Noob alert - planes with no panel listed

[Dave_K]

Hi all, first post, very new to Airmanger

I have created just one pair of panels so far for the CJ4 in FS2020, it works perfectly and this is a fantastic software app. especially as i managed to get it all working

With the new release of SU11 and helicopters, what do we do when there is no panel listed - I see there is one for the Bell 407 but not the little Guimbal copter, also applies to other planes i guess.

I'm not much for coding and graphics i'm afraid, too old and eyesight is not cool any more so designing from scratch is likely to be a non-starter i think

Any tips?

Thanks

[Ralph]

Wait until Eastern and Pentecost are on the same day Or... make it yourself or get (pay) someone to do it for you.

[JackZ]

Already said now and then: Air manager is NOT a comprehensive library of « plug and play » panels and instruments for every sim and aircrafts/addin existing on the planet.
The « community » library is a repository of freely given gauges by the existing users.

So either you find what you’re looking for with what’s available, or you build yourself a new instrument and share it to the community, or you pray that Eastern and Pentecost end up the very same day as Ralph just said.

IF (and that’s a big IF) someone wants to create a panel for the newly released helos on MSFS, it will appear (or not) on the community library eventually. But no warranties whatsoever.

[Dave_K]

OK, thanks, makes sense

Doubtful i could DIY but will have a look when i get a chance.

Love the app

[Crunchmeister]

Glad that you're enjoying the CJ4 instruments. A lot of work went into those. I'm happy that people are using them.

As for other instruments, it really depends. In many cases, you can use generic instruments, even in helicopters. Standard stuff like altimeters, VS indicators, airspeed indicators, etc will work with any aircraft, even though they may not match the look exactly.

If you're handy with graphics, you can always clone an instrument and create new graphics to match the helicopter you want to fly.

[Dave_K]

Very interesting, thanks

Its good to know that various instruments work with totally different planes etc

[Crunchmeister]

The basic variables used in most planes for basic instruments are the same. There are some exceptions with 3rd party stuff, particularly with airliners (like Fenix and PMDG) that create their own custom variables, but for the most part, the basic variables used are the same. With the different AM instruments that monitor those variables, really the main difference between them is the graphics and / or the scaling of a gauge.

[Dave_K]

Ok so developing instruments has caught my interest, not messed with code for some time and that was on Raspberry Pi's but hey-ho

A couple of questions just to kick me off....

My first target would be the main switch panel for the Bell 407 helo in FS2020, its just switches so seems an easy place to mess about. I have graphics capability and code editors.

1 - I do most of my stuff on a Mac laptop - the main AM install is on my sim pc - can i run AM on the laptop just for dev work as well or do i need a new license??

2 - How do you "discover" the variables and subscriptions topics, are they all known or listed ??

I'm watching the YT videos now, hopefully they will help.


Thanks

[Ralph]

1. That would indeed require another license. Each device and each OS on the device requires a separate license.
You can use Air Player in this case.

2. You would have to dig in the Behavior window of the SDK menu in MSFS. Variables and events are scattered all over the place there. Some work, most of them don't. It is a game of trial and error.
Sometimes the Hubhop from Mobiflight can be useful, but there's nothing there yet for the 407. If you do find something, then I recommend sharing it with them so their database grows.
https://hubhop.mobiflight.com/presets/

[Crunchmeister]

Ok so developing instruments has caught my interest,

Programming your own stuff is the way to go. When you need something that's not available, you can whip it up as required.

As Ralph mentioned, the SDK window shows many of the vars and events. Although like Ralph said, many don't work externally. That's because only a subset of the variable and event types are exposed to SimConnect and they only work internally to the aircraft, which makes things rather difficult on us to build instruments. HubHop is a good place to start to find the variables and events for particular planes. If they're listed on HubHop, they'll work.

The MSFS SDK documentation at https://docs.flightsimulator.com/html/I ... uction.htm has some good info as well. You'll want to look under Programming Tools>Simulation Variables and Programming Tools>Event IDs. Most of the standard events and variables are listed there, and now, the vast majority work (that wasn't always the case!).

Lua isn't a particularly complicated scripting language to learn. It can do a lot, and there are a lot of very specific Air Manager calls and such, but they're all documented very well on the AM wiki for easy reference.

If you want to make a switch panel, I would recommend cracking open an existing community switch panel and checking out its code. You can likely copy / paste chunks out of that and edit them as required to make your own, as it likely uses standard events and variables found in the SDK. Generic stuff like battery, alternator / generator, lights, etc should mostly work.

If you use Discord, you should hop onto the Simstrumentation Discord at https://discord.gg/6xkCXe5pMn and the AirMan Discord @ https://discord.gg/YVu2aa4sMg . Lots of great, knowledgeable folks in both those communities that are always more than happy to help.