Backglass won't load with Table

[deewill]

I've finally got Pinball X up and running the backglass is up but when I select a table no backglass

Any ideas what I didn't do?

[Draco1962]

Your post has been moved to the General thread which is the place to report errors and request help, not the Users Projects thread - thanks!

[soundasleep]

Two questions:
1. What software are you trying to use?

2. Did you deselect "Hide BackGlass" in the Game Manager?

[deewill]

thank you thank you thank you up and running later for hyperpin much easier to configure

[carstenlex]

hello,

I have a 3 Monitor Setup. And have the problem that Backglass is shown on table selection - but I receive black screen when playing table.

I am using PinballX 1.70

I unchecked "Hide Backglass"

here my log.txt:

23:02:56.4 18.12.2013: PinballX - Version 1.70
23:02:56.4 18.12.2013: Loading Settings
23:02:56.4 18.12.2013: Initialize Component
23:02:56.4 18.12.2013: Initialize Display
23:02:56.4 18.12.2013: Loading PlugIns
23:02:56.5 18.12.2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window
23:02:56.5 18.12.2013: Created DirectX DMD Window
23:02:56.5 18.12.2013: Hiding Cursor
23:02:56.6 18.12.2013: Hiding Taskbar
23:02:56.6 18.12.2013: Load Game List
23:02:56.6 18.12.2013: Loading Database: Visual Pinball
23:02:56.6 18.12.2013: Finding and matching artwork and videos
23:02:56.6 18.12.2013: Loading Game Statistics and Scores
23:02:57.8 18.12.2013: Initialize Audio
23:02:57.9 18.12.2013: Set Keyboard Controls
23:02:57.9 18.12.2013: Initialize Joystick
23:02:57.9 18.12.2013: No Joysticks Attached
23:02:57.9 18.12.2013: Started
23:03:04.1 18.12.2013: Launch System
23:03:04.1 18.12.2013: Waiting for threads
23:03:04.1 18.12.2013: Disposing display
23:03:05.3 18.12.2013: C:\Program Files (x86)\Visual Pinball\VPinball.exe /play -"C:\Program Files (x86)\Visual Pinball\Tables\The Adams Family (Williams 1992).vpt"
23:03:05.3 18.12.2013: C:\PinballX\vpauto.exe
23:03:13.5 18.12.2013: Found PinMAME ROM: taf_l7.nv
23:03:21.4 18.12.2013: Exit System Control Pressed
23:03:24.8 18.12.2013: Created DirectX BackGlass Window
23:03:24.8 18.12.2013: Created DirectX DMD Window
23:03:27.4 18.12.2013: Exiting
23:03:27.5 18.12.2013: Showing Taskbar
23:03:27.6 18.12.2013: Unhiding Mouse Cursor
23:03:27.6 18.12.2013: Disposing Plugins
23:03:27.6 18.12.2013: Saving Settings

Any idea?

[Tom Speirs]

It needs to be an "image" and not video but it should work with visual pinball. I've tested it working in the past. If you are using a video you also need an image that matches.

[carstenlex]

ah now I realized the problem. I use tables, which don't load backglasses by itself. Unlike Hyperpin, if the vpt-File does not load a backglass then no backglass is showed.

[wizard91]

Hi all,

I'm new to Pinballx and am currently experimenting with my first cab setup using visual pinball and I'm having a similar problem with the backglass images not working when running the table. I apologise in advance is this is a newbie question.

The backglass static image displays fine along with the table image in the pinballx interface and looks great but then when I run a table the table and dmd loads fine but my second monitor for the backglass is just black, no backglass anywhere in the background etc.

It would make sense if the vpt file does not load a backglass image as suggested above as nearly all of my tables are vpt's but is there anyway to get a vpt file to load a backglass image with it? I have all of the static backglass images, all png's, all named correctly same as the table currently in the pinballx/media/visual pinball/backglass folder ready to go and ideally would like to just get these static images displaying on my second monitor with the table on my primary. Is this possible?

I thought it was just a case of dropping the images into the backglass folder?

Thanks in advance for any help or pointers.

[zeenon]

wizard91,

If I understand the issue correctly, I think you are eventually going to want to switch to directb2s back glasses instead of just displaying a static back glass when you a playing. You are correct with this statement "The backglass static image displays fine along with the table image in the pinballx interface and looks great...." The BG/PF images are more for the PinballX interface then for playing the table itself but let me answer the question you asked.

Go into game manager or edit the .xml file and look for the following: (this is an example)

<game name="Attack from Mars">
<description>Attack from Mars</description>
<manufacturer>Bally</manufacturer>
<year>1990</year>
<type>SS</type>
<hidedmd>True</hidedmd>
<hidebackglass>False</hidebackglass>
<enabled>True</enabled>
<rating>5</rating>
</game>

On the tables you want to display the static BG make sure hidebackglass = False.

Check out the PinballX guide that is pinned to the 1st thread in this forum, the appendix has a writeup on the directb2s BG which is probably what you'll switch to very soon. I only use the BG images for Pinball FX2 tables, the other 200+ tables either are directb2s or b2s.

Z

[wizard91]

Hi Zeenon,

Thanks for the reply. This was the bit I was missing and hadn't found so far. Will take a look at this when I have it on next and see if I can find the above settings.

