home license or not to attend as a client at an online debriefing.

How to enable the TrackIR in Tacview How to enable the TrackIR in Tacview: Make sure you are using the latest version of your TrackIR driver Make sure you are using the latest TrackIR game update: A profile named [Tacview] must be visible in the TrackIR program Enable the TrackIR in Tacview by clicking on the little arrow next to the [Cockpit View] button and clicking on the TrackIR option Tacview supports TrackIR hot plug: You can start/stop your TrackIR at any time without having to restart Tacview.

Tacview 1.3.2 is available! Download: http://www.strasoftware.com/download/tacview Real-time news: Don’t forget to read the FAQ about Tacview 2.0: http://lomac.strasoftware.com/tacview-future.php This intermediate release on the way to Tacview 2.0 is bringing a lot of bug fixes plus nice prototypes of incoming new features like the possibility to display telemetry in objects labels. I’ve done a lot of tweaks to reduce clutter. For instance, labels are now shorter for objects which are far from the observer. Auto-scale has been improved and fixed to not display giant objects anymore. There was a discussion about aspect angles wrongly calculated. They are currently calculated in full 3D (including objects roll). It looks like that was a mistake. I’m going to review the issue deeply and will produce a fix as required for the next version of Tacview. I’m also experimenting with real-time bookmarks injection. For instance, while flying the MiG-21bis, you can now press the CANOPY_anti_ice button to inject a red bookmark at the current time in the flight recording. You can assign this command to a button on your HOTAS so you can quickly remember where to look for action while reviewing the flight later. Please, let me know which command of your favorite aircraft could be used to inject bookmarks too. For instance, I’m planning to add it on the release cargo button of the Huey. The trick is to find a kind of rarely used (or useless) command which is visible in the cockpit and can also be assigned to our HOTAS. Because FC3 aircrafts cockpits are not clickable, this feature cannot be added to FC3 aircrafts. I’m planning to support a more powerful version of this feature to overcome this limitation in the new flight recorder for DCS. You can learn more about the new exporter on the dedicated thread: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=138183 ADDED Option to display telemetry data in the 3D view for all aircrafts and selected objects ADDED Option to display ground objects labels only on the biggest anti-aircraft threats to the selected objects ADDED Mouse-over objects to display labels or more detailed labels in the 3D view ADDED Selected objects are now outlined (3D meshes only) ADDED Inject bookmarks in the recording while flying the MiG-21bis by switch the flight recorder on/off or pressing the CANOPY_anti_ice button ADDED Added support for NASA SRTM1 terrain (about 30 meters resolution) ADDED Link to Tacview Twitter page in the status bar CHANGED Objects far from the camera are now displayed with shorter labels to reduce clutter CHANGED Tweaked auto-scale to reduce clutter CHANGED Increased head yaw to about +/-180 degrees in cockpit view FIXED DCS World and Falcon 4.0 terrains were not displayed in the Free Edition of Tacview (after the trial period as ended) FIXED Cartridges were displayed as shrapnel for some DCS World aircrafts FIXED Falcon AF airports where displayed in place of BMS airports (regression) FIXED The HUD is now displayed at an "infinite" distance so the attitude display is always correct FIXED Sun position recorded for DCS World flights FIXED Threat dome of some destroyed SAM/AAA was still displayed in some rare cases FIXED Ground objects which had left the area were still displayed as destroyed objects FIXED The TrackIR is now fully released when disabled by the user in Tacview so other programs can use it without exiting Tacview FIXED The last version of FSX2ACMI is now properly launched instead of older versions when starting FSX FIXED FSX2ACMI now properly removes itself from FSX exe.xml when uninstalled FIXED Rolled-back to English text for the charts and 3D view when Chinese is active (Because Chinese characters are not yet supported in charts and 3D view) FIXED Sun is now always properly positioned when camera is orbiting around objects FIXED Skybox is now properly displayed when camera is orbiting far from objects

Trial period terrain bug Thanks for the feedback Aginor! Yes, the free version of Tacview obviously includes DCS World map as well as Falcon 4.0 maps. Because of a simple bug in my new terrain engine (since Tacview 1.3), those maps are not properly displayed after the trial period. I’ve just fixed it and will publish the fix in Tacview 1.3.2 as soon as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Absolutely, this is something I’m thinking about. I’m focusing on the export itself with the new exporter for now. When this will be working fine, I check which kind of security is the best for network games.

