Future possible features.... BRAINSTROMING! whishlist

[marcocale]

Opened a new thread as suggested from Zappadoc.

As already posted in a previous thread, I was wondering about new ideas for this wonderful Emulator (just to be clear, PLEASE NOTE, these are only IDEAS and proposals, NOT REQUESTS. I konw how annoying could be an user that ask a developer to have HIS features developed   ).

- possibility to define custom textures also for other gauges (for example leds, limiter lights, RPM stripe etc.)
- possibility to use custom fonts in char fields (this could allow me to make a perfect replica of the ST8000 Stack display series)
- possibility to make the number of display page to be hidden in NON EDIT mode and eventually define a subset of page to cycle (this could allows to make more complex multipages dashboards, like the one actually used in F1 (not feasible cycling left and right display), or making a dashboard retroilluminating whe lights are on with the "trick" of using different pages . The trick is already possible, but with the limitation described)
- possibility for the expert users to make new gauges available as program plugins

As said, it's only brainstorming... So please don't blame me, even if I discovered simply the "hot water". I don't claim nothing, I want only propose "opportunities" ahahahha if appreciated!

[zappadoc]

Hi,

thanks again for your suggestions this is always appreciated.

- possibility to use custom fonts in char fields

forget the new font!
unfortunately the font with all size must be pre-loaded and take a lot of time at startup and memory so I will not add new font.
The only thing planned is a scale factor in properties of the object to be able to scale in/out the current font (it's better to not scale the font but sometime this could be useful).
However, the image object is really optimized and you can add a lot of images with any text using all fonts you want.

- possibility to make the number of display page to be hidden in NON EDIT mode

not planned for instance, just a general pref to set it very tiny instead of the current big landmark

I encourage all EMU users to use this topic to add their suggestions and discuss about them. I will take all demands seriously but obviously I can't guaranty to add them to the EMU. Your suggestions must be compatible with my vision of the EMU, reliable, consistent, understandable, useful, possible and doable!
Cheers,
z

[marcocale]

.....

- possibility to use custom fonts in char fields

forget the new font!
unfortunately the font with all size must be pre-loaded and take a lot of time at startup and memory so I will not add new font.
The only thing planned is a scale factor in properties of the object to be able to scale in/out the current font (it's better to not scale the font but sometime this could be useful).
However, the image object is really optimized and you can add a lot of images with any text using all fonts you want.
.....

Understood. Unfortunately I need this fonts to display data from the sim, so, as far as I understand, I can't use image objects.....

So, let me try to simplify my "request"  : do you think feasible in a future release to add ONLY ONE FONT, this matrix dotted one (very useful in many displays)?



I found the right TTF (right look and spacing) some time ago. If you agree, let me only search it in my hard disks and I'll send you.....

[zappadoc]

I have a similar font that not intended to be used with EMU ...but I admit this one is used in many dials/display...

(please don't use external link for image, thanks)

[marcocale]

Just to let images speak instead of words and why I was asking for some features, this is what I was planning to TRY to build for Vdash-Emu.



Naturally it's only one example, I have many other ideas, but in the image you can see a "quick and dirt" FULLY WORKING test of a virtual dashboard I made for another emulator (not a photo of the real Stack dashboard).
I was forced to leave that project due to the limited support the emulator has for the simulations I'm using and now I was investigating the possibility with your Emu since is one (THE) best I know regarding performances and supported simulations.
I'll try to do it anyway in Vdash-Emu, even if with a wrong font (thing that I don't like being usually, as you should have understood from my posts  , a perfectionist in this kind of things....  )

[zappadoc]

okay, in 1.1-14 of VDASH-EMU you have:
- the dot matrix font
- and a very tiny page number (I don't want to remove it completely, sorry)

[marcocale]

Thank you, very apprecciated.
Having solved the non linear arrow gauge progeression and with the new font I'll start to work on the st800 series replicas.

