|
OpusFSX Flight
Simulator Interface for |
|
and
OpusFSX_Overview OpusFSX_User_Guide OpusFSX_Getting_Started_Single_PC OpusFSX_Getting_Started_Networked_PCs OpusFSX_Live_Weather OpusFSX_Live_Camera OpusFSX_ButtKicker
OpusFSX
Overview
20
May, 2014
Opus
Software Limited
Email:
opusfsi@opussoftware.co.uk Website:
www.opussoftware.co.uk/opusfsi.htm
OpusFSX
The ultimate Flight Simulator Interface for FSX and Prepar3D includes,
Live Weather Engine for real world
live weather updates,
Live Camera for view control and
dynamic head movements, and
Live View for synchronized
multi-screen networked displays.
OpusFSX helps take reality to the next level by combining three
excellent programs into one user friendly interface, setting new
standards of performance and realism throughout its novel design. The OpusFSX
interface is ideally suited to both standalone and networked FSX systems
making it the ideal addon for cockpit builders and general users alike.
In addition OpusFSX includes Opus Weather Themes, and device drivers for the CPFlight
MCP737/EFIS737 PRO/EL panels with full interface for the PMDG 737NGX
aircraft simulator.
The OpusFSX interface is ideally suited for
both standalone (single PC)
and networked
(multi-PC/Laptop) systems.
* Combines
three or more programs into one user friendly interface.
* Sets new standards of performance and realism.
* Ideal addon for cockpit builders and general users alike.
* Ideal addon for both standalone and networked simulator systems.
* Live Weather engine for live detailed weather as far as the eye
can see, instant weather updates and perfect weather synchronization across all systems.
* Opus pioneered the use of Dynamic Weather Themes making it
possible to give you detailed real world weather horizon to horizon for the very first time.
*
Accurate Weather throughout your flight.
*
Accurate Destination Weather when over 200km away, with perfect
* Live Weather Assistant displays dynamic weather maps including
visibility, temperature, precipitation levels and Met station coverage.
* Flight Planning Assistant provides dynamic in-flight weather reports and more.
*
Client Side Weather Control enables you to edit flight parameters
and display
weather data on a networked client PC.
* Site
Effects for additional turbulence and wind shear effects within 80
km of the airfield resulting from local features such as terrain
or obstacles on approaches.
*
Live Camera Control enables
you to adjust to the eye point for any VC, 2D, or Custom view
using either a GamePad, the arrow keys within the LCC dialog, or any
assigned button/key.
* Dynamic head movements or virtual cockpit camera shake based on
actual real-life captured 3D accelerometer data.
* Dynamic aircraft movements or 2D cockpit camera shake based on
actual real-life captured 3D accelerometer data.
* Automated head movement to assist taxiing and banking in a turn.
* User
friendly Live Camera control, configuration and docking interface for virtual
cockpit, 2D cockpit, and external aircraft views.
* Additional support for windowed views for systems equipped with
multi-screened computer systems.
* Synchronized networked views, aircraft status, weather and cloud
formations.
* Ultra high performance IPC communications between networked
systems.
* TrackIRŽ real-time 3D view control full compatibility.
*
GPS output for navigation packages such as SkyDemonŽ
*
ButtKickerŽ Gamer 2 interface for for added vibrational feedback.
Product Overview
On
standalone systems
OpusFSX
incorporates two superb functions through its Live Weather Engine and
Live Camera options.
The
Live Weather Engine makes use of our unique Dynamic Weather update
to provide the most advanced weather updating software in the
marketplace. The Live Weather Engine has
set new standards for weather updating for the FSX and Prepar3D flight
simulators. OpusFSX provides
the most detailed, realistic and efficient weather updating service.
The
Live Weather Engine allows you to create and name your own themes based
on the current dynamic theme created from the live METAR reports. In
addition you can load historic weather for the previous 24 hour period,
and also import your own custom METARs.
Live Camera provides excellent camera
creation, control and docking facilities through its user friendly
interface, totally eliminating the need to alter any of the simulator's
controls. You can create many useful views that are not included as
standard in your sim and also control the transition speed between these
different views. This can be coupled with Live Camera Control and a
dedicated 6-axis GamePad controller to wander or float around the
cockpit or exterior to your heart's content. The Live Camera interface also includes support for Windowed
Views which are ideally
suited to computer systems equipped with either multiple screens or
single large screens.
In
addition,
On
networked systems
irrespective of the size and complexity of your system, whether your
system consists of a main 'flying' PC with a single networked laptop
client, or a more elaborate multi-computer networked system; the Live
View interface, with its ultra high-performance IPC
communications, unique Client Side Smoothing software, and
perfect synchronization of aircraft status, weather and cloud
formations, will provide you with the highest possible networking
performance. Whether you simply want an additional controllable display
to provide further scenic or external view options, or wish to create a
multi-screened panorama for your FSX or Prepar3D experience, Live
View offers you the ideal hassle free user-friendly solution.
