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SP2 Free Camera

SP2 Free Camera is a local free-camera plugin for the Windows x64 edition of SimplePlanes 2. The current version is 0.6.12. It uses the BepInEx 5 Mono x64 runtime and is built for game version 0.7.8.103. The plugin only controls the local camera and local UI: it does not modify vehicle physics, send network messages, or depend on other custom plugins.

Direct installation

The release directory contains a ready-to-install archive:

release/SP2FreeCamera-v0.6.12-win-x64.zip

The archive includes both the Free Camera DLL and the complete BepInEx 5.4.23.5 Windows x64 runtime, so BepInEx does not need to be installed separately.

1. Close SimplePlanes 2 completely.
2. Extract everything from the archive directly into the game directory—the directory that contains SimplePlanes 2.exe.
3. If Windows asks whether to merge the BepInEx directory, allow it.
4. Start the game and enter a flight scene.

The important installed files are:

SimplePlanes 2/
├─ .doorstop_version
├─ doorstop_config.ini
├─ winhttp.dll
├─ BepInEx/
│  ├─ core/
│  └─ plugins/
│     └─ SP2FreeCamera.dll
└─ SimplePlanes 2.exe

The release archive does not contain BepInEx/config, logs, caches, or other plugins, so installing it over an existing setup will not reset Free Camera settings. The archive checksum is recorded in release/SHA256SUMS.txt.

Upgrading

Close SimplePlanes 2 completely and download the Windows x64 ZIP from the latest release. Choose one of these methods:

• Replace only the plugin DLL: If your existing BepInEx 5 Mono installation works, copy BepInEx/plugins/SP2FreeCamera.dll from the new ZIP over the same file in the game directory. Your configuration and other plugins stay in place.
• Update the bundled BepInEx files too: Extract the entire new ZIP into the directory containing SimplePlanes 2.exe, and allow matching files and folders to be merged or replaced. The package contains no personal configuration, so your existing settings remain in place.
• Start with a clean BepInEx folder: Only do this if BepInEx/plugins has no other plugin DLLs or files you need to keep. Back up BepInEx/config/local.sp2.freecamera.cfg and any other data you want to retain, delete the old BepInEx folder, then extract the entire new ZIP into the game directory. Restore the saved configuration afterward. Do not delete the folder if other plugins depend on it.

Default controls

Action	Default input
Enter or exit free camera	Insert
Open or close the standalone settings menu	ScrollLock
Toggle cinematic/general mode	0 on the main keyboard number row
Move forward or backward	W / S
Move left or right	A / D
Move up or down	E / Q
Toggle normal and fast movement speed	Keypad5
Focus on your current vehicle or avatar	Backspace
Focus on the target selected by the game	- on the main keyboard number row
Toggle automatic FOV	= on the main keyboard number row
Focus on terrain, a part, or a moving object under the pointer	Middle mouse button
Clear focus and look freely	Hold and drag the left mouse button
Adjust FOV, or desired reference area while automatic FOV is active	Mouse wheel

The default normal movement speed is 200 m/s, and the default fast movement speed is 2000 m/s. When upgrading from an older version, the plugin only migrates values that are still exactly equal to the old 20/200 m/s defaults; all other custom speed values are preserved.

The configuration file is generated after the first run:

BepInEx/config/local.sp2.freecamera.cfg

The plugin includes English and Simplified Chinese interfaces. The language can be changed from either the quick menu or the full settings menu.

Camera entry and mouse input

Entering free camera immediately resets roll to zero, leveling the horizon while retaining the current camera position, heading, pitch and FOV.

Free camera is entered only with Insert or its menu button. It is excluded from the game's native next/previous-view cycle, so C keeps the stock camera order (for example, seated first person wraps to Chase). Switching from freecam to a native view releases the plugin's pointer ownership in that same camera switch.

HUD target boxes do not interrupt left-mouse dragging or block wheel input. You can start a drag over a target box and continue across its boundary. This applies to both manual FOV and automatic-FOV reference-area adjustment; middle-click focus selection uses the same boundary. Plugin menus, foreground game controls, dialogs, text fields and the developer console still retain their input.

Native first-person target lock

First-person target locking is available without entering free camera.

• Middle-click terrain, a moving ground target or another aircraft's part to keep looking at the selected point. The local cockpit/avatar is excluded from this ray. A locked mouse cursor uses the camera viewport center.
• Press main-keyboard - to look at the game's currently selected target. Changing the game's selection afterward does not retarget this camera lock.
• Manual native look input or the native recenter action releases the lock. Switching cameras clears it; wheel zoom and vehicle controls remain native.
• Outside freecam, Backspace releases any lock and calls the supported first-person camera's native recenter action, even without a target. Native roll and recenter transitions are retained. Under Look At Cockpit, it only recenters the native look offset; it does not override the cockpit target. Freecam's Backspace still focuses on your own vehicle/avatar. Menus, text/chat, the console, pause and application focus protect this shortcut.
• Classic cockpit, player first-person and ordinary first-person camera parts are supported. Targeting/weapon pods, Orbit, Chase, Fly-by and VR are excluded.
• Look At Cockpit takes priority. When enabled, this extension does not acquire targets, consume middle input or override the native camera rotation.
• Camera position, focal position and FOV stay under native control. Mounted roll, Auto Orient and the seated player's native Chicken Head correction are retained. Freecam still levels its roll on entry and keeps its existing dynamic-target tracking algorithm.

