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How can I create my own guages and switches, open them into a jpeg or bmp file and repaint them, and then make my own panel with it?
Is there a free way to do this?
Is there a free way to do this?
-
Which the release of FS2020 we see an explosition of activity on the forun and of course we are very happy to see this. But having all questions about FS2020 in one forum becomes a bit messy. So therefore we would like to ask you all to use the following guidelines when posting your questions:
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guages and switches
- Thread starter Aero Files
- Start date
Lol...
...the Gauges is one of the things I hate in life. I personally think that they
are more difficullt then they must in production and the SDK is like swiss
cheese in not supplying the information between the big steps.
I was stuck also a dozen times there.
So lets begins.
Before compiling your airplane you have to have your gauge plane (this crap is all 2d, not 3d!!) a fake texture map, that is marked, different from the others
with a $ sign at the beginning..like $stukamap_color.bmp or something like that
Beside this you must do another map (an UV-Page) wich proper Mapping.
Say 1024x1024 for clean look. When done and the textures fit perfect you
change against the $Map which can be black or whatever. But black is
good.
Then compile the aircraft.
After this create in the panel-directory a new panel.cfg with following text
[Vcockpit01]
file=Stuka_GAUGESBG.bmp ...................contains your gauges
pixel_size=1024,1024
size_mm=1024,1024
texture=$Stukamap_color.bmp ..............the fake map as paintground
Background_color=0,0,0
gauge00=STUKA!asi, 9, 212, 201, 202
Then you begin with the single gauges. Begin here for example with
airspeed indicator - asi.
All the gauge textures and XML-Documents (little programs for the gauges)
must be put and compiled via CABDIR.EXE (in SDK folders) in a closed data
basket. For example the cabdir in this case would be STUKA.CAB.
The called xml-sequence is a piece of file inside the CAB-File.
There it is called asi.xml.
Every change in xml and gauge bitmaps must be done in a separate folder
in the panel directory. Here it would be STUKA.
Again. When you have changed a bit you must recompile the directory
via CABDIR.exe.
You do this is dos-prompt:
CABDIR.exe /nocompress STUKA
Then it produces the new CABDIR.
The could thing is, that you can fast update the changes in FSX.
You mus not restart the program like for texture changes on the aircraft.
After this the real hardcore begins with the xml programming.
But that should be a separate thread.
Greetings
...the Gauges is one of the things I hate in life. I personally think that they
are more difficullt then they must in production and the SDK is like swiss
cheese in not supplying the information between the big steps.
I was stuck also a dozen times there.
So lets begins.
Before compiling your airplane you have to have your gauge plane (this crap is all 2d, not 3d!!) a fake texture map, that is marked, different from the others
with a $ sign at the beginning..like $stukamap_color.bmp or something like that
Beside this you must do another map (an UV-Page) wich proper Mapping.
Say 1024x1024 for clean look. When done and the textures fit perfect you
change against the $Map which can be black or whatever. But black is
good.
Then compile the aircraft.
After this create in the panel-directory a new panel.cfg with following text
[Vcockpit01]
file=Stuka_GAUGESBG.bmp ...................contains your gauges
pixel_size=1024,1024
size_mm=1024,1024
texture=$Stukamap_color.bmp ..............the fake map as paintground
Background_color=0,0,0
gauge00=STUKA!asi, 9, 212, 201, 202
Then you begin with the single gauges. Begin here for example with
airspeed indicator - asi.
All the gauge textures and XML-Documents (little programs for the gauges)
must be put and compiled via CABDIR.EXE (in SDK folders) in a closed data
basket. For example the cabdir in this case would be STUKA.CAB.
The called xml-sequence is a piece of file inside the CAB-File.
There it is called asi.xml.
Every change in xml and gauge bitmaps must be done in a separate folder
in the panel directory. Here it would be STUKA.
Again. When you have changed a bit you must recompile the directory
via CABDIR.exe.
You do this is dos-prompt:
CABDIR.exe /nocompress STUKA
Then it produces the new CABDIR.
The could thing is, that you can fast update the changes in FSX.
You mus not restart the program like for texture changes on the aircraft.
After this the real hardcore begins with the xml programming.
But that should be a separate thread.
Greetings
n4gix
Resource contributor
- Messages
- 11,674
- Country
n4gix
Resource contributor
- Messages
- 11,674
- Country
Brother23;38760Again. When you have changed a bit you must recompile the directory via CABDIR.exe.[/QUOTE said:You do not have to "CAB" any xml gauges for them to work. In fact, there's no point to doing so when still working on them...
...\panel
............\Stuka
.....................asi.xml
.....................asi_background.bmp
.....................asi_needle.bmp
Simply leave the .xml and .bmp files in a subfolder of the \panel folder of your aircraft while you are developing them.
In FS9, use "Reload Panels" command to refresh the panel immediately to see your changes.
In FSX, use "Reload User Aircraft" command to refresh the panel immediately to see your changes.
