command will save *all* properties, rather than just those marked as
archivable. This feature was requested by Tony Peden to make it
easier to write documentation on the properties, but it should also be
useful for debugging. There is currently no default binding for the
command with the write-all parameter set to true.
What the attached patch does is map your panel definition onto a (non
z-buffered) quad in front of your face. You can twist the view around
and see it move in the appropriate ways.
Apply the patch (let me know if folks need help with that step), and
then set the /sim/virtual-cockpit property to true. You can do this
on the command line with --prop:/sim/virtual-cockpit=1, or via the
property picker. Bind it to a key for fast toggling if you like.
The default bindings don't allow for "panning" the view, so you'll
have to modify yours. These are the mappings to my joystick's hat
switch, for those who need hints:
<axis n="6">
<desc>View Direction</desc>
<low>
<repeatable>true</repeatable>
<binding>
<command>property-adjust</command>
<property>/sim/view/goal-offset-deg</property>
<step type="double">1.0</step>
</binding>
</low>
<high>
<repeatable>true</repeatable>
<binding>
<command>property-adjust</command>
<property>/sim/view/goal-offset-deg</property>
<step type="double">-1.0</step>
</binding>
</high>
</axis>
<axis n="7">
<desc>View Elevation</desc>
<low>
<repeatable>true</repeatable>
<binding>
<command>property-adjust</command>
<property>/sim/view/goal-tilt-deg</property>
<step type="double">1.0</step>
</binding>
</low>
<high>
<repeatable>true</repeatable>
<binding>
<command>property-adjust</command>
<property>/sim/view/goal-tilt-deg</property>
<step type="double">-1.0</step>
</binding>
</high>
</axis>
While the current implementation is happy with just plastering the
panel's notion of "screen" into the 3D world, this is actually more
general. Each panel can, in principle, have it's own coordinate
system, and you could build a cockpit out of a bunch of them. The
mapping is specified by providing a 3D coordinate for three corners of
the quad the panel should be mapped to; this should be pretty simple
to work with.
All that's needed for a perfectly general solution is a convention on
where to store the information (a cockpit xml file, or put it in the
aircraft -set file, or...), and some work on the panel's coordinate
system conventions (some of which don't coexist very nicely with a
generalized 3D environment). Combine that with a plib model for the
non-panel interior of the cockpit, and we're golden.
I'm actually really pleased with this. It worked better and more
quickly than I could have imagined, and impact on the surrounding code
is quite light -- a few property tests only. But some stuff is still
missing:
+ No equivalent work was done to the HUD, so it still displays
incorrect headings when the view changes. The use of pixel
coordinates deep in the HUD code is going to give me fits doing the
port, I sure. It's not nearly so well put together as the panel
(where I just changed the setup code -- none of the rendering code
changed at all).
+ I forgot that the panel was clickable. :) Input events still have
the screen coordinates, which essentially kills the interactivity
when in virtual cockpit mode. This won't be hard to fix; it's only
broken because I forgot the feature existed.
And one note about the implementation choice: to get away from the
inevitable near clip plane issue, the virtual cockpit renderer simply
disables the z buffer. This means that cockpits built using these
panels need to be z-sorted, which isn't too hard since they are static
geometry. It also means that no two "virtual panels" can ever be
allowed to interpenetrate. No biggie.
actually very powerful when combined with factor and offset -- for
example, on the C310 model the nose wheel can now retract completely
before the doors start closing.
subsystem to Flightgear. No more functionality is implemented
than at present (apart from an ATIS bug-fix - station wouldn't
change if the radio was switched directly from one station to
another) but it is much neater than the current hack and should be
easily extendable.
Some cruft is still probably left over in radiostack.[ch]xx such as
the bindings to the comm frequencies but I'll leave removing those
until I'm sure they're not needed there.
newauto.cxx. Basically everything is the same functionally except for a
changed in the initial altitude setting to 3000ft instead of meters (the panel
is in feet).
individual aircraft to have different sounds (and cleaning up my code
a fair bit). The most important user-visible change is the renaming
of the /sim/sound property to /sim/sound/audible.