The extension defaults to on, independently of freecam's cinematic/general mode. Set [FirstPerson] FocusEnabled = false in the plugin configuration to disable it. It shares [Keys] FocusSelectedTarget and the maximum picking distance, but does not inherit freecam zoom or rotation smoothing. In on-foot first person, the game's view-relative walking direction naturally follows the locked view. See the behavior and regression checklist.

Cinematic position movement

Press 0 on the main keyboard (not Numpad 0) while free camera is active to switch between cinematic mode and general mode. Cinematic mode is enabled by default. The choice is saved locally as [Movement] CinematicModeEnabled and retained when re-entering free camera or restarting the game.

• Cinematic mode: movement keys (W/A/S/D/Q/E by default) and quick-menu direction buttons move the camera with the configured speed and acceleration.
• General mode: the camera position stops immediately, with no residual glide. Movement keys return to the game's vehicle/avatar controls, including Q/E yaw with the default game bindings. Quick-menu movement and speed buttons are disabled.
• Mouse look, target focus, manual FOV and automatic FOV remain available in both modes. Switching modes does not reset the target, interrupt a drag or reset FOV smoothing.

Both plugin menus show the current mode and provide a toggle. The full menu can also save your choice before entering free camera. The hotkey respects menus, dialogs, text/chat input, the console and application focus. It is configurable as [Keys] ToggleCinematicMode = Alpha0 in the configuration file; no key-binding editor is added to the settings menu.

Only cinematic mode captures the movement keys in the game's Craft/Character keyboard maps. General mode restores their exact prior enabled states; the plugin's mode keys (0 and = by default) remain captured until free camera exits. Other map categories, modified-key bindings, mouse and controller inputs are unchanged. See the mode test checklist.

Speed and acceleration

Open the full settings menu with ScrollLock (or the settings button in the quick menu). Under Numeric settings, edit Normal position acceleration (m/s²) and Fast position acceleration (m/s²) independently, then click Apply values. Defaults are 80 m/s² for normal mode and 800 m/s² for fast mode. Both support 0–1000000 and are saved as [Movement] NormalAcceleration and FastAcceleration.

The active speed setting's acceleration limits how quickly the camera's position velocity can change when starting, releasing movement input or changing direction. Switching normal/fast speed preserves the current velocity and uses the new rate, including braking when switching from fast to normal. Keyboard and quick-menu movement buttons use the same behavior. Velocity is retained in world space, so changing the view direction while moving produces a gradual turn in the travel path. Acquiring a focus target also preserves an ongoing move.

Movement smoothing time remains a shared setting (default 0.08 s). It eases the final approach to the requested speed or to a stop. With smoothing set to 0, position movement still accelerates and brakes at the configured rate. Setting a mode's acceleration to 0 disables its limit and restores the previous smoothing-only behavior in that mode; set its acceleration and movement smoothing to 0 for instant movement.

Lower acceleration gives gentler, longer glides. As a starting point for a slow shot, try a normal speed of 20 m/s, normal acceleration of 20 m/s², and movement smoothing of 0.15 s. With the default speeds and accelerations, both modes take at least 2.5 s to accelerate from rest to their requested speed; easing extends the final transition. Switching from fast to normal uses the normal acceleration for deceleration, so it can take longer to slow down. Releasing movement input gradually brakes the camera, so allow room for the stopping distance.

These settings affect position only. Mouse-look rotation, immediate dynamic target focus, and FOV zoom keep their independent settings. A focused camera may finish braking from your movement input, but the target itself never pulls its position. Switching to general mode, opening the full menu, losing input focus, leaving free camera, or a frame interruption longer than 0.25 s clears movement immediately. Switching cinematic movement off/on retains the normal/fast speed choice within the current free-camera session, but movement resumes from rest.

Lock-on behavior

• Aircraft parts, released weapons, dynamic ground targets, your current vehicle or avatar, and the target selected by the game are resolved at their current raw positions every rendered frame, and the camera rotation is updated directly toward them.
• Dynamic lock-on does not use target prediction or focus smoothing and never moves the camera position.
• Manual and automatic FOV remain independent of focus rotation and always use the configured FOV smoothing time.
• The menu's terrain-point lock smoothing setting only affects static focus points such as terrain.
• Starting a left-button drag clears the active lock and returns to free look.

Automatic FOV / reference-area lock

Press = on the main keyboard to toggle automatic FOV while free camera is enabled. The full settings menu and quick menu also provide a toggle and show off, waiting for a target, or active. Its configurable binding is [Keys] ToggleAutoFov = Equals, not KeypadPlus.

