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WidePSX 2.5.9 : FSX, P3D and MSFS Compatible Scenery Generator Bridge

Started by JP59, Fri, 8 Dec 2017 16:17

Aonang

Hi Hardy,

Alas, my skill at reading and writing in the Thai language are nil.

Everything on my computer, both software and hardware, is in English so I think not. However, like Google and a few others, Paypal's website assumes from my IP address that I am Thai and until recently I could not find how to change the language. That is not so now and the Paypal payment page was displayed in English and the questions answered in English.

This is not an isolated issue, I have had similar problems in the past and not only with Paypal. American merchants can be as problematic and dogmatic. I have had my UK bank bending over backwards to assure me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with my account, my finances or the billing address associated with my account, in so doing it has determined that the problem lies with the merchant and like me it is unable to do anything about it. The only party that might be able to do something is the vendor. That is the view of my bank.

Mike

JP59

Hi all,

I am currently working at the new version 2.0 of WidePSX.

One of the most important improvement concerns the Scenery Generator bridge. The data transmission between WidePSX and FSX/P3D has been completely reworked. The consequence is a silky smooth rendering, which deserves the "2.0" version number.

Another improvement in this new version will concern the Ground Services module. It will be more clever, more intuitive, more clear, and errors tolerant. The project is also to make the Ground Engineer voice pack selection dependant of the part of the world you are departing or landing. For example, you will listen (my) voice, with a French accent, when flying in France. If you are flying in the UK, the Ground Engineer will have an English accent. The idea is to get the maximum accents possible for the maximum parts of the world. Of course, if you takeoff from Paris, and land at Heathrow, you will listen the French Ground Engineer at the departure, and the English Ground Engineer at the arrival. The switch between the voice packs is done automatically by WidePSX.

Many other improvements were done in this version 2.0, like the reliability of the application, especially during several PSX SITU changes. Some bugs have also been solved thanks to the Beta testers reports and my stress tests.

For the moment, the update is not ready, as I am still collecting and compiling the voice packs, and stressing every module. I want to thank the kind contributors who gave their voices to improve the WidePSX experience. If you are interested in contributing to these voices compilation, and if your accent is not listed below, let me know at info@widesimulation.com

I will update this post with the accents available in WidePSX version 2.0 :

- German (ED.., LS.., LO..)
- English (EG..)
- American (K..., P...)
- French (default accent for all others ICAO codes)

Meanwhile, I made some video tutorials in order to help the Ground Service module users to understand how it works. These videos have been made using WidePSX version 2.0 still under development, but they will also help the version 1.3 users.

Overall module presentation and Cold and Dark situation example : https://youtu.be/s1IYbcMHYxQ

Refueling + Boarding completed example : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02SzTNAIebo

Ready for pushback example : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh_oZo0I7T8

Arrival example : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL6LyjVo3PI

I hope these videos will be helpfull.

Best regards,
Jean-philippe

beat578

Hi Jean Philippe
I could provide the swiss accent if you like.
Not too cheesy,but, yes i have a bit of an accent.
Looking forward to the new version, sounds Great and it already is a great program...
Kind regards beat.

GodAtum

Amazing!!! Do you advise the connect directly to PSX, or via Simstack SwitchPSX? I also found running a separate boost server made it more stable.

How come the PSX ACP volume control doesn't adjust the volume?

JP59

Hi,

Beat, I answered your email. Thank you for your contribution !

GodAtum, no the volume of the Ground Engineer voice is not settable via the ACP. I don't know if I answer your first question, but WidePSX is directly connected to PSX.

Looking for one more American accent for this wide country, two voices will be fine.

Best regards,
Jean-philippe

Martin Baker

Hi Jean-Philippe.

I have downloaded the trial version and need some help. P3D (new install of latest version - never used before), PSX and WidePSX are all on the same machine.

Everything is green and connected in the Network Tab. The title of the SceneryGen bridge tab turns green when I select "Start scenery generator bridge" but P3D doesn't sync with PSX. The offset status boxes both say Disabled (in green). P3D is selected as the slave. If I click Move P3D to PSX position, nothing happens. (It's a cold/dark scenario)

Have you any idea what I am doing or am not doing to cause this problem? Although I am an experienced PSX used I've never run P3D before.

Thanks for your help,

Martin

JP59

Hello Martin,

Can you confirm SimConnect status in the Network Tab says « Connected » ? You must have 3 greens on this Tab.

Did you try to reload the PSX SITU ? Do you get the synchronization when doing this trick ?

Are you sure the port set for WidePSX is free and not used by another add-on ?

Did you setup correctly the SimConnect.xml file (special P3D v4 users procedure) detailed in the WidePSX user manual ?

Best regards,
Jean-philippe

JP59

Hi,

Quote from: GodAtum on Sat,  2 Feb 2019 16:49
How come the PSX ACP volume control doesn't adjust the volume?

