Cockpit View Settings

[Sabre-TLA]

This may sound like a weird question so feel free to shoot me down in flames if you think so.

 

My question is:

 

The default view when first looking at the cockpit - is that based on the real view a real KA50 pilot would see when he first sits down?

 

Now I know that sounds silly but what I mean is, I typically zoom the view in or out to what feels comfortable to me but I've seen videos where people are flying with the view zoomed out or zoomed in and I'm looking for the most realistic setting (as realistic as I can get within a simulator).

 

So when a real KA50 pilot is in the cockpit how much of the side panels can he really see without turning his head?

 

Does anyone have any examples? Maybe a real pilot could comment on what a typical view from a real seat looks like.

 

Then if I can find an accurate representation is there a way to change the default view to match it? What I want is a realistic balance between head down (looking at instruments) and head up (looking outside) without "cheating" on the view because its a sim.

 

Thanks.

[ScEBlack1]

You can go here in the sim to change the FOV to move yourself up further or move yourself back more: KA50/Config/View/view

 

this is the line you change, first number moves your FOV back more, the 2nd forward more: CameraViewAngleLimits[PlaneIndex.iKA_50] = {20.0, 107.0}

 

As you can see my 2nd number is 107 so I sit my FOV closer to the hud (default is 120). Now I would like to know also what is a realistic view to the best possibility considering the FOV and others can probably tell us, but, that is were you can change the settings.

 

I am guessing the creators did a good job at getting it as close to real as possible maybe?

[ScEBlack1]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_L1y4XexY16s/ShJ_l8Bwr3I/AAAAAAAAFIc/r3Nyzb2PFds/s1600-h/airforce_ru_ka-50_85.jpg

[Sabre-TLA]

Thanks jessi1 - thats what I was looking for.

 

I typically zoom in until the image of the hand on the joystick roughly matches the size of my hand at the same distance. It's not perfect but it looks realistic to me.

 

I'll play with the numbers until I get it right.

 

Thanks.

[ScEBlack1]

Great glad to help, I changed my FOV number to be 100 now, try it and see what you think, to me it "feels" best. This is the second number just so you know.

[Speed]

You have to zoom in a bit for your monitor to produce the same resolution as the human eye. If your displaying a 100 degree simulated FOV on your monitor that is 1900 pixels across, then each pixel is about 3/60 degrees across, about 3' (arc minutes) The human eye, at least a good one, can sometimes go down to 1' resolution, 2' may be more typical. So yea, you have to use the zoom function to see at the same resolution as the human eye.

However, that's not the only problem. You might be simulating a 100 degree FOV, but your sitting quite aways back from your monitor. Unless that 100 degree simulated FOV takes up 100 degrees around you (the way I'm sitting, my monitor only subtends like 40 degrees or so), then you're further reducing your resolution. So- you REALLY need to use zoom if you want to view the world outside your simulated chopper with realistic resolution.

[ScEBlack1]

Sure, there is nothing "realistic" about any of it really, just what we feel it may be somewhat like sitting in a KA-50, "realistic" is a word in sims which must be used very loosely in my opinion, and only really used to get a point across for a particular question.

[airtom]

Well, any other FOV value (don't mix FOV with zoom, 100degree FOV != 100% zoom) not corresponding to 100% outside zoom (try to compare your FOV with F2 or F4 view) is simply incorrect, because all outside objects seem to be either closer or further than they actually are. This is very important for estimating distance and have situation awareness, e.g. when flying in formation. But if you try to set that corresponding FOV (I found that setting at about 30 - 40 degrees), then you see really small part of cockpit, just HUD takes about 1/2 of entire screen ;) And that is simply not acceptable.

 

Sure, there is Z axis for zooming in and out using TrackIR inside cockpit, but the range is not that wide as it could be.

 

So the only solution nowadays to have correct 100% zoom and quite wide FOV inside cockpit is simply to have 6 monitors (ATI eyefinity), and I'm not kidding. It is truly sad...