Tyler is migrating the website to new hosting, and so the old server has decided to flip us one last middle finger. Needless to say, if you’re seeing this page, you probably waited for 30 seconds to get it. 🙁
I have WED 1.4b2 ready, as well as a cut of the command line scenery tools pack and MeshTool; I will post all of them once the server is migrated. Not a lot of good posting the files if you can’t download them.
Hopefully the website will be full speed again early next week, if not sooner.
UPDATE: Tyler says the site migration is finished. If you’re still having problems accessing X-Plane.com, demo downloaders, or sim updates, give him a shout at tyler@x-plane.com.
X-Plane seems to walk with small footsteps. Since I began to use it, the most spectacular developments came from third provider, like alpilotX, SkyMaxx and other. Between version 10 and 10.35 there is in my opinion not much exciting.
I understand that it is not simple to develop such a complex program. But we see every month things changing in science, technology, hard- and software. One example to discuss is Oculus Rift. Now a days it is changing radically the experience of games but to a greater degree the abilities of simulation. Are we X-Plane user an active participator of this process? Why didn’t we hear about since month? If computer game developer can integrate such a technology, why not X-Plane?
I think that X-Plane is the best flight simulation software on market, but this state can not last long without innovative changes
Yep, not much happening in from 10.0 to 10.35, besides the move to 64-bit, the new GPS, and global airports, framerate improvements, updates to autogen, updates to land class textures, quick look, quick-flight screen, two new aircraft, DSF recuts…and this list does not cover the major features put in for third party authors and developers. 🙂
Anyway, I’m glad you like SkyMaxx and the HD meshes – they’re great add-ons. This is why so much of the feature list from 10.0 -> 10.35 are for third party developers.
We’ll post news on the Rift when there is something new to post.
What is the right place for feature requests?
I’d really like to export/import video settings somehow. Now, when x-plane crashes AND you click the option to set the rendering to default you have to set all your settings again. Also, people with comparable configurations are able to share these settings with each other instead of everybody trying to figuring out the optimal settings for themselves.
You can email me or Austin or file a “bug” with the feature request or email tech support. There isn’t a formal system.
Honestly, I think we’re very unlikely to do this feature. You can accomplish something similar by extracting certain strings from the prefs file. Perhaps in the future we can split prefs so ren settings are in their own file for convenience.
What are your opinions on the SteamVR headset? Specifically, HTC RE Vive? Full walkabout VR, SteamOS (i.e. Linux), 90 fps… Sounds like a good deal to me.
Philipp may have other opinions. I don’t think we can evaluate a VR headset until it’s pretty much -in- production…that’s when we can know how well it works, how it compares to the competition at the time of ship and the cost.
The long awaited oculus SDK update has been released which includes OpenGL support, a move to dll and the end of the shims which caused issues for X-Plane previously. I hope this will now allow for progress on Rift implementation.
Having had a glimpse of X-plane 10 on DK1 with third party software I was instantly convinced it was the future for flight simulation. The input solution can wait. A trackball allows all the cursor manipulation we need in the virtual cockpit for now.
I know the constant questions about Rift implementation are driving the devs nuts but I think it illustrates that native rift support in x-plane is eagerly awaited.
There has undoubtedly been huge progress since 10 went live but I truely believe if this can be done well it will be the biggest change we have seen in flight simulation. This is especially true for those of us who are interested in helicopters and light aircraft where complex cockpit interaction is not required.
I hope this SDK update gives Phillip the tools he needs to make it happen.
I was reading the oculus forums way back when a 3rd party was working on trying to get the rift working with X-plane.
At the time, I was thinking about it, and while that’s impressive in itself, (I think I may even have managed to get it to work in my DK1 all the way back then when the first kickstarter backers were getting headsets), I did note the input issue was a bit frustrating.
Personally I have a Razer hydra. And I was thinking about how awesome that would be to use in a 3d cockpit.
Not expecting official support for something like that, I looked into adding support as a plugin.
Unfortunately, I soon realised that was easier said than done.
The best aspect of something like the hydra in a virtual cockpit is that it is a 6-dof input device, so you could, in principle, rotate knobs, push buttons, even manipulate the virtual flight controls reasonably well (except foot pedals really).
You could do this two-handed as well, which would be nice for a variety of reasons.
Further, because the controller is a true 6-dof controller and can manipulate things in 3d space, you could also manipulate ‘offscreen’ controls.
This isn’t reliable obviously, due to lack of touch feedback, but it would suffice for some purposes where you need to keep your hand on one control and manipulate something else at the same time…
Anyway, back to the point, in trying to create a plugin for this, I got a bit lost in the x-plane SDK…
And started to notice that it would be pretty difficult, given how the controls are programmed to respond to cursor input to actually get this to work.
