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Kneeboard Builder (windows app)


AlaskanGrizzly

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I think KBB uses an algorithm which uses some part of your KB window dimensions to determine to which edge of the display it is closest, and then records the KB window position and being offset from that edge. However KBB does not do a good job of determining the actual display size.

 

There are several known situation in which the primary monitor resolution is not valid for KBB, such as multi-monitor setups, and using HMD's, which is nowhere directly addressed in the KBB-UI --that I know of--, which I believe is the cause of all this grief.

 

If I understand correctly, you are getting a KB window displayed?

When you hit the wrong button on take-off

hwl7xqL.gif

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I fly the A10C only (for now), which does not have HMD. I also don't have multi-monitor setup. Currently just using a small spare monitor with my cockpit as I fly only VR. Like you said, I suspect KBB does not recognize the resolution of my monitor.

 

Through all the numerous experiments I figured roughly the border of the KB in VR and try to keep it within the limits. The frustration is the changes in position that I make have intermittent and sometimes random result which end up pushing off the relatively large KB outside the limit and it gets truncated.

 

To answer your question, yes I do get a KB displayed, in VR. It's quite big, centered, a bit high so i have to look up. I like it big so it's easier to read the checklists in VR. And being centered is important. I'd live with it being a bit too high as I can't tell how many more times I have to try to get it lower and still centered given the result is so unpredictable.

 

I am thankful for this KBB to let me customize the pages, remove some pages, rearrange the order etc. If it can be made as a pair like in real life, one on the left and one on the right like being strapped to the thighs IRL, that would reduce the flipping of the pages. eg. the list of airports is good and necessary to know their locations, orientation, frequencies etc. but is a long list to flip through. It would be nice to have two KB up in view, one for less used but still needed stuff for reference, eg. on the right side, another which is more frequently used stuff like RWR list, startup, fence etc checklists on the left. That would be ultimate. Technically it should be possible. For now I'd just put those less used stuff to the later pages.

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I fly the A10C only (for now), which does not have HMD.

 

I didn't mean an in-game HMD, your but Pimax HMD :D

 

I also don't have multi-monitor setup. Currently just using a small spare monitor with my cockpit as I fly only VR. Like you said, I suspect KBB does not recognize the resolution of my monitor.

 

Through all the numerous experiments I figured roughly the border of the KB in VR and try to keep it within the limits. The frustration is the changes in position that I make have intermittent and sometimes random result which end up pushing off the relatively large KB outside the limit and it gets truncated.

 

To answer your question, yes I do get a KB displayed, in VR. It's quite big, centered, a bit high so i have to look up. I like it big so it's easier to read the checklists in VR. And being centered is important. I'd live with it being a bit too high as I can't tell how many more times I have to try to get it lower and still centered given the result is so unpredictable.

 

I am thankful for this KBB to let me customize the pages, remove some pages, rearrange the order etc. If it can be made as a pair like in real life, one on the left and one on the right like being strapped to the thighs IRL, that would reduce the flipping of the pages. eg. the list of airports is good and necessary to know their locations, orientation, frequencies etc. but is a long list to flip through. It would be nice to have two KB up in view, one for less used but still needed stuff for reference, eg. on the right side, another which is more frequently used stuff like RWR list, startup, fence etc checklists on the left. That would be ultimate. Technically it should be possible. For now I'd just put those less used stuff to the later pages.

 

I don't really feel confident to speculate exactly what Alaskan does that I cannot see. I think he takes some values form DCS if VR is recognized, but I'm really just speculating, bc I'm not sure what the values taken are, nor if they are only working for Oculus Rift:

 

if LockOn_Options.screen.oculus_rift then 
local ui_x,ui_y,ui_w,ui_h = get_UIMainView()
w = ui_w;
h = ui_h;
end	

 

Maybe this really only works with Rift, and there not even quite correctly, from my experience.

 

From my experience, using Oculus CV1, inputting the offsets will at least let you see the size of the KB window, but you will still have to manually edit the 'ViewportHandling.lua' file to manually position the KB window.

 

I've also noted that after updates -- at least of the AV-8B -- the '..\DCS World OpenBeta\Mods\aircraft\AV8BNA\Cockpit\device_init.lua' keeps getting thrown into backup.xxx, so during every update, so I'm guessing you'll have to at least reinstate your cockpit profile, if one is active at update time.

When you hit the wrong button on take-off

hwl7xqL.gif

System Specs.

