KBMZ (BMS Kneeboard DDS Manager)

STANDALONE VERSION 2.0z released. Now supports BMS 4.37!

This utility allows kneeboard .DDS files (the image files used for the kneeboard in BMS) to be saved as ‘PACKS’ (in zip files) from BMS to a local repository and restored as required. The video in the link below demonstrates what it can do.
…

What you need to run KBMZ ?

• BMS 4.35 or later
• Weapons delivery planner (by Falcas).
  * Excel 2007 or later with macros enabled.

How to install KBMZ ?

• Download and extract the KBMZ folder to your desired location
• Run the file KBMZ.exe from the folder (application)
• Supply the BMS version when requested
• Supply the WDP location when requested

V 2.0zFeatures

• Standalone, and does not need excel (still needs WDP),
• Same functionality of previous version plus the following features.:
• It Integrates with packs generated from V1.03, so no need to rebuild packs!
• Selects the current BMS theatre on start up
• Has a quick start button for ‘Falcas’ WDP
• Light weight 550kb

Where to get the application ?

DOWNLOAD LATEST KBMZ FROM HERE
(2.01z fixes issue with displaying a long WDP path)

DOWNLOAD LEGACY VERSION (REQUIRES EXCEL) KBMZ V1.03 FROM HERE

(V1.03 fixes an issue for users of BMS 4.35 only Released 2022.09.08).

Below are the md5 values for the latest version.
KBMZ V2.0z.zip ( 6ffaf1009e9e0d1ec9bd31e364e34fa1 )
KBMZ.exe ( 4f8406f829e3b3a515c94a0a3b0a0cd0 )

Hi all,
I’ve been working on a utility to help manage kneeboard dds files between theaters/airbases/missions, and before releasing would like a few people to help me test it. You should be familiar with Falcas’ WDP and use the kneeboard.

Here’s a brief video of what it can do. You will need to have BMS, WDP, and EXCEL (2007 or better) for it to work, and preferably a few theatres installed. If you are interested please PM me, and will give you a link to download the file (beta), and the instruction video.

UPDATE
KBMZ has been released (see video description). Initial results show it can work with excel 2007 on, with macros enabled.

This version stores the packs as .zip files, reducing dramatically the space requirements.

Hi Devs,

Looking at how we interact in VR with the comm menu with the mouse, It would be ‘icing’ on the cake to be able to access all the menus through a single callback, and a master menu (if its not there already).
Might look like…

Cycling through Agency menus is already taken care of with the ability to click on the menu title to move onto the next one for that agency. (well done Devs!)

Here’s a video of my impressions of the Pico, having moved from the Reverb V1 (VR1000).

In case nobody else has posted about this. I have found it to be the best solution for me, Works out of the box for IOS and Android. Very easy setup, lightweight, low latency and responsive, good connectivity. For me it just works! Does not require any special mappings, just got to have all the buttons mapped to keys/key combinations. I guess it interrogates BMS to find the current mappings for those call backs, so expect it to work as long at the call back names don’t change.

Falcon BMS Control | falcon-bms-control (kungfoo.github.io)

Here it is in use….

@jstnj Do yourself a big favour, copy out regularly the …BMS437\User\Config folder, (i zip it to an online location at every machine start up using task scheduler).

That way you can iterate your testing/debugging of your issues, and always get back to your best settings. Might even allow you identify what’s causing the 75% failure rate with the AL

@Logic said in EZBoards - Instant single-click briefing to kneeboards conversion:

Hello guys.
I am sorry, but have to admit, this whole theater thing is a mess.
If we could collectively build a list of target locations (of the kneeboards texture file) that work for the 3rd party theaters, that would be awesome! I need your help on this.

I feel your pain, but easy to solve as you suggested .

Below is a couple of lines which gets a path from a Theaters.txt file, by finding the name of the theater and comparing with BMS current theater.

In the file EZBOARDS.BAT

REPLACE............ 