(other than "none") is "spin", which must be tied to a property giving
a value in RPM. This gets the DC-3 propellers turning. The next type
will be "rotation", which will allow the flaps, elevators, ailerons,
and rudders to move (and even gear, eventually). Later, I'll add
"shift" for sliding things around, and will figure something out for
blinking lights.
the XML file, including the path to the 3D file.
This change obsoletes the existing /sim/model/*-offset-deg and
/sim/model/*-offset-m properties in the main property tree, and
replaces them with /offsets/*-deg and /offsets/*-m in the model
property file. The /path property in the model XML file is relative
to the XML file's location rather than FG_ROOT.
Added two new properties:
/environment/temperature-sea-level-degc
/environment/pressure-sea-level-inhg
These are now supported in FGEnvironment as well, though they always
have the same value for now. They need to be hooked up to the FDMs.
different locations, and hitched it into FGGlobals. FGEnvironmentMgr
has taken over as the subsystem, while FGEnvironment is simple the
information that it returns. I've removed current_environment
completely -- everything now uses properties or goes through
FGGlobals. FGGlobals itself has a couple of useful methods:
const FGEnvironment * get_environment ();
const FGEnvironment * get_environment (double lat, double lon, double alt);
The first one returns the environment data for the plane's current
position, while the second returns the environment data for any
arbitrary location. Currently, they both return the same information,
but that will change soon.
properties have been renamed from wind-(north|east|down)-fps to
wind-from-(north|east|down)-fps, and the FDMs modified appropriately.
No other changes should be visible unless FG_OLD_WEATHER is defined.
Attached are patches for adding the command line options to set initial
glideslope and climb rate. This was really easy to do as all the pieces
were in place. It works well with JSBSim because the trimming routine
finds the right throttle and elevator settings. It should work with
LaRCsim as well, but it has no trimming routine so there will be some
dynamics at startup. I don't know what YASim will do.
via the command line (--enable-clock-freeze / --disable-clock-freeze)
and can be toggled during a run. However this property is not currently
bound to any menu or keystroke so you have to do it via the gui property
interface or externally via the web property browser or a script.
are being driven from an external data source.)
Akso found and fixed a bug in the simgear that caused the time to go goofy
temporarily while scenery was being loaded.
max(width, height) by default (easily changeable) rather than just width.
(src/GUI/gui.cxx, src/Main/main.cxx, src/Main/viewer.cxx, src/Main/viewer.hxx)
This works on a CygWin build, and probably works on non-Cygwin builds
as well.
2. Enable FG to start even if audio is not available. (soundmgr.cxx)
Avoids the FGSoundMgr constructor crashing; the rest of FG then runs
OK without sound.
1. Enable auto-configure on more versions of auto tools. (configure.in)
2. Warnings from auto-configure tools. (src/Time/Makefile.am)
3. Typo: "the it's" -> "its". (docs-mini/README.Joystick)
4. Remove definition of FGViewer::update() that now is (or can be) pure
virtual\
. (src/Main/viewer.cxx)
5. Preferred form of function name according to comments in plib:
"not_working"\
-> "notWorking". (src/Sound/soundmgr.hxx)
/sim/freeze/master (implimented)
/sim/freeze/fuel (implimented)
/sim/freeze/position (not implimented)
/sim/freeze/time-of-day (not implimented)
/sim/freeze/master is bound to the 'p' key via keyboard.xml, however,
/sim/freeze/fuel is not bound to anything at the moment so you must
change it via the external property interface, or specify an initial
value on the command line.
properties /sim/view/view-tilt-deg and /sim/view/goal-view-tilt-deg
control the tilt. There are (temporarily) keyboard bindings in the
base package for experimentation: Ctrl-O to tilt the view down, and
Ctrl-P to tilt the view up.
