Screen Layouts

[cavaricooper]

PSX brings an entire new world of simulation to the computer pilot- unlike anything else- Bravo Zulu Hardy- A BRILLIANT COUP!

I use it on a 65" 1080p Sony XBR2, a 25" HP 1080p monitor, a 15" Retina MacBook Pro and even a 11" MacBook Air each display is driven by a separate computer.  This results in large variations of screen real-estate.  BTW again a plug for RDM (a FREE Retina Display Manager so Retina MBPs run PSX well).

I have been experimenting with several screen layouts and have settled on the resolution issue for each machine.  My uncertainty comes with actual content of the layout.

Would others, especially those who have been using PSX for a while (Beta) please consider sharing their layouts with us neophytes?  Small jpgs are fine- I feel we would all learn the possibilities commonly used that way.  Obviously final placement is a personal matter- but methinks it would help.

Thanks, ever so much!

Carl

[Hardy Heinlin]

You will see that most users are keeping the habit (when using MSFS) of putting a mini PFD in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

I can only recommend to get rid of this old game style layout and put the PFD in the center of your screen directly in front of your face.

I think this (bad) habit of ignoring the PFD is the main reason why people have difficulites controlling the aircraft on a desktop simulator.

Make the PFD as large as possible, put it in the center, and scan the PFD, scan, scan, scan, scan ... scan the PFD ... keep the F/D crossbars inside this tiny little white rectangle. If you can't see the rectangle, your PFD is too small.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

FLY THE AIRCRAFT ... Not the camera!

[cavaricooper]

While I totally agree with this idea, a few screen set ups would go a long way in making me feel I'm on the right track.... anyone?

C

[Hardy Heinlin]

I think Will has some layouts.

Mine are on the DVD :-)


|-|

[LawyerPilot]

It may be that I'm just lazy, but I plan on sticking with the stock layouts for the moment. I know some people suggested that they have composed custom layout files with layouts appropriate for the various phases of flight. But I'm inclined to defer to HH's wisdom and will assume that the stock files are there because they work well.

But, again, I'm kinda lazy.  :lol:

[Will]

Here is more detail than you're looking for... :twisted:

Forgive me for not posting screenshots (but you can download the 9pack file itself at the end of this post). Please read to the end, because you'll like the description of how this 9pack integrates with a hat switch on a joystick.

After quite a bit of PSX flying, I've decided that this works best for me:

1. Takeoff/Landing
2. Engine Start
3. CDU L, R, C and Communications
4. Cruise
5. Left Seat Panorama
6. Right Seat Panorama
7. P6
8. Far Overhead
9. EICAS and Overhead

Here's what they each do:

1. Takeoff/Landing: Four panes. There are large flight instruments (PFD/ND) as well as a generous view out the cockpit window. I called it "Takeoff/Landing," but really it's optimized for hand-flying. I included a small sliver of the gear handle on the far right, because I like to see it move as visual confirmation that the gear have been commanded to the correct position.

2. Engine Start: Four panes. Large view of the throttles, as well as the parts of the overhead that are useful for starting the engines (start switches, fuel pumps, etc.) on the left; on the right are primary and secondary EICAS (for watching engine indications). Upper right is a clipping of the MCP so that the appropriate secondary EICAS display can be set.

3. CDU L, R, C, and Communications: Three panes. The center console (communications, center CDU) is on the right. The left is divided between flight instruments above, and left CDU, right CDU, and secondary EICAS below. The F/O's flight instruments are used here so that the secondary EICAS controls from the MCP can be included.

4. Cruise: Four panes. 99% of what you need for a flight in cruise (on autopilot) is here. The left side has medium-sized flight instruments, primary and secondary EICAS, and L and R CDUs. The right side has the center CDU and communications equipment, plus a view out the window and the MCP. (Everything on the MCP is still clickable in this frame, but for changing MCP values, it might be easier to go back to your home screen to make your change and then come back to cruise when you're done.) Note that Hardy cautions us against having multiple high-demand items on display at once lest the computer take a hit in speed, but this panel has all kinds of high-demand displays and even with terrain and WXR, I still get buttery smooth frame rates (in the 40's at the lowest, usually in the 60's).

5. Left Seat Panorama: One pane. This is the view from the Captain's seat. It's useful for perspective, as well as for looking at Captain-specific equipment such as autobrakes and the hydraulic brake pressure indicator.

6. Right Seat Panorama: One pane. Similar to Layout #5 above, this gives a perspective of what the First Officer sees from his seat.

7. P6: Three panes. Captain's PFD and CDU on the left, circuit breakers everywhere else.

8. Far Overhead: Three panes. Maintenance switches (flight deck access lights, ground test, fly control hid power, gen field man reset, CVR, squib tests, etc.) on the left, circuit breakers everywhere else.

9. EICAS and Overhead: Thee panes. EICAS and FMC on the left, generously-sized overhead panel on the whole right side.

Okay, so here's how this is used. Consider Layout #1 (Takeoff/Landing) your "home" view.

Set your joystick up like this:

Any convenient button: Layout #1 (your "home" view)
Hat switch UP: Layout - (decrease)
Hat switch DOWN: Layout + (increase)
Hat switch LEFT: Layout #5
Hat switch RIGHT: Layout #6

So your "home" view is flight instruments, and you can always get back to this view with the press of a button. Meanwhile, hat switch UP and DOWN are like looking up and down in the cockpit from home, respectively. Hat switch UP from home moves you to the overhead; hitting UP again moves you to the far overhead (circuit breakers). Hat switch DOWN from  home moves you to the throttles and secondary EICAS, and DOWN again moves you to the center console (communications). It's extremely intuitive.

