SimVimPanel Simulation

Standalone external instrument panels

SimVimPanel is a standalone program running a set of realistic, fully-functional aircraft instrument panels on a computer that is connected by network to the main computer with X-Plane.

Features

SimVimPanel program is not a "constructor", it doesn't have a user interface or program for customization, it's a set of ready-to-use panels for specific aircraft. However, there is already quite a large collection of instruments, and we can customize any panel that uses these instruments, or can replace any instrument on an existing panel on request.

The program doesn't require any configuration on the user's part. When you run the program on another computer in the local network, it automatically connects to the main X-Plane computer with SimVimX plugin istalled. The system is built in such a way that any number of computers with different instrument panels can be connected to the main computer running X-Plane.

The instrument panels themselves are represented as separate "modules". A single panel module is a file with the .sim extension that is placed to the program's related folder.

Every instrument panel is designed to accurately represent the functionality and positions of the actual instruments of specific aircraft. Every instrument is made as close to original as possible and has real sizes on the chosen LCD screens.

The program always displays every instrument in real size on any monitor by default. I.e. 3.125" (80mm) for major gauges, so instruments are not intended to have changeable size. You can change the whole panel position on the screen using the arrow keys.

The project is ongoing, and in time we will be making panels for more types of aircraft.

Download SimVimPanel core program

NOTE: The base program includes only the "Basic Six" panel module. You can download the other panel modules separately from related panel pages or order a new panel module (will be available later).

In case one of the panel modules you use stops working after a program update, make sure the module file you have is up-to-date.

Installing

SimVimPanel doesn't require any installation procedure - just unpack it anywhere you want and launch it.

If you're using Linux or RPi and the program doesn't launch, check the file permissions to make sure it is marked as executable.

The computers running SimVimPanel need to be connected to the same local network as the computer running X-Plane with SimVimX plugin.

Options

By default, the program should detect your screen dimensions and scale the panels to be displayed in their real size. However, if the program doesn't detect your screen size correctly for some reason, you can set the screen width yourself in the program's main menu (click the box next to "Screen width", enter the correct number in millimeters, and press Enter).

The panel size option needs to be set to the default "Real size" in order for this to work. An alternative to this option is "Fit screen", which will cause the panel to be scaled up or down to fit your display. Note: this option doesn't work for panel modules without a background image.

You can read about more precise scaling customization and scaling for non-standard screen resolutions on Raspberry Pi here.

Hotkeys

These are the hotkeys you can use when the panel is running:

• Arrow keys - move the panel. Use Shift for faster movement or Alt for precise movement. Press Enter to save the current offset, so that the panel will use it on the next load. You can also assign SimVimX hardware controls to pan the view .
• Esc - quit the program.
• F - toggle windowed or fullscreen mode.
• M - open the main menu.
• S - toggle Fit Screen mode (for modules with full panel background only).
• For instrument-only panels with no background: Mouse grab near an instrument center and drag to adjust an instrument offset relative to its preset position. Release mouse and use arrow keys for more precise adjustment. Click with the mouse anywhere to finish adjustment.
• R - Reset all instrument positions to default.

System requirements

The program doesn't require a powerful system - any old PC with processor frequency of about 1000 Mhz and relevant graphics card can be used.