FSExport

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matzusdog
New User
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:11 am

FSExport

Post by matzusdog »

hey there!

I came across your utility as I have been searching for a way to record sim flight data for playback in 3d. I was wondering if this will be the way to go to record some data into a format I can load in my 3d app.

The application is an (open source) Advanced Combat Manoeuvre Viewer intended for new 'virtual' pilots to visualise combat moves in 3 dimensions. Users will have the ability to pause, rewind and replay the moves, and also alter the viewpoint to 'track enemy', 'free view' or 'internal'.

the idea I have is for myself to fly the manoeuvre in FS 2004, recording the data using your utility, then create a moving model of the flight-path using the attitude, roll, airspeed and altitude data. The user would be able to play the manoeuvre, pause, move around the model, and see how the move works and how it relates to the enemy aircraft.

I was hoping you might have some more info or documentation about the file format - the .fld file, and how it relates to the other file produced when a flight is saved.

I'm a software developer myself, I work in C#.net. (writing epos solutions, nothing to do with this!) so I shouldn't have any problems reading in a binary file, I just need to understand the format.

I've sent you an email with this request on too.

cheers in advance!
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phil
Site Admin
Posts: 7627
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 11:12 pm

Re: FSExport

Post by phil »

I've just replied to your email, but for completeness sake....
The ARINC file format that I am using is quite well documented but im not sure the the standards are 'open', but either way, I’m not sure this is what your want.

It is possible but not easy to animate time based ARINC data because your only get data at certain rates, normally once a second. This does not make animation particularly smooth so you have to do all sorts of interpolation etc. We tend to have this problem in the real world, and by using this plugin you will have this problem in the FS world too.

Can’t you use the built in FS recording system to achieve this (I admit its been a while since I looked but I thought you could record and replay within the game itself)

Back to my recorder.

The output file format is a ARINC binary file described by the LFL file provided. This LFL file describes how to reconstruct the data values from which bits of the logical frame (where the logical frame is a fixed size record (size defined in the lfl also and I cant remember what it is off the top of my head – maybe 256 word per second) that happens once a second).

Each word is a 12 bit binary pattern (not 16bits like normal) so its fiddly to put back together as well as not going to be easy to import into your applications.

I really think you would be better off looking closer to the original source than at my export data files. It would probably be easier in C# to extract the values you want yourself – in FS-X there is a C# SDK to get at all this stuff which is actually quite easy to use if I recall correctly.
Thanks,
Phil
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