ATragMX - Handheld ballistics calculator

[ruthberg 7]

@lolkij, both.

@TSean, Caribou, Namalsk, Aliabad, Clafghan, Sangin, Sara, reshmaan, Thirsk and Lingor will be fully supported in the next version.

[ruthberg 7]

Version 1.0 Changelog:

-Fixed barometric pressure being rounded incorrectly when using imperial unit system

-Compatibility update for AdvancedBallistics v2.8

[DGeorge85 10]

I've got a handful of gun profiles I've saved. I downloaded PBO manager to snoop around and was wondering if transferring them to the update is as simple as keeping a file or 2 from the old .pbo and pasting them into the new, and is the manager even capable of adding to/repacking pbo's? If not it's probably just easier to jot down the settings and redo the profiles.

[sonsalt6 105]

Updated mod 1.0 available at withSIX. Download now by clicking:

[ruthberg 7]

@DGeorge84, the gun profiles are stored in the profileNamespace. You are not going to lose them if you update the ATragMX pbo.

[Guest]

Release frontpaged on the Armaholic homepage.

ATragMX - Handheld ballistics calculator v1.0



Community Base addons A3

Optional:

Advanced Ballistics

Kestrel 4500 Pocket Weather Tracker

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We have also "connected" these pages to your account on Armaholic.

This means in the future you will be able to maintain these pages yourself if you wish to do so. Once this new feature is ready we will contact you about it and explain how things work and what options you have.

When you have any questions already feel free to PM or email me!

[sonsalt6 105]

Updated mod 1.0.0.1 available at withSIX. Download now by clicking:

Fixed Upload processed :)

[EricJ 759]

Just a note Ruthberg, somehow your addon is creating a dependency on missions when the system is not even deployed or put down on the map. Small thing and yeah I can simply remove the addon so it won't do it but just a heads up.

[DGeorge85 10]

What is the trick to changing the zero range?

Also, when I change velocity in the calculator for each gun, it seems like the calculation does not maintain the set zero range, as if everything is dependent on the default inputs. For example, the modified Trixie M40A3 shoots ~795m/s, and the default 7.62x51 profile in the ATrag is 850m/s. When I change it and calculate a 500m shot (what the "zero" is set at) it gives me an elevation adjustment of +0.8mil, so clearly the trajectory isn't being calculated while maintaining the set zero range of 500m.

Basically what it does when I change to 795m/s is tell me that Gun X, which normally shoots 850m/s with a 500m zero will now need .8mil if the velocity drops to 795m/s. What we need is for the calculator to interpret a change in velocity as an entirely new standard condition, instead of making calculations with respect to the default.

I hope my concerns made sense. :confused:

[ruthberg 7]

Yeah, they do make sense. You have to press "Enter" while your input cursor is in the zero range input field to confirm the zero range after you modified things in the gun column. The idea behind this is, that your zero range would also change if you change the muzzle velocity without re-zeroing your rifle.

If you press 'Enter' in the zero input field then it'll recalculate everything based on your current atmospheric conditions and your current gun data.

However, a better gun column input logic is planned.

---------- Post added at 11:05 ---------- Previous post was at 11:04 ----------

somehow your addon is creating a dependency on missions when the system is not even deployed or put down on the map.

I wasn't able to reproduce this, how did you manage to get this error? Edited December 12, 2014 by Ruthberg

[DGeorge85 10]

Yeah, they do make sense. You have to press "Enter" while your input cursor is in the zero range input field to confirm the zero range after you modified things in the gun column. The idea behind this is, that your zero range would also change if you change the muzzle velocity without re-zeroing your rifle.

If you press 'Enter' in the zero input field then it'll recalculate everything based on your current atmospheric conditions and your current gun data.

However, a better gun column input logic is planned.

Wow, do you know how long I've been trying to use this thing, completely oblivious to that feature? LOL

All better. ;)

[TiborasaurusRex 11]

@DGeorge85: you have to consider your Zero Atmosphere and Zero MV (Atmosphere & MV when the loadout is zeroed). Your zero point will also change if the muzzle velocity and Atmospheric Condition change without re-zeroing your rifle at new conditions. That's why i prefer zeroing my guns at 100 m so the zero point holds pretty stable despite the Atmospheric Condition and MV change. If you zero past 100 meter, in different conditions your zero point will be off (how much it will be off depends on how far your zero range was). AB amazingly simulates zero adjustment where you can re-zero your scope at 100 m :) but if you wanna stick to 500 m zero, ain't no problem too coz the AtragMX seems to take Zero Atmosphere and Zero MV into accout...

