Hi folks, I'm currently testing out various display configurations for a cockpit build that will include a few monitors for instruments and 3 monitors for visuals. I'm also trying to incorporate a touchscreen for software avionics but am having issues. I'm pretty familiar with Panel.cfg modifications from modding various aircraft in previous versions of FS, mainly from the FS9/FSX days but feel less and less confident with the way Prepar3D handles things. I'm just not familiar with it enough yet. I just installed v5 and have not been sim training since v3 which I barely used.
My questions are as follows;
1- If building a sim to primarily have exterior visuals on upper monitors this means I have no use for the virtual cockpit entry(s) in whatever Panel.(x) folder and panel config file I will assign to any aircraft livery to use for the cockpit build. So can I just erase the various VC entries [Vcockpit01], [Vcockpit02], [Vcockpit03] and their gauge entries, etc.? I could just try it and see what happens but wanted to get a read on opinions. Regardless, I just don't need it and it's really annoying to have to first get the VC out of my way. I'd like to start out with it completely gone for any panel folder/cfg I set up for cockpit use.
2- why do aircraft have multiple Vcockpit entries anyway? I would think it would only have one single [Vcockpit01] entry in the panel config file and nothing else. I've never looked up the answer. Please fill me in.
3-When using a full-sized 2D panel with gauges I am creating a dark grey background at the same size as my monitor (such as 1920 x 1080) but have for example another smaller monitor for the FMC and it too has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 but is 19" compared to the MainPanel at 24".
When I open the second panel window it appears on the MainPanel just as large as the first, which makes sense as they are both the same resolution, but the issue is they are physically different in actual size. So when I undock and drag the smaller 1920x1080 panel over and down I first have to grab the corners, make it a lot smaller, then get it into the desired monitor screen, then hit the maximize at top left to expand it back out to fill the display. it's just a little too time consuming and I can't pin-point the best variables to rescale it smaller.
So what command line or variable needs to be added to keep the same aspect ratio but shrink the panel down physically in size like maybe 30% smaller? Do I just use the window_size_ratio= and make it like .6666 or ??? And what do I do with window_size= ??? There's at least 3 "window size something" in the SDK and it gets confusing. Does one or the other need to be deleted?
Here's an example of what I have right now;
[Window00]
file_1024=MainPilot.bmp
size_mm=1920,1080
window_size_ratio=1.000
position=0
visible=1
ident=0
window_size= 1.000, 1.000
window_pos= 0.000, 0.000
no_luminous=1
zorder=0
[Window01]
file_1024=FMCpanel.bmp
size_mm=1920,1080
window_size_ratio=1000
position=2
visible=0
ident=282
window_size= 1.000, 1.000
window_pos= 0.000, 0.000
no_luminous=1
zorder=6
4- I've also noticed that after using the Panel Only feature (which turns everything black) and then selecting the first 2D MainPanel, there doesn't seem to be any way to lock it / freeze it onto to the primary P3D black screen. I'm testing out a touchscreen and so when I put my finger on it, it just slides the 2D screen all over the place which is highly annoying. And this is without it being undocked. It's like it's already undocked without being undocked!! I need to be able to lock it in place without having to Alt+Enter into full-screen mode. I save that for after the other panels are set in place. What'd I miss!
5- Lastly, are there any specific settings or even other 3rd party software that can be used to maximize touchscreen use? I want to be able to use the new RealityXP GNS/GTN units but again, if I can't touch a screen without it moving all over the place then it's just totally useless.
The goal here is to not have to use a mouse all the time if at all. I never had this "screen floating issue" with FSX or FS9. And I can't remember with P3D v3 as that was the last version I used but I also don't recall it having this problem. Am I just missing a setting here?
I would also be curious as how to create a single front view, place it on the top 1/3rd of the black panel and then set the 2D main panel over it, thus creating a flyable single panel 2D set up much like what existed back in the FS2004 days. Not that I'd ever use it much, save for maybe on a laptop sometimes, but would like to see this sort of flexibility possible. For example having the top 20-30% be exterior view, and the bottom just has a basic panel or PDF/NAV and a GPS or FMS and have an added 2D pop-up for the autopilot.
Regardless, with the main panel sliding all over I don't see it working.