Your
main 'flying' OpusFSX server is the machine through which you
control the aircraft. The networked client OpusFSX systems are
synchronised to the server through multiple ultra high-performance IPC
links, the client systems are used primarily as view controllers. The
networked systems allow you to create a multi-screened simulator system
without placing the full workload and burden on your main system.
From this set up it therefore follows that all in-cockpit or instrument
panel views used to control the aircraft must be displayed on the main
server. All other views (scenic or external) can be offloaded onto the
client systems. You can create wide panoramic vistas this way, or
additional external aircraft views, without draining the resources on
your main system or degrading its performance.
N.B. In order to see the full synchronized effects of
Live View users must save a default flight with all engines running on
each client system to ensure the aircraft is powered up correctly and
ready to fly.
On networked
systems, you must install FSX and the OpusFSX software on each of your client computer systems (laptops or
PCs), along with any scenery and airport addon packages you wish to use.
If you wish to display external aircraft views on the client computers
you will need to install all relevant aircraft addons. The OpusFSX software does not need to be licensed on the client systems,
the purchased license is only required on your main 'flying' server
system. Therefore, you may either copy or install the OpusFSX software on any number of client systems, the FSXCLIENT
program that you will run on the client computers does not check for any
licensing information. It simply connects to and receives all necessary
data from your main 'flying' server system.
Figure
1
- OpusFSX Server for Standalone or Networked FSX Systems
Live
Weather
The
Live Weather Engine requires internet access to obtain the latest
live weather (METAR) reports for the area you are flying in. Data is
downloaded from the NOAA, VATSIM or IVAO servers. These live reports are
used to construct Dynamic Weather and synchronize the weather on all
networked OpusFSX systems.
The
Live Weather Engine does not include any sky and cloud textures.
For optimum effect we strongly recommend you install the sky and cloud
textures from packages such as Flight Environment X and HDEv2
(freeware), and use the OpusFSX Live Weather Engine for the
actual weather updates.
Live
Weather Features
ˇ
Live
Weather
constructs Dynamic Live Weather from current live (or historic)
METAR data.
ˇ
Accurate detailed
weather as far as the eye can see throughout your flight.
ˇ
Live
Weather provides instant weather updates.
ˇ
No
more METAR voids or unrealistic METAR data morphing.
ˇ
No
more inconsistencies with distant ATC and ATIS reports.
ˇ
OpusFSX
weather reports can be used instead of ATIS, and at non-ATIS airstrips.
ˇ
Live
Weather allows you to see low lying mist and fog patches.
ˇ
Live
Weather creates very realistic cloud, visibility layering and an
overcast effect.
ˇ
Live
Weather lets you turn on, off, or automatically generate the
cirrus cloud effect.
ˇ The Live Weather Engine supervises both the turbulence and ultra-realistic Dynamic Head Movement utilising actual real-life captured 3D accelerometer data.
ˇ
Load
your own custom weather using a simple METAR import file.
ˇ
Load
historic weather from within the last 24 hours.
ˇ Dynamic Weather reports displayed during flight for your local area, destination and alternates. Lower and upper atmosphere weather reports also available.
ˇ
Standard
and user configurable Site Effects for additional turbulence and wind
shear effects within 80 km of the airfield resulting from local features
such as terrain or obstacles on approaches.
ˇ
Live Weather Assistant provides mosaic maps of Surface QNH, Surface Winds,
Surface
Visibility, Surface Temperature, Precipitation Levels and Met Station
Cover for the current 800 x 800 mile weather map.
ˇ
Flight
Plan Assistant imports activated flight plans and provides dynamic flight plan en route
weather reports together with detailed reports on METARs, GRIB lower and
upper atmosphere wind and temperature data, flight plan waypoint weather
and SIDs/STARs ordered according to direction and distance.
ˇ Client Side Weather Control enables you to edit flight parameters and display weather data on a networked client PC.
ˇ
Live
Weather allows perfect synchronisation of dynamic weather and
cloud formations on networked systems.
Figure 2 - Weather dialog
Figure 3 - Weather Report Menu
Figure 4 - Local Weather Report
Figure 5 - Live Weather Assistant large and small maps
Figure 6 - Client Live Weather Engine Control
Live
Camera
Live Camera is a standard
feature within the OpusFSX
Flight Simulator Interface for the Microsoft's Flight Simulator X and
Lockheed Martin Prepar3D simulators. Live Camera provides you
with a user-friendly interface for creating, controlling and managing
any number of virtual cockpit, 2D cockpit and external aircraft views
for your flight simulator system. Live
Camera allows you to create multiple Windowed
Views on your server and client systems. Camera views can greatly
enhance your flight simulator experience on both standalone and
networked systems by providing easy view control with the press of a
joystick button or the use of an assigned keyboard key sequence. On
networked systems Live Camera provides you with the means to create a multitude of
display options including wide sweeping panoramic views of the outside
world.
All camera views are created,
controlled and managed from the main 'flying' server system, with live
view adjustment for each of the client system camera views. Joystick
buttons and keyboard sequences can be assigned to individual views or
multiple camera views spanning the networked system. Duplicated button
or key assignments permit simple and fast coordinated changes to your
multi-screened display with a single button press or key stroke.
