TRANSVERSAL INPUT PROFILES

The purpose of a transversal input profile, is to create transversal input mappings for the generic UI elements within the simulation, like pausing, showing the EFB, moving the cursor, etc... using an input device. If you haven't set up a device profile yet, then you can find instructions on how to do this on the following page:

• Device Profiles

 

Note that if you have created a new device profile you don't have to create a transversal profile to accompany it, as the user can set up the bindings how they choose, but it's good practice to have the device you are creating the profiles for provide a minimum of functionality from the moment it gets plugged in. Also note that you can set up transversal bindings for devices that already have a device profile - perhaps created by the manufacturer or by another user as an add-on - without having created your own profile first.

 

 

Setting Up The Transversal Input Profile Package

To set up transversal controls, we will be using the Input Profile Editor, which has a list of all the input actions used in the simulation, and permits you to bind the different controller inputs to them. However, first you will need to either:

• create a new package for the transversal profiles

or, if you are adding a transversal to an existing device package:

• add a new package to the existing project.

 

Regardless of the which one of these requirements you have, the approach is the same and starts with adding a new package to the project using the Project Editor (the images show the setup starting with an existing device project, however creating a new transversal project has the same requirements and will use the same setup wizards):

 

Here you should select the Input Profile package type:

 

On clicking Next, you will be taken to the Input Profile Wizard where you can select the device to use for the profile, and set what kind of profile it's going to be. In this wizard you will want to select the platform for the profile, set the category to be Transversal, then setup the device this profile should be applied to. The device is identified using the Product ID, and - if you have the device available - you can simply plug it into your PC then select Use A Device Connected To Your Computer to select the device from the drop-down list. If you don't have the device then you will have to supply the following:

• Product ID - This is the unique product ID, expressed as a hexadecimal value, format 0x0000.
• Composite ID - The composite ID is an integer value used to link multiple parts of a single product to a unique product ID (e.g. HOTAS…)
• Hardware Version - Similar to the composite ID, the hardware ID is used to link multiple parts together when they do not all belong to a single product ID.
• Has Buttkicker: The device has Buttkicker haptics incorporated.

 

Once you have this information, you should give the profile a name, and then click the Validate button. This will save the profile XML to the package and open the Input Profile Editor.

 

 

Setting Up Transversal Bindings

The Input Profile Editor is what will be used for setting up the bindings between devices and the simulation, which - in this case - is the device setup in previous steps, and it should be plugged into the PC if possible. If you do not have the device present, you can still set up the profile, but it may feel a little more complicated. Having set up the package for the input profiles already, you should have the Input Editor open (but if not, you can open it from the Editors menu, or by right-clicking on the package asset group and selecting Load In Editor), and it will look like this:

 

In general, the bindings you will need to set up are those which can be used across various UI contexts and - when in the simulation - can be used for non-aircraft specific controls (for example, cameras). The following is a minimum list of contexts and associated actions that you should be aiming to set up:

NOTE: You can find a full list of contexts here.

 