With any valid focus target, the plugin compensates for distance changes using the projected area of a virtual unit sphere centered on the focus point. Terrain, parts, released weapons, dynamic ground targets, your vehicle/avatar, and selected game targets all use the same rule. No sphere is created or rendered, and the target's real dimensions, orientation, wing deployment and mesh shape are intentionally ignored. The camera's position is never changed by this mode.

• Activation or a newly selected target captures the currently displayed FOV as the initial framing (100%), avoiding a jump to a previous zoom value.
• While active, the wheel changes desired reference area relative to that initial framing. The displayed percentage is not the real target's screen coverage. Wheel sensitivity uses the existing zoom sensitivity setting.
• Ideal FOV is calculated once per rendered frame using the same fresh target position as focus rotation. Actual FOV uses FOV smoothing time (default 0.12 s), exactly like manual zoom. Nonzero smoothing allows temporary framing drift during fast distance changes; 0 applies the geometric result directly.
• Without a valid target, the mode waits and the wheel adjusts FOV normally. Left-mouse dragging clears focus and leaves the switch armed.
• Disabling the mode keeps the currently displayed FOV and returns the wheel to manual zoom. Lost targets stop stale auto-zoom; a new lock captures a new baseline.
• FOV limits and distances on/inside the reference sphere are handled silently. Distance-only clamping retains the desired ratio for recovery, and reverse scrolling at a limit responds without accumulated out-of-range wheel input.

The switch starts off when the plugin loads. It is retained across free-camera sessions until the game is closed, but is not saved to configuration. A practical test checklist covers the controls and boundary cases.

Uninstallation

To remove only Free Camera, delete:

BepInEx/plugins/SP2FreeCamera.dll

Do not remove BepInEx, winhttp.dll, or doorstop_config.ini if other plugins still use BepInEx.

Privacy and release scope

• The plugin has no telemetry, online update mechanism, or data-upload feature.
• The repository and release archive do not include personal configuration, runtime logs, caches, account details, access tokens, private-network addresses, or developer-machine absolute paths.
• Target names are displayed only in the local UI. Generic messages without target names are written to the BepInEx log.
• Logs produced by the game or other plugins may contain unrelated information; review BepInEx/LogOutput.log before sharing it.
• BepInEx in the release archive comes from the official 5.4.23.5 Windows x64 release and is verified against a pinned SHA-256 checksum. It is never copied from the local game installation.

See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for third-party components and licenses. This repository currently does not declare an open-source license for the Free Camera source code; the bundled third-party licenses do not grant redistribution rights for that source code.

Building from source

Requirements:

• Windows PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7
• Visual Studio Build Tools with the Roslyn C# compiler
• A local installation of SimplePlanes 2

Set the game directory and build:

$env:SP2_GAME_DIR = '<SteamLibrary>\steamapps\common\SimplePlanes 2'
.\build.ps1

If the compiler cannot be found automatically, provide a generic compiler path:

.\build.ps1 -Csc '<VisualStudio>\MSBuild\Current\Bin\Roslyn\csc.exe'

Build the DLL and create the complete ready-to-install archive:

.\build.ps1 -Package

Build and deploy the DLL to the local game installation. The script refuses to overwrite the DLL while the game is running:

.\build.ps1 -Deploy

The DLL is written to bin/SP2FreeCamera.dll, and the archive is written to release. The packaging script downloads only the official BepInEx 5.4.23.5 archive and verifies this pinned SHA-256 checksum:

82f9878551030f54657792c0740d9d51a09500eeae1fba21106b0c441e6732c4

verify-release.ps1 checks the archive allowlist, every bundled BepInEx file, the plugin DLL version, and the absence of local user paths, repository paths, UNC paths, and private-network addresses.

Run the camera-input, automatic-FOV and position-movement regression tests without starting the game:

.\test-camera-input.ps1
.\test-auto-fov.ps1
.\test-movement.ps1

Camera-input tests exercise production entry, pointer routing, movement-mode methods and the keyboard-capture class with minimal Unity/UI/Rewired doubles. They cover roll reset, target-box crossings, wheel input, UI protection, mode defaults and keyboard gates, immediate stopping, exact binding restoration and control-map lifecycle events. The configuration double models saved values but does not verify disk I/O. These tests do not replace in-game rendering and interaction checks.

The FOV tests cover unit-sphere projection, wheel ratios, state changes, silent limits, near-distance safety, viewport aspect changes, and shared zoom smoothing. Movement tests cover acceleration, braking distance, turns, reversals, speed switches, smoothing combinations, and travel at different rendered-frame rates.

Current limitations

• Only non-VR flight scenes are currently supported.
• The minimum field of view is 0.1°; a custom projection matrix is used for extremely small values.
• If a target's original transform is updated only on physics ticks, aiming on every rendered frame can only use the latest raw position available to that frame.
• Rebuild and perform an in-flight regression test after the game is updated.