Figure 7 - Live Camera Management
Figure
8 - Dynamic Head Movement Options
Figure 9 - Automatic Head Movement Options
ˇ
Live
Camera
provides a user-friendly interface for creating, controlling and
managing any number of virtual cockpit, 2D cockpit and external aircraft
views.
ˇ
Live
Camera
creates, controls and manages all views from the 'flying' server system,
with live view adjustment for each of your client system cameras.
ˇ
Live
Camera
allows joystick buttons and keyboard key sequences to be assigned to
individual or multiple views.
ˇ
Live
Camera does not require you to make any changes to the control
assignments.
ˇ
Live
Camera
enables default views to be specified facilitating the use of multiple
screens or the creation of panoramic views over networked systems.
ˇ
Live
Camera includes support for both standard non-windowed and
windowed views. Windowed views provide greater flexibility and support
to cockpit builders and all systems equipped with multi-screened
computers.
ˇ
Live
Camera
stores separate sizes and positions for all docked and undocked Windowed
views, allowing the user to save different preferred window position and
sizes.
ˇ
Live
Camera
provides both coarse and fine zoom control for all camera view types.
ˇ
Live
Camera provides ultra-realistic Dynamic Head Movement,
or virtual cockpit camera shake, based on actual real-life captured 3D
accelerometer data.
ˇ
Live
Camera
supports Automated Head Movement to assist the pilot whilst
taxiing and banking in a turn (disabled when using TrackIR).
ˇ Camera Import and Export options are included. User Camera Definition Files (CDFs) are available on our Downloads page for import.
ˇ
Live Camera Control for adjusting the eyepoint in
VC, 2D, or Custom views using a GamePad, arrow keys within the LCC
dialog, or key/button Shortcut
controls.
Live
View
With Live
View, Opus Software have used their 25 year experience of developing
high-performance real-time networked telemetry and data acquisition
systems, to provide the networking software you need to create your
multi-screened experience for FSX. No matter what complexity of system
you intend to create, Live View
will provide the optimum and smoothest solution.
Figure
10
- OpusFSX Server Configuration
The configuration of the Live View system is simple to the extreme, just tell the main
'flying' server how many Live
View clients you wish to support, and configure the server's
computer name or IP address into each of the client systems, and away
you go. You can sit back and watch your client systems connect and start
communicating with the server.
Spy buttons help you
monitor the activity over all the networked links, or monitor the
overall activity and operation of the FSXSERVER
and FSXCLIENT programs.
ˇ
Live View synchronizes the
aircraft's current position, attitude, landing gear, wheel movement,
lighting, ailerons, elevator, rudder, flaps, spoilers (speed brakes),
engine throttles and reversers.
ˇ
Live
View synchronizes
the simulator's date and time, with either weather themes or full METAR
weather updates for the aircraft's surrounding area.
ˇ
Live View employs and
optimizes multiple dedicated ultra high-performance network IPC
communication links to provide the highest level of performance and the
smoothest possible operation.
ˇ
Live View requires minimal
set up and configuration to get up and running.
ˇ
Live View on the demo version
of OpusFSX will run for 15
minutes allowing you to evaluate the software and ensure full
compatibility with your system.
Figure 11 - Live View Multi-Screen Networked Displays with CPFlight MCP and EFIS Panels
With
Live View you can easily create that multi-screened display
experience for your FSX system or manage your multi-screened cockpit.
The system can be as simple or complex as you desire. The multiple
screens can be used to display any variety of cockpit 'out of the
window' or external views, including the creation of panoramic displays.
The set up and configuration of your system is further simplified using
the in-built Live Camera
interface.
Device Drivers
The OpusFSX
software also includes device drivers for the CPFlight MCP737/EFIS737
PRO/EL panels interfacing to the standard FSX aircraft and the PMDG
737NGX aircraft simulator.
Figure
12 - Drivers Included for CPFlight MCP737 and EFIS737 Panels
OpusFSX
uses both Microsoft's SimConnect and FSUIPC4 to interface with FSX. SimConnect is installed
automatically with FSX, and FSUIPC4 is a free to download from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html
Demonstration Software
Please download our
demonstration software. The unlicensed version of the FSXSERVER program
will operate in a Demonstration Mode for 15
minutes allowing you to evaluate the software and ensure full
compatibility with your system. A
minimum of a 2 minute interval
is required between demonstration runs. Demonstration mode also
restricts the LWE to 160km (100 miles) in all directions and weather
updating only whilst your aircraft is on the ground. You can download the unlicensed version of the
product directly from the OpusFSX
website.
Please read the OpusFSX_Getting_Started.pdf document for details of how to set up
your system and network.
System Requirements
Microsoft Flight Simulator X with SP2 or Acceleration Pack, or Lockheed Martin Prepar3D simulator.
Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP, or Windows Vista operating systems.
Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.
FSUIPC4 (free version).
90 MB hard disk space.
Home About Us Products Downloads FAQ Gallery Testimonials Contact Links