HELIOS Cockpit Management System - FREE Beta

[power5]

Airdog, Paul, or Flim: Are the MFCD exported to holes in the Helios display? If so, is that done on the users part or is it part of the profile? I assume they are clickable in the helios window.

 

I hope some one can come up with a way to not render the cockpit MFDs but still have the images in the exported MFDs. Must be a hit to FPS to render the main, and 2 sets of MFDs.

[Gadroc]

@power5

Yes the MFCD are rendered inside DCS and Helios is rendered over top of it and you can see through to the MFCDs. There really is no other way to do it right now. DCS has to be modified to do it any other way, as the A-10C uses the MFD displays for video feeds from the game engine it can not be "generated" based on data the sim sends us. Blackshark had the ability to do "shared memory" texture but that performed worse than the multiple screen window mode (still does as i have working exports for it in internal builds). These shared memory features don't work in A-10C as of yet.

 

There is some ability to "replicate" images off the main display into the MFCDs, but that too has a performance penalty that is worse than windows multi-monitor in DCS at least with the current technique. I'm exploring code that would hook in similar to FRAPs to see if we can have less impact, but that is a lot of work and will be a ways out.

[power5]

I am fine with the DCS images exported into holes in the Helios. I was just wondering if I will have to write the lua to put them there and figure out the windows multi monitor seutp, or if that is something helios will somehow do for me (hopes and crosses fingers). I have been waiting to try helios till my pit is built, but may not have the time since its ending very soon. I need to find a deal on more Touchscreens like my samsung ld220z I got for $149 refurbished. I need one with vesa mounts on the back for the side monitors though.

 

Does running Helios on a second graphics card have the same FPS hit in DCS as using a second card in DCS for exported MFCDs?

[Slammin]

You will need to edit the .lua's yourself as well as get multi-monitor setup. Once that's done, in Helios, you simply click on the Editor button and then click on the pulldown Profile/Reset Monitors. If you ever change the screen resolotion of your monitor that will display Helios, you will have to Reset Monitors again.

 

I have my main display and the display running my 19" monitor running from the two DVI ports of my primary card. I have an 8" touchscreen connected to a secondary video card. As long as you run the main display and the exported MFD's from the same vid card, the FPS hit is minimal. If you export the MFD's via the secondary card, the FPS hit is nasty.

 

It does not seem to matter which display or vid card you use for Helios but at least on my system, running Helios to both my 8" and 19" causes a significant hit, though running on one or the other seems is fine. I suspect it is because when I use both monitors for Helios, there is a lot of additional CPU processing going on, but I don't think it's related to lack of video horse power.

[Flim]

I'm having pretty good luck using 1 5870 * 6 with 4 screens. Running B4 around 40 to 60 fps with MFD's on mon 2 and running our CDU screen copy. I will do a video hopefully later.

[power5]

Is that with 3 main view and 1 touch or 1 main and 3 touch?

[Flim]

1 46 incher for main view, and 3 touchscreens running Helios.

[Snoopy]

Nice setup Paul! You need at least one more big touchscreen on the right and you'd be all set.

 

My wife would kill me!! She wasn't to pleased when i came home with the second touch screen...

 

Personally, I could never fly with the joystick on the right hand side like that... if it is not in the center, it feels odd to me. Which is why when I put together my PVC cockpit from the plans I bought on E-bay, I had to alter it to add a center joystick. I now use the right-hand platform for the mouse. ;-)

 

That's temporary for mine. I've been traveling a lot for the Holiday's. Next weekend I'm going to build a center mount for the stick and side one for the throttle.

 

I'm having pretty good luck using 1 5870 * 6 with 4 screens. Running B4 around 40 to 60 fps with MFD's on mon 2 and running our CDU screen copy. I will do a video hopefully later.

 

I had intended on asking at the SCSSimulations forum but haven't gotten around to it yet, what are your settings on? I've got mine on Medium and am getting about the same fps as you.

[power5]

As usual starting to get pissed off at HELIOS now. :wallbash: Was going great for a while. Now trying to get panels to hide is frustrating me. At first I did it great. Now trying to get panels to hide when another panel is switched to unhide is not working. I have 3 right panels and the main panel. I have 3 buttons for the hide function of the right panels . But now I have one of them not working. Now I can not figure out what went wrong.

 

What kind of support will there be for the final release? If we were all rich enough to have the same setup as you guys there would be no issues, but it seems trying to get the awesome software to work in our own cheaper setups may need some trouble shooting. :helpsmilie:Loving most of the software so far. UI needs some work still, but its still a beta so :music_whistling:

[metalnwood]

I have been down the road that Gadroc is many times with software and I am glad that he chose to have an open beta because I found it, got it and I really think it's going to add to my simming.

 

He has said on the scsimulation forum that there will be new features to help out in this area and I know that you (the developer) need to concentrate on a set of features first or nothing will get done. It's just a learning curve and just like any other developer, especially the big ones you probably wouldn't get support for how do I do something unless it involves a bug. Actually, as a small developer you will undoubtedly get better support through their forum than you will if you stumble in a program written by a big developer.

 

I would suggest you ask the question on their forum and maybe post your profile. I would be happy to have a look at it. Without the profile it's impossible to know what is really happening.

Edited January 1, 2011 by metalnwood

[power5]

Got the panels hiding and unhiding with their correct switches. What I now want to do is to automatically hide a panel when another panel is unhidden. if that makes sense. I will post my profile on the SCS forum if you want to take a look. I need to get a left panel started now. I am pretty happy with my right sides and front panel.

[metalnwood]

Wouldnt it be a matter of adding a binding to hide it on any switch that already has a binding to unhide said panel? Most of the ones I see already have multiple bindings so it shouldnt be a problem, just a logistical issue to keep track of.

[power5]

Yeah, I have a hide and unhide binding on the CDU switch. But I want it to hide if I unhide my other panel since CDU is the top layer, if I do not hide it, no other panels will be seen when unhidden.

 

I can not find an action to change a different button's state when the next button is pressed. So, if CDU button is on, and I turn on the next button, I want the CDU button to go off which would hide the CDU panel. Can not figure a way to do that.

Edited January 1, 2011 by power5

[power5]

Yay, I feel so accomplished.

 

I set the open action to set physical state of other buttons to true. Not sure why not false, but hey it works. So each button has 2 physical state actions for the other two buttons. I may have it backwards but I am using open states as on, and closed state as off.

[airdog]

Yay, I feel so accomplished.

 

I set the open action to set physical state of other buttons to true. Not sure why not false, but hey it works. So each button has 2 physical state actions for the other two buttons. I may have it backwards but I am using open states as on, and closed state as off.

Yes you are backwards....think of it as an electrical circuit....open circuit=off closed circuit=on

[power5]

Ehh, not going back to change all those switches. After I was half way done, I thought about it and decided to just stay the course. :) Would only matter if I was using real switches probably, but since its all virtual in my cockpit, its just a coding switchup.

[power5]

Working on my left side panels now. Easy part done. Now to learn how to make these switches move when they are moved ingame. Up to now, I have just pieced together other peoples profiles and added my own Panel hide buttons. This should be interesting.

Edited January 2, 2011 by power5

[Slammin]

Does the RWR work for you guys?

[airdog]

Does the RWR work for you guys?

Nope...not implemented yet

[Slammin]

Thanks! Thought I was doing something wrong.