Contexts	Actions
ALWAYS	KEY_MENU_SR_EFB_TOGGLE
COCKPIT_CAMERA	KEY_COCKPIT_QUICKVIEW3 KEY_COCKPIT_QUICKVIEW4
COCKPIT_GLOBAL_CAMERA	KEY_COCKPIT_LOOK_DOWN KEY_COCKPIT_LOOK_LEFT KEY_COCKPIT_LOOK_RIGHT KEY_COCKPIT_LOOK_UP KEY_ZOOM_COCKPIT KEY_DEZOOM_COCKPIT
COCKPIT_GLOBAL_CAMERA_TRANSLATE	KEY_COCKPIT_CAMERA_HEIGHT_DEC KEY_COCKPIT_CAMERA_HEIGHT_INC KEY_COCKPIT_CAMERA_SLIDE_BACK KEY_COCKPIT_CAMERA_SLIDE_FRONT KEY_COCKPIT_CAMERA_SLIDE_LEFT KEY_COCKPIT_CAMERA_SLIDE_RIGHT
EXTERNAL CAMERA	KEY_CAMERACHASE_RESET KEY_CHASE_LOOK_DOWN KEY_CHASE_LOOK_LEFT KEY_CHASE_LOOK_UP KEY_CHASE_LOOK_RIGHT KEY_CHASE_QUICKVIEW1 KEY_CHASE_QUICKVIEW2 KEY_CHASE_QUICKVIEW3 KEY_CHASE_QUICKVIEW4
INGAME_UI	KEY_ACTIVE_PAUSE_TOGGLE KEY_GUI_DISPLAY_ALL_ASSISTANCES_TOGGLE KEY_ATC KEY_SR_COM_QUICK_REPLY
INSTRUMENTS_CAMERA	KEY_COCKPIT_BACKCYCLE KEY_COCKPIT_CYCLE
MODES	KEY_COCKPIT_RESET KEY_CYCLE_PILOTVIEW_BACK KEY_CYCLE_PILOTVIEW_NEXT
PC_MODE_SWITCHES	KEY_ACTION_PC_CONTROL
PLAYER_CHARACTER_FPV	KEY_PC_FPV_LOOK_RESET KEY_AXIS_PC_FPV_ROTATION_X KEY_AXIS_PC_FPV_ROTATION_Y
PLAYER_CHARACTER_INTERACTION	KEY_PC_INTERACT
PLAYER_CHARACTER_MOVEMENT	KEY_PC_MOVE_BACKWARD KEY_PC_MOVE_FORWARD KEY_PC_MOVE_LEFT KEY_PC_MOVE_RIGHT KEY_PC_RUN_SET
PHOTO_MODE_ACTIONS	KEY_PHOTO_MODE_TAKE_PICTURE
PHOTO_MODE_ROTATION	KEY_PHOTO_MODE_AXIS_ROTATION_X KEY_PHOTO_MODE_AXIS_ROTATION_Y
PHOTO_MODE_SWITCHES	KEY_PHOTO_MODE_TOGGLE
PHOTO_MODE_TRANSLATION	KEY_PHOTO_MODE_AXIS_DRONE_MOVE_X KEY_PHOTO_MODE_AXIS_DRONE_MOVE_Z KEY_PHOTO_MODE_DRONE_MOVE_DOWN KEY_PHOTO_MODE_DRONE_MOVE_UP
SMART_CAMERA	KEY_TOGGLE_SMART_CAMERA
SIM_SHORTCUT	KEY_BACK_ON_TRACK KEY_BACK_TO_FLY
VIEW_MODE_SWITCHES	KEY_VIEW_MODE

 

To set up these inputs, we'll take the PLAYER_CHARACTER_MOVEMENT context as an example. In the Input Editor, you have two methods for finding the actions you require:

 

• You can check the Show All Actions checkbox, and then in the filter type PLAYER_CHARACTER_MOVEMENT, which will bring up a list of all actions associated with that context. You can now edit those actions that you require inputs for.

  

 

• You can uncheck the Show All Actions option, click the Add... button at the bottom of the window, and then filter the action list using KEY_PC_MOVE_*. Now you can select the action you need from the filtered list, before repeating the process for each of the other actions you require to create a custom list of required actions.

  

 

Having created a list of actions you want to link with a controller input, you can then go ahead and add the input strings to bind the two together. In general that starts with the primary input string, which is a string related to a specific input from the device and is the main input the simulation will detect. For example, if it's a gamepad and you want to use the "A" button, you'd use the string "A", and if you need multiple inputs for a single action - for example the "A" and "B" buttons together - then these can be concatenated together so you can have "A + B".

 

To add the bindings you have the following two methods:

• take the input directly from the device by clicking the Get Input button () and then moving the device joystick or pressing one of the device buttons.

Or:

• use the drop down list button () and select the input manually.

 

NOTE: For the transversal input bindings you do not need a secondary set of inputs, as those are mainly used for aircraft specific input bindings.

 

It should be noted that there are certain options available to you for each binding, and these can be accessed using the button, which will open the Action Options window:

 

From here you can choose to send a specific value when the input is recieved (in which case you must check the MOD VALUE flag), and various different flags to use to modify the input. These flags are all explained in detail here: Flags.

 

This process should be repeated for all the different inputs over all the contexts listed in the table above (note that there is nothing stopping you adding in additional transversal input bindings outside of the contexts listed).

 

 

Saving And Exporting The Project

Once we have set up all the transversal bindings, you can save the Input Configuration XML to the package using the Save option from the File menu. Once you've saved the bindings you can go ahead and build the package (see Building A Package) and then test the bindings in the simulation (ie: use the controller and test to see that the menus work, that the user avatar can move, that the cameras change, etc...).

 

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