Off course! As soon as you have the password to open the file, you will be able to re-save it right away without any password. (This is still in conception, but that’s the idea)

I understand your concerns. Cheating vs training has always been a hot topic. Here are a few points to keep in mind while thinking about this subject: It is already possible for a DCS World host to prevent recording through DCS World configuration options. So the “protection” feature is not new (even if it will have to be improved on my side with the new exporter). After a server mission has ended, the host can give the password “of the day” to all its clients so they can option they flight recordings since there is no more cheating possible. The password protection will be optional. You will be able to completely “open” your server so anyone can review the flight in real-time if you want… Like today, it will still be possible (even if this is not always reliable) to record the flight after the client session has ended by playing back DCS track file, even if you didn't have any password or authorization to record the flight.

Hello everyone! After years of iterations and improvements listening to your feedback, it is time to put an end at this good old Tacview 1.x! Tacview 2.0 is on its way and its goal it to provide you unprecedented flight and battlefield analysis capabilities. Please have a look at the official FAQ and post here any remark and suggestions. I’m working hard on this version to make it your favorite tool for flight review. http://lomac.strasoftware.com/tacview-future.php UPDATED 2015-01-29 Added Online Debriefing question Added Real-time Flight Analysis question

Very nice work Vicx as usual! Yeah, yeah, I know the auto-scale is not always appropriate. Don’t worry, it will be fine eventually. :) With the actual version, there are no explosions for bombs which hit the ground because it is not possible for Tacview to know if the bomb was active or inert. I hope that this kind of data will be available soon. So far, I think that the best way to display roads is to use the XML static objects capabilities. However, it does not offer the appropriate type of object yet. I have to add this in my todo list… Can you easily export roads from DCS battlefield? Keep in mind that what you are accomplishing right now is done using a tool written almost ten years ago! I’m going to announce soon what is waiting for you in the next major upgrade. Stay tuned!

I think, also, that displaying the aspect angle between objects is confusing. The best may be to display it under each aircraft like on this video to avoid any ambiguity:

I have calculated the aspect angle in 3D. That may explain your observation, because in that case, the roll of the target aircraft matters. Maybe that was a bad idea… Do you think aspect angle have to be calculated in 2D (from a satellite point of view) in all cases to make sense? (The answer is not obvious to me, especially when thinking about dogfight in full 3D space…)

It looks like that some weapons orientation is not properly exported by DCS World. I’m going to rewrite my exporter soon, so I will fix this if this is on my side. But I really think the bug is on the DCS side.

I think I read the same documentation as you when I added the feature ;) If you try to reproduce the documentation chart with Tacview you should get the same results. But now, you are putting doubt in my mind. Did I invert the “formula”? Maybe someone else can help to confirm what the aspect angle is supposed to be.

In Tacview 1.3.1 the head yaw is limited to +/-134 degrees. I will see what I can do for this in the 1.3.2.

Thanks for the feedback. The HUD is going to be improved a lot in coming releases. GGTharos, what do you call head swivel? Are you talking about roll, pitch or yaw? For now the angles are very wide, the most limited one is the head pitch at about +/-90 deg (which is already a lot considering what a normal person is supposed to do ;). Vicx is right about radar locks and his screenshots are prototypes he is working on. Right now, with DCS, radar-locks are displayed only for the local aircraft and the information is limited depending on the aircraft piloted. In Tacview 1.4 we should get much more radar-lock information available.