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System board: MSI X670E ACE Memory: 64GB DDR5-6000 G.Skill Ripjaw System disk: Crucial P5 M.2 2TB
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D PSU: Corsair HX1200 PSU Monitor: ASUS MG279Q, 27"
CPU cooling: Noctua NH-D15S Graphics card: MSI RTX 3090Ti SuprimX VR: Oculus Rift CV1
 
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Current folder set for F-14 kneeboard in Kneeboard Builder is incorrect.

 

I suspect this is because the install/mod folder for the F-14 currently is:

\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta\Mods\aircraft\F14

 

Thus Kneeboard builder uses this to create the following kneeboard folder:

\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Kneeboard\F14

 

However the current (not necessarily correct, as I believe this is a bug on HeatBlur's behalf) is:

\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Kneeboard\F-14B

 

tldr: Kneeboard Builder will put your kneeboards for the F14 in a directory called 'F14'. Rename this to 'F-14B'.

 

i can confirm that this advice works 100%. thanks for that. I have found that for some missions that the dynamic briefing pages are sometimes blank (and transparent) but at other times filled with the correct info as expected. this only with the F-14 module. All other modules' auto mission brief kneeboards work properly.

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So, without KBB involved at all, the beacon pages add by DCS are blank as well?

 

Hi Captain Orso, I am not entirely sure how to do that. must I uninstall KneeBoard builder to perform that test? DCS does not give me any beacon info at the moment, even when i did not activate KneeBoard Builder's dynamic beacons..

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overalien

Hog Driver starting to really like the Tomcat

 

System specs:

Intel i7-8700k - OC to 5.0 GHz

| 32 GB RAM 3600 MHz | Nvidia 1080ti SLi | Mixed Storage - Win 10 and DCS on Samsung SSD 970 Pro

Flightgear:

7 Displays (3 x 1440p, 1 X 1080p, 3 X Lilliput Touch) | 3 x Cougar MFDs

| Warthog HOTAS | Thrustmaster TPR Pedals | iBEAM Shaker + Simshaker for Aviators w. Sound Module | Helios | VAICOM Pro + AIRIO | TrackIR 5

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Current folder set for F-14 kneeboard in Kneeboard Builder is incorrect.

 

I suspect this is because the install/mod folder for the F-14 currently is:

\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta\Mods\aircraft\F14

 

Thus Kneeboard builder uses this to create the following kneeboard folder:

\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Kneeboard\F14

 

However the current (not necessarily correct, as I believe this is a bug on HeatBlur's behalf) is:

\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Kneeboard\F-14B

 

tldr: Kneeboard Builder will put your kneeboards for the F14 in a directory called 'F14'. Rename this to 'F-14B'.

 

Of course when HeatBlur eventually releases the F-14A version they may want separate kneeboard files and folders for that. It would be good if KBB and HeatBlur got on the same page about this.

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Hi Captain Orso, I am not entirely sure how to do that. must I uninstall KneeBoard builder to perform that test? DCS does not give me any beacon info at the moment, even when i did not activate KneeBoard Builder's dynamic beacons..

 

Sorry, missed this post.

 

Go into Options - Profiles and set to default. That should remove any custom KB size and position settings.

 

If that doesn't solve the issue, check for general and aircraft specific custom settings; ie pages which are added to your aircraft regardless of what mission is run, especially with regards to MP.

When you hit the wrong button on take-off

hwl7xqL.gif

System Specs.

Spoiler
System board: MSI X670E ACE Memory: 64GB DDR5-6000 G.Skill Ripjaw System disk: Crucial P5 M.2 2TB
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D PSU: Corsair HX1200 PSU Monitor: ASUS MG279Q, 27"
CPU cooling: Noctua NH-D15S Graphics card: MSI RTX 3090Ti SuprimX VR: Oculus Rift CV1
 
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  • 2 weeks later...

really wird situation

when using this approvation on a-10c, I set the kneebord up left on stable

then change the setting and do the same on open beta. then in open beta, the cocpit is translucide . I mean completly clear.

 

I have to repaire to remove all knee builder modification to have the cocpit again

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  • 2 weeks later...

Kneeboard position for me is not working. I have a 3 Monitor setup with nvidia controls combined as one screen with resolution 5000ish.

If I change the position with kneeboard builder and save it the kneeboard will be displayed on the rightmost side of the screen (right monitor, right side)

 

 

Is there any step I miss with this? If I put in the position of the kneeboard directly in the monitor.lua file it works but then the integrity check fails on some servers.

