Support for ChasePlane Users

[Cr4O13]

This is a request for POPM support of ChasePlane.

Request: Please add the option for //42 Chaseplane 2024 to provide a keyboard combination for selecting a view when configuring a pop out, in addition to the fixed selection of views we already have.

Background:
In POPM we have the option to select a view from a collection of predefined MSFS view, that are no longer available when using ChasePlane.

ChasePlane (CP) replaces the MSFS camera system with its own advanced camera system, where you create your own fully customizable views. For any view in CP the user can define a keyboard combo (just make sure the combo is not used as a controls binding in MSFS).

To let POPM choose the CP view for pop out it would be sufficient to send the user defined keyboard combo to MSFS.

[hawkeye-stan]

Contacted Parallel42 to see if I can get any info or a license of the product to figure out a workaround. Please stay tune.

[Cr4O13]

That's great news. Thank you. If you need someone to discuss or beta test, I would be ready.

[hawkeye-stan]

Got reply back from Parallel 42. I'm continuing ongoing investigation and discussion with Keven M. at Parallel 42 to see if I can tap into their custom camera view system from POPM. Currently POPM implementation uses MSFS SimConnect SDK API variable to access default camera view. I'm asking Parallel 42 to see if I can tap into their implementation and see if they've any exposed API or variable POPM can access.

[schmidHolger]

Great to read that. I love POPM and use use ChasePlane as well so this enhancement would be great.

[EisernUnion]

Any Update on this ?

[hawkeye-stan]

It's gaining traction and and technical feasibility is identified, latest reply with Parallel 42 yesterday:

From Keven with Parallel 42:

Since the user is totally free to create and remove views as they see fit, using camera presets would not be as reliable as saving the camera position directly and recalling it when needed.

We have a WebSocket API we can refine and you could use to set specific coordinates for the camera. Let me know if it's something that can be done on your end!

1. The user presses a button, you read the camera position via LVars via SimConnect
2. You save those coordinates (XYZPBHF)
3. When the user triggers the Popout action, you send those coordinates to ChasePlane through WS and we send that straight to the sim.

Would something like that works for you?
//Keven

And my reply this morning:

Hi Keven,

I believe your solution will work. For each aircraft, during panel identification process in Pop Out Manager, I can read off LVar and then save the coordinates as you've described. Since my code is written in .NET, I have access to WebSocket and can send back the coordinates over during camera recall.

From LVAR:
1. Get (XYZPBHF) coordinates
2. If possible, a list of ChasePlane camera views and/or the current selected ChasePlane camera view name if it is available in some way since LVar is mostly for numerical values. This is so the user can select and identify what camera view they're looking at and use POPM to cycle through them within my app. But no biggie and understanding if it is not possible since the user may not need to know this info. During POPM panel identification, they will need to change the camera view first with ChasePlane and then go over to POPM and identify pop out panel. I'll figure out the UI on POPM side since panel identification only need to perform once.

Please let me know when your WebSocket API and API usage info is available. Also will you be able to send over a copy of ChasePlane for me to start development and testing? 

Best regards,
Stanley

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I will keep updating this thread as ChasePlane solution is being worked on. Thank you all for your patience!

[EisernUnion]

Thanks so far, sound as a working approach ... cp has a lot of lvars defined...

[hawkeye-stan]

Just got an experimental copy of ChasePlane with API/WebSocket/Lvar support and I'll start figuring out how it all works and start implementing a solution next week. Sorry, I won't be able to code late this week and this weekend with a family trip).

Keven from Parallel 42 replied that the required technical features for ChasePlane API integration will be rolled out for ChasePlane 2024 users in future update. Hopefully, the timing will coincide with the completion of POPM integration so everyone can start using POPM and ChasePlane together.

[EisernUnion]

What about a simple workaround

• The user has a dedicated view to pop out displays
• The view has to be configured with a key shortcut, e.g. 'Home Key' or whatever (i use a vjoy button)

=> Here would come the workaround

• Implement the keystroke we configured within CP ("Execute Keystroke before pop-out")
  What i mean is just: Let POPM call the view / hit the shortcut button instead of manually by us.

• "Start Pop Out "

The existing shortcut function is almost enough... a short break after executing would be nice so give CP the chance to load the view

[atrenjes]

Very much looking forward to these updates. I wouldn't have bought Chaseplane had I known. This mod is more important to me. I need my touchscreens.

[pavanboddapati]

Very much interested in the integration. Please keep up the great work

[jmich1955]

Great job on this app, it's very useful, and I'm looking forward to seeing it work with ChasePlane.

[CptJetSet]

Any update on this?

[hawkeye-stan]

I'm currently on vacation and will resume working on ChasePlane support once I get home.

[hawkeye-stan]

I've added ChasePlane Camera support to POPM 2024 v1.0.3 beta. It requires ChasePlane v2026.7.4.20+. This version of ChasePlane has camera websocket API support which POPM is able to use to change camera view.

Github Download

I'm not sure is ChasePlane v2026.7.4.20 public or experimental version. I was provided this particular version of ChasePlane by Parallel42 to code against.

To use ChasePlane with existing POPM aircraft profile, first enable ChasePlane support in POPM preferences => ChasePlane. You will also need to edit each panel source for your aircraft profile. Click the icon that looks like "target" symbol in the POPM aircraft profile. For each panel, update "fixed camera" to the camera name that is now coming from ChasePlane camera list. Once that is done, locked the profile. This way, none of the carefully defined panels' size/location that you've setup before need to be modified at all. Also, any new aircraft profile created in POPM will use ChasePlane camera views.