Software How to Install Orbiter 2010 on Mac OS X

bpops

Simpit Builder
Donator
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
93
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Los Alamos
Website
picasaweb.google.com
Hello, I just spent the night getting Orbiter 2010-P1 working on my Mac. I'm probably not the first person to do this, but I was unable to find a tutorial so was on my own. But I wrote one for the next person. Tutorial is here.

Maybe it will help some fellow mac users! :cheers:
 

MikeB

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2009
Messages
185
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Seattle
Hi bpops,

Thank you for posting your Wineskin Winery tutorial. I've used Parallels Desktop and BootCamp with Windows XP, but BootCamp under Mavericks doesn't support XP, and I don't want to buy Windows 7/8 just to run Orbiter. I'm on a MacBook Pro 15" Mid 2012, with wired Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad.

I have a question that you might be able to help with:
The number keys on the keypad don't appear to do anything, as if in Windows the Numlock mode is off. (So I have no RCS thrusters, in either ROT or LIN mode.) I've seen plenty of advice about using the Clear key (by itself or with shift or option), but haven't found the magic combination. Do you have any advice for my situation?
 

BruceJohnJennerLawso

Dread Lord of the Idiots
Addon Developer
Joined
Apr 14, 2012
Messages
2,585
Reaction score
0
Points
36
Hello, I just spent the night getting Orbiter 2010-P1 working on my Mac. I'm probably not the first person to do this, but I was unable to find a tutorial so was on my own. But I wrote one for the next person. Tutorial is here.

Maybe it will help some fellow mac users! :cheers:

Congrats on pulling it off :thumbup:

Out of curiosity, how is the emulation speed-wise?
 

bpops

Simpit Builder
Donator
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
93
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Los Alamos
Website
picasaweb.google.com
Hi bpops,

Thank you for posting your Wineskin Winery tutorial. I've used Parallels Desktop and BootCamp with Windows XP, but BootCamp under Mavericks doesn't support XP, and I don't want to buy Windows 7/8 just to run Orbiter. I'm on a MacBook Pro 15" Mid 2012, with wired Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad.

I have a question that you might be able to help with:
The number keys on the keypad don't appear to do anything, as if in Windows the Numlock mode is off. (So I have no RCS thrusters, in either ROT or LIN mode.) I've seen plenty of advice about using the Clear key (by itself or with shift or option), but haven't found the magic combination. Do you have any advice for my situation?

I admittedly got everything working (seemingly) and then posted here. So I haven't even tested a number pad out yet! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'll definitely look into it.

Another problem I've noticed is that by using the Mac OS X Driver in the Screen Options means any of the windows opened by the F- butttons can't be closed ;) But if we don't select that option, then the OS X top bar and dock still show (i.e., orbiter is not run full-screen). And if we we tell Wineskin Winery to run full-screen, then there's a flickering effect. Clearly there's more to be done!

I don't have any time tonight, but maybe these issues are something we can all figure out together in this thread.

We're so close to a flawless Orbiter simulation on Mac!! :thumbup:

---------- Post added at 10:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 PM ----------

Congrats on pulling it off :thumbup:

Out of curiosity, how is the emulation speed-wise?

Thanks, Bruce. I haven't actually looked at the FPS because I literally posted this right after figuring it out myself and haven't really troubleshooted it yet (maybe I should have), but at the basic level, it sure seems just fine to me. Using the right mouse button to look around, I don't find the fps too low at all.

It is worth noting I'm using a BRAND new MacBook Pro 15". And it runs X-plane 10 with amazing graphical effects, so it it is not a shabby computer at all ;)

In other words, we'd have to see how other people with older Macs find their fps to be.

---------- Post added at 10:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 PM ----------

Hi bpops,

Thank you for posting your Wineskin Winery tutorial. I've used Parallels Desktop and BootCamp with Windows XP, but BootCamp under Mavericks doesn't support XP, and I don't want to buy Windows 7/8 just to run Orbiter. I'm on a MacBook Pro 15" Mid 2012, with wired Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad.

I have a question that you might be able to help with:
The number keys on the keypad don't appear to do anything, as if in Windows the Numlock mode is off. (So I have no RCS thrusters, in either ROT or LIN mode.) I've seen plenty of advice about using the Clear key (by itself or with shift or option), but haven't found the magic combination. Do you have any advice for my situation?

You are RIGHT. It's strange, because the "/" button still toggles between translation and rotation, and the "+" button is still throttle, but for some reason the numberic key numbers don't work. This seems like a minor problem that can be easily solved; I'll keep looking into it but first person to solve it please post the answer! Thanks
 

orb

O-F Administrator,
News Reporter
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
14,020
Reaction score
4
Points
0
The number keys on the keypad don't appear to do anything, as if in Windows the Numlock mode is off.
The numlock state shouldn't make any difference (at least on a full keyboard). Orbiter is using key codes and not character codes. I keep it always off if I don't need it, because the LED is blinding me at night and it doesn't go off after power down if it was enabled (I use power button on the keyboard to turn on the computer). :p

If it can't be fixed, there's still keymap.cfg which can be modified to change the mappings.
 

