[RELEASE] AirPanel | Build Interactive 2D Cockpit Panels with Lua & SimConnect

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Hey everyone!

If you use secondary monitors, touchscreens, or are building a home cockpit, AirPanel is a free, open-source tool designed to create interactive 2D aircraft panels connected to MSFS via SimConnect.

A320_glareshield_reduced
A320_glareshield_reduced1200Ă—247 38.5 KB

SixPack_reduced
SixPack_reduced712Ă—480 49.6 KB

G1000
G10001109Ă—727 91.7 KB

Key Features

  • Fully Interactive Controls: Out-of-the-box support for aviation controls including buttons, push/pull rotary knobs, linear switches, discrete selectors, potentiometers, sliders, and side-view wheels.

  • Touchscreen Optimised: Designed for home cockpits: supports advanced touch gestures like taps, long presses for pushing/pulling knobs, and touch-and-drag rotation.

  • Vector Graphics & Textures: Panels look sharp at any resolution using a mix of clean vector elements (rectangles, circles, arcs) and standard image textures.

  • Dynamic Lua Scripting: Drive animations, colors, text, and conditional visibility dynamically using an integrated Lua scripting engine.

  • Smart Layout & Window Memory: Windows are fully resizable (with optional aspect-ratio locking). AirPanel automatically remembers your custom window positions and sizes across flights.

  • Developer-Friendly Tooling: Includes a built-in Developer Mode with live project reloading, bounding boxes, rendering times, and an output window to debug your project on the fly.

How it Works

AirPanel configurations are written in highly structured, human-readable XML files (using the .pnl extension). AirPanel reads that file, draws the panel in a dedicated window, and handles all interactions – knobs, switches, buttons, rotaries, sliders – through Lua scripts that read from and write to simulator variables and events.

<-- Example: A simple 2-position switch definition -->
<Switch Animation="Switch2" Positions="2" InitPosition="0"> 
<Position Index="0" Action="{setSimVar('LIGHT LANDING', 0)}" />
<Position Index="1" Action="{setSimVar('LIGHT LANDING', 1)}" />
</Switch>

What’s Included in the Download?

  • The AirPanel Core Software

  • Comprehensive Documentation: Includes a step-by-step beginner’s tutorial and a deep-dive Reference Manual.

  • XML Schemas (XSD): Take the guesswork out of coding. Load these into editors like VS Code (with an XML extension) for full auto-completion, suggestions, and error checking.

  • Ready-to-Use Sample Panels:

    • SixPack: A realistic, vector-based classic 6-pack gauge cluster.

    • A320 Glareshield: Detailed FCU/EFIS panel for IniBuilds A320/A330, with backlight dimming capability.

    • A320 MCDU: alphanumeric keypad and line‑select keys designed to overlay the simulator’s MCDU screen.

    • G1000 PFD/MFD: Bezel controls for Garmin G1000, designed to overlay the simulator’s displays.

    • Basic Samples: Simple switches, annunciators, and potentiometers to learn the basics.

Get Started

  • GitHub Repository & Download: https://github.com/hal971/AirPanel

  • Installation: Download and run AirPanelSetup.exe to automatically install the app, user manuals, schemas, and sample projects.

Check it out, modify the samples, and let me know what you think or if you have any questions right here in this thread!

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