I’m going to improve a bit the installer so it looks more like an automatic upgrade rather that a new install. However, I don’t plan working on a full automatic update download system for now. Because I prefer to focus my time and work on flight analysis for the 1.4.

It looks like that NaturalPoint has just published a new game update for their TrackIR driver which includes a Tacview game profile. So, just make sure you got the update and you can see the profile. Enable the TrackIR in Tacview: Et voila! You can now enjoy this new feature! (Hot plug is supported by Tacview)

Tacview 1.3.1 is available! Download: http://www.strasoftware.com/download/tacview More news about coming versions: This is the first of the several updates planned on the way to Tacview 1.4. Some of the new features are just tiny prototypes of much bigger things which are coming! Important note: The TrackIR support is complete and is working well. However, we have to wait for NaturalPoint to release an update of their drivers to include a TrackIR profile for Tacview to unlock this feature in cockpit view. I have started to work on Tacview 1.4 and the improvements coming are going to be even bigger than the new terrain engine you can enjoy since Tacview 1.3. As usual all suggestions and comments are welcome! Even if I don’t always have the time to answer to all of them, be sure that I’m listening to you to make the best ACMI tool available from real life to DCS world! Here is the detailed list of improvements: ADDED Support for Bf 109K-4 ADDED Support for TrackIR in cockpit view (please wait for the next driver update to enjoy it) ADDED Auto launch and auto quit option to FSX2ACMI (based on FSX/Prepar3D status) ADDED Tacview now remembers Falcon 4.0 theaters for each VHS files loaded from the recent files list ADDED Huey, Ka-50, UH-60, Saab Viggen and boats 3D models ADDED Export script is now also automatically installed for DCS Open Beta ADDED More objects to Tacview Database CHANGED Dead ground objects are now displayed in grey CHANGED Reference mission time for DCS (from 2004-06-22 to 2011-06-01) CHANGED FSX2ACMI window now stays in "background" at startup CHANGED Removed splash screen displayed after a new installation FIXED Crash when calculating AGL altitude right at the edge of a Falcon 4.0 theater FIXED Huge Falcon 4.0 maps are now properly supported (like EMF which is twice the size as an average map) FIXED AGL Altitude for Falcon 4.0 was not always correct where different theaters were overlapping FIXED Duplicate Falcon 4.0 theaters names in the open-file dialog box FIXED memory leaks in XML interpreter when reading an invalid XML file (regression)

Hey guys! I’ve just released Tacview 1.3.1 which automatically records DCS Open Beta flights too. I didn’t notice anything hard to setup or wrong which the open beta of DCS. Can you check if this is working better with the 1.3.1 please? If you still don’t get any flight recordings (please make sure you don't have any new acmi files somewhere on your hard drive), can you share me your dcs.log file? C:\Users\%username%\Saved Games\DCS\Logs\dcs.log or obviously, depending on the version of DCS you are running: C:\Users\%username%\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Logs\dcs.log Thanks!

Excellent research as usual Vicx! I like the idea of simple labels and the way you are grouping them. I think that pilots’ names should be displayed in place of their respective aircraft IDs. I agree about the auto scale. It is too strong for now and I will reduce it to something of just enough pixels to make the object type recognizable. Also, I was thinking the same about scaling labels too to give a good feeling of distance on the battlefield. Obviously, they would be displayed with brighter colors, a bit like the HUD, so they would come out well regardless of the background terrain. Even if my main focus for now are the flight recordings (in real-time or not), I may implement some of your graphical suggestions in Tacview 1.3.x to do some prototyping. The major labels and graphical user interface upgrade is currently planned for Tacview 1.5 (and 1.4.x for some prototypes).

Hello QuiGon, Did you follow the check list provided on the following web page? http://lomac.strasoftware.com/tacview-dcs.php Which version of DCS are you using? Do you have several versions on DCS on your hard drive? Which version of Windows are you using? In which folder did you put the scripts?