Tutorial TransX to ISS

[flytandem]

I've had a request to make a video (or videos) of TransX usage and was sent a link to see if CamStudio might be useful. It's been a bit of a learning curve to get it working and to get a microphone up and working. Toss in getting over a cold but it seemed to come together about an hour ago so I made a first shot at a simple tutorial.

To reduce file size I only captured the MFDs from glass cockpit plus the resolution is traded for a smaller file size. Even with that it about 30 megs for an 8.5 minute avi file. There is some popping on occasion in the mic but it's a cheap mic and one get's what they pay for, just like with this tutorial. :lol:

The test tut' is here...
http://www.flytandem.com/orbiter/tutorials/video/index.htm

 

[TSPenguin]

I managed to reencode the video with xvid and mp3 without any significant loss of quality (the original codec is pretty bad tbh) to 9.4 MB.
If you recorded the video with a lossless codec like huffyuv and then encoded it to xvid/divx/h.264 you could safe a lot more space.
Also note that only very few people have the camstudio video codec installed and won't be able to watch the video.
I am happy to supply you with my version of the video if you should want it.

CamStudio codec can be downloaded on their website.

Edit: The audio hissing you mentioned sounds more like your system was skipping frames when recording. Does your system have enough ressources to record and run orbiter at the same time?

Edit2: Ignore the camstudio codec talk, as I realized you are using the cinepak codec. Which would explain the bad quality as well. It is over 17 years old and is usaly not in use anymore. For more information see Wikipedia.

 

[flytandem]

Thanks TSP, I really have little knowledge of video tech stuff. I had grabbed the free CanStudio and after playing with the varios options with something like 50 tests of short 30 second duration I opted for this arrangement.

My system probably has the resources... 2.5 Ghz, 4G ram dual core 64 bit vista, it's an HP s3620f.

Getting that 30 meg down to 9 megs is what I am looking for. Instead of just giving the file, perhaps advice on what to do to be able to make the same. I hope to be able to make videos that are small size, low but acceptable quality in vid and sound, but simple useful information on TransX use.

thanks
rob

 

[TSPenguin]

I'll just skip the preach about formats and containers and go for the easy, very compatible and freeware based solution.

• Record in a lossless codec. They have their own which is quite usable.
• Once that is done, you can use virtualdub to encode the video,
• Load the file, go to video, compression (ctrl+p) and select the codec of your choice (I recommend XviD).
• Select first pass and save the video (F7). This will analyze video and greatly increases the final quality of the video.
• Once the first pass finishes, go back to the compression options. This time select second pass. Choose a bitrate or desired file size. (I used 128 kbit/s)
• At this point switch audio to "Full processing mode" and select a compression. The mp3 codec xp comes with is not the best and has very limited functionality. It should suffice for your purposes, if not I can recommend encoding the audio by hand via lame. Remember to use mono.
• Save the file again, you can safely overwrite the file the first pass generated.
• ???
• Profit!

This still requires people to have a XviD capable codec installed (XviD, DivX, ffdshow, etc.) or use a player like VLC (which is basicaly ffdshow with a GUI).
If you want to create a WMV file, you can use the Windows Media Encoder. These files should play on any out of the box XP. But I don't like the format and anything associated with it, so I don't recommend it.

Happy Encoding

 

[atuhalpa]

TSP, I would like your version of fly's tut. I didn't really understand all the technical jargon you were using but I will download the programs you mentioned and give it a try, as I would like to make some tutorials also.

 

[flying coffin]

Great tutorial!

I've always wondered how to get transx to do a rendezvous. Thanks for
showing me!

-Chris

 

[flytandem]

I imagine that if I could sit down with someone fluent in creating videos, it would be much like the two parts of the expanding foam I played with when working with composites in the 80s. It would quickly grow to fill every void imaginable. It's late right now and airpark needs are exploding over the next couple of days, but asap, perhaps by next week I will try to understand TSPs suggestions.

 

[atuhalpa]

TSP " record in a lossless codec, they have there own which is quite recordable."". Who is "they"?

---------- Post added at 12:00 AM ---------- Previous post was Yesterday at 11:47 PM ----------

Very nice flytandem! I went through your tut and now I have another transx tool under my belt.:speakcool:

 

[TSPenguin]

"They" are the people who created the recording tool flytandem is using.

Who knows, maybe I'll do a recording on how to do a recording

 

[RisingFury]

I've done quite a lot of screen capture so here's some stuff I can share with you:

- Encode video in DivX 2 pass, doing a multipass is not worth the time. Depending on how much your screen moves around when recording, you'll need to play around with the bitrate to get nice results.
- Encode at best compression / best quality / slowest. It takes a while, but the result is worth it.
- Encode Audio in MP3, 32 or 48 bps, mono.
- Unless you have a good computer, record at low resolution to get decent frame rates.
- Compress the video into RAR with best compression, which will drop the final filesize about 20%.
- Record at a decent enough resolution for the details to be visible.

