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I updated my first panel last night......

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unitedstates
I added gauges to a C-152 panel to make it IFR ready. I snagged the gauges from the default 172. I added the transponder, the panel annunciator, the GPS/Nav annunciator, the Nav/GPS switch and the OMI lights. Everything works great and looks great. But it seemed to take forever to position them. Is there a quicker way to come up with Y,X? I have FS Panel Studio coming, but I like to have a manual understanding and not just rely on software. Is there a way to add a grid to the panel bitmap? What would be the increment sizes?
 

tgibson

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us-california
I believe the X and Y values are related to the X and Y values at the bottom of the panel.cfg file?
 

DragonflightDesign

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northernireland
Not quite Tom. They're related to the declared size of the main panel bitmap and the screen ratio. So; if you have an aircraft with a 1980x1080 main bitmap and an aircraft with a 1024x768 main bitmap running on a 16:10 monitor, placing a gauge at 100,100 is going to end up in relatively different places on each panel (I'm ignoring the awful stretch that will result on the 4:3 panel!)

For example: my current project uses a 1980x1080 panel bitmap. The declared size of that bitmap in the panel.cfg ('Window01', entry 'size_mm=') is 960,740 (don't ask - can't remember why). I left myself a note at the top of the panel.cfg file that reads 'x=50, y=66'. So, in Photoshop, if a gauge sits on the main bitmap at 100,100, in the panel.cfg file it has to be at 50,66.

1980x1080 / 2 = 960,740 (almost 50% width, 66% height)
screen ratio is 16:10 (close enough to two thirds as above)
50% of 100 = 50
66% of 100 = 66

I did think about writing this up but it quickly gets to be a bloody deep rabbit hole. It's simple enough if your gauges and main bitmap are 1:1 (as the default panels and gauges are), but as soon as you wander out of that, there is no simple formula to calculate on-screen gauge size (dx, dy). Again, for example, most of my gauge faces are twice the size of the relative on-screen display and some labels are eight times the size to force 4K monitors to display text cleanly. Taking a gauge that sits at 100,100 on a 16:10 screen with a 1980x1080 bitmap declared as 960,740:

1. A 100x100 gauge would be 50,66,50,66
2. A 200x200 gauge would be 50,66,25,33
3. A 400x400 gauge would be 50,66,12,16

For the OP: if you're using default gauges then Photoshop is your friend. Load the panel bitmap and paste the replacement gauges on it as they are a 1:1 ratio and what you see in Photoshop is what you need to enter in the panel.cfg file.
 
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47
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unitedstates
I appreciate the insight. I work on a HP laptop with a recommended resolution of 1366x768. That gives me a 1.77 ratio which falls into the wide screen category or the 16:10 ratio you spoke of. Both the 152 and 172 panels are 1024x768 resolution. However it appears there is a HUGE difference in pixels per inch.

Info:

152__________________________172
1024x768____________________1024x768
2.016x1.512"_________________14.222x10.667"
508 pixels per inch___________72 pixels per inch
24/16 million pixel depth____8/256 pixel depth (color numbers, right?)

Using the Width and Height numbers from the 172, resulted in miniscule gauges in the 152. So since I am not bright enough to figure out how to see the default gauges before I place them, I have to make a change, save the config file, open the game and take a look at the panel to see what the next round of changes I need to make are. Hence the issue I posted about. I have Paint Shop Pro and am trying to figure out a way to find the Y,X coordinates of the spot I want the gauges to go. I tried using a RULER function but that was way off. Figuring out the size of the gauge is a lot easier than figuring out the exact position I want it in.
 

n4gix

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11,674
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unitedstates
Unfortunately for panel makers, FS Panel Studio has reached End of Life status, primarily because of the move to 64bit gauge coding. It simply cannot read and load 64bit gauges, making it completely useless for panel layout for P3Dv4+...

...and the author of FSPS has shown no interest in updating his program for several years. :(

FSPS does however work reasonably well for FSX/A and FSX:SE panel work, because they will always be 32bit sims. One may redirect one of the other pre-configured versions such as FS2002 to point to the P3D v1, v2, or v3 installations to allow it to work for those sim versions. :scratchch
 

DragonflightDesign

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northernireland
If FlyPIA has a copy of any of the MS programs, then FS Panel Studio can be used to build a panel.cfg file which will then drop straight into P3D... at least, I think that's what Bill is saying!!
 
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47
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unitedstates
I picked up FSX Deluxe back in June so that's what I've been learning in. However, I gave up trying to update the SDK with the SP1a and SP2 updates. I figure there is a compatibility issue with Windows 10. So today a copy of FSX Gold arrived and I will try to get a clean install of that since my understanding is that it comes updated with SP1a and SP2. It sounds like I should be good with FS Panel Studio. I'm just years behind everyone else. :cool:
 

DragonflightDesign

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northernireland
Nah. It's just that when building a panel.cfg file from different size gauges, Windows Calc is very handy... :rotfl:
 

n4gix

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unitedstates
I suppose I should clarify my earlier comment regarding the continuing utility of FSPS.
It is still very useful for FSX, FSX/A , FSX:SE, and P3D v1-3 panel development, which is why I keep it installed on all of my computers here in my development studio.

As for P3D v4.x + it only becomes useful if one has 64bit versions of the same 32bit gauges used in 'older sim versions'... :wizard:
 
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