# X-Plane 12

## Connection Method

**Shared Memory (Plugin)** — A DRSM plugin for X-Plane 12 writes telemetry data to shared memory, which DR Sim Manager reads. The plugin must be installed into your X-Plane 12 plugins folder.

* **Shared Memory Name**: `Local\DRSMTelemetryData`
* **Update Rate**: Up to 200 Hz (double-buffered for reliable reads)

## Setup Steps

1. Navigate to the DR Sim Manager plugins directory:

   ```
   C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\DRSimManager\Plugins\XPlane12\
   ```
2. Copy the folder named `DRSM_TelemtryPlugin`.
3. Navigate to your X-Plane 12 installation directory, typically:

   ```
   X-Plane 12\Resources\plugins\
   ```
4. Paste the copied `DRSM_TelemtryPlugin` folder into the `plugins` directory.
5. Start X-Plane 12.
6. In DR Sim Manager, select **X-Plane 12** from the Source list and click **Start Motion**.

## Available Telemetry

* **Orientation**: Pitch, Roll, Heading
* **Acceleration**: Full 3-axis acceleration (lateral, longitudinal, vertical — in G, converted to m/s²)
* **Angular Velocity**: Pitch rate, Roll rate, Yaw rate
* **Speed**: True airspeed
* **RPM**: Engine 1 and Engine 2 RPM (averaged for multi-engine aircraft)
* **Altitude**: Height above ground level (AGL)
* **Aircraft Name**: Detected from the loaded aircraft
* **Canopy**: Canopy position
* **Landing Gear**: Gear position

### Telemetry Quality: ★★★★☆

X-Plane 12's plugin provides clean data through a double-buffered shared memory approach. The plugin writes to one buffer while DR Sim Manager reads from the other, preventing data tearing.

## Recommended Starting Settings

* **Primary Cue Gain**: 60–90%
* **Smoothing**: Low to medium
* **Washout**: Medium

## Known Quirks

* **Double-buffered shared memory**: The plugin uses two data buffers and a write index. DR Sim Manager always reads from the buffer that isn't currently being written to, ensuring data consistency.
* **Gravity compensation**: DR Sim Manager calculates and subtracts gravitational components based on the aircraft's pitch and roll to give you clean acceleration data.
* **Stale data detection**: If the telemetry data doesn't change between reads (e.g., during a pause or menu), DR Sim Manager slows its polling rate to reduce CPU usage.
* **Multi-engine support**: For twin-engine aircraft, the RPM value displayed is the average of both engines.
* **Plugin folder name**: Note the folder is named `DRSM_TelemtryPlugin` (with the typo). Copy this folder exactly as-is.

## Troubleshooting

### No telemetry data

1. Verify the `DRSM_TelemtryPlugin` folder exists in your `X-Plane 12\Resources\plugins\` directory.
2. Check that the plugin loaded successfully — in X-Plane 12, go to **Plugins > Plugin Admin** and look for the DRSM plugin in the list.
3. Make sure you are in a flight (not at the main menu or loading screen).
4. Restart both X-Plane 12 and DR Sim Manager.

### Plugin not appearing in X-Plane's Plugin Admin

* Ensure the entire `DRSM_TelemtryPlugin` folder was copied, not just individual files.
* The plugin must be in the `Resources\plugins\` directory, not a subdirectory of another plugin.

### Motion works but aircraft name shows blank

* Some custom aircraft may not report their name correctly through the X-Plane SDK. Motion will still work normally.

### Telemetry stops during pause

* This is normal. When X-Plane is paused, telemetry data stops changing. DR Sim Manager detects this and reduces polling until new data arrives.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.departedreality.com/dr-sim-manager/general/sources/x-plane-12.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.