The idea behind this is, that your zero range would also change if you change the muzzle velocity without re-zeroing your rifle.

@Ruthberg: exactly my point, so my question is what's the Zero Atmosphere and Zero MV of all your loadouts? I assume the Zero Atmosphere is at the sea level (1013.25 hpa, 15°C, 50% humidity). But what about the Zero MV? Are all your loadouts zeroed at their "typical velocities" (let's say the .408 CT is zeroed at 910 m/s)? Could you kindly explain us a lil bit about that?

coz all along i didn't take AB Zero MV into account lol (shame on me) My own solvers have MV Variation input which allows me to specify the amount of Muzzle Velocity variation per degree of temperature change, but unfortunately i never used it lol XD

All this time I thought I could just alter the MV myself (corresponding to Ammo temp) but it turns out that my solvers seem to view the altered MV as the new Zero MV and it causes a bit trajectory miscalculation. Now I've realized I need to make use of that MV Variation input in order take AB Zero MV into account...thanks a lot for the insight, Ruthberg ;)

Edited December 13, 2014 by TiborasaurusRex

[DGeorge85 10]

I get it, very useful once you have a profile dialed in and only need to make small adjustments for varying conditions. The problem was that I was unable to dial one in from the get go because I wasn't aware we could reset the zero by hitting enter after making changes. Without knowing that, I was stuck with incorrect reference input. Now I just have to make sure I don't hit enter after I dial in standard conditions/zero.

At this point getting the windage right is limiting me more than velocity error, but my next step is still to load a 360 course into the editor and change the time of year to get different temperatures so I can start plotting velocity (being able to change temperature on the fly would make testing a breeze). So far I've just been getting the velocity at what happens to be about 22*C, zero the rifle, test at a couple different ranges to fine tune the BC and be done with it. It's been adequate for making 700-800m shots with decent consistency in a mission setting with a slow .308, but every now and again a 1000m+ shot presents itself and I'm caught with my pants down. At that range my success rate with the M40 is in the gutter, especially since I'm usually rushing to get the shot off before the target moves.

[ruthberg 7]

The ATragMX Zero Atmosphere is (1013.25 mb, 15°C, 50% humidity) and all loadouts are zeroed at their 'typical velocities'. You can change that by modifying the atmosphere column and then pressing 'Enter' in the zero input field.

---------- Post added at 14:03 ---------- Previous post was at 14:02 ----------

Now I just have to make sure I don't hit enter after I dial in standard conditions/zero.

You can hit enter as long as your cursor is outside the zero input field.

At this point getting the windage right is limiting me more than velocity error

I usually input wind directions 9 or 3 and let the Kestrel do the crosswind math.

but my next step is still to load a 360 course into the editor and change the time of year to get different temperatures

The temperature also varies with time of day. If you don't mind cheating you could modify the global variable AB_temperatureShift. Just execute "AB_temperatureShift = x;" in the editor to shift the temperature by x.

[DGeorge85 10]

So, that line can be ran while you're actually in game, using the box on the pause screen? Haha, it's not cheating if I'm only using it to gather data for graphs.

[ruthberg 7]

You can execute arbitrary code while you're in the editor.

For example:

AB_Latitude = -40;
AB_Altitude = 2000;
AB_Altitude = 2000;
AB_temperatureShift = -20;

[TiborasaurusRex 11]

If you press 'Enter' in the zero input field then it'll recalculate everything based on your current atmospheric conditions and your current gun data.

The ATragMX Zero Atmosphere is (1013.25 mb, 15°C, 50% humidity) and all loadouts are zeroed at their 'typical velocities'. You can change that by modifying the atmosphere column and then pressing 'Enter' in the zero input field.

Okay, so by doing that, we tell the AtragMX to reset our 500 m zero for the new conditions (new MV & AC), right? The AtragMX will tell us that the zero will be perfectly 0 Mil at 500 m for the new conditions. I'm sure this is what we do with the AtragMX after we re-zero our actual guns based on our entirely new standard conditions (current atmosphere & gun data), right?

but what if we don't re-zero our actual guns at the new conditions? The actual bullet zero POI will still change if the Muzzle Velocity and Atmospheric Condition change, right?

