In the last section we downloaded, installed and launched Tacview. Now we will take a closer look at the main window:
Tacview 3D View and Top Menu Bar
Most of the main window consists of the 3D view where the replays will take place.
At the top of the screen, you will find the top menu bar.
The File menu is where you can open, merge, save, and export files and data:
Tacview Menu Bar - File Menu
From the Recording menu, access the Online Debriefing and Real-Time Telemetry features:
Tacview Menu Bar - Recording Menu
In the Analysis menu, find telemetry, charts and media:
Tacview Menu Bar - Analysis Menu
In the Add-ons menu, enable, disable and use Lua and C++/C# add-ons written by the Tacview team, the community or yourself. Also find the debug log:
Tacview Menu Bar - Add-Ons Menu
In the Options menu, find various options such as language, units, and display options including terrain:
Tacview Menu Bar - Options Menu
If you have a product key, click the Register button to enter it:
Tacview Menu Bar - Register Button
Access the Help menu to see the controls list, command line options, check for updates, contact technicaly support, and get more information about your copy of Tacview (see About Tacview):
Tacview Menu Bar - Help
Next, notice the drop-down menus just under the top menu bar:
Object Selection Drop-down Menus
This is where you will select the primary and secondary objects you are most interested in:
Object Selection Drop-down Menus
Now let's go over the options on the bottom of the screen:
Bottom Toolbar
The Playback Control Bar works like any playback bar to control time. Go to Analysis → Playback Control Bar to make it visible and invisible:
Playback Control Bar
The slider illustrated below serves to change the length of the trails left by the objects in the replay. Please be advised that long trails can affect performance. Double click on the slider to reset the trail to its default length:
Trails Slider
Lastly, let's take a closer look at the bottom menu bar:
Bottom Menu Bar
Bottom Menu Bar
The first four buttons are camera mode options. Choose between cockpit view, external view (focused on the primary selected aircraft), satellite view, or free camera (use WASDEC to move the camera):
Bottom Menu Bar - Camera Modes
Next, toggle the Display Object Height button to make vertical lines or a "wall" appear between your object and the ground:
Bottom Menu Bar - Display Object Height
The Display Selected Object Vectors button allows you to display heading, course, lift and pilot line of sight vectors where available:
Bottom Menu Bar - Display Selected Object Vectors
Use Display Object ID's to show labels on objects:
Bottom Menu Bar - Display Object ID's
To see engagement range bubbles, use the Display SAM/AAA Lethal Ranges button:
Bottom Menu Bar - Display SAM AAA Lethal Ranges
Radar locks are not always available, but when they are, the Display Radar Locks button controls their visibility:
Bottom Menu Bar - Display Radar Locks
Automatically scale up distant objects using this button:
Bottom Menu Bar - Automatically Scale Up Distant Objects
Finally, insert a bookmark or copy or paste a shortcut using the yellow star button:
Bottom Menu Bar - Bookmarks and Shortcuts
Now that we have finished our overview of the main window layout, the next step is to open a file.
