Help to get started with Panel Design

[ajver]

I have recently purchased Custom Panel Designer and just cannot get it going.
Following the instructions, I open Beech Baron 58 and get a screen with overlapping white squares and an error message:
Unable to find: Beech Baron/Annunciator Gear Up
Unable to find ....
A whole list of items.

Can somebody help please.
I have a fair amount of experience with FSDS.
I am using FS2002 on a Windows XP system
Thank you

[Hagar]

Hi Ajver. I haven't tried Custom Panel Designer myself. As it's a commercial product it might be best to contact the distrubutor which I believe is Abacus.

Most of these utilities work in much the same way. I've always used CfgEdit which is freeware & available here at SimV. There is also a payware version named FS Panel Studio including more features. If CPD can't detect the gauges on a default panel my first thought is that you didn't set the options or preferences correctly.

PS. I just checked out the Beech Baron panel. It uses gauges contained in beech_baron.cab which is an XML gauge. This makes me suspect that Custom Panel Designer cannot read XML gauges & like CfgEdit is not fully compatible with FS2002. I suggest you contact Abacus product support as there might be a patch or update.

[ajver]

Hello Hagar.
It has been a long time since I communicated with you.
Yes, you are right.  I have contacted the suppliers but have not yet had a reply.

[garymbuska]

Lots of luck with abacus I returned a program to them that I think was the same thing you have but can not remember. It would not read the XML gauges either I than went and bought

[ajver]

Thanks
I am beginning to think that you need a lot of luck (and something more) with Abacus. I will check the other software, but perhaps I should stick to aircraft building and forget about panels.  I am just a but p'd off for wasting my money.

[Hagar]

If you're interested in panel design it won't cost you anything to try CfgEdit. Look on it as a free trial version of FS Panel Studio if you wish. The main difference is that CfgEdit can't recognise those XML gauges. This is easy enough to overcome if you're familiar with Panel.cfg. If you wish to use XML gauges on your panel use conventional gauges to size & position them. Then swap the gauges for the correct ones by manually editing Panel.cfg. Alternatively, use conventional gauges on your panels. There's plenty out there. Then if you decide that panel designing is for you & you wish to take it up seriously, purchase FS Panel Studio.

I don't think Abacus would advertise Custom Panel Designer for FS2002/4 if it wasn't fully compatible. http://www.abacuspub.com/_cart/main_fs.htm[quote]Custom Panel Designer

Available now
for FS2004, FS2002 & FS2000

Use this simple software to make or modify your own cockpits with drag-and-drop ease. Long time best seller.

[ajver]

Hello Hagar
After my first experience with panel design I don't think I want to get serious about it.
With regard to the quote from the Abacus web page I want to tell you that you should not believe every thing that you read.
You have not heard half the story.
I purchased the software direct from Abacus on a CD-ROM that contained a programming error.  After a lot of communication they told me to download their Demo version, which is the one that I have now and which cannot even run through their introductory exercises.

[Hagar]

Hi Ajver. Panel designing is possibly the easiest to learn of all the design aspects of this hobby. Please take my tip & try CfgEdit. I've been using it myself since it was first released & I swear by it.

[ajver]

Thanks for the tip and encouragement Hagar.
I have downloaded Cfg.edit (version 1.4) from the panel page.  I looked at the website and saw that a version 1.5 is now advertised.  According to the website it does not work for FS2002.  However, it is probably just salestalk to get the user to buy the Panel design software.  I believe you if you say you have been using it in FS2002 and I will give it a try.

[Gary R.]

I use cfgEdit on FS9 panels all the time.  For whatever its missing there are work arounds.  Now, if only I can ever get a handle on MS Paint then nothing will limit me.  I wish I could remember how to do screenies right, I always forget because I don't often do them.  I would love to upload some screenies of my Jetstar 2 just to show what can be done with cfgEdit.  I have even figured out how to modify VC's with it but a lot of that depends on how the original designer rendered the VC.  Some are simple, only a few windows and others VC's show a window for each gauge.  Some VC read their textures off of bmp's that resemble decal decal sheets.  I have never been able to crack them.  Most of the default MS planes render their VC's that way. If I could figure out how to work with them, my baron and moony would have the excellent Don Kuhn freeware GNS 530/430 navcoms installed in both the VC and 2d windows.