XPUIPC the missing link to X-Plane

[ivar hestnes]

I would like to use sim-avionics with x-plane for sure. If that would be possible to do.

Hmmmm. Maybe a 777 project coming up, lol

[Peter Dowson]

I am using normal C code...the challenge is to translate the X-Plane variables from the wonderful X-Plane SDK to FSUIPC offsets...

When Enrico wanted to try to support X-Plane, I made a program called "IPCserver" for him, which is basically a free-standing EXE version of WideServer with no relationship to FS or FSUIPC. It "dummied" the FSUIPC-own values, including all of the application-assigned offsets, and allowed a client application to populate the FS-driven values and read/act upon the written ones.

The idea is that an X-Plane (or any other sim) plug-in would act like a Wideclient application, except interfacing to IPCserver. The latter then services all WideClients on a Network just as WideServer would for FS.

If Enrico is not going to have the time or inclination to develop for X-Plane, then possibly he will license IPCserver to you for use with your XPUIPC. It certainly can't hurt to ask him. Else he may wish to relinquish his claim upon it (as I built it for him under a gentleman's agreement) so that I could supply copies. Of course it would only be free to registered WideFS users -- it has its own set of registration keys, though, so could be licensed separately.

Regards

Pete

[Spyy]

Hi,

Thanks for your comments...
Perhaps I explain the "concept" behind the XPUIPC plugin.

It is a X-Plane plugin which "emulates" an FSUIPC interface. This means that an external application (which has an FSUIPC interface eg. PM, FSBUS, etc.) "thinks" that it "sees" an FSUIPC interface.

What the XPUIPC is doing is first connect and than answers the FSUIPC requests.
To do so I build an FSUIPC interface which is able to answer the requests. Behind this is a "translator" which translates the internal X-Plane vars to FSUIPC offsets.

Example for offset 0x578 (Pitch):

case 0x578: /* Pitch, *360/(65536*65536) for degrees. 0=level, –ve=pitch up, +ve=pitch down */
{
__int32 Pitch;

Pitch = (__int32) (XPLMGetDataf(FSDataRefMemBlock[0x578]) * -11930464.711111111111);
// 360 * 65536 * 65536 * - 1;
if(DetailedReadLogging)
fprintf(gOutputFile, "Offset 0x578 Pitch %i\n", Pitch);
CopyToFSVarMemBlock(0x578, 4, &Pitch);
i += 4;
}

Further I plan to implement an "XPwideserver" plugin (like the fantastic widerserver/client of you Peter) which is able to provide data in a network of PCs.

At the moment I focused on offsets that are used by PM GC to show that it works.

@Peter: I think I have not really understood the thing with the IPCserver
When I started the "project" I had contact to both of you (Peter and Enrico) and you helped me very much....

Torsten

[Peter Dowson]

Perhaps I explain the "concept" behind the XPUIPC plugin.

I understood the concept anyway. The problem with that approach is that you would also have to write a WideServer to work with it, and that will be very hard as I have no documentation on the protocols for talking to Wideclients.

Without WideFS support you will be forcing PM users (and othersd) to run all of their FSUIPC client applications on the one PC, alongside X-Plane. That really is not good for many. I run my cockpit with 8 - 10 computers and about 30 application programs are involved.

Further I plan to implement an "XPwideserver" plugin (like the fantastic widerserver/client of you Peter) which is able to provide data in a network of PCs.

Okay ... so you are going to make your own XWideClient too, or do you hope to emulate the WideFS exchanges so that it works with my WideClient?

I think I have not really understood the thing with the IPCserver
When I started the "project" I had contact to both of you (Peter and Enrico) and you helped me very much....

The IPCserver program is an EXE which actually contains and maintains the "offset" data, receiving it and sending it to anything emulating a Wideclient or a direct FSUIPC client. So WideCients see it as a WideServer, and local FSUIPC applications see it as FS + FSUIPC.

Any program can therefore link to it, as an FSUIPC client, either directly (locally) or via WideClient from a networked PC, and populate/maintain/obey the values in the offsets which relate to its own operation. A plug-in for X-Plane, for example, or a plug-in for any other program for that matter.

Another way of looking at it is to consider X-Plane + PlugIn as just another IPC client, the same as all of the others linking to IPCserver -- the server becomes the hub, the centre of the star, instead of the simulator itself.

The hub can even be on a different PC with the plug-in interfacing to a WideClient on the X-Plane PC, though for timing purposes this probably isn't a good idea.

Regards

Pete

[maliga00]

Thanks Trevor!!. I am very glad here. I hope too...
Regards, Alberto

[Melnato]

Pete and Torsten...you are teasing now!

I, and I'm sure others would pay for the ability to use PM and X-Plane...
my copy of X-Plane is on the way...cant wait to try it out

Nat

[JonathanRichardson]

Hi

IPCServer is only sold currently under a professional license, it is not something made available for general usage. On a professional level, with the right skills (ideally a programmers skills) it is of course possible to connect X-Plane to PM - but it would still require a considerable amount of work.

Regards
Jonathan Richardson

[Peter Dowson]

IPCServer is only sold currently under a professional license, it is not something made available for general usage. On a professional level, with the right skills (ideally a programmers skills) it is of course possible to connect X-Plane to PM - but it would still require a considerable amount of work.

Thanks for the clarification Jonathan. I will leave it to Thorsten as to whether he wishes to try to start negotiations with Enrico concerning IPCserver licensing, or to go his own way and make his own networking system.

I should think he is well aware that it is a lot of work!

Best Regards

Pete

[warvet]

Hey Guys,
I have Xplane version 9.22 and I installed this program into the resources folder plugin folder then started Xplane and PM didnt work then I reinstalled it in the resources>plugin>plugin Administrator still no pm I turned on FS9 and PM worked great soo I know FSUIPC and Wide Client are working fine anyone know what Im doing wrong?
Thanks in advance
Tim

[Peter Dowson]

I have Xplane version 9.22 and I installed this program into the resources folder plugin folder then started Xplane and PM didnt work then I reinstalled it in the resources>plugin>plugin Administrator still no pm I turned on FS9 and PM worked great soo I know FSUIPC and Wide Client are working fine

FSUIPC and WideFS are irrelevant to this XPUIPC plug-in, as it is emulating part of FSUIPC, only -- no network servicing. It sounds like you have your PM components on networked client PCs, which won't work with this solution at present.

Pete