Alpha 36

[Hardy Heinlin]

Now with simplified VASI/PAPI ...



(Click on the image to see more.)

Please don't forget, this is an unfinished alpha version.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Certainly getting there!

Just asking: the pattern of 22, at the left, seems weird. Is this just because of a coincidental viewing angle so that the lights happen to form a stronger pattern?

*Finally* we have approach lights when breaking off from ILS 27 to visual 24  :mrgreen:

[Hardy Heinlin]

Yes, that's coincidental.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

I am, again, surprised at the incredible effect of what first seemed a wild idea (the gate pos dots). Given the smoothness of the simulation, this should be stunning.

[Hardy Heinlin]

I've also increased the focal length of the projection, this feels, in my opinion, a lot more realistic than those exaggerated wide-angle settings typically used in desktop flight sims. Those wide-angle settings are nice to present landscape, but you can hardly see the runway geometry in relation to the aircraft when the runway is far away -- and when it's finally getting closer, the runway is coming so fast that it's too late to make steering corrections.

With the increased focal length it feels like in a real aircraft or big sim. The slightest yoke input gets visual feedback via screen geometry, yet it's absolutely stable and not nervous at all. She's sitting down on the touchdown zone so slowly, it almost feels like a balloon. And that at 250 KIAS! :-) (Still no flaps.) -- And a 3 degree slope feels like a 3 degree slope, and not like wide-angled 0.5 degrees ...


|-|

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

We will always have the issue that in reality people can turn their head left and right while on a single, normal display at normal viewing distance the width of the visible area never even touches the periphery of their field of vision with head fixed.

I didn't do measurements, but the image you posted above seems to be pretty close to what a 744 driver would see of the panel with the seat moved into proper position (up front) and his head fixed by a brace (but not his eyes). The outside view then fits in with this view.

To be flyable on one monitor, traditional desktop sims have to zoom out both the panel and the outside view. PSX can do other trickery with the panel and given operations of a 744, the outside view does not need to be widened to find the runway etc. (in normal situations).

Is the PSX 'outside view zoom' (camera focal length) related to the 'inside zoom'? Is the 'inside zoom' implemented by virtual camera focal length (I don't think so) or by stepping back (I think so)? After all, PSX is no virtual 3D cockpit, so who knows what needs to happen to the outside view when zooming.


Jeroen

[Hardy Heinlin]

The scenery center inside a layout subframe is always in the middle of that layout subframe, regardless of the windshield center post position.

The more window panorama in view, the more scenery in view. (Change layouts with a click on the stick or keyboard).

Scenery scale factor is always coupled with flight deck scale factor.

Scenery view angle is always a bit nose down and not at 50% window height.


Good night,

|-|ardy

[Scott]

WOW, that looks fantastic, nice job with the lights!

[skin]

couriosity killed the cat - I know ...
but what would the same place look like at 12:00z ?
Is there daylight in the PSX world (airportwise) or are there just different shades of twilight (like it used to be in PS13) ?

peter

p.s.: altough the posted view looks stunning to me anyway!

[Peter Lang]

Well, I think I will print this screenshot and pin it at the wall as a poster.   It looks fantastic. Thanks.

Peter

[Will]

Excellent job, Hardy.  Is the compass card accurate?  All four engines have exactly the same numbers... seems like an unlikely coincidence.  Do they vary with respect to each other, like the hydraulics do?  Are the speed bugs on the standby ASI automatically set, or can/must the user slide them around?  Is the Approach Selector on the standby attitude indicator functional?  (What about the caging control knob?)  Have you modeled the inner and outer rings (CRT/radar) of the inboard CRT brightness control knob?

[delcom]

Looking real good, Hardy.

thanks,
d

[Walter Kranl]

Fantastic Hardy!

Would it be possible to provide a side view (for visual approach)?

Walter

[Hardy Heinlin]

Good morning, thank you.

Is there daylight in the PSX world (airportwise) or are there just different shades of twilight (like it used to be in PS13) ?

What is "airportwise daylight"?

There are just dots and dynamic colors and dynamic transparencies.

Is the compass card accurate?

The standby compass has turn errors, acceleration errors, declination errors and deviaton errors.

All four engines have exactly the same numbers... seems like an unlikely coincidence. Do they vary with respect to each other, like the hydraulics do?

Later.

Are the speed bugs on the standby ASI automatically set, or can/must the user slide them around?

The user must slide them around. These plastic bugs have no servo.

Is the Approach Selector on the standby attitude indicator functional?

Yes, but there are no ILS facilities on the planet yet, just VORs, DME and NDBs (since Alpha 35).

What about the caging control knob?

Works.

Have you modeled the inner and outer rings (CRT/radar) of the inboard CRT brightness control knob?

Yes.

Would it be possible to provide a side view (for visual approach)?

No, I'm sorry. More side view is available when a layout is selected that shows the whole front window.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[skin]

ok, to be more precise...
in PS13: loading a situationfile e.g. EHAM at 12:00zulu gives a dark outside view, in spite of daylight in reality. Will the same thing happen in PSX ?

[falconeye]

Morning Hardy !

Really very cool. I could look at the screenshot the whole day.
Fortunately I 'am on holiday today :-)
For me it seems that it is really not  necessary to have an
external scenery generator. At least for me the quality
of the outsideview  looks sufficient.
So I wish you enough motivation for the rest of your really big project
and thank you for your hard work.

Greetings from Bavaria

PS: It would be interesting to see what the cockpit looks like in an night approach.

[Hardy Heinlin]

"Dark" is relative. Daylight in PS is light-blue.

Light-blue is brighter than medium blue. But it's also -- you're right -- darker than white.

You probably want to ask if there are asphalt or concrete polygons. No, there are just dots.


|-|

[Will]

How about dots for taxiways?  (Dots for taxiways that appear after you land?)  Dots for parking spaces?

[Hardy Heinlin]

No taxiways.

Blue dots exist where gates exist in the database. There are over 22000 gates in the database, that sounds a lot, but not all airports have gate records, unfortunately.

I consider the scenery work finished now, back to the aircraft systems ...

If you click on the thumb below, you'll get a daylight screenshot taken on the iMac at full 1920 x 1200. If your monitor is smaller, the screenshot may appear unsharp on your system.




Cheers,

|-|ardy

[Scott]

Hardy,

As usual your work is absolutely breathtaking!  I can't wait to fire PSX up on the 27" iMac that I have been saving for.  Of course it is all part of my master plan that concludes with PSX   :mrgreen:

Scott