Documentation

About this guide

Cockpit Vector G1000 NXi is an unofficial reimplementation of the G1000 NXi integrated flight deck for X-Plane 12. This page covers the product: installers, the in-sim plugin, external standalone windows, updates, nav data, and per-aircraft files (EIS, CAS, checklists, boot art).

It does not teach how to fly or program a G1000. Softkeys, flight planning, VNAV, and procedures follow the real unit — use Garmin’s Pilot’s Guide and Cockpit Reference Guide for that.

Installation

Download the installer for your OS from the product page or the release archive. Each package can install:

• X-Plane plugin — in-cockpit glass plus data bridges the standalone app needs (flight plan, keys, EIS, nav).
• Standalone app — dedicated PFD and MFD windows for extra monitors or a second PC.

On the machine that runs X-Plane, install the plugin even if you only use external displays. The plugin is what streams the live FMS, bezel keys, aircraft packs, and nearby nav data to the standalone app.

Windows

1. Run cockpit-vector-g1000nxi-setup-…exe. It is a per-user install — no administrator prompt.
2. Choose an install type:
   • Sim PC — plugin and standalone (typical).
   • Display PC — standalone only, for a second computer on the LAN.
   • X-Plane plugin only — no desktop app.
3. If you install the plugin, pick the folder that contains X-Plane.exe and Resources.
4. Display Setup (standalone): assign PFD/MFD monitors, use Identify monitors if needed, and set the X-Plane host IP to 127.0.0.1 on the sim PC, or the sim PC’s LAN address on a display PC.

macOS

1. Open the .dmg (Developer ID signed and notarized on release builds).
2. Double-click Install Plugin and choose your X-Plane 12 folder. Restart X-Plane or use Plugins → Reload Plugins.
3. Drag Cockpit Vector G1000 NXi into /Applications (or run it from the disk image).
4. Optional: after the app is in Applications, double-click Start at Login. Remove it later in System Settings → General → Login Items.

If macOS says the app is damaged, Gatekeeper blocked the download. Re-download the current release. Releases should open cleanly once notarized.

Linux

1. Extract cockpit-vector-g1000nxi-installer-linux-….tar.gz.
2. Run installer/install.sh and point it at your X-Plane 12 folder. The plugin is copied to Resources/plugins/CockpitVector_G1000NXi.
3. When prompted, install the standalone app as well. It lands in ~/.local/share/g1000-nxi with a launcher symlink in ~/.local/bin.
4. Enter the X-Plane host IP (default 127.0.0.1) and optionally enable a desktop icon or start-at-login.

The Linux script always installs the plugin, so it needs an X-Plane folder. On a display-only Linux PC, copy installer/standalone/ from the archive to ~/.local/share/g1000-nxi and set the host in Settings instead.

In-sim plugin

After install, X-Plane should list Plugins → Cockpit Vector G1000 NXi. From that menu you can:

• Replace in-sim G1000 displays — take over the aircraft’s 3D-cockpit PFD/MFD.
• Aircraft Layout — Auto (from the loaded airframe), or force Cessna 172S, Cirrus SF50, or Piper PA-46T EIS/CAS/checklist/boot assets.
• Enable standalone data bridges — required for external windows. Leave this on if you use the standalone app.
• Accept connections — Localhost only (same PC), Any LAN (second PC on your network), or Last client IP.
• Install Update — enabled when a newer release exists. Opens the installer download in your browser. The plugin never hot-reloads itself.

Plugin files live at Resources/plugins/CockpitVector_G1000NXi/ inside your X-Plane 12 install. Prefer custom CAS, checklist, EIS, and boot files next to the aircraft’s .acf so installer updates do not replace them — or use ICAO-keyed files under the plugin assets/ tree (see Aircraft assets).

Standalone displays

The standalone app opens a PFD window and an MFD window and talks to X-Plane over the network. Use it on extra monitors, a dedicated panel PC, or next to the sim on the same machine.

Same PC as X-Plane

1. Install the plugin and the standalone app.
2. Start X-Plane, load an aircraft, and leave Enable standalone data bridges on (Localhost is fine).
3. Launch Cockpit Vector G1000 NXi. Host should be 127.0.0.1.
4. Press the bezel ENT key (or bind the matching X-Plane command) to leave the power-up page.