When you say game manager or edit the xml do you mean the visual pinball xml database for pinballx? My visual pinball database xml doesn't have those additional lines about the backglass on any table, my xml just looks like this below currently for each table:

<game name="Attack from Mars">
<description>Attack from Mars</description>
<manufacturer>Bally</manufacturer>
<year>1990</year>
<type>SS</type>

</game>

Can I just add those additional lines of xml code for the hidebackglass in myself or is there a reason these extra lines wound't be there initially? Am I looking at the right xml!? ;-)

As you say this is probably only a temporary measure at this stage just to get things up and running but as I already have the static images there and ready to go I might as well make use of them for now until I can get hold of the direcb2s or b2s files. I need to read up more about this area so thanks for the pointers.

Really appreciate it.

Wizard

[zeenon]

When you say game manager or edit the xml do you mean the visual pinball xml database for pinballx? My visual pinball database xml doesn't have those additional lines about the backglass on any table, my xml just looks like this below currently for each table:

Yes. If you load your visual pinball.xml in Game Manager AND then save it you will see those extra lines of code added. This is probably the easiest way, unless you want to update each table in your visual pinball.xml with those additional lines. (Make a backup of your visual pinball.xml file in case anything goes south).

The code in your post (and in all of the HP packs you d/l) is just the base xml table code, but additional fields can be added by the programmer. (ie rating, hidedmd, etc.)

Hope this helps you out.

Z

[wizard91]

Brilliant thanks zeenon, will give it a try.

Appreciate the help.

Wizard

[wizard91]

Hi zeenon,

Just wanted to thank you again for your help with the backglass images the other day and for posting the code example above. I added the hidebackglass code to my xml file this evening as it wasn't there originally and they all worked perfectly straight away which was fantastic, so that was all I was missing.

I have two other hopefully minor issues now which again I apologise for if they are stupid questions but you may be able to help as they are probably really stupid things along similar lines.

1. When I run a table now the visual pinball software loads but it stays on top / infront of my backglass image on my second monitor rather than loading behind the backglass or table in the background. I'm sure I read something about this somewhere but I can't remember where I saw it. Any ideas? I can minimise it and it is fine but I'm guessing this should load behind or be hidden?

2. My DMD's load up behind the table on my primary monitor. I have moved this onto my backglass monitor and resized this as required on one sample table and I thought I saved the table but when I load again it just reverts back with the DMD behind the table on the primary monitor. Any suggestions on this? I think I read somewhere something about a piece of software specifically for DMDs would that help and do you know the name or where I can find it to download?

Anyway thanks so much again, was great to get that working this evening and saved me hours of guess work.

Cheers

Wizard

[zeenon]

Wiz,

These are actually a little tougher then your previous question but I'll give you some direction and maybe someone else that has had these issues can jump in.

1) Make sure you are running version Pinballx 1.72, I know there was an issue with some screens popping on top of the PF/BG.

2) Make sure your PF is set to monitor #1 in windows.

3) The DMD position problem could be the vpinmame. Even if you are not running a cab, do you know if you installed the cabinet version? Either way, copy your vpinmame.dll to vpinmame_org.dll and d/l the cabinet version from here: http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=6429 extract this one over your vpinmame.dll. I had you make a backup in case this is not the issue. NOTE: All you need is the vpinmame.dll file from the above link, you can toss the other stuff.

4) Make sure you have your vpinball.exe (or whatever you named it) set to "Run as Admin"

5) Make sure you have your pinballx.exe set to "Run as Admin"

I'm hoping the above, fix both issue.

Z

[wizard91]

Thanks again, will give this a go tonight when I get home.

I think my Pinballx might but 1.71 so I will try 1.72. Someone also suggested elsewhere just moving the visual pinball software window onto my playfield monitor as the playfield should stay on top so a couple of things to try.

As for the DMD I'm using the VPinmame cab version but I need to check that this is in the right place as someone else suggested it needs to be moved into the main VP.exe folder.

Hopefully I can crack it tonight or over the weekend as I have a few things to work with now.

Cheers

Wizard

[zeenon]

As for the DMD I'm using the VPinmame cab version but I need to check that this is in the right place as someone else suggested it needs to be moved into the main VP.exe folder.

I've never seen it anyplace but---- x:\VPinball\VPinMAME\VPinMAME.dll (Note: depending on how you installed visual pinball it may be x:\Visual Pinball\VPinMAME\VPinMAME.dll but you get the idea)

1.71/1.72 should act the same, but everyone here preaches to be on the latest version so while your at it, might as well update.

(I just read through post #13 again and though I doubt this is the DMD issue, I just want to make you aware......some tables have the DMD position hard coded. With that said, out of 250 tables mostly VP, I've never seen this elusive hard coded table/s, so it must be older tables that have not been updated in the last 12-18 months.)

Z

[wizard91]

Hi Zeenon,

All sorted now thanks.

Seems the main problem with the backglass was the orientation of my monitors in Windows. My backglass was monitor 2 but it was the first monitor listed in the windows display settings. I read somewhere the playfield needs to be on the left and as soon as I swapped them around in the display settings with the playfield first on the left all was good. I moved and resized the dmd on one table to start and it stayed exactly where I wanted it after closing and running again.

The Visual Pinball software I just moved to screen 1 (with the playfield) and it now stays in the background when I run the tables.

Thanks for all of the help, really pleased to have it all running. Will look at the B2S stuff next and see if I can add in Future pinball, all good fun.

Wizard