Auto Picture – Automated AWACS & GCI Picture Generation DCS Airspace
Last updated: Sep 14, 2026

Auto Picture

Auto Picture is an automated AWACS and GCI picture generation feature in DCS Airspace. It analyzes the live tactical air picture around a selected friendly aircraft and converts the current contact geometry into a standardized air picture that can be used by an AWACS or GCI controller.

Instead of manually interpreting the map and building the picture from individual contacts, Auto Picture evaluates the position, grouping and geometry of the relevant contacts and generates the corresponding Core Information or Traditional Picture. It can also add the applicable Fill-Ins and Amplifications supported by the current implementation.

Auto Picture is intended for DCS World AWACS and GCI operations, particularly when several airborne contacts must be quickly interpreted and communicated from a common tactical reference.

How to Use Auto Picture

Auto Picture works from the currently selected friendly aircraft on the tactical display. The selected aircraft is the reference aircraft and represents the aircraft being addressed by the AWACS or GCI controller.

The Auto Picture controls are available directly in the Auto Picture window:

CORE — Generates the Core Information picture.
PICT — Generates the Traditional Picture when a supported tactical geometry can be identified. If no applicable Traditional Picture can be determined, Auto Picture falls back to Core Information, communicating the total number of groups and the information for the three highest-priority groups.
SET — Opens the Auto Picture settings. Currently, this provides the maximum range used to determine which contacts are considered for the picture.
AREA — Allows the controller to draw or remove a dedicated Auto Picture Area associated with the selected friendly aircraft. When an area is defined, it overrides the maximum-range setting and limits the picture to contacts inside that area.

To generate a picture, select the friendly aircraft that will receive the picture and press CORE or PICT. Auto Picture then analyzes the relevant airborne contacts around that reference and generates the corresponding picture automatically.

Unknown and hostile airborne contacts are considered for the picture, while friendly and neutral contacts are excluded as opposing groups.