How to use Tacview with Microsoft Flight Simulator or Lockheed Martin® Prepar3D®?[]
Which versions of Flight Simulator are supported by Tacview?[]
Tacview has been tested and validated with the following editions of Flight Simulator:
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (both retail & Steam editions)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator X (both retail & Steam editions)
- Lockheed Martin® Prepar3D® (v1 to v4)
- VRS TacPack & Superbug
How should I use MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe to record flights?[]
- First, make sure you have downloaded and installed the latest version of Tacview. This will install
MSFS2ACMI.exeandFSX2ACMI.exeon your computer. - Use
MSFS2ACMI.exefor Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) andFSX2ACMI.exefor all other versions including Microsoft Flight Simulator X. - Launch
MSFS2ACMI.exeorFSX2ACMI.exefrom Windows start menu or search box. As long asMSFS2ACMI.exeorFSX2ACMI.exeis running, it will record all your Flight Simulator flights automatically.
Why do I get an error when I launch FSX2ACMI.exe with Prepar3D?[]
Like many universal add-ons, FSX2ACMI.exeneeds Microsoft Flight Simulator SimConnect to be properly installed to access telemetry data. If you are using Prepar3D®, you have to manually install SimConnect by running: C:\Program Files\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4\redist\Interface\FSX-SP2-XPACK\retail\lib\SimConnect.msi
How do I stop the recording of my flight?[]
You can either close MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe or Flight Simulator. MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe will also automatically start a new recording when it detects a major change in the current flight (like time or mission change).
Where are my flights recorded?[]
You will find all your flight recordings in \My Documents\Tacview\. You can click on the corresponding hyperlink in MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe to open this folder. You can also change this folder for another one by using the appropriate option in Tacview.
General Questions[]
Does Tacview work with network flights?[]
MSFS2ACMI.exe and FSX2ACMI.exe do not differentiate between local and remote objects, meaning that Tacview displays everything that MSFS or FSX exports at a given time. This may or may not include other pilots.
Do MSFS2ACMI.exe and FSX2ACMI.exe support add-ons like Tacpack?[]
Yes, you can use MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe with any add-on. If you are using it with Tacpack, you will get two flight recordings, one from Tacpack and one from MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe. In that case, the one from MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe may give better results since MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe are always supporting the latest features of Tacview like the advanced telemetry.
When I replay my flights in Tacview, the terrain is either empty or low-res. How can I improve that?[]
Tacview Starter does not offer terrain coverage for the whole earth this is why you will probably see water most of the time. Tacview Standard offers am ETOPO1 base map for the entire world. This is much better than just water; however it may look kind of blurry. Here are some ways you can improve the default terrain:
- First, you should try on of the official terrain add-ons.
- You can also import official SRTM maps from NASA. These are the exact same maps Flight Simulator is using by default.
- Or you can ask me to add the terrain of your choice in the download section. Please be patient in that case. Even if I will do my best to deliver you the map quickly, I'm quite busy on other tasks...
Can MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe slow down my computer?[]
No, it should not. On today's computers MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe use about 1% of CPU while recording. This has been tested on a 2012' PC running FSX at maximum quality and 100% AI air and ground traffic (between 400 and 800 moving objects).
Running MSFS2ACMI.exe on a Remote Machine[]
If you wish to run MSFS2ACMI.exe on a remote machine follow these steps:
On the computer where you will be running MSFS[]
First, make sure flightsimulator is authorized in the firewall.
Next locate the configuration folder of Microsoft Flight Simulator such as %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache and add this configuration file, SimConnect.xml
https://ln5.sync.com/dl/6b7cdbce0#ek2ej7x2-zkemh6xj-g5gg2bcc-ry9na5sb
Customize the file to use your desired port and protocol. Make sure to put Scope = Global where appropriate.
To make sure it's working, after starting a MSFS2020 flight, open a command line and enter the command netstat -an -p tcp | findstr "0.0.0.0" and make sure you see your port.
On the remote machine where you will be running Tacview and MSFS2ACMI.exe[]
place the following configuration file SimConnect.cfg next to MSFS2ACMI.exe.
https://ln5.sync.com/dl/4e2fe6cc0#d9xqhkgd-ieatbktc-bkrbkk53-zgugnsat
Customize the file to use the host computer's IP address and the desired port.
Debugging[]
To debug further, on the machine running MSFS, add this file SimConnect.ini at under the /LocalState sub folder of the MSFS config folder - that is, %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\
https://ln5.sync.com/dl/e0ae8a830#vdmngyim-ffgc4iy8-magfmuki-ym94g4hp
A debug console will be launched whenever SimConnect starts (via Microsoft Flight Simulator).
You can also turn on Developer Mode under General Options and go to Tools → SimConnect Inspector to see who is connected via SimConnect.
More resources[]
See also the SimConnect documentation:
https://docs.flightsimulator.com/html/Programming_Tools/SimConnect/SimConnect_SDK.htm