Trying out Air Manger from AirRietveld

So now that I've started my Cessna 172R cockpit with a 24" LCD for the instruments, I've found myself falling into the habit of trying every instrument display software out there.

I started with simPlugins Panel Builder, which cost me about $50. I like the product, although the instruments it comes with are not exactly like the Cessna 172R that I am used to. There's an add-on that is supposed to work with the A2A Cessna 172, but FSX is not my preferred simulator. I do actually own the A2A 172, but I would really rather fly X-Plane for a number of reasons - I won't go into that now. At any r

In my quest to try to find something a little closer to the real Cessna 172R instruments (I am a private pilot with 249 hours in the real deal), I decided to try SimAVIO. I tried it and I didn't like it. It's really designed for touch screens, not realistic instrument panels. They were kind enough to refund my money.

Next I tried GAIFR from Project Magenta. I've known about Project Magenta since that company was started, and I've always felt their software products were overpriced for what you got. I was impressed by the Cessna instruments in the GAIFR demo and decided it was worth throwing down the ~$130 for the product. Unfortunately I did not realize you can't actually use the Cessna instruments any way you want like you can with Panel Builder. The GAIFR software has basically 4 modes. Cessna is one of those modes, and "blank" is another. You can only size and position the instruments in blank mode. That's exactly what I needed for my sim. Unfortunately... the instruements in "blank" mode are NOT the Cessna instruments, and there is no way to get the Cessna instruments in blank mode. WTF? I emailed support and got an email back from Enrico himself. He asked me what was missing. I replied and told him exactly what I was hoping to do. No response after a week. I replied again. Again, no response. So I guess there will never be support for what I want to do.

Finally, I just recently discovered Air Manager 1.3 from Air Rietveld. I think these guys are relatively new on the block. Their product has several interesting things about it. First and foremost, they give you the ability to edit and change the instruments. Not only that, they give you access to the underlying LUA code for each gauge, and they give you the ability to create brand new instruments from scratch. Wow. Not only that... but they have made some customer-made instruments available as downloads to all customers. And the software can download and install new instruments from within the software, without ever having to leave the application! That's pretty cool. The one "gotcha" is there are not that many instruments yet available. There are generic instruments and a lot of helicopter instruments, as well as some specialized Baron instruments and Cessna 152 instruments. But no Cessna 172 instruments. Another customer by the name of Russ had created his own "Cessna 172 Panel", which is basically one giant instrument with all the major gauges. Air Rietvald recently added that as an available instrument through their application, partly at my request.

Unfortunately the Cessna 172 Panel doesn't have high resolution graphics for the gauges. I couldn't use the panel for my instruments because it wouldn't look very good, and doesn't scale properly for my 1:1 scale instrument bezel that I made. But not all is lost. That one instrument has a giant LUA script that operates each of the individual instruments. I was able to create a couple of new instruments and paste in just the section pertaining to those instruments, and viola, I had an individual instrument I could size and position. The next step was to replace the low resolution with high resolution graphics. I've only done the Airspeed indicator, RPM indicator, and Attitude indicator thus far. I found that I can run the Air Manager instruments simultaneously with the GAIFR instruments, and even cover up the GAIFR instruments with the Air Manager instruments as needed. The attached photo shows the GAIFR panel with the clock, airspeed, and attitude being rendered by Air Manager.

The Cessna 172 attitude indicator shown in this photo is a work in progress and is not yet 100% accurate. I took a different approach with this instrument. I started with the Air Manager-provided Cessna 152 instrument and began editing the graphics in GIMP (sort of like an open-source photo editor like Photoshop). I'm not yet done with the changes I need to make, but it's really beginning to start looking like the real thing.

While I was doing this, I also emailed Air Rietvald and told them what I was trying to accomplish. Ralph is actually offered to help create the Cessna 172 instruments and has shown me a preview of the Cessna 172 VSI. I hope to work together with Ralph to create all of the Cessna 172 instruments and make them available to all Air Manager customers. Eventually I will stop running GAIFR and just use Air Manager.

One thing I'm also having a problem with in GAIFR is the EGT gauge. It's not actually a problem with GAIFR... It's because I use the Carenado Skyhawk 172N aircraft and the EGT gauge values for that plane are non-standard. This is something I could theoretically easily fix in Air Manager by editing the LUA script.

I should also be fair to say that GAIFR does render the gauges a little smoother, especially when transitioning an instrument between 2 different states. Air Manager snaps to the values whereas GAIFR renders transition frames between the values. I spoke to Air Rietvald about this, and they said it is something that may be looking into doing after their Air Manager 2.0 comes out.

Anyway, just sharing my thoughts on this product for anyone who is interested. Oh, and their price can't be beat. I think I paid $30 for Air Manager. Way more flexibility and customization for a lot less money.

why not real instruments ,
there is a lot on the market in any shape or form you want,
I prefer them myself instead instruments on screen ,
find them just not real enough
regards

Because they're expensive and extremely limited in function.

1.- You can try "Gauge Composer", a free glass cockpit software to do anything. Works with X-plane too.
Read about in:

http://www.iocpserver.net/index.php

You need to register (free).
Some people are doing cessna instruments too. You can do your own instruments with photo, drawings, etc in any resolution.

2.- You can try too "The Gauges Factory" (in the library I upload a some time ago all the instruments).

3.- http://gaugesmith.blogspot.com.br/ ( another free version)

4.- http://www.projectcockpit.com.br/, another glass (just found in internet, not tested, not free).

Horacio.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Avro748

Because they're expensive and extremely limited in function.

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Exactly. I would not have been able to afford to build an instrument panel without going the LCD screen route. I would love to do real instruments, but there's just no way I can afford it. I'd rather spend the big bucks flying the real deal, which costs me $140 an hour here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hyamesto

1.- You can try "Gauge Composer", a free glass cockpit software to do anything. Works with X-plane too.
Read about in:

http://www.iocpserver.net/index.php

You need to register (free).
Some people are doing cessna instruments too. You can do your own instruments with photo, drawings, etc in any resolution.

2.- You can try too "The Gauges Factory" (in the library I upload a some time ago all the instruments).

3.- http://gaugesmith.blogspot.com.br/ ( another free version)

4.- http://www.projectcockpit.com.br/, another glass (just found in internet, not tested, not free).

Horacio.

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I looked around the "iocpserver.net" website trying to find screenshots but gave up after 5 minutes. I was also tried of constantly having to click on "translate" to be able to read it. At any rate, I fly X-Plane, not FSX or P3D.

Excuse my poor english....
Gauge Composer is based on IOCP server. You must to learn to programing in SIOC (Opencockpits) and graphics design.
It´s not a rocket science, to learn. (IOCP, SIOC).
For X-plane, you need a plug-in to translate variables in IOCP or SIOC.
You can do any instrument you like or need.
Here is a C-182 instruments snapshot of my work in progress....

Attachment 9617

I´m working with simulated real instruments builded with servos, Steppers, etc, but for the Instructor Station, i go to use Gauge Composer.
The free version of Gauge Composer, has english help.
And, you can ask in english in the forum too.


Here is a Tutorial of Gauge Composer (old version but for idea)

http://www.md80project.dk/portal/fil...urial%20UK.pdf

And in this link of IOCP Server

http://www.iocpserver.net/index.php?topic=471.0

the answer 7, the user vfsintes has some instruments for cessna in x-plane.

Check:

https://es-es.facebook.com/b1900homecockpit

for videos of Gauge Composer and X-plane.....

Remember, with Gauge Composer, you make the instrument...
Regards.
Horacio.