[simpits-tech] Image warping (Was: Frustration!)

[dabigboy at cox.net]

---- Gene Buckle <geneb at deltasoft.com> wrote: 
> 
> I'd like to see that code some time. I've got a box full of Phidgets that 
> I haven't done anything with.

Sure thing. I need to clean it up a bit, and add/fix some comments. Incidentally, it's all in Python at the moment, using the Python Phidgets wrapper, but is basically identical to the C++ calls, excepting the typical language-specific conventions of course. I may even move it over to C++, we'll see.....I finally got my feet wet with C++ last year, thinking "hey, now I can do everything there instead"....but honestly, I still find Python just a lot more fun to code in. And since any speed issues are simply not a factor on any of my software thus far, even the OpenGL stuff (and I'm running it on an old Athlon XP....), I will probably only port it to C++ if I decide to publicly release it (which is something of a goal, eventually).

Incidentally, I got the radar working the other night.....it properly updates from X-Plane (on the same PC or a network PC as well), while giving a very convincing "sweep", exactly like a real radar. Now I can do the interface design, overlays, legends, input handling, etc...it's all fun stuff from here. :)

> The only hang-up I have with XP is you need to use three instances to get 
> three projectors worth of accurate output.

I do seem to recall some funny distortions in the side views at extreme FOVs, is that what you're referring to?

Honestly I'm not going with more than one display per PC anyway...especially as cheap as PCs are nowadays, I feel like running one display per machine is the least I can do to help frame rates. I have old Core 2 Duo and AM2+ PCs right now with 7000 to 9000 series NVidia cards, and on my 1024x768 machines they run silky smooth at moderate settings with XP9. But if I had killer PCs, I would still run one display per PC, and just crank up the graphics. :)

As far as the software cost....since I'm running Linux, all I have to do is create an image of the DVD and mount is as a loopback device. My main sim PC doesn't even have a DVD drive. Not sure how this works from a licensing perspective....I suppose for a small home setup it doesn't violate anything. You can do this with Windows too, but it requires third-party software and is a bit kludgy.....but then that's the case with most of the actually useful stuff you want to do in Windows anyway. :)

Matt