Dambuster

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2008
Messages
789
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
UK
Well this is one thing I never expected...to see Orbiter running on my Mac! Thank you! :)

I'm having a few flickering issues, but haven't had time to troubleshoot them at all. I'm also having the same problems with the controls and the unclosable menus.

Since I'm running this on a laptop, I tried installing KeyRemap4Macbook to let me use the 789uiojkl keys as a numberpad. I tried lots of Fn+xxx and Number Lock settings in the program; none worked. I also saw that Orbiter's keymap.cfg uses 'NUMPAD #' inputs, whereas the KeyRemap program outputs 'KEYPAD_#'. I tried editing the keymap to reflect this, and tried mashing every combo of keys I could think of without any luck.

So far the only thing that has worked is changing the keymap.cfg, as orb mentioned. Only downside of this is that my DG keeps opening and closing the nosecone during flight! ;)

Thanks again for posting this, it's very nice to be commanding a DG again after so many years! :cheers:
 

MikeB

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2009
Messages
185
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Seattle
Out of curiosity, how is the emulation speed-wise?

The following video modes are listed for me:
Wine D3D7 T&L HAL
Direct3D HAL
Wine D3D7 RGB
Wine D3D7 T&L HAL (Intel(R) Ivybridge Mobile)
Direct3D HAL (Intel(R) Ivybridge Mobile)
Wine D3D7 RGB (Intel(R) Ivybridge Mobile)

All of them give me severe flickering in full-screen. Using Wine D3D7 T&L HAL with a 1440x810 window, I get 30 FPS.

Although the last three modes say Ivybridge, the app actually uses the Nvidia GPU.
 

Dambuster

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2008
Messages
789
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
UK
The following video modes are listed for me:
Wine D3D7 T&L HAL
Direct3D HAL
Wine D3D7 RGB
Wine D3D7 T&L HAL (Intel(R) Ivybridge Mobile)
Direct3D HAL (Intel(R) Ivybridge Mobile)
Wine D3D7 RGB (Intel(R) Ivybridge Mobile)

All of them give me severe flickering in full-screen. Using Wine D3D7 T&L HAL with a 1440x810 window, I get 30 FPS.

Although the last three modes say Ivybridge, the app actually uses the Nvidia GPU.

Have you tried opening one of the menus in game? For me, full-screen flickers like mad until I open a menu, then it goes away (although I can't close the menu after that :p).
 

MikeB

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2009
Messages
185
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Seattle
That's right. Opening a menu stops the flickering.
 

bpops

Simpit Builder
Donator
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
93
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Los Alamos
Website
picasaweb.google.com
Have you tried opening one of the menus in game? For me, full-screen flickers like mad until I open a menu, then it goes away (although I can't close the menu after that :p).

That's the exact issue I had when I first installed it, and that's why I selected a different driver (tried them all until I found one that worked..)

Hmm.. sorry I'm not technically savy when it comes to graphics driver, I mostly just figured this all out trial and error.

Ok my priorities are looking into getting an easier method of using the number pad and removing the Mac OSX Window driver need.
 

bpops

Simpit Builder
Donator
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
93
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Los Alamos
Website
picasaweb.google.com
My first goal is in trying to solve the numeric keypad issue. Hopefully some of you can help me figure this out. I've only spent a couple hours researching what exactly is going on, but it seems like a "numeric keypad" on mac is just treated as the numbers.

In other words, when I press 1 on the numeric keypad, it is the same as a 1 next to the tilde key. But in windows, you must turn num lock off for a numeric keypad to work properly in Orbiter. And in this case, the number keys take on different roles. Specifically, see the table here:

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Num_lock"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Num_lock[/ame]

So all we really have to do is map a "1" to "END" and so on.. We *could* do this mapping on os x I suppose, but that's sloppy because then it'll mess up other programs or we'll have to keep switching back and forth.

I believe a better solution is to map it in Wineskin. I have tried installing Sharpkeys and doing just this, but it doesn't appear to work :(

I have not tried joytokey because it is shareware, not free. And since Orbiter is free (well, at least as in "free beer" ;) ) I'd really like to be able to find a costless solution. Will keep looking, but was hoping that maybe this post would trigger someone else to figure out a solution!
 

logickal

New member
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Thank you VERY, VERY MUCH bpops! Our long platform nightmare may be close to being over. :)
 

bpops

Simpit Builder
Donator
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
93
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Los Alamos
Website
picasaweb.google.com
I figured out a solution to using the number pad on Mac. Please see my blog post (now updated with this information). It's essentially just removing every instance of the word NUMPAD in the keymap.cfg file.


Oh, and for those of you who followed my instructions and still have the screen flickering issue, it would be interesting to know it would be solved with using the D3D 9 or 11 visualization. Please if you try it out let us know if it solves the problem?
 
Last edited:
Top