RCDeskPilot

Jeffrey Saelee

Airplane Dope
RCDeskPilot ( http://rcdeskpilot.com/ ) is a free flight simulator. It does not have quite as many addon models and scenery as FMS, but it's more advanced....Like, you can practice FPV on RCDP, and other stuff, like towing, flying with computer-controlled planes, pylon racing, and a lot of other cool stuff. It also has an aircraft editor. There are around 40-60 addon planes, found around the web. There is also a version for a company called BMI. The BMI version includes different planes, and water.
This thread is to talk about it, rant about it, praise it, whatever, you get the idea.
 
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jetpackninja

More combat please...
Mentor
Tried it. Still use it occasionally.
Like it way better than FMS.
I bought Clearview and use that more than I do anything else.

If you already have a controller, I think it's worth giving RCDP a try.
Collision detection would go a long way toward making it more useful.

A lot to ask from a free program? Probably :)
 

Jeffrey Saelee

Airplane Dope
Like it way better than FMS.
Collision detection would go a long way toward making it more useful.

+1!
There are two things I miss from FMS: The Full collision detection with all objects, and the tons of addons (especially the scenery). Otherwise, everything is better! The realism is amazing for a free sim.
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
Copy these files into:

C:\Program Files\RC Desk Pilot\data

for a special treat!

ad.jpg

ad2.jpg
 

Sean62

Junior Member
The BMI models are fun to fly. So I am happy enough to have the extra models and see the small ad in the BMI sim. I have copied in the Gary Gunnerson planes I downloaded to RCDeskpilot and they work just fine in BMI.
 

UndCon

UndCon
I have no cable from my TGY 9X or Spektrum but I have a crappy controller to a ESKY Lama v4 with a USB cable...I cannot use FMS on my 64bit computers but this might work...

//UndCon
 

eagle4

Member
the models they use are in .x format, does anyone know what that is? It'd be cool to pop some planes into this, but im not sure what .x is
 

Forklift

<o> <3 FT
RC Desk Pilot is good... I don't know how they're involved with BMI, but their version of the same program I think is better. It also includes cooler planes and heli's, as well as a pond for float planes.

For those wanting to try a Champ or other parkzone/hobbyzone product, Gary Gunnerson's models are pretty spot on. My champ behaves very much like in the sim.

BMI flight sim: http://www.bmi-models.com/#en/BMI_Free_Simulator/6/4445

Gary's models (works with both RC Desk Pilot and BMI): http://gunnerson.homestead.com/files/rcdp_models.htm
 

lincolngkp

Junior Member
I'm brand spanking new to RC flight. I've been thinking about having a go for a while but have just this week started to think seriously about it. So I decided to try using a sim with my HK-T6A (which I use to control my 1:13.7 scale live steam locomotive).

After downloading T6 sim, PPjoy, Vjoy, RCDeskPilot, and FMS I set about getting something to work with my T6A. After an evening of trying to get it working on my 64bit Windows 8 Pro laptop I had it nearly working, I just couldn't get the calibration right. So tonight I had a go at getting it working on my 32bit Windows 8 Pro virtual machine (Parallels) on my MacBook Pro. It works beautifully and I have spent the evening teaching myself to fly.

Looking forward to spending more time in this sim before committing any real aircraft to the air. :)

I can't believe how good this sim is for a freebie.

Cheers

Lincoln
 

FightHobby

Junior Member
Can someone help a complete newb with how to put "add-on planes" into this sim? I just got my hands on the "sticks" for the first time yesterday and now I want to try EVERYTHING!!!!!!

P.s. Can't wait to see how I'm gonna be when I get real planes in the sky.....
 

rcspaceflight

creator of virtual planes
I just started using RCDP and I was going to ask how to create planes, but I figured it out. Well, I figured out where the software is, I haven't screwed around with it enough to actually create anything.

I haven't flown any other RC sims, but I've used Microsoft Flight Simulator X for a while and it seems comparable. At least the ability to fly through anything that's not the ground and the lack of stalling. Well, I think I stalled a few times with RCDP.

I plan on making a few of the FT planes for it. I probably won't make them as realistic as they should be. And I also hope to make some super ridiculous plane that can do the impossible, just for fun.

Do you think it would be disrespectful if I attempted to "hack" into the program to make new scenery? That is one thing that seems to be lacking with the software. Don't get me wrong, I love the realistic clouds in the sky and it has a good variety within the small park, but it would be nice to look at something different once in a while. Maybe a winter scene, a scene of fall colors, fields of flowers. Some stuff that would be fun in the FPV camera mode.
 

colorex

Rotor Riot!
Mentor
I haven't flown any other RC sims, but I've used Microsoft Flight Simulator X for a while and it seems comparable. At least the ability to fly through anything that's not the ground and the lack of stalling. Well, I think I stalled a few times with RCDP.

You can turn up the realism in FSX, that will enable object collisions, as well as stalling, overspeed damage, etc.
 

rcspaceflight

creator of virtual planes
I started playing around with changing the scenery for RCDP. If you simply change the picture "grass1" to all white, you get a nice winter scape. (The file is under "data", "scenery", and then "default".) You get a much more realistic snow look if you add some blue into the picture, use a spray paint brush to spread it out. The trees don't match, but those are more complicated to change. The pictures for the trees aren't under that "default" folder. Which isn't a big deal, but it makes it a lot harder to change between scenery.

I plan on making a much more realistic winter scape. To make it easy to switch the trees, I want to change some of the coding so it looks for the trees under a different file so you're not altering so much just to change. I want it so you just have to rename a single folder to switch the scenery. If the pictures are spread out at different locations, you have to do more renaming just to switch the scenery. Ultimately the plan is to create a good winter and fall scene. They're just going to be changes to the coloring. The trees and tractor and windmills and such will all be in the same places. I want to make it so all you have to do to switch is rename the folder with the scenery you want. After I'm done with all of that, I want to contact the creator of RCDP to suggest making an easier way to change scenery and hopefully to add a scenery editor. I think it would be amazing to make the sandbox bigger, customize your own objects, place them where you want them, and have a more interesting FPV flight. Okay, maybe that really isn't worth all the work. But I think a few different flying fields would be great.
 

rcspaceflight

creator of virtual planes
the models they use are in .x format, does anyone know what that is? It'd be cool to pop some planes into this, but im not sure what .x is

I see this post is old, but as far as I can tell the .x format is a DirectX format.

I'm looking into creating some planes for RCDP and I wanted to get into 3D modeling (and animating) anyway.

I found this software: http://download.cnet.com/3DCrafter/3000-6677_4-10042921.html and I plan on downloading it any trying it. I say "plan on" because my current internet connection is too horrible to download it. The reviews seem mixed, but it's free and sounds like it'll work fine for just creating models. It says that this software requires DirectX 9, so it should be able to read and create .x format.