 

 

Anyone has an idea how I can change this? Thank you in advance.

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Yes. You also need to select that profile from the Systray icon menu..

 

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Yes. You also need to select that profile from the Systray icon menu..

 

Sent from my Moto Z Play using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

Damn :music_whistling: Thank you!!! Will try this asap :)

In thrust we trust :thumbup:

 

Falls jemand Montags Abends Lust hat mit uns zusammen zu fliegen und Spass zu haben (Anfänger sind auch herzlich willkommen) kann gerne auf unserer Website: https://www.jg-frankonia.de vorbeischauen oder sich direkt bei uns im Discord melden: https://discord.gg/vHEJf3c

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Hi ! Attempting to install KneeboardBuilder failed. I can not understand why. When you first start, you indicated the save path correctly. I run the second time error. Please help. With respect

KneeboardBag.thumb.jpg.a5cb37cc5bc3c8d7cecf3530a20f0f7b.jpg

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Hello ! Maybe it will be interesting and help. Posted in http://www.dcskneeboardbuilder.com. The answer came quickly: "... Hi Alexander,

Try running Kneeboard Builder as an administrator and see if that works .... ". Completed. The program began to work.

СПРОСИТЬ-СТЫДНО НА МИНУТУ. А НЕ ЗНАТЬ-СТЫД НА ВСЮ ЖИЗНЬ ( японская мудрость) ВК: https://vk.com/id70538244 FB:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001835295531

 

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  • 5 weeks later...
Hi ! Attempting to install KneeboardBuilder failed. I can not understand why. When you first start, you indicated the save path correctly. I run the second time error. Please help. With respect

Hi,

 

I had the same issue.

It's an access error. Try to open the program with administrations "Execute with administrator privilege".

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The kneeboard builder always generate 50+ pages of VAD charts. 2-3 pages per aerodome. One third are georgian, two-third russian aerodomes. I removed the russian ones as I fly only coalition. But the russian ones still get generated again. So many unnecessary pages to scroll through. Is there a way to remove some of these charts?

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The kneeboard builder always generate 50+ pages of VAD charts. 2-3 pages per aerodome. One third are georgian, two-third russian aerodomes. I removed the russian ones as I fly only coalition. But the russian ones still get generated again. So many unnecessary pages to scroll through. Is there a way to remove some of these charts?

 

 

I haven't tried it myself but is there not an option in the setup with the builder to clear the default kneeboard?

 

 

Do you have Voice Attack? That absolutely transformed the kneeboard for me. I just ask for the Airfield (or whatever else) I'm looking for and VA will take me their then open the kneeboard and presto your chart is up.

 

 

Bailey incorporated this into his profile that can be found under the Input & Output section. If you want I can send you a profile with it. The beauty of of it is that the kneeboard scrolls even when you don't have it open, so you don't need to watch the charts paging up and down. You just open the kneeboard when VA has scrolled you to the chart you need, then open it up

 

 

 

Just a thought

 

 

John

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The kneeboard builder always generate 50+ pages of VAD charts. 2-3 pages per aerodome. One third are georgian, two-third russian aerodomes. I removed the russian ones as I fly only coalition. But the russian ones still get generated again. So many unnecessary pages to scroll through. Is there a way to remove some of these charts?

 

 

You could use JSGME or a similar folder swapper and create a folder structure that mirrors the game structure, starting with the the mods folder but only including down through to the kneeboard folder for each aircraft and containing the pages you want.

 

 

When you use JSGME it will swap out the old folders and switch in yours. Similarly it will switch them back for you when you ask it to.

 

 

BUT I don't know how that will affect the integrity check on line.

klem

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The kneeboard builder always generate 50+ pages of VAD charts.... Is there a way to remove some of these charts?

 

Actually, those pages are not generated by Kneeboard Builder ... DCS creates the kneeboard using contents from 5 places:

 

- Current Map ... generated dynamically by DCS

 

- Aircraft Kneeboard ... it's at /program files/.../DCS/mods/aircraft/{aircraft type}/Kneeboard ... not every aircraft has one, and some are dynamic (like the Viggen's)

 

- Saved Games Kneeboard .. it's at /saved games/dcs/kneeboard/{aircraft type} ... this is the one you modify with Kneeboard Builder

 

- Terrain Kneeboard .. it's at /program files/.../DCS/mods/terrain/{current terrain}/kneeboard ... here are the VAD charts ... not every map has them (only Caucasus and Nevada at the moment, wish PG had them too)

 

- Mission Kneeboard .. this one is within the .MIZ mission file ... not many missions have these, they are handy to hold a more detailed briefing and can be created by Kneeboard Builder.