IF "%THEATER%"=="Korea KTO" (
  SET THEATERPATH=%BASEDIR%\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
) ELSE (
  IF EXIST %BASEDIR%\Data\Add-On %THEATER%\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj\ (
    SET THEATERPATH=%BASEDIR%\Data\Add-On %THEATER%\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
  ELSE (
    SET THEATERPATH=%BASEDIR%\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
  )
)
SET TARGET="%THEATERPATH%\%TARGETFILE%"
ECHO TARGET=%TARGET%

WITH...............

for /F "usebackq tokens=1-2 delims=," %%g in (Theaters.txt) do if %%g == %THEATER% SET THEATERPATH= "%BASEDIR%%%h" 
ECHO THEATERPATH=%THEATERPATH%

for /F "usebackq tokens=1-2 delims=," %%g in (Theaters.txt) do if %%g == %THEATER% SET TARGET= "%BASEDIR%%%h\%TARGETFILE%"
ECHO TARGET=%TARGET%



Make the file Theaters.TXT with the entries below in the same folder.
(Note the theater names must match those in the registry, including Case)

"KOREA KTO",\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
"Korea TvT",\Data\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
"Balkans",\Data\Add-On Balkans\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
"Israel",\Data\Add-On Israel\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
"Kuwait",\Data\Add-On Kuwait\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
"Battle for Kuwait 1.1.1",\Data\Add-On Battle for Kuwait\TerrData\objects\KoreaObj
"EMF",\Data\Add-On emf\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
"Panama",\Data\Add-On Panama\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
"Israel 1980s v1.7",\Data\Add-On Israel\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj
"HeliPack 0.1",\Data\Add-On emf\TerrData\Objects\KoreaObj

@gundam
If your bandwidth is reasonable and you don’t have a ton of clients, its worth considering getting an old gen pc, and setting up the server locally on your network. You won’t even need a monitor if you RDP to it. Only downside is you probably won’t want to share control of it for security reasons, so you will be the one managing it.

Here’s mine, Rough and ready, sits in my garage. Its a Q9650 dual core @3.0ghz, with 8gb ddr3. I have an upload of about 24mb. Its solid with up to 4/5 players.

@Bayonet Looks to me like a small typo, ‘your lead’ should be ‘your wingman’…

Has anyone posted a video demonstrating this working. Would really like to see it in action.

Here’s another good video profiling the Moza AB9 with the F16 profile, + lots of other configurations. Realy amazing product, and I now cant live without it.
Biggest advantage is how the damping/force can be adjusted on the fly, and how it feels, compared with gimbal based bases (which i’ve used for 30 years). And the bonus is the excellent haptics for aircraft/sims which support it, Including.
AB,
Flaps,
Gear,
Weapoons,
Guns.
Jettison
stall,
OverG,
Engine rumble.
over torque
overspeed
Counter measures
Ground rumble,
Crashs and damage.
the list goes on…
(for which the amplitude/intensity, and frequency can be adjusted)

Would really like to see BMS support this.

@Logic Thanks

Optimising your profile / setup is always a first step. But you will always want to fall back to a hotas mapped ‘recenter’ button, which I used very frequently during my time using TIR.

@oleuzop said in [VR] "My legs are small and my cockpit is tiny" fix:

@pansolo said in [VR] "My legs are small and my cockpit is tiny" fix:

@oleuzop I see. I’ve downloaded OpenXR and set it with that, although I would prefer not to use it.

Isn’t the fix rather to set the default value in BMS? Or is the IPD correct for other headset

I confirm it works with Pico4 and quest 3.

Which headset are you using?

Just got one of these, and its a blast. Have not tried yet with BMS… Beats my old warthog base hands down! Can’t say how it compares with the newer cam based bases.

@Atlas
From this video by HIP games, looks like the Moza is capable of measuring force on the stick and has a ‘Viper’ stick mode. (10:20 in the video…)

@Atlas Got it. I was the same as you until i tried it. USB is a much lighter cable to the reberb one. And your next headset is likely going to be wired

@Atlas I have the same, a close cat 6 router, and get mostly 1200mbps, but due to airwaves traffic, it can drop to 960 some times. When wired, its solid 1200 and consistency lower lateny. So while no difference in ‘raw performance’ it gives a big improvement in stability, with the almost total elimination of lag spikes.

Downside is the battery charging does not quite keep up like a good quality direct charging cable. Still can get 5-6 hours continuous use with this wired arrangement. I’m using the Pico with VD. Expect the same from Q3.

For the price of the components its a no brainer to give it a try.

@jmcavoy There’s a callback, its called
SimVRHMDReset
(SimVRHMDReset -1 0 0XFFFFFFFF 0 0 0 1 “SIM: VR Camera Rotation Reset”)
In the keyfile (don’t know what its called in AL).
You should map this to one of your hotas buttons.

@oleuzop i noticed you have the environment button ticked, while in godlike mode. I can only do this in high graphics mode. Wondering is the because you are using a wired/lan connection?