Turns out the way the 3d cockpits work when it comes to picking up manipulation of the cockpit controls is tied very closely to the 2d mouse cursor.
And most of my ideas for it seemed like they would require rather convoluted methods to even approach being usable.
It got to the point where it looked like I would need to directly interfere with the rendering process, and that’s when I decided it wasn’t worth it.
Of course, I could have been wrong, and I was maybe just not understanding the plugin documentation correctly, but it seems like the possibility of that kind of input scheme wasn’t really ever considered for cockpit controls, and the current system seems tied rather closely to mouse input…
(Even having 2 mouse cursors seems to be asking a bit much)
Obviously, you can manipulate just about any of the aircraft’s controls directly using joystick or keyboard bindings, but that seems to have no real relation to anything depicted in the virtual cockpit itself…
Anyway, we can dream… I may look over the plugin documentation again to see if I missed anything.
Especially since it’s been quite a while (and many xplane versions) since I last checked.
I guess there wouldn’t be a simple way to add a 3d 6-dof cursor object for use with 3d cockpits though. (Nor getting the controls in a 3d cockpit to handle the difference between linear and rotary input. – Rotary controls seem to be implemented more as buttons attached to the graphics of a rotary control than an actual rotary switch or dial)
Clearly, given the ability to manipulate the flight controls directly through plugins with an external program, it would be possible to create a program that models an entire 3d cockpit and the hydra’s inputs and feeds them into xplane’s control system as control inputs, but that would mean recreating a duplicate of every virtual cockpit of every aircraft you intended to fly…
That would be like using a nuke to swat a fly, and seems a little ridiculous… (Not to mention inherently fragile and limiting)…
A generic 6-dof control object that can manipulate the controls in 3d cockpits would be useful long-term though, if VR does take off and become common, this would be a fairly useful capability regardless of the exact input device…
Like the 3d equivalent of a mouse cursor.
(Would also help if there was support for more than one of them being in use at the same time. These could model anything from hands to individual fingers depending on the input device…)
Still, it’s not exactly a high priority. Still going to check if I can make something work using just the existing SDK features…
You are correct – the manipulators are VERY mouse-centric, something that has been discussed internally this week — and not so internally:
http://forum.avsim.net/topic/465666-official-request-from-laminar-on-x-plane-radio-tuning-procedure/
More on that in a week or two.
I’d say input with the 3-d headsets is still a bit of an unsolved problem. If you can be HOTAS the entire time, there’s no issue, and maybe that’s the case with shooters, but for some games the inability to see the keyboard will be a real problem.
That 3rd party was likely Fred from Dreamfoil Creations. I sent him a DK1 to try and get rift support into x-plane.
In my experience with the rift development kits the easiest option is a track ball. The other often neglected option is voice. Programs like voice attack allow for very powerful keyboard manipulation and are starting to be used more often with the rift. With some recorded wav files you can have a virtual co pilot working through your checklists.
For me I find the scroll wheel the easiest when adjusting click spots.
Errrrrr! Where has he been? Maybe the glacial FS upgrades are even slower if at all?
Well said Ben, since the release of v10 it has been one hell of a ride, and a brilliant ride at that…. Roll on 10.40!
I’m just busting the poor guy’s nuts…he wants the Rift and it’s not ready yet.
Is there any hope of WED getting some vector graphics or at least higher quality artwork in general?
It’s just simply hard to look at on my 4k screen. 🙁
Honestly, probably not.
WED is a free open source editor, it’s not what we sell to make money and run the company. Improving the visual experience of WED is not on the todo list.
Fair enough.
What about XPX getting a scaling interface at some point?
On 4k (and absolutely on 5k+) screens everything is microscopic and so so hard to use. Really hope the interface at least gets some scaling treatment at some point (maybe even a new coat of paint too)?
First, resolution independence -is- on our radar for X-Plane desktop; we have the code to do it from mobile (since mobile devices may or may not be retina, etc).
For WED, if the issue is that the UI is unusably small at 4k, please file a bug at the gateway.
The fix may not be vectors, and it may not be beautiful, but it -is- a goal of WED to make sure the click spots are not so insanely small that you can’t use them. If WED doesn’t follow the scaling settings from your host system, that’s a bug too.
First of all, thank you for continuing to make X-Plane better with every version. I am one of the airport contributors to the Scenery Gateway (P38). I enjoy rebuilding airports with all the tools available. Currently using WED 1.4.0b1. My questions on future airport submissions to the Gateway, if we used orthophotos when creating the airport, such as from Earth Explorer, do you want the imagery on the Gateway? Or do we just submit it without imagery?