 

So ... if you dont want the VAD, just go into the terrain path and delete them ... tough you will have them back when the next DCS update comes.

 

So many unnecessary pages to scroll through

 

Seems to me that you are scrolling backwards, as the VADs are near the end of the Kneeboard .. try scrolling the other way :)

.


Edited by Rudel_chw

 

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Thanks guys for your info!

 

@weegie,

without VA, pulling kneeboard will already show waypoints for each mission.

I just installed VA this week, and Vaicom. I've been changing the choice of words to make certain commands understood more easily. I do use a command to bring up kneeboard by VA, then I manually scroll the pages. But how you are using it seems way more cooler.

You said you ask for airfield, VA will show it (like F10 map?) and calling up kneeboard will jump to that airfield's chart? It's that smart?

What would be the command to VA to jump to a certain airfield? Normally I just call that airfield's ATC for inbound approach. Not sure what you mean VA will take you there?

 

I looked at Bailey thread to see what you were talking about. So you can say the numbers and it tunes the frequency for you. Cool!

I was thinking, coalition side only has 9 airbases. I can put them on presets then just use presets on the VHF AM to quickly tune the frequencies. But Bailey's profile is even quicker.

I put all 9 georgian airbases' ATC frequency, TACAN, ILS, runway etc. into kneeboard builder. Then when i pull up kneeboard i see all at once in one page. don't have to scroll through the many pages of charts to find the frequencies. and I ignore the L/L coordinates etc.

wYvQ5Q9.png

 

the default map is displayed 90 degress sideways and show georgian and russian airbases. given that i focus on locating the blue side airbases to land, i cut off the left part of the map, make it enlarged max to the border of the pdf, and import into kneeboard builder. this way is does not appear squished up and is easier to read on the kneeboard.

BeQgavv.png

 

@klem, thanks for suggestion of JSGME. i'd look into it.

 

@rudel, i'd try removing the unwanted charts from terrain path.

i know the vad are at the end. i deliberately scrolled backwards to check how many are there. eventually when i want to scroll through them, i still don't want to see unrelated ones there to keep it short.

 

Appreciate everyone's input!

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It just depends on what you want to do and what suits you best.

 

With the profile I have you need first to manually move the kneeboard to a set page, so as VA knows where it is to track the pages, then (like Bailey) do a reset when you jump into the cockpit to set the tracking variable to zero.

 

After that all it does is move the kneeboard to certain preset pages via a loop and counts up or down as it does so (I've also added the "[" & "]" commands into VA as well so if you use the keyboard VA can still keep track of where it is and adjusts its internal counter). Complicated it isn't, it's first grade school programming at best.

 

I find the detail (included) charts handy if executing a realistic approach or simply get lost on an airfield and want to know the path to the runway or find a ramp to park at. However when I had to scroll to get to them I just didn't use them as it was so much hassle to scroll forever.

 

I'll try to do a short YouTube to demonstrate, it's not a piece of brilliance but can be useful. I'll post it up then if anybody wants the set of commands to import I'll either put the profile up here or via a DropBox link if it's too big

 

If you have the paid version of Vaicom you can also use things like the "select" command and "select nearest" (in simple comms) too. Vaicom is superpowerful, but you really need to read the manual and go through all the setup, which takes a while and it an be quirky on the odd ocassion. It certainly has my vote as a great piece of software and it adds to immersion


Edited by Weegie
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I have the paid version of vaicom and yes i have tried the ATC select and crystal palace stuff. very cool.

 

can you share this profile that can jump straight to a specific airfield's VAD via a reset and track the pages? sounds very good too.

 

i tried bailey's profile last night. it does tune the frequency. impressive. but for UHF when i say the range that starts with two something, it'd end up with 20 something time and again it inserts a zero after two! regardless of how fast or slow the say the 5 digits. maybe the problem is my english.

 

VA and vaicom adds some much stuff to the sim experience, especially that random chatter that appears on the left or right ear. I also like the aliases.

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I just saw a youtube where this guy charles darwin developed a VA profile that reads off the a10c startup checklist. then for each item he says 'check' and it says out the next time. OMG. really impressive. it's like having an instructor or copilot with you and sounding off the list while you check all the switches and levers. this is way cooler than calling up the kneeboard and reading it then checking the switches. i'm not sure if he's done with its development or how he plans to share it or sell it.

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