I'm able to get 800x572 video tutorials for UnrealEd down to about 2.5 MB / min with a decent enough quality that gridlines are still visible.

 

[flytandem]

Thanks to the suggestions above I think I am getting close to an acceptable quality and file size. I have recreated the ISS intercept video and it's on a page I am starting at,
http://www.flytandem.com/orbiter/tutorials/video/index.htm .

My hope is to make a few similar vids with a variety of tasks. If anyone has a suggestion for what maneuvers or tasks to show with this format let me know. Using TransX for plane change and prograde burn combinations. Slings? Free returns?

Also, I just glanced at Orbit Hangar and saw there is a subcategory for tutorials under miscellaneous. Should I be putting these tutorials up there? I seem to have spent most of my time just playing with TransX and haven't gotten out to explore the world of add-ons very much.

 

[tblaxland]

Also, I just glanced at Orbit Hangar and saw there is a subcategory for tutorials under miscellaneous. Should I be putting these tutorials up there? I seem to have spent most of my time just playing with TransX and haven't gotten out to explore the world of add-ons very much.

Yes please. I must say, I really appreciate the work you guys put into tutorials. I've never had the patience for making them myself yet have benefited from a great many tutorials over the years. So, thank you.

 

[atuhalpa]

Fly, I am really impressed with the way you take something on and run with it. Little did I know that in introducing you to that chintzy vid capture program you would produce just the kind of total immersion tutorials with voice over that a simulation as complex as Orbiter sorely requires. My hat is off to you! Some day I hope to venture south to the land of San Berdoo and meet you in person, but for now I will just have to be satisfied with absorbing your knowledge of transx through your tuts.

There is one tut I would like to see and that is the sling inclination change to the trojans that we had in the last Chapman challenge. I can get in the ballpark and did complete it more than once but I still don't understand the mechanics of nailing the inclination change as precisely as you do.

Anyway, no rush on that one, I know you are a busy guy, but if you can get around to it I certainly would appreciate it.

---------- Post added at 11:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:03 PM ----------

 

[jgrillo2002]

Flytandam. what codec did you use to produce the video?

 

[flytandem]

Flytandam. what codec did you use to produce the video?

CamStudio Lossless codec v1.4

hey atuhalpa... i went ahead and did a rough vid on doing a trojan sling setup. It's been a while since I did one so I was a bit rusty. I should redo it perhaps but at least you have something to play with for now. it's uploaded to the vid tut page,

 

[garyw]

Video tutorials for TransX are a wonderful idea - more please!

 

[RisingFury]

You can make videos stream off your site directly using the Stage6 DivX player.

www.stage6.com

Sadly, the site got shut down a year ago, but they left us the online player. It's pretty neat.
That way you can optimize your file for say... 0.5 mpbs internet line to allow streaming and possibly up the quality a tad at expense of the filesize.

 

[atuhalpa]

Thanks Fly, I will definitely play with that tut.

 

[dougkeenan]

That's a neat trick! Thanks a lot for the tutorial.

 

[flytandem]

I had a couple of hours this morning so I played with the idea of making a video of setting up a series of slings. I did find a fun arrangement that departs tonight (I don't give much time for fueling up do I, ha-ha). It took 40 minutes of hunting to find the slings that go from Earth, to Venus, then slings to Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune in that order. I copied down the eject and sling data and then captured a video of setting this up. I also wrote a report of my hunting trip to find this sling cascade. I think the hunting report is more valuable than how to enter the data. Something about getting a fish and learning how to fish. Anyway... the video is added to this page (second row from the bottom named 2009-EVVEJSN.zip

edit: I just took a look at orbit hangar hoping it might be a place to make a link to the tutorial pages I have set up. But it doesn't seem to accept just a URL, rather it is needing a specific file uploaded. Since I have over 30 separate tutorial files that need to be arranged systematically and some files are linked to others as files to reference during a tutorial, i suppose orbit hangar really isn't a place for this type of assembly of tutorials. Maybe I'm not understanding it.
edit2: never mind. I saw that htm files are not allowed but zip files are. I made a htm redirect file and zipped it. I created an account and uploaded this zip file. Unzipping the htm file and opening with a browser sends the browser to the online tutorial URL. If this sort of thing isn't allowed then I guess the orbithangar doesn't want to send folks to URLs designed to teach usage related to Orbiter.