Second PC (display only)

1. Plugin on the sim PC. Standalone on the display PC.
2. On the sim PC, set accept connections to Any LAN (or Last client IP after the first connect).
3. On the display PC, set X-Plane host to the sim PC’s LAN IP (Settings, or the Windows installer Display Setup page).
4. Allow UDP through the firewall on both machines — see the table below.

With the plugin bridges enabled, the display PC does not need a local X-Plane install. Flight plan, gauges, EIS/CAS/checklists, nearby navaids, and terrain samples stream from the sim.

Settings

Open Settings from the Windows notification-area icon or the macOS menu-bar extra (on macOS, Cmd+, also works from the menu). Changes apply immediately except the X-Plane host (reconnect after you change it).

Panel PFD/MFD windows do not take keyboard focus — use Settings for full screen, bezel, title bar, always-on-top, monitors, mute terrain/traffic callouts, and start at login. Acknowledge the power-up page with the bezel ENT key (or an X-Plane keyboard/joystick binding to that command). Quit from the tray or menu-bar extra.

Window positions are remembered. Use Identify monitors in Settings (or the installer) to see which screen is which. Each display letterboxes a 4:3 image so the layout stays correct.

Mute terrain/traffic callouts silences FLTA/TAWS and traffic voice callouts. It does not turn off CAS warning and caution chimes — those stop when you acknowledge the flashing Warning/Caution softkey. See Crew Alerting.

Until X-Plane is running and sending data, instruments show a large red X — a failed data source, not a black unpowered screen. See FAQ.

Network ports

On a second PC, allow these UDP ports through the firewall (Private network profile on Windows). Same-PC setups usually work without extra rules.

Updates

New builds are published as prereleases on G1000 NXi releases.

• Standalone checks https://cockpitvector.com/releases.json on launch. If a newer version exists it downloads that OS’s installer, verifies it against the release SHA256SUMS, applies it, and relaunches. Failed checksums fall back to opening the release page.
• Windows: silent per-user setup — no admin prompt.
• macOS: mounts the new .dmg, replaces the app bundle, and reopens it. Native dialog.
• Linux: extracts the .tar.gz over ~/.local/share/g1000-nxi. Prompt uses zenity or kdialog when available.
• In-sim plugin does not download or reload itself (that crashed X-Plane). A PFD Alerts advisory appears instead; use Plugins → Cockpit Vector G1000 NXi → Install Update to open the installer in the browser, then restart or reload plugins.

Keep the plugin and standalone on the same release when you use external displays. Mismatched bridges fail closed — no live flight plan, packs, or key forwarding.

Navigation data

The moving map, procedures, airways, and airport diagrams come from X-Plane’s navigation databases — the same earth_nav.dat, CIFP, airspaces, and apt.dat files X-Plane already uses. There is no separate Cockpit Vector navdata subscription.

• Plugin / same PC: databases are read from the X-Plane install (Custom Data first, then default data). Navigraph or other X-Plane cycle updates you already installed are picked up automatically.
• Standalone on a second PC: with the plugin bridges enabled, nearby navaids, airspaces, airways, airport diagrams, and procedures stream from the sim. You do not copy nav folders to the display PC.
• Bundled map extras (coastlines, elevation, FAA obstacles) ship inside the installer. Missing optional layers just stay empty.

If you ever run standalone without the plugin, the map is blank unless that PC has X-Plane or a copied nav tree. Point at a copy with the --nav-data-dir flag (layout should match an X-Plane install root: Custom Data/, Resources/default data/, CIFP, airspaces, Global Scenery/…/apt.dat). Live gauges still come from --xplane-host. The intended setup is: install the plugin on the sim.

The MFD power-up page’s Navigation Data row reflects the loaded cycle. Other database rows are representative trainer-style values.

Weather and traffic

NEXRAD on the map and ADS-B traffic come from X-Plane’s ADS-B / FIS-B (GDL90) broadcast — simulator weather, not live internet radar.

1. In X-Plane 12 → Settings → Network, enable broadcasting to external apps (ADS-B / GDL90). Keep 255.255.255.255:48002 if you also use ForeFlight.
2. The Map Opt → NEXRAD softkey stays grey until FIS-B radar blocks arrive. Heartbeats and traffic alone do not enable it.
3. WPT → Weather Information uses the same datalink for METAR/TAF. The Weather Radar page is the airframe’s onboard radar, when equipped.

