Navigation tools - NEW: TRUE 3D cockpits

[jogad]

 
3D cockpits usage

You can use a 3D cockpit as any other simple cockpit.
If fact you can use the model alone, without any plug-in at all. It is not the cockpits pluging that allows the model to follow the pilot but the scripted orbit.

However, the navigation tool offers additional options.

By default you are in the driver's seat or at any other position defined in the ssc file and you always look forward in the cockpit.

When you choose a 3D cockpit, you have two new buttons in the navigation tool.

Control3D.jpg

The first one locks/unlocks the orientation, and the second controls the position.
When the orientation or the position is locked, these buttons are green, and when unlocked these buttons are brown.


Orientation control.

This is independant of the chosen way to rotate the view (with the keyboard arrows or the mouse to keep the view bounded with the direction of the speed / or by clicking the rotation icons of the navigation tool to change the view independently of the direction of the speed)
When locked (green), the cockpit direction is the same than the view direction.
When unlocked (brown) the cockpit keeps its orientation in space whatever the view and speed directions.

When stopped, pressing [shif + R] returns to the front view. Otherwise it aligns the direction of the view with the direction of the speed as usual.


Position control.

This is the position of the pilot in the cockpit.
When the position in the cockpit is locked you can drive your spaceship safely.

When unlocked you can set your point of view in the cockpit.
Be careful: it is easy to be taken away and then it is difficult to recover the right position.
- You are following your cockpit only in the reference frame. If you change the reference frame you suddenly move at high speed and you end up far from your ship.


Selecting and Leaving a 3D cockpit

The first time you choose a cockpit, you get it at its default position as defined in the ssc file.

Generally, when you you leave a cockpit (by choosing <NO COCKPIT> or another cockpit) it disappears and the new cockpit (if any) appears.

You can force a cockpit (and the spaceship around it) to stay in place and visible while another cockpit is active.
To do that, just leave it with orientation an position unlocked.
It is as if you parked with your vehicule. Its reference frame is the frame at the moment you entered in unlock position mode.
Il you want to take again the control of this cockpit, pay attention to be in the same reference frame. Otherwise you will be ejected when you return in the normal locked mode.
If this happen, lock orientation or position, and choose the cockpit again in the cockpit menu. Your will recover it at its standard position.


Speed management with 3D cockpits

The plug-in manages the speed according to the reference object. As this object is usually far from your ship, this leads to excessive speeds when you want to approach a small object like a spaceship in orbit around the reference object.
But with 3D cockpit, it is sometimes dangerous to change reference frame.
To avoid this issue, (and only when ad 3D cockpit is active and the position is unlocked) the reference speed depends on the seclected object. if it is a spacecraft, the speed is not set automatically. Otherwise the speed is calculated relative to the reference object as usual.


Limitations

You can install a cockpit around any solar system. But you cannot fly from a system to another.
This is because of the Celestia limit of 1 LY for an object to be illuminated. This is also because the distances are calculated from the reference star and the absolute precision decreases as you move away.
You can experiment this by flying away. The cockpit starts vibrating before disappearing.

It may happen that you are unable to select an object when you are inside a cockpit. This is because of your position, you are trying to select the cockpit rather than that you want.
In this case, select the object with the keyboard.

[Alexell]

Today I updated the translation of manuals to version v2.6. Soon the link in the first message will be updated.
--
Сегодня я обновил перевод руководства пользователя до версии в2.6. Скоро ссылка в первом сообщении будет обновлена.

[jogad]

Hi,

Thank you for the Russian translation of the manual.
It is now on-line in the forum.

I made some improvements to the 3D version (which is now 3D-1)
The improvements concern mainly the 3D cockpits.
It is now possible to move relative to the cockpit as it is moving.
This is especially useful when you are outside of the cockpit.
The plugin has a more important control upon the cockpit to avoid dangerous maneuvers.

If you want to enjoy the possibilities of this new version, do not forget to also update the ssc files ssc of the different 3D cockpits.

The manual for the version 3D-1 is now available in the first post of this thread.
For now only the French version is updated.
I will put online the English version as soon as possible with the original file in .doc format in case you would like to update the versions in other languages.

[jogad]

.
As announced in the last post, the English documentation is now available.

The original English manual is also provided if you want to help for the translation.
By the way there is also a little update to do with the locale_cockpits_xx.lua in the locale directory.

[Alexell]

.
By the way there is also a little update to do with the locale_cockpits_xx.lua in the locale directory.

Hi. Update the translation file locale_cockpits_ru.lua: http://www.celestiaproject.ru/files/oth ... its_ru.zip
Translation guide will update later.

[Chuft-Captain]

Jogad,

There does not appear to be a download link for the Cockpit Tools V.3D anywhere in this thread.
Also, the link to the User Manual (English) is dead.

I am able to download the 3D cockpit's, from the previous page, but that's all.

CC

[jogad]

 
The link for the cockpit tool V3D is in the first post, in the "Installation" section, just above the documetation links.

There were an error for the English documentation in PDF format. This is fixed now.
But the link to the original English doc in .doc (word) format was correct. I hope this is why I had no complain yet, and not because nobody is interested!

I must admit that the download links are everywhere and it is not easy to find them.
Tomorrow, I will have a look at this issue and group them together at a same place.

Thanks for the report.

---Edit--
I just reorganized the first post and I hope that the links will be more visible and accessible.
I also added the latest Russian locale by Alexell to the plugin.

[Chuft-Captain]

Thanks.
(I don't know how I missed that! )

[jogad]

Thanks to alexell the localization of the program to Russian is now up to date as well as the Russian manual.
The link to his Atlantis shuttle an fictional spacecraf is also updated.

Thank you Alex.