Simviation Forum - XML and gauge design

Mar 7^th, 2003 at 11:25pm

microlight Offline
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I'd like to learn about .xml, what it is and what it does.
What I want to do is to design a 'phantom' gauge which activates the smokesystem at appropriate engine N1 on e.g. take-off, without having to manually press the 'I' key to get the smoke. There are downloads out there that claim to do this kind of thing, but I haven't got any to work yet, so I'm thinking about designing my own.

Can anybody help?
Thanks!

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Reply #1 - Mar 8^th, 2003 at 2:00am

BFMF Offline
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You should download the Panel & gauges SDK from the FS insider @ http://zone.msn.com/flightsim/FS02DevDeskSDK15.asp

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Reply #2 - Mar 8^th, 2003 at 8:48am

microlight Offline
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Andrew,
Many thanks - I've downloaded the SDK, and will post how I get on.

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Reply #3 - Mar 8^th, 2003 at 12:38pm

BFMF Offline
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Good luck

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Reply #4 - Mar 8^th, 2003 at 5:38pm

microlight Offline
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Andrew,
Well, I found a freeware XML editor on the web, and now I've got a working XML switch that turns the engine smoke on and off at 60%N1!! I'm going to run it for a few days to make sure that it's OK (should be - it's very simple), but do you think that it's the kind of thing that might be useful in the Downloads section? Certainly seems to add even more realism than having the smoke appear when you push 'I'.

Thanks!

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Reply #5 - Mar 8^th, 2003 at 8:23pm

BFMF Offline
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That's great!

btw, where did you download this XML gauge editor?

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Reply #6 - Mar 8^th, 2003 at 10:13pm

microlight Offline
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It's called Peter's XML Editor, at www.iol.ie/~pxe/ (I found it using Google, entering 'xml editor'), and it seems to be pretty well designed; quite intuitive.

I feel more gauges on the way!

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Reply #7 - Mar 9^th, 2003 at 12:13am

BFMF Offline
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Thanks for the link

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Reply #8 - Mar 9^th, 2003 at 1:50am

BMan1113VR Offline
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that looks usefull, must look in to that one

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Reply #9 - Mar 10^th, 2003 at 8:40pm

inbetween Offline
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Greetings,

XML gauge effects control is a good idea, and fun to do..

I did the afterburner for FSD's T-38 this way, and
effects for various CFS2 air craft imported to FS2002....these downloads have been available for several months at two other major sim sites....one can
search for "ICFX*" to d/l examples of XML gauge use with effects...the gauges in the d/l are not "cabbed" and are thus easy to edit and reuse...

One problem with using smoke effects is in the smoke
system itself: the coordinates used are bugged...
The values entered in the smokesystem section are, in
order: vertical, fore/aft, and port/starboard, then effect
filename... the vertical coords will do nothing in the SIM.

The fix for this is to adjust the vertical position of the effect from within the effect file itself, using the "Y Offset" parameter..

The effects SDK explains this offset method, but the bug
in the smokesystem is not noted....

JR

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Reply #10 - Mar 12^th, 2003 at 2:31pm

microlight Offline
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Many thanks for this information! I was wondering about the vertical parameter, since some of my smoke effects sit behind the engine as they should (by accident, I assume, now) whereas others, like on my favourite 727, sit about 6 feet below the engine exhausts.

You're right about XML gauges being fun to do. Is there any way of getting the smokesystem to do two different things, like engine smoke and wingtip contrails at the same time, but with different trigger parameters? I'm not sure it is, but would value help.

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Reply #11 - Mar 12^th, 2003 at 5:48pm

inbetween Offline
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Greeetings,

Can the smoke effects do more than one thing at a time?
Only if you trick the SIM into doing so

I have used lights for effect location and activation, as there are 9 "types" available...

Strobes can be afterburners, wing vortex; taxi or logo lights can be flap vortex, etc..

Some smoke effects cannot be used with lights because of a MS bug: if the effect uses "type=19" sprites, no luck....if you use sprite "type=21", as in wing vortex, it will work ok...

Back to "smokesystem" effects: the smoke system has only one "type"(unlike "lights" with 9 "types") and is either on or off...

I have tricked the SIM with some engine start-up effects I have done...the "smokesystem" has several entries:

engine start-up smoke, etc (lasts a short time)
orange flames (lasts a short time)
continuous blue flames (stops at shut-down)
trailing exhaust smoke in flight (stops at shut-down)

Each effect has an adjustable time delay in beginning and adjustable lifetime...so even though the "smokesystem" is "on" some effects are not seen as their time has run out until the "smokesystem" is turned on again...

The effects included in the AN-2 Colt by xomer are done this way...

Regards,

JR

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Reply #12 - Mar 12^th, 2003 at 10:53pm

microlight Offline
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Thanks, JR - more fun stuff to try!

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