Project Universal Dynamic Virtual Cockpit

[Moach]

well, since the world ain't ending today, i decided to make this thing into an actual project... so with a little modelling and texturing, here's what i have so far

perhaps it doesn't look like much, but it's the beggining of a new era of DVC's for all Orbiter craft :lol: - and not only the new ones, i mean - every craft ever made for orbiter can now be fitted with this generic DVC

for those who didn't catch the other post where i was gauging the general interest for this (which is quite, it seems), the idea is to have a generic dashboard/panel/console thing that will "plug in" and parasitically command any craft in the sim...

without an external mesh, the parasite craft is invisible from outside, but once you hit F8, you'll get a nice 6-screen generic flight pod :thumbup:

do note, that although this panel is mostly fixed, the "shell" around it can be replaced, so it can look like a DG-like canopy, or a Star-Trek command bridge, triple-head monitors, holodeck, or even a NASA mission control room...

i have also plans to provide an SDK or CFG setup to allow addon authors to provide custom meshes for the VC "shell" as well as to add a vessel-specific switchboard interface to those blank panels on the sides

possibly, we could even allow one to attach UMMU/UCGO/URMS features to the targeted craft as well, then control those things via a couple of extra panels that would appear when one of these is enabled :hmm:

vessel stacks, velcro rockets and whatnot could also be supported, i guess


anyways - it's real, it's 3D and it should get you a DVC for every ship you can get your hands on



btw - that little screen in the middle is gonna be a gyroscope/ADI thingy (like that on the dragonfly) - the one below shows propellant/thruster info

 

[Coolhand]

Hey Moach, this is a great idea, would it possible to make it modular? like break it down into maybe 10 panels that can be arranged using 3d proxy models in a modelling app, then you could perhaps crib the position data to tell each module where to appear in orbiter?

 

[Izack]

Nice idea, Moach. I foresee problems with IMFD, though...

 

[Arrowstar]

Any chance this could be created with a DLL? Might allow for some basic systems modeling to go with the cockpit. That might be a bit beyond the scope of the project, but I thought I'd toss it out there.

 

[Tacolev]

Seconding Izack, and suggesting that as you solve this problem considering whether this thing might also be handy for defining a control point for large stacks instead of just single vessels.

 

[Hlynkacg]

This is Awesome and I will be likely be using it a great deal once you have it up and running but please (pretty please with sugar) finish the G4200 first.

 

[Wishbone]

...given that the underlying code to control RCS of large stacks is already quite debugged, I agree with Tacolev's suggestion

 

[Moach]

This is Awesome and I will be likely be using it a great deal once you have it up and running but please (pretty please with sugar) finish the G4200 first.

hmm, you know, i just might...
but then again, both projects are gonna get done eventually... the G42 is gonna take a hell lot longer, since it's got a myriad of complicated systems to model and stuff....

so, in my view, the '42 is ONE big VC-packing ship... and the enormity of the task is fully accounted for...
this is EVERY ship with a VC - and if i can get as much work on it as i've put into the G42 so far, it'll be just about done


but then again, the G42 is quite a ride... i was just flying it again... i took it up to a moon-aligned plane, then flew a very shoddy reentry and "airlinered" back to KSC for a landing with less than 3% of the fuel tanks :lol:

i should have dumped that excess 7 tonnes of oxy... no-one would have to know :uhh:


don't worry, these projects are not mutually exclusive... i think i can find it in my madness to work on each a bit at a time :hmm:

which reminds me... there's a gyroscope MFD and a flight-controls suite that i need to finish up :facepalm:

one thing at a time, shall we?

 

[Axel]

@Moach
A VC for every vessel, this is a nice idea! Because most ships have no VC and im a big fan of VCs, you know. Most people releasing to early an addon, with the info "later versions will have a VC", but nothing happens.
A VC completes a good simulation and give mutch more atmosphere.

So your idea is well, but how would you like support different kinds of ships? The front windows are different in shape and number and not every ship is shuttle-like, there are capital ships too. This ships will better need a "bridge", with a big center-screen, because windows are for big interplanetary ships no good idea, the crew will life deep inside the hull behind big fuel tanks and radiation shilds, of knowing reasons.

 

[ghostrunner01]

This could be very nice...

I salute you for your contributions/ideas Moach.

 

[HarvesteR]

So your idea is well, but how would you like support different kinds of ships?

The idea, it seems, is to have a cfg-defined "shell" for the VC, that will be the rest of the cockpit/command bridge/mission control room...