GodAtum, you gave me an idea, thank you !

Version 2.0 will implement the Ground Engineer's and Cabin Crew's voices volume adjustment via the Captain's ACP volume potentiometers. When receiving a FLT communication, the Captain's ACP FLT potentiometer will adjust the Ground Engineer voice volume in real time (it will be possible to adjust the volume while receiving the communication). When receiving a CAB communication, the Captain's ACP CAB potentiometer will adjust the Cabin Crew voice volume in real time also. Be carefull you don't have the CPT's ACP potentiometers (FLT and CAB) at zero, or you will not listen the voices.

It is thechnically not possible to implement 3 individual controls for the 3 ACP's because if, say, the CPT and F/O are both monitoring the FLT channel, it is impossible to know which potentiometer to use to tune the volume (the CPT's or F/O's one) because the WidePSX sound is broadcasted through a single channel on the end user computer, which is not a multi-channel system like in the 747.

Best regards,
Jean-philippe

GodAtum

Awesome, cant wait for my radio panels to come in the post now!!

Hardy Heinlin

Hi Jean-philippe,

you could read the FLT and speaker volumes of all 3 ACPs and just add the values to a total sum, 100% being the max when all 6 pots are at max. You could also mix in a square root function in the sum to compress the volume in the upper range.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

JP59

Hello Hardy,

I could, but unfortunately all the solutions will be compromises for the reason that the end user's computer doesn't have 3 sound cards for the 3 channels (ACP L/C/R). I think the solution I implemented is the most comprehensive for the end user. The volume is set via a single ACP, and its respective FLT or CAB single potentiometer. Mixing several ACPs will inevitably lead to confusions or misunderstandings, because the played volume will not be directly, visually linked to a potentiometer position. For example, if the Captain's FLT potentiometer is set at the maximum, and on the others ACPs they are set to zero, the end user using the Captain's ACP will legitimately ask why the sound is played so quietly, despite his ACP volume is set to the MAX. For this purpose the square root function may be better than the basic sum / divide function. I will have a look for my knowledge.

Anyway, thanks for the trick Hardy. Getting advises from you is a great privilege for a « young » developer like me. One of the most important things I've learnt with my projects are doing inevitable compromises, but never forget the aim of the project, but I am getting off-topic. You will for sure understand what I mean.

Kind regards,
Jean-philippe

JP59

Hi all,

Some users may not have the Captain's ACP displayed on their virtual pedestal, or some others may fly from the right seat of a hardware simulator. In order to cover all these use cases, I added a radio-button group to select which ACP controls the Ground Engineer or Cabin Crew conversation volume. The selected ACP will be of course, like all the other settings in WidePSX, saved and reloaded at every session.

The beta testing of this future version 2.0 is arriving at its end.



Best regards,
Jean-philippe

Martin Baker

Quote from: JP744 on Wed,  6 Feb 2019 08:33
Hello Martin,

Can you confirm SimConnect status in the Network Tab says « Connected » ? You must have 3 greens on this Tab.

Did you try to reload the PSX SITU ? Do you get the synchronization when doing this trick ?

Are you sure the port set for WidePSX is free and not used by another add-on ?

Did you setup correctly the SimConnect.xml file (special P3D v4 users procedure) detailed in the WidePSX user manual ?

Hello Jean-philippe,

1. Yes there are 3 greens on this tab, and the tab itself is green in colour.
2. Yes, I have tried loading a new Situ in PSX - it doesn't help.
3. It's the default 20747 (I think) and I'm pretty sure nothing else uses this.
4. Perhaps this is the issue - it was quite complicated to follow the instructions for a 1st-time install on P3Dv4, and I haven't used a windows computer for 16 years. Is it possible to ditch this file and start again? Where would I begin?

Thanks again,

Martin


JP59

Hi Martin,

Please send me a screenshot of your Network Tab with the 3 greens and your SimConnect.xml file (located in the hidden folder Users\Your Name\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D...) at info@widesimulation.com

Did you run the .msi file like described for the 1st P3D v4 installation in the user manual ?

You may have the connection to SimConnect ok, but not the data transit if there is something wrong with the SimConnect.xml configuration.

WidePSX can run on a Mac, but you will always need windows stuff for the P3D computer   :(

Best regards,
Jean-philippe

JRBarrett

I have downloaded the "approved" WidePSX 747 package from the web site, and installed it in P3D 4.4. I loaded using the provided scenario, and selected the BAW 747 livery.

The aircraft connects to PSX (using WidePSX 1.3) with no problems. PSX-P3D position sync is perfect, and all of the various lights and control surfaces work correctly in the P3D external view, based on setting within PSX.

However, when the aircraft is loaded in P3D, I have the 2D panel, which I do not want. I would prefer to just have a full screen forward view on the P3D monitor with no panel. I don't seem to be able to dismiss it. Pressing the "A" key in P3D has no effect. When I look at the current view on the menu, it shows "Cockpit 00". If I go to "Change View", all of the virtual cockpit choices are greyed out.

Jim Barrett

simbro

Hi Jim,

Have you tried pressing "F9" on the P3D machine?
This should switch to the virtual cockit where you can remiove/change the view.

Regards
Simon

JRBarrett

Quote from: simbro on Fri,  8 Feb 2019 16:47
Hi Jim,

Have you tried pressing "F9" on the P3D machine?
This should switch to the virtual cockit where you can remiove/change the view.

Regards
Simon

Thanks Simon. I'll give that a try tonight.

Jim Barrett

JP59

Hi Jim,

Right click on the panel you want to remove, then « Close window »

Cheers,
Jean-philippe

Martin Baker

Quote from: JP744 on Fri,  8 Feb 2019 06:34
Hi Martin,

Please send me a screenshot of your Network Tab with the 3 greens and your SimConnect.xml file (located in the hidden folder Users\Your Name\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D...) at info@widesimulation.com

Did you run the .msi file like described for the 1st P3D v4 installation in the user manual ?

You may have the connection to SimConnect ok, but not the data transit if there is something wrong with the SimConnect.xml configuration.

Yes I ran the .msi file. I suspect it's a problem with the SimConnect config - I'm going to email you shortly - many thanks for helping with this. Martin

JP59

Hello,

It is with a great proudness that I announce you the release of WidePSX version 2.0, a completely new experience. The heart of WidePSX, the version 2.0 Scenery Generator Bridge, is now providing ultra smooth in-flight graphics display, thanks to hundreds of hours of research and testings. Not satisfied of WidePSX 1.x series, I came back to the Beta testing phase, and rebuilt the whole application with only two ideas in mind : performance and reliability.

Please allow me to detail only some of the 24 changes in this version 2.0 :

- FSX/P3D data handling and transmission reworked for better smoothness
- Notify PSX reload logic reworked, for rock solid handling of many PSX SITU loads and reloads
- FSX/P3D door L1 synchronization. Limited to door L1 for the moment due to technical reasons
- Touchdown gear strut compression logic reworked for ultra smooth air-ground transitions
- Ground Service module completely rebuilt, including (for the moment) 4 different English accents (American, English, French and German) automatically selected depending of the part of the world you are departing or landing. I encourage interested persons to let me know at info@widesimulation.com if they are interested in contributing in this worldwide accents compilation. Thanks again to the actual contributors.
- Many others features added, bug corrections,...

May I suggest all the users (new or not) to have a look at the new user manual included in every package, as there are many new features, and different application behaviors compared with the previous versions. I also spent a lot of time to re-write this manual, and many answers you may ask are probably written inside.

One of the most important changes, in order to get the best WidePSX experience is, even for the previously provided 747 packages users, to (re)download a new package and use the FSX/P3D aircraft and starting template scenario from this new package :

The POSKY 747 included in this new package has been specially tuned for WidePSX version 2.0, in order to get all the gear, flight controls, engines and door synchronization with PSX. Using another non-POSKY model or from a previous package is technically possible, but will lead to issues. You are of course free to add your own liveries, with the condition to carefully follow the included readme.txt file instructions.

You will also need to load a provided template scenario in FSX/P3D before to start the Scenery Generator Bridge. This scenario is included in the same package as the POSKY 747 approved model. Even if WidePSX version 2.0 has been tested, and will handle many unusual starting FSX/P3D aircraft status, in order to get a 100% reliable synchronization, you need to start FSX/P3D with this template scenario, to set the initial status of the engines, door,... This scenario is not a PSX SITU, it is an FSX/P3D scenario. You can start the Scenery Generator Bridge with PSX in any status. And this FSX/P3D scenario needs to be loaded only prior the Scenery Generator Bridge start. If you want to load or reload a PSX SITU while the Scenery Generator Bridge is connected, you don't need to reload the FSX/P3D template scenario. The easiest way is to set this template scenario as your default FSX/P3D startup scenario, in order to be sure you are starting with it.

Here is the link to download this new aircraft and startup template scenario package. You will find a readme.txt file in the package root, with all the installation instructions : http://widesimulation.com/download/widepsx-747-29012019/?wpdmdl=412&masterkey=5ab6830c62fa4

May I suggest everyone to consider giving a try to this new experience, and see the difference by yourself, by downloading the free and fully functional trial version here : http://widesimulation.com/download/widepsx-trial-version/?wpdmdl=203&masterkey=5a4366bd53b06

WidePSX 2.0 is a commercial application. The registered unlimited version can be purchased here : http://widesimulation.com/products/

I wish you all silky smooth flights with WidePSX 2.0

Best regards,
Jean-philippe