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Prepar3D

Fly Elise-ng Immersive Display PRO and Immersive Calibration PRO software has become an industry standard for calibrating and driving geometrically accurate, edge-blended multi-projector displays. When combined with Prepar3D's (P3D) ViewGroups feature, Immersive Calibration PRO and Immersive Display PRO are essential tools for setting up P3D projections and views.

Many users integrate this software in various ways, whether they're using actual cockpit panels with P3D's 3D virtual cockpit mode or opting for the 2D cockpit mode.

Defining Multiple Camera Views in P3D

Traditionally, P3D's default cameras are configured to suit the captain/pilot's (left seat) view.

P3D

However, this view doesn't align with the first officer/copilot's (right seat) perspective. To generate a correct view for the right seat, P3D requires different internal camera settings. This guide will outline a simple and effective method for defining multiple cameras in P3D, allowing you to switch between left seat, right seat, and even passenger views. Fortunately, the same calibration results from Immersive Calibration PRO can be used for all cameras.

Example Setup

For this demonstration, we'll use a compact projection setup: a 2-meter partial dome screen with a horizontal FOV of 160 degrees and a vertical FOV of 60 degrees. Two short-throw 1920x1080 HD projectors will cover the entire screen, including the overlap region. The screen is divided into 20 columns and 8 rows for calibration purposes.

Using the standard Immersive Calibration auto-alignment, the projection is calibrated, and the calibration data is exported.

P3D
P3D
P3D
P3D
P3D
P3D
P3D
P3D
P3D

P3D's ViewGroups feature requires an extended display mode, with each display set to 1920x1080 resolution.

P3D

The generated multi.procalib files are loaded into the corresponding Immersive Display PRO displays, and the ViewGroups.xml file is copied into your P3D folder. We'll use the default P3D aircraft, the Beech King Air 350, for this example.

When the default virtual cockpit 3D view is selected, the projection will appear geometrically correct from the left seat, with the virtual cockpit and runway centerline accurately aligned for the Captain/Pilot's view.

P3D
P3D

Creating New Cameras

To create dedicated views for the pilot and copilot, you'll need to define new cameras in the cameras.cfg file.

  1. Locate cameras.cfg: This file is located in the %APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v[3/4/5/6] folder. Before making any changes, create a copy of the original file.

  2. Identify Last Camera Definition: Go to the end of the cameras.cfg file and note the definition of the last camera. For example:

[CameraDefinition.020]
Title = Oculus Virtual Cockpit
Guid = {C69C6771-EB1F-4346-ADD7-0F8910277CE3}
Description = Virtual Cockpit view using the Oculus.
  1. Copy Virtual Cockpit Camera Definition: Go to the beginning of the file and copy the complete definition of the virtual cockpit camera. For example:
[CameraDefinition.002]
Title = Virtual Cockpit
Guid = {C95EAB58-9E4A-4E2A-A34C-D8D9D948F078}
Description = This is the description of the virtual cockpit view.
  1. Paste and Rename New Cameras: Paste this copied definition twice at the end of the file to create two new cameras. Assign each new camera a unique number higher than the last existing camera. In our example, we'll use [CameraDefinition.021] and [CameraDefinition.022]. Edit the Title for each new camera:
Title = Virtual Cockpit PILOT
Title = Virtual Cockpit COPILOT
  1. Generate Unique GUIDs: Each camera in P3D requires a unique GUID. Use a GUID generator (like https://www.guidgenerator.com/) to create new GUIDs for your new cameras. Update the Guid values in the cameras.cfg file. For example:
Guid = {D6EEA7C8-8D69-43CA-8357-DFA7DB4ACA24}
Guid = {BFE71794-4C0F-4256-ADE6-138B44C1062D}
  1. Set Zoom Properties: Ensure that InitialZoom for the new cameras is set to 1.0 and AllowZoom is set to FALSE.
AllowZoom = FALSE
InitialZoom = 1.0

Positioning the Cameras

Now, we'll define the correct position for each camera to match the pilot's and copilot's eyepoints.

  • Pilot Camera: For the pilot's camera, add the following lines at the end of its definition:
InitialPbh=0, 0, 0
InitialXyz=0.0, 0, 0

P3D's default eyepoint is at the left seat, so no `Xyz` offset is needed for the pilot's view. Remember to include a space character after each comma.
  • Copilot Camera: For the copilot's camera, we'll use a 0.7-meter offset to the left of the left seat's eyepoint position for our King Air example. This will place the eyepoint in the right seat:
InitialPbh=0, 0, 0
InitialXyz=0.7, 0, 0

Activating and Using New Cameras

  1. Save cameras.cfg
  2. Start P3D
  3. Enable ViewGroups: Ensure that Immersive Calibration PRO ViewGroups is selected.
  4. Select Camera: Right-click on the P3D window, and you will now be able to select between the pilot and copilot views. When the copilot view is chosen, the virtual cockpit and runway will be perfectly aligned to match the right seat copilot's perspective.
P3D
P3D

You can, of course, create multiple cameras to match the eyepoint position for any cockpit and any observer.