Flight Line N™ 5.3 - English

$14.95 USD

Gauges in Flight Simulator: what you should know

Two technologies exist today to build gauges in Flight Simulator: using the Flight Simulator SDK for the 2D and the 3D panel, and using 3D modeled gauges and needles for the 3D panel only.

With the SDK, gauges are made of bitmaps, stacked upon each other. Some bitmaps can be rotated and others can be translated. An ADI rotating card for example is a bitmap rotating around a center with the bank angle. With the 3D modeled gauges, a needle is a polygon with a texture and rotates with the bank angle as well. Both approaches have strong limitations.

The SDK approach limits the practical precision of the gauge because the bitmaps rotates only to the precision of 1 degree, and translate only to the precision of 1 pixel on the screen. With this in mind, a SDK based ADI rotating card will jump from degree to degree while the bank angle changes, and the pitch card will shift up or down only on a per pixel precision. For most gauges the pitch precision is about 3 degrees of pitch only.

The limitation of 1 degree rotation precision is also a strong inhibitor to the usefulness of gauges with needles in Flight Simulator.

The 3D modeled gauge approach is better than the SDK based approach for the smoothness and precision of the rotation and translation, because the displayed gauge elements are actual 3D polygons rendered by the video card. However, this approach is only available for the Virtual Cockpit panel.!

Flight Line N: achieves the highest level of details with the most fluid experience

Reality XP’s solutions: a new area in simulation!

TrueGauge XP™ is a technology offering the same level of accuracy, smoothness and precision of the 3D modeled gauge approach, while allowing the gauge to be rendered in both the Virtual Cockpit, the 2D panel, a popup window or a second monitor!

Reality XP’s unique expertise brings a new dimension to traditional gauges in offering the smoothest gauges on the market today, as well as the most realistic simulation of the internal mechanical bearings and parts making a mechanical gauge.

TrueGauge XP™ also sets new standards visually with carefully crafted highlights, shadows and details. With this new technology, the gauge elements are smoothly blended for the best graphics. It is virtually like having an animated multi layered Photoshop photo in real time!

Engineered with the leading edge development best practices in graphics animation, TrueGauge XP™ renders faster, better and more precisely than any other SDK based gauge for the best simulation experience.

For the first time, you will be able to fly an approach with your instruments to the same level of accuracy and precision you would find with real gauges!

Best-in-Class Gauges!

Flight Line N features a highly detailed set of 24 gauges covering almost all the gauges found in your virtual hangar: you can combine any variation in the same panel!

With Flight Line N, VOR needles move smoothly and give an accurate clue to the pilot to anticipate turn to intercept radials.

For the first time in Flight Simulator, in addition to ADF dip, the needle is affected by static discharges, moist and thunderstorms (cumulonimbus).

Flight Line N: a complete S-TEC 55X Autopilot system with ST360 and ST645

FLN Config: gauge configuration made easy!

FLN Config software designed to configure and manage your Reality Flight Line N gauge settings with a user-friendly interface and powerful configuration options.

About Virtual Cockpit and Flight Simulator

Gauge smoothness in the virtual cockpit is directly affected by the number of [VCockpit##] sections in the panel.cfg file. A panel with a single section offers the best refresh rate and smoothness, similar to the 2D panel. Each additional virtual cockpit section cuts the refresh rate from a “maximum” rough rate of 18 frames per second. The general rule of thumb is:

1 section = 18 frames per seconds per section (maximum refresh rate)
2 sections = 9 frames per seconds per section (18 / 2)
3 sections = 6 frames per seconds per section.(18 / 3) etc…
 

NB: Flight Line N runs with maximum fluidity and refresh rate. However, the virtual cockpit refresh rate is a flight simulator limitation imposed to the gauges and we suggest you choose aircraft carefully designed by their third party vendors for the maximum performance and fluidity!

Aircraft designed by DreamFleet are optimized for the best Virtual Cockpit refresh rate:

www.dreamfleet2000.com