You can’t upload imagery to the gateway – WED will refuse the upload!
Such a long discussion and no one question about the MeshTool. It’s weird. In my understanding a lot of people, including me, be waiting for MeshTool3.0 in early next week, I hope.
Yep – MT3.0 beta 1 as soon as the server is migrated.
Hi Ben,
I am not going to abuse it, I promise but many times you stated ” you can email me”.
Where can I find your email address?
I haven’t been too much of a participant in the discussions here but I have been reading all yours and your LR friends posts here.
Everybody has a different preferences and in my case i would love to see big cities look better than after nuclear alien’s attack rather than Rift developments ( which by the way is a great new trend, no doubts about it).
I do have to admit thought ( without so called a** kissing here) that X-Plane is a great simulator with a great potential and constantly evolving thank you guys.
I know that the LR team is small and I am amazed and happy at the same time to see X-Plane being only better as a time goes by.
I remember the images from version 8…
Excellent job Ben and the Team, clapping hands for your constant hard work, seriously.
It is almost scary to think of what the future of X-Plane will bring. 🙂
Andrzej
ben at x-plane dot com. In fact, almost everyone at the company can be reached that way.
A small request for WED; it would be nice to be able to see zoom level. An example is placing airport signs. You place a sign, zoom out to go to another location at the airport and zoom in to place another sign. In your mind you say: all my signs will be one quarter inch from the taxiway edge, but without knowing zoom level you can’t consistently estimate that “1/4 inch” …
File feature requests on the gateway bug base please.
and BTW, forget the Rift, go for the Glyph, preferably by next weekend…
Hey Ben,
Is there any reason to NOT upload to the gateway using 1.4b1? That is, if we do, will we have to re-render and u/l with 1.4b2?
Thanks for all you do.
Andre
No – you can upload to the gateway – I don’t know of any bugs that would break your upload.
Hi Ben
Thanks for you kindly and detailed answer.
You are right! The new GPS 530 is a step forward ( by the way I red that the Garmin GNS 530 was introduced first at 2001 and since 2011 the line went out of production).
And I am a little bit confused about all the stuff in relation to X-Plane new scene quality. Do I need add-ons for Sky and clouds? for urban areas? for better HD meshes? Or can I after installing version 10.35 take all add-one out of my plugin folder? (I am asking this with NO sarcasm – I really don’t know what is needed and what in after 10.35 unnecessary or redundant)
If you like the add-ons, you should keep using them.
– They in some cases make X-Plane look better…the add-on author might invest more time in a single feature than we can do in the base sim (e.g. custom airplanes) or might increase rendering parameters higher than we can have in the base sim (e.g. HD mesh).
– They may make the sim look fundamentally different (the cloud tech for SkyMaxx and X-Plane are fundamentally different, and I have heard people each say they like one more than the other…the sim can ship with only one thing, so the add-ons provides a wider variety of choice without having to create an entirely new sim).
We aim to make the sim without add-ons good enough that a new user will not be disappointed. But we do not aim to make the sim so all-inclusive that there is no roll for add-ons.
Just a note in which I would like to develop a thought. Many software companies such as X-Plane buy special knowledge of developers, or take over smal companies that produced the new ideas. These companies are offering to customer additional service packages, for a higher price. I can well imagine that X-Plane can also do the same with success. For example, there may be “X-Plane plus” package, which in addition offers also an EFB or synthetic vision, vertical terrain, weather an integrated moving map system. This Plus package will give sim pilots, advanced navigation aid.
I see many such developer for X-Plane around that beside the add-ons, various applications developed, for example for the iPad. Those developments could be integrate directly into X-Plane. This will also correspond your intention not to deal with anything and everything.
This already happens. Laminar Research just recently “bought” a “company” with specialized GPS knowledge for integration into the core product 😉
😀
We hope that the PMsimNavSytems branch will continue to integrate a “plausible” default FMC (with SDK) in LR’s core product. 😉
Best regards,
Marc.
Hi Ben,
Keep walking up that mountain mate, you’re doing a stellar job for king and country!!
If I could possibly ask you one thing though; clouds are the topic of many forum posts (especially regarding performance) so I’m wondering, will X-Plane 10.40 bring any performance ‘sweets’ with it?
Cheers
Dom
No change in cloud performance in 1040.
Thanks Ben.
Dom
Maybe server subdomains are not working?
The x-plane updater trying to connect to e.g. download5.x-plane.com gets http error. The adress is not pingable, too.
Wanted to update my fresh DVd Install.
Maybe you have further information. Thank you very much.
I love the sim. Much better than my old FSX incl. ORBX!!!
Phil
A mistake in the site migration to the new server – fixed now!