On Windows, same-PC broadcast to 48002 is not delivered to other local apps. The standalone uses ForeFlight-style discovery (UDP 63093) and unicast on UDP 4000. If weather still never arrives, add a localhost row in X-Plane’s Network settings and allow UDP 4000 / 48002 / 49000 inbound on a Private profile.

Aircraft assets

EIS, CAS, checklists, and the MFD boot hero image are plain files, not compiled into the program. Add or override them for any airframe without a rebuild. Bundled samples cover the Cessna 172, Cirrus Vision Jet SF50, and Piper PA-46T.

Recommended for customizations that should survive updates: put the files in the aircraft folder, next to the loaded .acf. The Cockpit Vector installer only writes under Resources/plugins/CockpitVector_G1000NXi/ — it never touches Aircraft folders — so those overrides stay in place when you install a newer release. ICAO-keyed files under the plugin assets/ tree work too, but matching bundled names can be replaced on update.

Search order (first match wins):

1. A file next to the loaded .acf (plugin only) — see the aircraft-folder table below.
2. An ICAO-keyed file in the plugin assets folder, using the aircraft’s acf_ICAO in lowercase (for example c172, sf50, tbm9).
3. The bundled profile default for known types; otherwise the Cessna piston set.

Aircraft-folder filenames (beside the .acf; <acf_stem> is the .acf basename without the extension):

Plugin assets folder: X-Plane 12/Resources/plugins/CockpitVector_G1000NXi/assets/

EIS, CAS, and checklist files hot-reload: save while the display is running and the next frame re-parses them. Boot art is picked up on the next power-up (or when you change aircraft). Blank lines and # comments are ignored.

With the plugin on the sim PC, the standalone receives the same pack automatically over the aircraft-pack bridge. You do not copy those files to the display PC. Without the plugin, point the standalone at a file with --eis, --cas, or --checklist.

Copy a bundled sample from CockpitVector_G1000NXi/assets/ and edit — that is the format reference.

Engine Indication System (EIS)

The EIS strip on the left of every MFD page is described by a .eis file: a title, a layout style, gauges, and BIND lines that map logical channels to X-Plane datarefs.

STYLE selects the strip family:

• PISTON (default) — Cessna-style column: RPM dial, bars, fuel, electrical.
• TURBOFAN — Vision Jet–style grid (% thrust, turbine bars, synoptics).
• TURBOPROP — Meridian-style column of dials (torque, ITT, prop, Ng).

TITLE ENGINE
STYLE PISTON

GAUGE RPM_DIAL
  CHANNEL eng.rpm
  MIN 0 MAX 2700
  REDLINE 2700
  BAND GREEN 2100 2500
  BAND RED 2500 2700

SECTION
GAUGE BAR
  LABEL Oil PRES
  CHANNEL eng.oil_pres
  MIN 0 MAX 115
  BAND RED 0 20
  BAND GREEN 50 82

# BIND <channel> <dataref> <scale> <offset>
# display = raw * scale + offset
BIND eng.rpm sim/cockpit2/engine/indicators/engine_speed_rpm[0] 1 0
BIND eng.oil_pres sim/cockpit2/engine/indicators/oil_pressure_psi[0] 1 0

Useful gauge types: RPM_DIAL, DIAL, BAR, READOUT, ELECTRICAL (paired left/right), FUEL_QTY / FUEL_QTY_VERT. Optional keys include LABEL, FORMAT, TICKS, SCALE (end numerals on a bar), BUG, and PFD (keep this gauge on the PFD reversionary strip for turbofan layouts).

Channels are the names gauges and BIND lines agree on (eng.rpm, fuel.qty_left, elec.bus_main, plus jet/turboprop names in the SF50 and PA-46T samples). Prefer copying a bundled file over starting from scratch.

Crew Alerting System (CAS)

The PFD CAS window and the flashing Warning/Caution softkey come from a .cas file. Each message has text, severity, a dataref, a WHEN condition, and an optional INHIBIT line. To keep a custom set across installer updates, place g1000_cas.txt (or <acf_stem>_cas.txt) next to the aircraft .acf — see Aircraft assets.