FDM people. FlightGear now supports an unlimited number of fuel
tanks. Also added correct fuel-flow reporting for piston engines, and
tracked new features in SimGear property support.
other -- it is now possible to set properties at startup (such as an
autopilot altitude). The only user-visible change, other than the
fact that the properties work as they are supposed to, is that the
heading bug no longer starts at a random value.
function to allow property files as non-option parameters after the
options have finished (and added "--" to terminate options). It's now
possible to do something like
fgfs denver-am.fgd
or even
fgfs at-lax.fgd in-c310.fgd around-sunset.fgd
This works the same way as the --config option, but will be friendlier
for GUIs, where start-up situation files can now be associated easily
with FlightGear.
material-specific logic is now removed from the material library and
encapsulated in the material class itself, and materials are loaded
from $FG_ROOT/materials.xml rather than $FG_ROOT/materials. This also
removes a nasty bug in the old material-loading code that caused a
floating-point exception.
- automake-1.4 sets default values for INCLUDES which we can't
overwrite.
- automake-1.5 renames this to DEFAULT_INCLUDES and leaves INCLUDES
open for the developer to use.
Thus for automake-1.4 we are forced to 'append' to INCLUDES and in
automake-1.5 we can just set the value to whatever we like.
Unfortunately, the behaviors of the two versions are mutually
incompatible.
The solution I am committing now works for both versions but
automake-1.5 generates a lot of spurious warning messages that are
annoying, but not fatal.
(i.e. multiloop). Most subsystems currently ignore the parameter, but
eventually, it will allow all subsystems to update by time rather than
by framerate.
beginning of main() for the exceptions that can be enabled (only
divide-by-zero is enabled by default, but you can uncomment any ones
you want); eventually, FlightGear should run cleanly with all FPEs
enabled.
(i.e. multiloop). Most subsystems currently ignore the parameter, but
eventually, it will allow all subsystems to update by time rather than
by framerate.
These will log trace messages whenever a specific property value is
read or written through the property manager. They do not cause
FlightGear to poll bound values, so if a class variable that is bound
is changed directly, no trace message will be displayed.
These options are also useful in conjunction with a debugger.
--trace-read will cause the private SimGear SGPropertyNode::trace_read
method to be invoked, and --trace-write will cause the private SimGear
SGPropertyNode::trace_write method to be invoked; in a debugger
session, a user can set breakpoints on these methods then get a
backtrace to see what specific points in the code are reading or
writing properties.
works like this:
1. Parse preferences.xml, which will usually specify a default
aircraft using the /sim/aircraft property.
2. If /sim/aircraft is specified and not empty, parse the properties
in $FG_ROOT/Aircraft/{/sim/aircraft}-set.xml to set up a default
aircraft.
3. During command-line parsing, whenever the --aircraft option appears
set /sim/aircraft appropriately and parse the properties in
$FG_ROOT/Aircraft/{/sim/aircraft}-set.xml. Any --config, --prop, or
--aircraft options afterwards will take precedence.
more intuitive. We switch to an include in the preferences.xml to include
the default model, and then if the user specifies --aircraft=, that is
expanded immediately so portions can be overwritten by subsequent command
line options.
Here's an unusual patch for FlightGear -- I've created .cvsignore
files for every source directory, to make CVS output more informative.
This is especially nice when using cvs-examine from (X)Emacs to look
for changes.
a top level aircraft def file (c172-set.xml)
preferences.xml or --aircraft= or any other property setting mechanism can
be used to set the property "/sim/aircraft". After all options and config
files are parsed, the contents of /sim/aircraft is expanded into a *-set.xml
file and loaded.
- delete table in destructor
** src/FDM/flight.cxx
- bind engine properties in FGInterface::bind, and publish properties
for all engines rather than just engine 0
** src/Main/fg_props.cxx
- removed all engine properties; now bound in FGInterface::bind
** src/Sounds/fg_fx.cxx
- support multiple engine and cranking sounds
** src/Sounds/fg_fx.hxx
- support multiple engine and cranking sounds
to control logging
- /sim/logging/classes takes a value like "terrain|astro", where the
names are the macros from simgear/debug/debug_types.h with the
initial "SG_" removed and converted to lower case; for none, use
"none"
- /sim/logging/priority takes a single name like "warn", where the
name is a macro from simgear/debug/debug_types.h with the initial
"SG_" removed and converted to lower case
fix startup sequence problems where we initialize the FDM before we know
the desired starting altitude.
