AutoKneePads for Falcon BMS
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@linknet Thanks!
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@linknet
Thank you for your answer.Mine is unfortunately no, it does not work following your prescriptions.
Before I discovered and tried your software, I used WDP and Ezboard. It is always the two pages of the latter (from the last time I used it) that appear respectively on the 1st page right and left on the legs of the pilote.
Maybe an interference with Ezboard?
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@Rouge1512 said in AutoKneePads for Falcon BMS:
@linknet
Before I discovered and tried your software, I used WDP and Ezboard. It is always the two pages of the latter (from the last time I used it) that appear respectively on the 1st page right and left on the legs of the driver.Are you using Falcon BMS 4.37 and the Korea Theatre just to eliminate some of variables?
Presumably you did, but I need to ask, did you open and print the briefing for the new mission with AutoKneePads running?
Then check in the AutoKneePads\Briefing folder to see if the Briefing.txt file has been updated.
Next check in the AutoKneePads\KneePads folder and see if the KneePads.png file has been updated.
Finally if all of that worked check that this file is updating: Falcon BMS 4.37\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj\7982.dds
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4.37 = yes
Korea = yes
Print the brief : yes
Briefing.txt updated : yes
KneePads png unpdated : yes
7982.dds updated : I don’t have any software to open .dds, but if I zoom in on the thumbnail displayed by Windows, it seems to me that no : I still have an image generated by Ezboard.
The same I get in 3D.Which sofware I need to watch a . dds ?
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@Rouge1512
OK.
In the AutoKneePads\KneePads folder is it creating the KneePads.dds file and is this being updated? Just check to see if the file date and time change.If that’s being updated then temporarily rename the Falcon BMS 4.37\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj\7982.dds file and see if a new one is created.
Edit: I don’t suppose that the Falcon BMS 4.37\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj\7982.dds has somehow been set to read only?
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@Rouge1512 Wait, just to be sure, you’re not using AutoKneePads and EZBoards for the same mission, do you? If so, they will compete for the same file!
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I will check this out tonight, ASAP.
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No, not at the same time and in the same mission
I was using EZBoard before I tried Linknet’s software -
First, thanks for the great work Rogue1512.
Unfortunately, I have the same issue but don’t use any other utility for the knee pads in my case.
AutoKneePads creates the correct ‘briefing.txt’ and 3 PNG files but doesn’t update the DDS files correctly, in my case.
I think it does something as I can see it makes 7982.bak, but 7982.dds is the same as the original one.
I hope this helps you to find the solution.
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@z34rpm
Yes, thanks, that is a help.
It means that it has correctly located the 7982.dds folder and created a backup file.
So it means one of two things:- The 7982.dds file is locked or read only.
- The source file KneePads.dds which should have been created in the AutoKneePads\KneePads folder actually hasn’t been created.
I think No. 2 is more likely, could you check for the existence of KneePads.dds in the AutoKneePads\KneePads folder.
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@linknet ,
This is a great tool! Thanks for coding it! As others reported, the kneepads produced are stored in the …\AutoKneePads\KneePads folder as .png files) and the index.html web server works great, but the kneepad pages do not get saved into …\Falcon BMS 4.37\data\terrdata\Objects\KoreaObj or into the appropriate theater KoreaObj file (for example, …Falcon BMS 4.37\data\Add-On Mideast128\terrdata\Objects\KoreaObj).
That is actually OK for me, because I would not want your program to overwrite the original kneepad file (for example 7982.dds) unless it first saves the original someplace safe.@z34rpm , I did not see a 7982.bak generated in any of my …Falcon BMS 4.37… folders.
I also do not see a 7982.dds in the …\AutoKneePads\KneePads folder - just the three .png files and index.html
I found it worked great by having AutoKneePads generate the .png files (left and right) and then using Weapon Data Planner to update the kneepads at a place of my choosing using the .png files AutoKneePads generated and saved into the …\AutoKneePads\KneePads folder. This allows me to put the generated kneepad pages into whatever theater I want (though it would obviously work best in the theater in which the briefing was generated).
That worked well for me, and allowed me to put the (extremely useful) briefing information where I want it on my kneepads. This allows me to select what I don’t mind losing on my kneepads in order to have the (extremely useful) briefing info. there instead.
I know that you stated above that it is very difficult to change what is generated from the briefing, and would take some recoding effort to be able to allow the user to select what briefing data is actually generated to the kneepad pages. That function would be extremely useful in future iterations (and perhaps a worthy challenge for your already outstanding coding prowess). For example, might be useful to have the IFF or HARM data instead of Steerpoint data. It might be useful to have just the assigned target steerpoint data instead of all steerpoint data including non-assigned steerpoints for each waypoint. These are just some food for thought and by no means should you interpret this as casting any shade on your outstanding project.
Thank you for taking the time to make an outstanding tool for our sim.
Regards,
Tomcattwo
(VoiceClone) -
From my side:
- no creation of kneepads.dds or *.dds of any name in the AutoKneePads folder,
- and thus no new 7982.dds in Falcon BMS 4.37\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj\ ,in replacement or even in creation if I delete the one which already existed.
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Ok I got it
I changed the place of the Kneepads directory: I put it at the root of my C : drive (before it was on the D:)
And above all I think, I run autokneepads as an administrator…… and everything works correctly.
So thank you for this software which is as pleasant as EZBoard and which allows moreover the export on a pad or another computer.
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@Tomcattwo
Thanks for all of the enthusiastic support and information. The problem is looking very much like a Windows permissions issue. I can run it from anywhere without admin and it works perfectly. However if I run it in either Program Files or Program Files (x86), with or without admin, then it fails to create the KneePads.dds file and also fails to initially create the 7982.bak or update the 7982.dds.With regards to changing what is generated from the briefing I’m afraid that’s definitely on the back burner.
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The problem is looking very much like a Windows permissions issue. I can run it from anywhere without admin and it works perfectly. However if I run it in either Program Files or Program Files (x86), with or without admin, then it fails to create the KneePads.dds file and also fails to initially create the 7982.bak or update the 7982.dds.
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Thanks a lot
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@linknet
Hello. I have it placed in C:\Games\Falcon BMS 4.37\Tools\AutoKneePads. I have not run it with Admin permission but I will try that next. So, not being run from Program Files or x86. Could also be antivirus being persnickety.As I mentioned, I am kind of OK with it working as it does, since I can run it for any theater and place the pages however I want with WDP.
R/
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@Tomcattwo said in AutoKneePads for Falcon BMS:
@linknet
Hello. I have it placed in C:\Games\Falcon BMS 4.37\Tools\AutoKneePads. I have not run it with Admin permission but I will try that next. So, not being run from Program Files or x86. Could also be antivirus being persnickety.It doesn’t work for me either in that folder. I’m pretty sure I know why, it won’t run in any path with spaces. It’s the call to TextureConverter.exe which has to have the path passed as a parameter, Probably needs some quotes around parts of it.
I’ll experiment further with it just to confirm and see if I can sort it out. -
@linknet
As you work to sort it out, note that my current theater in BMS is NOT KTO, but that your amazing tool pulls the briefing (as it shows in my current non-KTO theater) anyway and saves the pages properly as .png files, which is exactly what I need, and which makes your app work with ANY theater (albeit without saving the .png file as 7982.dds).If you “fix” it, unless your app directs the 7982.dds save to the current theater’s …terrdata\Objects\KoreaObject folder, it will save to KTO’s …terrdata\Objects\KoreaObject folder instead, and will not show up in game for the currently selected theater.
Regards,
Tomcattwo
(VoiceClone)