For Example:

in DGeorge85 case, his .308 is perfectly zeroed at 500 m (Zero MV = 850 m/s, Zero AC = 1013.25 hPa). When facing new conditions, his 500 m zero falls short (-0.8 Mil/-40 cm) coz his MV goes down to 795 m/s which really makes sense coz his bullet travels slower. The AtragMX obviously already takes this MV change into account, it tells him that his zero point will hit 0.8 Mil lower. The AtragMX already does a good job, doesn't it? why not letting the AtragMX be? Why on earth DGeorge85 wants the AtragMX to reset the zero point (perfectly 0 Mil at 500 m) based on his new MV? His actual shot is still gonna hit 0.8 Mil lower even though he set the AtragMX for his new MV. it'd be useless, unless DGeorge85 has re-zeroed his actual M40A3 for the new MV (795 m/s). Don't you guys think so?

damn, i hope you guys understand what i'm talking about coz i myself am getting really dizzy here lol XD

[ruthberg 7]

The actual bullet zero POI will still change if the Muzzle Velocity and Atmospheric Condition change, right?

Yes it will.

why not letting the AtragMX be?

I will let it be, but the ATragMX is still missing some features (See:

).

And I would like to get rid of the hidden "press Enter" functionality.

@DGeorge85, if you want to dive deep into the matter, then I recommend reading the official manual, in case you have not already done so.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Ruthberg

[DGeorge85 10]

Sorry Rex, but we aren't on the same page here.

So, let me clarify. I understand the logic of what I was running into. My issue was that I wanted to create a new profile for a COMPLETELY untested gun, and needed to set my default conditions, reset the zero, and zero the rifle. 850m/s meant nothing, neither did the default 500m zero, or the 0.393 BC. I needed to change all of it and reset the zero to build an accurate profile, and up until then I wasn't even aware that we could. Imagine trying to get a rifle set up that isn't included in the calculator without knowing you can reset the zero to reflect new inputs...

Short story- Everything is fine.

---------- Post added at 22:37 ---------- Previous post was at 21:07 ----------

You can execute arbitrary code while you're in the editor.

For example:

AB_Latitude = -40;
AB_Altitude = 2000;
AB_Altitude = 2000;
AB_temperatureShift = -20;

Thanks, I can get the temperature to shift, but not consistently at all. I wanted to do 5 degree steps, but the amount it shifts is a little unpredictable thus far after some quick testing.

Edited December 13, 2014 by DGeorge85

[TiborasaurusRex 11]

Sorry Rex, but we aren't on the same page here.

My issue was that I wanted to create a new profile for a COMPLETELY untested gun, and needed to set my default conditions, reset the zero, and zero the rifle. I needed to change all of it and reset the zero to build an accurate profile.

OMG Okay i see, you just wanted to know how to create a new gun profile and how to reset the zero input for that new gun profile lol XD

Sorry my bad lol XD You could've just said this in the first place, i thought you were gonna mess up with the zero input without re-zeroing your gun lol XD

Alright then, carry on! A little advice from me, when you wanna set up a new loadout (especially smaller calibers like .308), you better zero it at 100 m in the conditions (MV & AC) where you usually operate so the zero POI will always hold dead stable and you don't gotta deal with zero condition change ;)

good luck and good shooting \m/

Edited December 14, 2014 by TiborasaurusRex

[m1ndgames 10]

Hi!

Great Mod! I wonder why this wasn't asked before: Do you plan to create an AGM version? I would switch to advanced ballistics but my squad decided against it :(

If not, would it be okay for you if someone else forks your project, to be used with AGM?

[ruthberg 7]

AGM support is not currently planned. It is allowed to use my mods in other projects. The AGM developers, however, seem to have no interest.

[brainslush 13]

Hi!

Great Mod! I wonder why this wasn't asked before: Do you plan to create an AGM version? I would switch to advanced ballistics but my squad decided against it :(

If not, would it be okay for you if someone else forks your project, to be used with AGM?

You can use both AGM and AB simultaneously but you have to delete agm_wind and agm_scopes.

[m1ndgames 10]

You can use both AGM and AB simultaneously but you have to delete agm_wind and agm_scopes.

not an option, i tried a few times to convience the squad members...

AGM support is not currently planned. It is allowed to use my mods in other projects. The AGM developers, however, seem to have no interest.

well, agm and the spotter web-app are both open source afaik, so i might take a look.

the ui is there, i 'just' have to adapt the numbers from the backend... right?

[ruthberg 7]

Version 1.1 Changelog:

-The ATragMX item is now only added to the NATO support box if the optional PBO is used

-Wind is now considered without requiring AdvancedBallistics

-Fixed a bug that potentially prevented it to work properly without AdvancedBallistics

Edited December 30, 2014 by Ruthberg
Added missing changelog information