panel design software choice

[Beachwalker]

Greetings... I am new to FS9 and have really gotten into it. I have downloaded numerous aircraft and done a lot of reading and just scratched the surface of what is possible.  I would like to design/redesign a panel and would like to start with Piper 6x, because a friend just bought one.  I took some photos of the real panel and am ready to start.  

My question is: Is there a preferred freeware drag and drop panel design program?  If not, what is the payware program of choice.  I would like something that is easy to use and accurate without bugs.  

Also, if anyone knows where I can download a Piper 6x or Saratoga (retractable gear) for FS9 I would appreciate the link.

thanks very much.

[WebbPA]

The preferred freeware choice is CfgEdit http://www.cfgedit.com/.

Its most serious limitation is that it can't handle .xml gauges (popular with FS9), so you  will see a placeholder in place of your gauge.

The preferred payware choice is FSPanel Studio, available at the above site, which can handle .xml gauges.

I suggest you start with CfgEdit and when you grow out of it pay for FSPanel Studio.

[Hagar]

I suggest you start with CfgEdit and when you grow out of it pay for FSPanel Studio.

Good advice but I've been using CfgEdit since it was first released & never grew out of it. I like messing around with a lot of things & it does all I want & more. Once you get used to how panels are configured, manually editing Panel.cfg to replace a few gauges is no big problem.

[wji]

I just use Notepad
Adding GPS500 to ATR72-500 panel
bill

[Hagar]

I just use Notepad
Adding GPS500 to ATR72-500 panel
bill

Do you think someone's been reading my Add GPS walkthrough?

I posted it in 2003.

[Beachwalker]

Thank you for the rapid response.  I setup cfgedit and have started to learn about panels.  I conclude since they indicate xml gauges are not supported that it still works with FS9 as long as you use the gauges that cfgedit can display.

I was experimenting with trying to put the radios from the lear45 into a C182... gauge went in, but the mouseovers do not work to change freq.  I tried then to alias the lear45 panel, figuring the radios might need another gauge to "talk to" while eliminating the possiblity of duplicate radios.  Set it up as another sim in the aircraft.cfg file and now the entire lear45 panel appears in the C182.  Readouts are fine, but the radios freq still will not change.  Is this related to the xml issue?  What am I missing?... please don't say a few marbles....  :)

[Hagar]

Beachwalker. As CfgEdit won't read XML gauges I use a conventional gauge to position & size the gauge. When  it's finished save the panel & manually change it for the XML gauge by editing Panel.cfg in Notepad. You will have to do this again if you do further work on the panel in CfgEdit.

Some gauges are affected by AIR file entries. Your radio problem might not be the panel but something in the AIR file of the aircraft with this particular panel. I don't mess around with radios so wouldn't know where to look. Add the radio stack to a new pop-up window as described in my GPS tute. Copy the entries from a default Panel.cfg. As you already discovered, aliasing will use the complete panel of the aircraft you alias to - not separate parts of it.

[WebbPA]

You should be able to put the Lear radio stack in a Cessna but you will have to modify the Cessna's aircraft.cfg to match the radio configuration of the Lear's radio stack.

The Lear radio does not recognize standby frerquencies which is why it won't tune.

For example:

Aircraft.cfg from C-182:

[Radios]
// Radio Type = availiable, standby frequency, has glide slope
Audio.1       = 1
Com.1         = 1, 1
Com.2         = 1, 1
Nav.1          = 1, 1, 1
Nav.2          = 1, 1, 0
Adf.1           = 1
Transponder.1 = 1
Marker.1      = 1

Aircraft.cfg from Lear:

[Radios]
// Radio Type = availiable, standby frequency, has glide slope
Audio.1       = 1
Com.1         = 1, 0
Com.2         = 1, 0
Nav.1          = 1, 0, 1
Nav.2          = 1, 0, 0
Adf.1           = 1
Transponder.1 = 1
Marker.1      = 1

[Beachwalker]

Thanks to Hagar for the XML workaround and kudos to Webb for the radio fix... Just a few zeros in the right place makes all the difference.  Frequencies change normally now.  

Reminds me of the old joke about a guy who charges an arm and a leg for a simple repair and the punchline was "it costs so much not for the material used, but for knowing how and where to use it"

I sure am glad I found this forum.  Thanks again.