Please consider a SLEW eyepoint movement function for scenery- aircraft development

  • I hope it is already on your list (a long list I'm sure) of things to add to FS2 but we really need an eyepoint movement function (SLEW in FSX terminology) so we can better inspect our scenery creations - the only alternative now is fly or taxi. I have to imagine that your own developers either have it already or certainly would benefit by it.

    Thanks

    Dave

  • Well, when it is available to us at-home developers, does it offer both position and orientation (forward/aft/up/down/roll/yaw/pitch) incremental rates with a "stop" motion key? And maybe a mouse based orientation ability?
    And yes, we really need to be able to save a situation (pause then save - aircraft, position, orientation, weather, sun position, etc....) and recall it from a list - not just whatever was last.

    Thanks
    Dave

  • @IPACS,
    With the super terrific scenery from ORBX coming soon - please enable the "developer option" camera movement so we can go inside buildings and walk along the tarmac. Otherwise we are constrained to taxiing.

    Thanks

    Dave

  • @IPACS,
    With the super terrific scenery from ORBX coming soon - please enable the "developer option" camera movement so we can go inside buildings and walk along the tarmac. Otherwise we are constrained to taxiing.

    Thanks

    Dave

    Maybe Orbx will port their BOB over to Aerofly FS 2 next week when they debut their LOWI and new Meigs packages. At least we could wander around the airports and check out the detail up close.

    Regards,
    Ray

  • Hi, It's hard to produce fantastic video without EZDOK or Chaseplane.

    Since I think it's impossible to use those in a near future, some kind of camera system would be appreciated.

    Not much is needed, mouse speed/acceleration adjustment, some kind of walk around mode and more view from outside.

    Cheers, Ben

    BennyBoy. I5 8600K @ 4,3ghz, 16 ram, GTX 1060 6G @ UW @2560 X 1080. Sim: AF2 & P3D V4

    • Official Post

    Not much is needed, mouse speed/acceleration adjustment, some kind of walk around mode and more view from outside

    I agree, a free camera to zip around in Meigs terminals, walk around, spotting etc, would be really nice.

    And softer mouse and key controls for the mouse interaction, yes.

    Regards, Jan

  • As already stated in another thread, a slew mode is especially needed for scenery development : one desperately need the freedom to instantly move 6DOF and inspect our work under all possible points of view, without having to fly there and, above all, without having to exit the simulation.

    As for most dev requests, this simple one has been ignored so far with the motto "the devs have to adapt, not the opposite"...

    Let's try again...

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • We didn't ignore it. We put it on our very long todo list and will come to it once the developers have time for it...

    Good to read that.

    Forgive me Jan, but that's actually the first hint (even unofficial statement) that IPACS acknowledged this request.

    All your replies so far were to argue why we should not need it...

    Dont't take it personally, I know you're doing your best trying to reply in your spare time, but communication with IPACS in general (or its lack of) is sometimes quite frustrating...

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • All your replies so far were to argue why we should not need it...

    Hi Antoine,

    We need a camera to fly around and look at certain details, as mentioned before such a camera is already implemented in our developer versions so it might be easy to make it public. The handling of the camera isn't totally easy that's why it's probably not in the official version yet. That dev.-camera saves it's position during sessions so you can exit out of the sim and can resume the dev-cam at the exact same position as before. No need to fly or slew back to the position.

    A slew function for the entire aircraft isn't actually needed I think. I'd rather see more positions on the map to start from (e.g. downwind, base, long/short final, beginning of the approach, start at ramp/gate/parking position, start on hold short line, start after pushback and prior to taxi, prior top of descent, at 10k during descent, etc).

    Regards,

    Jan

  • A slew function for the entire aircraft isn't actually needed I think. I'd rather see more positions on the map to start from (e.g. downwind, base, long/short final, beginning of the approach, start at ramp/gate/parking position, start on hold short line, start after pushback and prior to taxi, prior top of descent, at 10k during descent, etc).

    A slew function is definitely needed for consistent and convenient scenery making. Your camera idea is good to recall a saved location, but sceneries must be tested dynamically, moving freely fast and slow in all DOFs without bothering to fly there and without having to exit and load saved positions...

    This is for instance something XPlane devs never understood, stating you can fly at Mach 2 if necessary, which doesn't make sense...

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

    Edited once, last by Trespassers (June 25, 2017 at 11:24 AM).

  • Any time you need to see the aircraft in context, be it simply to set up for a screenshot or a video clip, or to see how it works in a bit of scenery, or to set up an approach, slewing is an absolute requirement in a flightsim.

    Especially a flightsim which places emphasis on the way things look.

  • For scenery development you don't need the aircraft, you need the slew feature, to move free in all DOFs around the place, without flying.

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

    • Official Post

    It sounds like we have different understandings of the slew function here.

    A) slewing the aircraft into a position

    B) move around the camera on it's own in relation to the world, independant of the aircraft

    For the first one you actually need to move the aircraft to a new position, for the second one, the one I'd use during development of a scenery, an aircraft is not required.

    So please elaborate your thoughts in more detail for me here.

    What are you hoping to get out of a "slew function" (moving the aircraft to a new location)?

    So far I got:

    • Taking a specific screenshot from a precise location that looks good
    • starting a flight from one freely adjustable location for making a video for example or start an approach. This might already be possible to some extend using the location dialog, so what are the things that would hold you back from using the location dialog for, say, putting yourself at the beginning of the approach?
    • maybe testing the scenery with the aircraft, e.g. flying under a bridge, testing the collision with objects, IDK, give me more examples please :)

    And for the other function, having a free camera to move around the world, I've noted these occasions:

    • setting up a spotter-view, e.g. at the end of the runway, to make a scenic departure video
    • explore detailed scenery like the inside of a terminal building
    • walk around of the aircraft
    • approaching the aircraft as if driving in a vehicle, getting some amazing shots from the birds eye view
    • scenery development, checking out certain areas, how they load, testing the frame-rate

    Few other views that could be important

    • freely flying around the aircraft to check out the cabin, fly out on the wing and look back
    • pan-around of the aircraft but with the option to get closer (without adjusting field of view)
    • air-to-air view, simulated chase plane or wing-man to get those nice break-off for formation flight shots

    Also noted: smoother camera handling in the cockpit, softer/delayed response to key inputs and mouse panning

    And then there are what you might call "camera effects" which actually should be coming from the physics engine:

    • shaking of the airframe on touchdown or on rough surface
    • turbulence of the air moving around the aircraft but letting your head relativly still for the most part (if you sit in an airplane in turbulence observe how the aircraft moves first then the heads of the passengers are pulled with it)
    • engine vibrations and periodic propeller wash or jet blast that makes the aircraft shake
    • aerodynamic vibrations like flap vibrations and shaking, stall buffeting, etc.
    • g-forces on the pilot that move the camera (already sort of implemented) and maybe red/black out

    Feel free to add to these items, we'll consider all of them


    Regards,

    Jan

  • Jan,

    For starters, let's keep it simple - just as FSX/P3D does.

    1) the camera can be outside the aircraft

    2) the number keys (NumKeys) are used as follows:

    - 2,4,6,8 start lateral movement rate based upon their arrow label - the more times they are pressed , the faster the movement

    - 5 stops all movement

    -7 and 9 start/stop bank rate movement and 1,3 start/stop heading rate change

    - F3, slow movement rate upwards, F4, faster - F2 stops upward movement, F1 downwards (again, the more times you hit the key, the faster the motion)

    Also, you can use your joystick for left/right/aft/forward movements (large displacement = large rate of motion) and then another axis for heading

    Edited once, last by whitav8 (June 27, 2017 at 1:52 AM).