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FSX FSX: VC Mouse Clickspots INOP? - SOLUTION!!!

n4gix

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unitedstates
During the course of investigating WHY the Liberty XL2's Autopilot clickspots were INOP in the VC, I found the precise CAUSE of the problem:

Any gauge poly that has been touched by the Uniform Scale Tool, and has NOT had "Reset Scale" applied will cause the gauge mouse points to FAIL in the VC.

Note that this problem ONLY affects models used in FSX... apparently FS9 doesn't care!!! This is why the same model will work in FS9 but fail in FSX.

My first step was to delete the existing AP polygons, clone a 'working poly' (from the turn and bank), move it into position and RESCALE it to size. I then applied Reset Scale to the poly, adjusted the UVW Mapping, compiled, and tested... VOILA! The mouse points worked!

Then, in the process of "fine-tuning" the gauge polygon, I applied a bit more Uniform Scale to get the size "perfect" and adjusted the position to 'fit' the shadow background from the panel texture... The ONE thing I forgot to do was apply a Reset Scale...

...after compiling a test model, the mouse points were INOP again...

I applied Reset Scale to the AP poly, compiled a new test model... VOILA! Works again!

UPDATE: Owen has confirmed this issue by using this tip to fix the INOP mouse points on the BJ400X / Hawker 400XP throttle console...

I hope this will save another modeler some grief! ;)
 
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us-southcarolina
Hi Bill,

Excellent contribution my friend! I found this important enough to sticky for now. It is important to note that these are models generated using the FS2004 SDK, as we have yet to understand how to create and properly export aircraft. There is a forthcoming Aircraft SDK available very soon that should shed some light on this!

How about putting a small WIKI entry on this topic?

Best,

Owen
 
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unitedkingdom
Rich

U have no idea how much grief u saved me dude. I was struggling a bit with this one until I came across your post. Thank you millions!!
 

n4gix

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unitedstates
You are most welcome! Be aware that this same tip applies to models compiled with the FSX XtoMDL.exe tool as well. At the time of the initial post, we didn't have the FSX SDK to play with, at least not in public view... :D

BTW, you seem to be missing a "y" and an "o"... please feel free to borrow them from me if necessary. :rotfl:
 
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I just wanted to add a small point. I found if you create your parts near scale size you never have to reset scale. This allows you to re scale again without any issues.
The only time i can't get a mouse to click is from too many parts linked in animation. So i have created a trick to bypass this issue. Simply create a plane to hover your over your switch as the mousrect.

If you create a switch that needs to be held, then you should always use a large plane so they can actually hold it why they fly.:mischievo

--------------------------------------

Update:
I use the mouse flag leftdrag so when pressing and holding a spring loaded switch you can slip off the actual switch and still get the switch to reset.:stirthepo

And for scaling issues and inactive mouse control i simply always Xform every part right before i map it!:stirthepo
 
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44
Country
france
Hello all,
-
I've lost all of my "MouseRect" in one time.
-
Just merged a "pilot" model comming from ... ages ! ;-)
Certainly an old FS9 one found on the web.
-
Tried to redone all of them without sucess.
-
Thank's to "n4gix" I've a lot of "saved releases ".
So I' had just to go back to last functioning one.
But it's stay "strange".
And I've no answer.
As for the "unwrap" screen becomming with green lines instead of white.
Without doing anything.
-
Seems that to import a model in "merging" mode could affect in a really deep manner the current work...
-
I'll be more carefull now ...
-
And will make my pilot by myself ... :-(
-
But it's a pity that we can't share with or use other people work.
-
How you say that ?
A " testimony" ?
-
Daniel.
 

tgibson

Resource contributor
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11,321
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us-california
If you suddenly lose all mouse rectangles at once, one possibility is that your eyepoint position has moved into an object (or behind a polygon). Once that happens, all of them are lost. Common problems are moving into the pilot's seat back, or behind the rear cockpit wall, or similar. Setting up an invisible polygon for other purposes will also do it.

Hope this helps,
 
Messages
683
Country
us-texas
During the course of investigating WHY the Liberty XL2's Autopilot clickspots were INOP in the VC, I found the precise CAUSE of the problem:

Any gauge poly that has been touched by the Uniform Scale Tool, and has NOT had "Reset Scale" applied will cause the gauge mouse points to FAIL in the VC.

Note that this problem ONLY affects models used in FSX... apparently FS9 doesn't care!!! This is why the same model will work in FS9 but fail in FSX.

