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XTextureExtractor

XTextureExtractor turns tablets, monitors, or Raspberry Pis into live cockpit instrument displays for X-Plane. The plugin extracts instrument textures in real time and streams them over the network to connected devices.

Background

The plugin receives occasional updates and supports over 40 preconfigured aircraft configurations, including Zibo 737, ToLiss A321, Flight Factor A320/757/767/777, and many Laminar default aircraft.

Features

  • Texture extraction: Automatically detects the panel texture of the current aircraft and extracts individual instruments (HSI, ND, EICAS, CDU, etc.)
  • Local windows: Display instruments in separate X-Plane windows, move to external monitors, save positions
  • Network streaming: Streams PNG-encoded instrument frames over TCP to connected clients
  • Aircraft definitions: Simple .tex text files define instrument regions — custom aircraft can be added easily
  • Android app: Displays 2 panels simultaneously with automatic X-Plane discovery (removed from Google Play in March 2025 — APK can be built from source)
  • Java desktop client: Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi), included in the download

Limitations

  • The cockpit must be rendered (internal view required)
  • The default Laminar G1000 (C172, etc.) uses a non-standard texture mechanism and cannot be captured

Value in Flight Simulation

XTextureExtractor enables multi-monitor setups without special hardware. Cockpit instruments can be offloaded to a tablet next to the main screen — particularly useful for navigation displays, EICAS, or CDUs that are hard to read in the full-screen cockpit. Via network streaming, remote devices can also serve as instrument displays.

Installation

Download: GitHub — download the ZIP file from the Uploads/ directory.

Extract the Plugin-XTextureExtractor-x64-Release folder to Resources/plugins/. The Linux binary is at 64/lin.xpl.

No additional system packages are required. There are no known Linux-specific issues.

Network Streaming

The plugin server listens on TCP port 52500. To receive data on external devices, this port must be opened in the firewall. Automatic discovery by the Android app uses the X-Plane beacon on UDP multicast 239.255.1.1:49707.

Sources