For that to work well, the addon would need a small default library of "generic", or "stock" shells, so even craft that are no longer actively developed can have a fully enclosed cockpit... even if it doesn't fit it perfectly...

Now, that modular scheme Steve suggested would be REALLY awesome! suppose those side panels could be turned on or off, or even repositioned through the cfg file... endless tweakability would ensue! :thumbup:

Now, imagine even more modules, like quadrants, armrests with flightsticks, and stuff like that...

I wouldn't say an overhead panel, since those are usually dedicated to craft-specific systems, so that may be going too far and losing genericality (word?)...

Now, a HUD module would be immensely useful, and being able to turn it off through the cfg would make it more realistic for unmanned (mission control type) VCs.


Very cool idea. I'd wait on the g42 to see this thing up and running... so much potential.

Cheers

 

[Moach]

what Steve said really got me thinking, actually...

the panel-and-shell approach is good, but theres a limit to how flexible it can be...

so i though of something better - instead of a single panel, we can have a series of smaller lego-like modules such as for MFDs, HUD, UMMU, UCGO, thrusters, gyroscope, custom-switchboard, whatever....

those are cobbled up and positioned over a selected shell mesh as defined in a .cfg file :hmm:

that cfg is then referred to in an UDVC-vessel entry on the .scn, along with the vessel(s) it should target - thus allowing easy modular construction of a highly immersive VC for just about every craft ever made for Orbiter - regardless of it already having a VC or not


a handful of generic meshes would be included, yet new VC shells can be authored by simply adding a mesh file to the module resources folder... (addons for an addon :blink

anyways, that'sthe main idea... i think i'll give this a higher priority as soon as the G42 reaches WIP-2 (shouldn't be long now)

 

[HarvesteR]

that cfg is then referred to in an UDVC-vessel entry on the .scn, along with the vessel(s) it should target - thus allowing easy modular construction of a highly immersive VC for just about every craft ever made for Orbiter - regardless of it already having a VC or not

Does the target definition have to be in the scenario file? I mean, what about creating a cfg for each craft that will receive a VC? Or better yet, a linkages.cfg file, that links cfg-defined VCs to other vessels...

This way the VC assignment to the vessels is persistent across all scenarios, meaning it becomes a permanent attachment, regardless of which scenario you choose to fly.

Cheers

 

[Moach]

Does the target definition have to be in the scenario file? I mean, what about creating a cfg for each craft that will receive a VC? Or better yet, a linkages.cfg file, that links cfg-defined VCs to other vessels...

This way the VC assignment to the vessels is persistent across all scenarios, meaning it becomes a permanent attachment, regardless of which scenario you choose to fly.

Cheers

i guess that could work just as well
what about - each UDVC cfg bears the reference to the classname of the vessels it should be bound to... like CamShake, which stores a list of configurations for each vessel class :hmm:

 

[Arthur Dent]

so i though of something better - instead of a single panel, we can have a series of smaller lego-like modules such as for MFDs, HUD, UMMU, UCGO, thrusters, gyroscope, custom-switchboard, whatever....

I really like the idea. Your UDVC + artlavs SC to >DLL would make a great combination for people who can design but can't code that well.

 

[Keatah]

I think this UVC is a great idea. Now we can built add-ons the way Boeing build airplanes. They use off-the-shelf components throughout their product line, instead of redesigning every single part! Saves development time.

 

[Zilesio]

@Moach
A VC for every vessel, this is a nice idea! Because most ships have no VC and im a big fan of VCs, you know. Most people releasing to early an addon, with the info "later versions will have a VC", but nothing happens.
A VC completes a good simulation and give mutch more atmosphere.

I quote! And would probably slam it in the XR-2/XR-5 duo right away as soon as released :thumbup:

would it work there too? I've been dreaming for a working VC on those 2 ships.

 

[Dambuster]

Would it be possible to be able to choose from one of two layouts, i.e. one virtual cockpit for something with a narrow cockpit, like the DG, and another for a wider one like the G42 or XR2/5?

 

[Keatah]

The next XR-2 mk2 should have a complete VC.
The point of this project is to help avoid having to always duplicate efforts when building a ship with a VC.

 

[Moach]

The next XR-2 mk2 should have a complete VC.
The point of this project is to help avoid having to always duplicate efforts when building a ship with a VC.

not just that - the main point is to provide a way to attach VCs to the many many addons out there who have not one :thumbup: