Passenger Doors Query

[adamrob69]

Hi all,

Been using GSX for a few weeks now, and one of the main points that's quite annoying me is the passenger doors.

I appreciate this is almost certainly not a GSX issue per say.

Using the default B737. Opening door 1 will open the passenger door 1. Opening door 2 will open the 2 cargo doors, opening door 3 will open the catering doors 1 and 2 but also passenger door 2.

How can I get it that door 1 opens passenger door 1 and 2; leaving door 3 to just open the catering doors 1 and 2.

This gets confusing when GSX is configured to use 2 passenger doors but only 1 is opened by the correct door 1 keys.

(by door x I mean the door assignment ie. Shift E + 1)

Apologise if this has come up before, its a difficult one to search for; and I hope it makes sense?
Im hoping the solution isnt to disable passenger door 2, or to carry on using Shift E+3 to open passenger door 2 as it doesn't look right as catering trucks and passenger stairs arrive and depart at different intervals meaning that doors are going to be open with no vehicle present.

[virtuali]

I appreciate this is almost certainly not a GSX issue per say.

Of course it's not.

How can I get it that door 1 opens passenger door 1 and 2; leaving door 3 to just open the catering doors 1 and 2.

This gets confusing when GSX is configured to use 2 passenger doors but only 1 is opened by the correct door 1 keys.

It's important you keep in mind that's NOTHING about how doors operates on a specific airplane will ever be touched by GSX or is affected/changed by GSX.

GSX only need to KNOW how doors on any specific airplane are linked to FSX variables, so it can check for their status and allow services to continue or not.

From GSX side, you can only:

1) Configure a door exactly as it is in FSX, this is the most correct choice

OR

2) Configure GSX to IGNORE a door's status, to allow services to continue without waiting

OR

3) REMOVE a door, so GSX won't even use a service there

If you want to CHANGE how the door operates there's nothing you can do with GSX, you must act on the airplane configuration, which is controlled by BOTH the aircraft.cfg file, which is easy to do, but ALSO from the airplane .MDL, which is not very easy to do.

The aircraft.cfg file controls the relationship between the Key assignment and the internal FSX variable. In the [Exits] section, the 5th parameter after the x,y,z coordinates is what tells FSX how many doors this airplane has, and which Shift+E+XX key controls them.

For example, if the 5th parameter is = 2, you are telling FSX that when you press Shift+E+2, the FSX internal variable that represent the doors status, which is EXIT OPEN:2, will change its value.

However, changing JUST the aircraft.cfg, will be ok for GSX (since GSX checks those variables) but it won't really "open" the door, visually. Yes, the internal variable will change, but the actual animation is stored in the airplane .MDL file, so you must change that one too, in order to SEE the door opening.

That's not easy to do without doing a bit of hacking of the .MDL file, like editing it with an hex editor.

Only AFTER your aircraft.cfg and .MDL file are in agreement and the airplane operates as you want, you can configure GSX to reflect its new status.

[adamrob69]

Thanks for the reply.

The only real option to make it somewhat realistic is to disable passenger door 2 completely so it doesn't open; however reading between the lines, that is not possible without modifying this *.mdl file?

Im quite new to the modding world of FSX, but I am a programmer so I understand what's going on; so i will investigate the .mdl file.


Can you advise on a satisfactory set-up with no modifications?
If I disable the passenger door 2 from the GSX config I won't get any stairs.
However when I open the catering doors, what should be passenger door 2 will open on the left hand side.
The issue with this is that the won't be any vehicle at that door.
If you do enable passenger door 2 from the GSX config, you will have have to open the catering doors for the steps. However the catering doors will then be open whilst there is no vehicle (as the catering takes place between boarding and de-boarding)
I can not find a satisfactory set-up where a door will not be open when there is no vehicle, or when there is a vehicle but a closed door.

I appreciate the actual door opening animations of the standard aircraft is not your issue; but the standard aircraft are supported in GSX; However I cant seem to configure it to actually look realistic.

To make it work from the GSX config screen would be to configure passenger door 2 (left rear door) to actually be a service door; but this is not possible from the config screen?

Thanks

[virtuali]

Im quite new to the modding world of FSX, but I am a programmer so I understand what's going on; so i will investigate the .mdl file.

That's the only way to achieve what you want. You must find where's the part that control the 2nd passenger door, which is now assigned to the EXIT OPEN:2 variable, and change it to EXIT OPEN:0