Most of your high-workload regimes will have you switching from home, either up (for the overhead) or down (for engines, FMC, and communications). So when the workload is high, "home" is your home.

Then when you're in a low-workload regime, the cruise Layout is just three DOWN clicks away on your hat switch. Tap, tap, tap, and you're in cruise. Your "home" button always brings you back to home, should the workload increase.

Moving hat switch LEFT always puts you in the Captain's seat, while RIGHT puts you in the F/O seat. If you ever lose your place, tap your "home" button and you're back to your home screen, looking at the flight instruments, ready to repeat as necessary.

I hope this helps!

Caveats: I only fly with one monitor, not a multi-monitor setup. I'm not building a home cockpit. And most importantly, all of this is a matter of personal style and preference, so the only right answer is what works best for you.

You can download my 9pack here:

http://www.hoppie.nl/forum/var/CustomWJC.9pack

If your screen resolution isn't the same as mine, you can still view the clippings using martin's ELVis tool, which is available for download through this forum, see martin's post for details.

[Hardy Heinlin]

Hi Will,

is there a reason why ...

screenH=1000

... is, in some of the nine layouts, not exactly 1000?

If the frame size changes when switching to another layout, a brown refresh flicker may occur.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[Will]

Hardy, you're quick! I didn't notice the difference in screenH until three days ago, literally, and I've been flying with something like this for quite a while. So if it creates an artifact, it isn't an artifact that caught my attention. And so I filed the different sizes away in my brain as something to "worry about later."

For what it's worth, I'm assuming the variance of a few pixels happened when I accidentally grabbed the window frame and not the teal slider. And the few pixels' difference weren't something I could discern visually.

[Edit: The same link above now points to the corrected file.]

[Hardy Heinlin]

I simply clicked on your link and the text appeared in my browser. And then it flashed at me :-)

[Layout 1]
...
screenH=1000
...

[Layout 2]
...
screenH=1003



Easy to edit in a text editor.


|-|



Oh, already fixed. You are quick, Will :-)

[Will]

That was indeed how I fixed it. The link above now points to a corrected file. :-)

[Hardy Heinlin]

Another tip for layout designers:

The 12 o'clock direction in zero wind, I mean the aircraft nose direction, -- the aircraft heading -- is always in the middle of PSX's visible windshield section.

The visible windshield section is the section that is limited on the left and right side either by the flight deck frame border or by a subframe border -- or by the windshield edge itself (the center post is not considered an edge here).

You can see the 12 o'clock direction (the heading) also by the windshield hair (page 88). The hair appears when a flight control is deflected.

In my opinion, for flight operational layouts, this 12 o'clock direction should be in line with the PFD (and ideally with the PVD as well, for takeoff.)


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[Phil Bunch]

Will,

Thanks for making your layouts available - it sounds like a great place to begin my PSX journey, now that  my PSX shipment has arrived!

[Will]

Phil, congrats on the arrival of your DVD. Enjoy!

[DougSnow]

PSX brings an entire new world of simulation to the computer pilot- unlike anything else- Bravo Zulu Hardy- A BRILLIANT COUP!

I use it on a 65" 1080p Sony XBR2, a 25" HP 1080p monitor, a 15" Retina MacBook P

I gotta see a pic!

[Scott]

That was indeed how I fixed it. The link above now points to a corrected file. :-)

Thanks for the layouts Will, it looks like they will be very helpful  

[cavaricooper]

Will-

That was EXACTLY what I was looking for.  I took your layout, and mixed in mine and arrived at the following.  I have put a link to all 9 screens here-

http://s1240.photobucket.com/user/cavaricooper/library/PSX

I hope this helps others as a STARTING POINT- I have months of fiddling ahead of me yet

Best- C

PS- Doug- if these photos pay back a TINY portion of our collective debt to you for you PFPX work- I am honored to assist.

[Ray_CYYZ]

I have 2 monitors side by side, tried this but it seems to be shifted a bit on the second screen. The top on the second monitor seems to be chopped off leaving a gap at the bottom. Running W7 / nVidia. Stretch works fine, but I really would like the extra 4 areas to have 2 packs worth displayed at once.

screenX=0
screenY=0
screenW=1920
screenH=1080

screenX=1920
screenY=0
screenW=1920
screenH=1080

P.S> Carl, please post that pack file that goes with those screens, you have great taste in layouts!

[cavaricooper]

Ray-

I'm not sure you're correct- but am very glad to help out- here you are-

https://app.box.com/s/oak96xlzyhijzsh9hthk

Hopefully this will get discussion moving on where to go with this whole idea.  I have had to tailor my 1080p 9 pack for my MBP (running at 1680 x 1050) but once I had a basic starting point, it was easier.  The goal for me is to have the same sequence so at least selecting #3 always gives me the overhead, etc.

Looking forward to seeing what the gurus have done- so much to learn.....

Best- Carl

[Ray_CYYZ]

Works like a charm, big thanks!

Also found the offset problem on the second monitor.

It seems the title bar which is 14 pixels in height needs to be factored into the second monitor position so it becomes:

screenX = 0 + pixel width of your monitor (1920 in my case)
screenY = 0 + pixel width of title bar (14)

Now it gets strange:

the 3rd screen (my TV which is also 1920x1080)

you would think would have the same issue but no ...


screenX = 0 + pixel width of your monitor 1 + pixel width of monitor 2(3840 in my case)
screenY = 0

I have no idea how to explain monitor 2's offset since it does not happen with the 3rd 1920x1080 display. I wonder if it is a Windows thing caused by the silly task bar?