These changes delay fdm initialization until the local tile has been loaded
and we can do a real intersection and find the true ground elevation.
In order to do this, I depend more on the property manager as glue, rather
than the FGInterface.
There are some glitches still when switching to a new airport or reseting
the sim. I will work on addressing these, but I need to commit the changes
so far to keep in sync with other developers.
meaning of "win_ratio". I've removed win_ratio and added fov_ratio and
aspect_ratio, as it seems both are needed.
n.b. The multi-line changes in fgReshape comprise:
extracting common code,
removing an apparently arbitrary "+1" on the view height,
changing "set_win_ratio" to "set_aspect_ratio".
through the controls interface and the running and cranking flags through
the engine interface. This has no current effect on LaRCsim (other than
to make the code neater) but is necessary to add engine startup to JSBSim
which is now underway. I've also put in main.cxx which escaped getting
committed in the previous round of changes - adding this will add
the cranking sound to LaRCsim during engine startup.
one I sent yesterday. I have re-zipped all four files so you can
neglect the last lot but only io360.cxx has changed if you've
already committed. It's untested since I can't start the engine until
John has committed his update with separate properties. Should
work fine though.
- use guiErrorMessage
- added new properties /sim/view/pilot/x-offset-m,
/sim/view/pilot/y-offset-m, and /sim/view/pilot/z-offset-m to
control pilot-position offset from CG
I've updated the WeatherDatabase to be able to use only the n closest
stations. This can speed up the initalization dramatically.
To take a benefit from that you need:
- http://129.13.102.67/out/flight/current.txt.gz in
FG_ROOT/weather/current.txt.gz
- --prop:/environment/weather/working-type=internet
- --prop:/environment/weather/max-stations=what_ever_you_want
The WeatherCM stuff now publishes its data in the property system.
/environment/weather/wind-north-mps
/environment/weather/wind-east-mps
/environment/weather/wind-up-mps
/environment/weather/temperature-K
/environment/weather/air-pressure-Pa
/environment/weather/vapor-pressure-Pa
/environment/weather/air-density
are the new properties.
- include Input/input.hxx
- register GLUTkeyup and GLUTspecialkeyup with glut
- comment out call to fgJoystickRead
- comment out call to fgJoystickInit
- add call to FGInput::update to replace fgJoystickRead
Fixed a few glitches in the autopilot keys
Added a #define to be able to make a compile time decision to revert to
older GPS like autopiolt behavior this define SHOULD become a property
so that it is run time switchable.
(src/Input). So far, FGInput replaces most of src/Main/keyboard.cxx
(I've left a tiny stub); in the very near future, it will also take
over control of the joystick, mouse (Norm permitting), and panel
instrument interactions, so that there is a single mechanism for
configuring all input devices.
The new format should be (close to) self-explanatory by looking at the
new base-package file keyboard.xml, which is now included by
preferences.xml (I'll do the same thing for the joystick when I have a
chance). I have not managed to move all keybindings into this file
yet, but I've made a good start. I'm including Tony in the recipient
list so that he can see how bindings can use an external XML file.
This patch also adds support for multiple bindings for a single key,
special keys (i.e. keypad and function keys), and key modifiers
(shift/alt/ctrl); special keys use the PUI convention of adding 256 to
the Glut key code.
Unfortunately, everything comes with a price; in this case, I have not
yet found a general mechanism for the old (hard-coded) modal bindings,
which behaved differently depending on the autopilot state (i.e. left
rudder or move AP heading left); with my patches, this functionality
disappears, but you can still adjust the autopilot using the panel or
the GUI input dialogs.
- model loading deferred to primary thread
- tile removal deferred to paging thread
- other tweaks and rearrangments.
Airport signs
- first stab at some support for adding taxiway and runway signs. This
is non-optimal, but I'm under the gun for a demo.