Another wish if possible for a nex release is the possibility to define a subset of pages to cicle (instead of cicle all). This could be very useful for the multi pages dashboard I would like to build. I'm triyng to find the right HW to build a steering wheel with a LCD like the one here (https://www.eksimracing.org/forum/index.php?topic=2973.0). But I want to realize a LCD personalization for different car (not only a McLaren PCU) and I really would like to make this multipages LCD with Vdash-Emu.

Thank You

[zappadoc]

You are welcome.

subset of page ?

Thanks for the suggestion but not possible, sorry this will confuse 50% or more of users.

Keep in mind that you can load/unload/sort/classify your templates VERY EASILY in your vdash_template directory which means you can load up to 16 custom pages that contains ALL features of your display if you want.   A real racing display contains up to 6 pages max (almost always 3/4 pages are used in race max) and you can provide a "Display Pack" with all pages/templates and previews included.
What could be a "display pack"? simple, you provide a zip archive that contains all files (images/backgrounds/templates/previews) in one folder, this folder should be moved to the main directory vdash_templates and that's it!
Cheers,
z

[marcocale]

I thought to make as you suggest but I found that I'm not able to exclude the 4 hardcoded dashes, so that cycling trough my pages end to bring up pages that I don't need.
I found that you cant' change backgrounds or am I missing something? I tried also "forcing" putting .json numered 1,2,3,4, but hardcoded background is always there.
I understand it's wanted, hence I I asked to be able to exclude some pages from cycle.
If I'm missing something and you can suggest me a workaround, my "problem" can be already solved.

[zappadoc]

yep, a solution could be to define the starting / ending page numbers... this is more acceptable then subset of a page. I keep this in my todo list...

[marcocale]

yep, a solution could be to define the starting / ending page numbers... this is more acceptable then subset of a page. I keep this in my todo list...

My poor english generated a misunderstanding, this is exactly what I was asking for... 

GREAT!

[zappadoc]

okay this will be in next release.

You will be able to define the start and end page number in General Settings of VDASH-EMU (not applicable to Editor Mode which cycle through ALL pages).

[marcocale]

GREAT! 

May I ask where these preferences are stored for Android, Win and Linux?

[zappadoc]

MARCO REQUEST:
About the right and left displays do you think possible in a  future release to allow the other fonts already implemented in Vdash to be used also for that displays?

REPLY:
Obviously, if it was simple this will be already in
The left/Right panel are in fact directly managed by the virtual firmware inside the emulator (remember this is an emulator of the SIM Race F1 controller device), this means that left and right panel are NOT text but 4 x 14 segments digit which are ON or OF to display something coherent to the user.

this is why it's not simple to change the font of these object and keep an hi performance of this kind object by reversing the generation of segment and convert them to char and then display them as a simple text with dot... Anyway thanks again for the suggestion and I keep that in my todo list... for now, this should be considered as a limitation.

Hi,
the request above by Marco to have all fonts available in LEFT/RIGHT panels was not here, so...

the good news is that I found a way to do it without impacting the perfs of the display when you use the new left/right panels object... soon available.. stay tuned.

[zappadoc]

okay, with today update we have:

- RPM / MARSHAL / EXTERNAL Led custom design available
- new LEFT / RIGHT Panel objects now accept all fonts




Cheers,
z

[zappadoc]

The last version of VDASH-EMU 1.1-18 introduces some requested features:

- object can be scaled up by a factor of x10
- RPM, Marshal and External LEDs can access the Colors/Properties wizard panel and can be tinted.
Notes: the best render is done by using std colors Yellow/Red/Blue/Green but this can useful to tint the led with transparent background and play with the transparency (Alpha channel) to match the target color of the object located below

[skeinon]

Hi,  would be Great a display with the graphic representation of the track and the position occupied.

[zappadoc]

Hi,  would be Great a display with the graphic representation of the track and the position occupied.

Thanks for your suggestion, the Track Mapping is on my todo list but frankly NOT a priority. Why?