My first step was to delete the existing AP polygons, clone a 'working poly' (from the turn and bank), move it into position and RESCALE it to size. I then applied Reset Scale to the poly, adjusted the UVW Mapping, compiled, and tested... VOILA! The mouse points worked!

Then, in the process of "fine-tuning" the gauge polygon, I applied a bit more Uniform Scale to get the size "perfect" and adjusted the position to 'fit' the shadow background from the panel texture... The ONE thing I forgot to do was apply a Reset Scale...

...after compiling a test model, the mouse points were INOP again...

I applied Reset Scale to the AP poly, compiled a new test model... VOILA! Works again!

UPDATE: Owen has confirmed this issue by using this tip to fix the INOP mouse points on the BJ400X / Hawker 400XP throttle console...

I hope this will save another modeler some grief! ;)
Bill, could this also apply to the problem with aircraft moving to P3D and losing VC functionality?
 

n4gix

Resource contributor
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11,674
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unitedstates
Bill, could this also apply to the problem with aircraft moving to P3D and losing VC functionality?
Honestly, no as the problem described above would have been present always, not just in P3Dv2. I believe that the issue is that which I've described in my reply at SOH, in that all deprecated A:vars and K:event tokens have been eliminated in P3Dv2.x...

E.G., tokens that were ENG1, ENG2, etc. syntax now must be in the new syntax using the :index convention.
 
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683
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us-texas
. . . .Thanks Bill. I assume then that the only way to correct these is via the source code? No other way to simply access those conventions and edit? (shows how little I know about modeling).
 

n4gix

Resource contributor
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11,674
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unitedstates
If they are in XML "gauges" then they may be easily changed. If however they are embedded into the actual compiled .mdl file(s), then no they cannot be changed at all.
 

Heretic

Resource contributor
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6,830
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germany
My newest finding:
Gauge polys with visibility conditions need their own $panel texture and material as well as their own [VCockpitxx] section in the panel.cfg!


If you have a visibility tagged gauge poly with the same material and in the same [VCockpitxx] section as the rest of the always visible polies, FSX will still correctly draw individual visibility, but will assume that all mouse spots are hidden, so you can't click any gauges!

So before you redo all your polies the next time or hammer the "Reset Scale" button, check if this scenario applies to your model!
 

n4gix

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11,674
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unitedstates
Now that is an interesting finding. Of course, I've never had any occasion to even try hiding a single gauge polygon that's part of the same $VC_texture before, so naturally I've never run across this little wrinkle... :confused:
 

Heretic

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6,830
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germany
Had I known this before, I would not have needed to compile autopilot-specific models of the 737-200 cockpit and just used "title=" line based visibility conditions to switch between each AP gauge poly.
 
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12
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colombia
hello guys excuse to ask you a question outside of this forum is that I'm new to molding planes and let me know how I think the textures of the plane and how do I introduce it to FSX to use Gmax to fly?
 

Heretic

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germany
If you have a question related to modeling, ask it in a new thread, not here. You also need to provide more details as I could not understand your issue.
 
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908
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indonesia
I had strange behavior with mouse click spot between P3D and FSX.
I have button polygon and just bit above it have other light polygon (use for light and it have visibility tag).
- reset scale already apply
- attach mouse react and visibility ( light polygon only)

in P3D button click spot working fine, no issue i got.
but in FSX there sometimes mouse click spot working sometimes not working ( mouse hand cursor disappear ). to make click spot working again, I must move eye point to different angle ( any angle ).
both model button and light texture just normal texture not apply to gauge texture
need advice for this problem?
 

tgibson

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11,321
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us-california
Might your "head" be inside an object like a seat back? If so, the mouse click spot will disappear.
 

rcbarend

Resource contributor
Messages
435
Country
netherlands
See post #18
Overhead.jpg

Maybe the picture explains the problem better ...
It's about the 3 green ON buttons above the Starter levers on the overhead panel in the VC.
At this eyepoint, all three clickspots are visible (Handsymbols) and leftclicks work Ok.
But when I move the eyepoint to the left step-by-step, first the rightmost clickspot disappears, then the center spot, and then the left spot. So none of the three buttons can be clicked anymore unless I move the eyepoint to the right again.
This problem is in FSX; in P3D it works fine.

Also, the eyepoint in NOT inside an object.
And the clickspots on the Starter levers work fine, from any eyepoint.

Any clues ??

Rob
 
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