He writes:
Here are the final changes to add threads to the tile loading. All the
thread related code is in the new FGTileLoader class.
./configure.in
./acconfig.h
Added --with-threads option and corresponding ENABLE_THREADS
definition. The default is no threads.
./src/Scenery/tilemgr
Removed load_queue and associated references. This has been replaced by
a new class FGTileLoader in FGNewCache.
Made the global variable global_tile_cache a member.
schedule_needed(): removed global_tile_cache.exists() tests since
sched_tile() effectively repeats the test.
initialize_queue(): removed code that loads tiles since this is now
performed by FGTileLoader.
update(): ditto
./src/Scenery/newcache
Added new class FGTileLoader to manage tile queuing and loading.
tile_map typedefs are private.
exists() is a const member function.
fill_in(): deleted
load_tile(): added.
./src/Scenery/FGTileLoader
The new threaded tile loader. Maintains a queue of tiles waiting to be
loaded and an array of one or more threads to load the tiles. Currently
only a single thread is created. The queue is guarded by a mutex to
synchronize access. A condition variable signals the thread when the
queue is non-empty.
CLO: I made a few tweaks to address a couple issues, hopefully what we
have is solid, but now we kick it out to the general public to see. :-)
The files in the attached tarball make the following changes to
FlightGear:
- rename the existing FGInterface::init() method to
FGInterface::_setup to get it out of the way
- move *all* FDM initialization code out of src/Main/fg_init.cxx and
into FGInterface::init(), and clean up fg_init.cxx a little
(especially by removing the zillions of attempts to place the plane on
the ground at various locations in the code)
- modify FGInterface::bind() so that no values are picked up
automatically at bind time (they are set previously by init() instead)
- modify the init() methods of the classes derived from FGInterface
(i.e. larcsim, jsbsim, balloon, magic, and ada) to invoke
FGInterface::init() explicitly before doing their own setup
I don't claim that the code in FGInterface::init() is optimal (or even
correct), but it seems to work for on-ground starts with both LaRCSim
and JSBSim on runways pointing various directions from near sea level
to about 700' ASL (the range I happened to test). I expect that Jon
and Tony will want to look at the code and refactor and correct it now
that they can see what's going on in one place.
Here's a quick outline of what is invoked:
cur_fdm_state = new <whatever>(dt);
cur_fdm_state->init();
cur_fdm_state->bind();
The constructor allocates memory and sets default values only (with
the help of the FGInterface::_setup() method). The init() method pull
any required properties out of the property tree and sets up the
initial state of the FDM. The bind() method takes ownership of
FDM-related properties so that the FDM can publish them to the rest of
the sim.
Note that bind() and init() are virtual, so any implementation in a
subclass will hide the implementation in FGInterface; that's why
subclass implementations of init() and bind() have to invoke
FGInterface::init() and FGInterface::bind() explicitly, probably at
the start, so that they get the basic initialization.
hope, with earlier versions as well)
- support for the new LONG value type
- gear support for UIUC (updated for the newly renamed SG_* stuff;
otherwise identical to what I sent you before)
- fixed reported MSVC problem in src/FDM/flight.cxx
a) I was compairing feet vs. meter (making the range 3x too. big)
b) I was using the diameter in place of the radius (making the range an
additional 2x too big.)
c) Updated the equation for calculating range to model the weak transmitter
not being picked up at upper altitudes.
We still might need some additional tweaking, but I think we are starting to
get in the right ball park.
is 9 not 8.) Note that the initial altitude setting was placing us way below
the ground, but as it doesn't seem to have caused us problems, it's probably
redundant!
Added fuel-flow and total fuel to the LaRCSim model. Its still a bit
rough for now but it works, except the engine dosn't stop when fuel runs
out at the moment since there's no refuelling capability in the sim just
now. It takes about 4 gallons use before you see the fuel guages begin
to drop since there's 28 gal per tank but the guages go to 26.
DG heading bug initializes to a random setting.
Activating heading hold doesn't touch the DG heading bug any more.
Max autopilot decent rate is now -1000.