MESSAGE WARNING OIL PRESSURE
  DATAREF sim/cockpit2/engine/indicators/oil_pressure_psi[0]
  WHEN < 20
  INHIBIT GROUND

MESSAGE WARNING LOW VOLTS
  DATAREF sim/cockpit2/annunciators/low_voltage
  WHEN nonzero
  INHIBIT ESDI ESI GROUND

MESSAGE CAUTION OIL TEMP
  DATAREF sim/cockpit2/annunciators/oil_temperature_high[0]
  WHEN nonzero

Severity is WARNING, CAUTION, or ADVISORY. WHEN accepts nonzero (default for annunciator flags), zero, comparisons (==, !=, <, <=, >, >=), between lo hi, and outside lo hi. Optional SCALE / OFFSET apply as value = raw * scale + offset before the test — same idea as EIS BIND.

Optional INHIBIT tags mute the chime only — the CAS line still displays. Combine phases on one line (Pilot’s Guide Appendix A):

• GROUND — on the ground (airspeed and ground speed both below 40 kt)
• ESDI — engine shutdown on the ground
• ESI — engine start on the ground

Chimes: Warning is a continuous tone until you press the flashing Warning softkey (or the condition clears). Caution is a single chime when the message appears. Advisory has no CAS chime.

The right-most PFD softkey is Alerts. While it flashes Warning or Caution, the first press acknowledges that level and the label returns to Alerts. Messages acknowledges system advisories and opens the Alerts window. A steady Alerts key toggles that window (AHRS/ADC/GPS text, not the CAS stack).

Prefer X-Plane annunciator datarefs when the airframe already lights them. Numeric thresholds on temperatures can false-trip if the sim’s units are not what you expect.

Checklists

The MFD Checklist page group reads a .checklist file: groups, named checklists, and items. Press ENT/CLR to check items off, as on the real unit. For a custom set that survives installer updates, put g1000_checklist.txt (or <acf_stem>_checklist.txt) next to the aircraft .acf — see Aircraft assets.

GROUP NORMAL PROCEDURES

  CHECKLIST BEFORE STARTING ENGINE
    Preflight Inspection : COMPLETE
    Fuel Selector : BOTH
    Avionics Switch : OFF
    A note with no colon

Split the expected response on the first : (space-colon-space). A line with no colon is a note. Bundled Cessna 172 and Vision Jet sets ship in assets/checklists/.

Boot logos

After the logo splash on both displays, the MFD shows the NXi power-up page: shared G1000 NXi wordmark, a large airframe hero image, a database list, and an ENT prompt. Layout is shared; only the hero PNG and the airframe name change per type.

Hero image, first match wins:

1. g1000_boot.png or <acf_stem>_boot.png next to the .acf (plugin) — survives installer updates.
2. assets/boot/<icao>.png in the plugin folder (any aircraft, no rebuild).
3. Bundled default for the detected profile (for example boot/c172.png).

Use a PNG. The airframe name on the first database row comes from the built-in profile for known types, or the ICAO code otherwise. Press ENT on the bezel (or bind the matching X-Plane command) to continue. Full load order and the update-safe aircraft-folder pattern are under Aircraft assets.

SimBrief and Navigraph charts

AUX → SIMBRIEF signs in with Navigraph’s device flow and fetches the latest SimBrief OFP for that account.

• Standalone — the OFP is saved to the Flight Plan Catalog. Open FPL → Flight Plan Catalog and Activate to make it the active route (written to X-Plane through the flight-plan bridge). Login/FETCH stay disabled until there is a live sim link.
• Plugin — the OFP replaces the active in-sim route immediately.

Airport charts appear on the WPT page when you are signed in. Navigraph traffic is limited to a connected simulator session.

Hardware bindings

Every bezel key, softkey, knob detent, and the RANGE/pan control is bindable in X-Plane → Settings → Keyboard or Joystick.

• Stock G1000 commands (sim/GPS/g1000n1_*, sim/GPS/g1000n3_*) are intercepted, so existing aircraft or hardware bindings keep working.
• Dedicated commands live under cockpit_vector_g1000nxi/ (search “Cockpit Vector G1000 NXi”): pfd/*, mfd/* (softkeys, FMS knobs, ENT/CLR, range, pan), and radio/* for COM/NAV.

With the plugin installed, those same commands are forwarded to standalone windows over the command bridge — including when in-sim glass takeover is off. Physical bezels, Stream Deck (SPAD.neXt profiles ship in the project), and joystick bindings can drive external monitors.

How do I get support?

Questions, bugs, or hangar talk — join the Cockpit Vector Discord. That is the public community for G1000 NXi. Come as you are; no ticket form required.

FAQ