- VDASH-EMU is the focused on current car player telemetry data and not on other players, so doing a track mapping for yourself is not very useful,

- VDASH-EMU can be used on 60+ simulation or games (thanks to SLIMax Mgr Pro) and Track mapping is not possible with all simulation/game, it requires a lot of telemetry data to create the track map, so this feature will be available only on a few sim/games,

- Also, VDASH-EMU is the most fastest and the most easily customizable virtual dash available today. The current ultra fast responsiveness with high quality textures/images is a priority so as soon as the paradigm will be solved (a lot more telemetry data including the other players but still ultra fast and high res textures/images) I will add the ability to create track map and get a track mapping view.

- in fine, a lot of people forget that VDASH-EMU is MAINLY A POWERFUL FIRMWARE emulator which allow the dash to have buttons, encoders and switches. This is simply the only one dashboard in the world to have this kind of feature... this doesn't replace the track mapping, okay, but this is a really cool feature that competitors doesn't have

Cheers,
z

[zappadoc]

Hey!

- Trackmap for your car is done as you know in latest version 1.1-31

- RPM, Marshal, External LEDs are now independent from SLIMax Mgr Pro setup, you can do almost ALL Shiftghlights,KERS, DRS, FLAGs, Warning, STALL,... LED behaviors of any class car (F1, GT, Rally, etc.) with the new properties of the objects

Obviously, I keep in my todo list the fact that you want to see opponents positions on track but this feature adds a lot more telemetry data to send between the Manager and EMUs and impacts the performance of the EMU, see my previous post... but one day...who knows!

Feel free to add your requests for the future versions of VDASH-EMU!

Cheers,
z

[Krahl8]

I would love if the track map feature could work like, I click create map and then all I have to do is drive around and the software creates the map from the second time I go over the line and after 2 or 3 more laps I could drive in the pits and create that at then end

[zappadoc]

I would love if the track map feature could work like, ...

This is almost the way it works in manual mode. Click START button in properties and Click SAVE when you are done. but it doesn't record the sectors parts this way so it is recommended to do it in 2 pass, use the AUTO mode first and complete by merging a map with pits...
Experiment the trackmap AUTO/MANUAL Mode and MERGE/REPLACE features and do what's best for you (MAP file are png so you can easily enhances it by editing the file and adding drs zones, pits, # turns, etc. ).

Cheers,
z

[zappadoc]

A LIVE TIMING LEADERBOARD has been requested many times and is in my TODO list don't worry...
but as it takes a lot of extra data to stream via UDP it must be very well designed to not impact the current performance of the VDASH-EMU, so this will be integrated one day to the EMU or simply provided as a standalone app... it's not a priority as a good leaderboard can be found easily.

[RacingIvysaur]

I do think more button boxes would be awesome. Like the famous MoTec Button box. They look slick and more 'EKsimracing-like' than the current Button Box.

[zappadoc]

 

I do think more button boxes would be awesome. Like the famous MoTec Button box. They look slick and more 'EKsimracing-like' than the current Button Box.

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion Rinus. The current integrated buttonbox is like DSD buttonbox and you can create your own button-box already using the free pages and the controls objects. There is no plan to add more buttonbox in VDASH-EMU but I have in my TODO list a new kind of button using an image so you can create buttons of any style and it is possible that a new EMU dedicated to ButtonBox will come out one day...
Cheers,
z

[Software Support Staff]

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in the future of EKSIMRacing software. Zappadoc is at your service and has been developing the software for over 10 years for a better immersion and gaming experience and always more realism with your racing simulations.

You can use this topic to enter your wishes regarding the evolution of SLIMax, MotionMax and VDASH-EMU software (new features or modifications).

Your suggestions if they are relevant, not already implemented, reasonable, interesting, fun! and above all feasible will be taken into account, discussed here and implemented in future versions.

A suggestion made in this topic is still a suggestion and therefore there is no guarantee that it will be implemented, so don't be disappointed if it doesn't appear in future updates.

Regards,
EKSIMRacing Staff

[zappadoc]

Hi,
New features of the upcoming v1.1-37 of VDASH-EMU:

https://www.eksimracing.org/forum/index.php?topic=5066.0

Cheers,
z