HUD images here

Images are below their captions.

A HUD is a Heads-Up Display: a transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view information with the head positioned "up" and looking forward, instead of angled down looking at lower instruments. A HUD also has the advantage that the pilot's eyes do not need to refocus to view the outside after looking at the optically nearer instruments First developed in the 1940s for military aircraft (from Wikipedia).

As the newer versions of Oolite have allowed more flexibility with modifying HUD elements since the early days of Oolite v.1.20 in 2004! From the halcyon days of Aegidian's Mega-Walnut dashboard (for the Fer-de-Lance), the HUD designers have risen to the challenge. There was a quantum leap under Cim's tenure as lead designer, when it was made easier to code new HUDs and the range of possibilities was greatly increased. This extended to MFDs. This happened with the release of Oolite v.1.79 in 2013/4.

The most striking versions here include the Coluber, Dangerous & Vimana HUDs.

Ships with custom HUDs: Note also that some ships come with their own HUD versions! Eg.: Coluber Racers - Blue, Red, Yellowbelly & Black; also Isis Interstellar ships, all of Simon B's ships in Neolite-Wolfies and some of his Waka series, some of Wolfwood's ships such as his Asp Explorer (Oolite), etc.

HUDs not shown here: Note also that some HUDs are not shown here: Killer Wolf's Dynamic HUD, Cyan HUD, Clear HUD, etc. See the OXP List and its links for more.

Experimenting with new HUDs The easiest way into all this is probably using HUDSelector which comes with 3 more HUDs to try out (extra-large, large & small). It will then help manage most others you download.

Four points:
1) The game specifies 2 types of HUD: small (for the Adder, the Cobra Mk.1, etc) and regular. Most of these below do not have a small variant, so you will find that your small ship defaults to the Vanilla game's small ship HUD!
2) The number of MFDs varies with the HUD (from 0 to 15)! MFDs were introduced in 2013/14
3) HUD designers often include icons for their favourite oxp equipments. See Coluber (& Deeper Space), CB (& CRR), Vimana & Z-GrOovY MiLHUD below for examples.
4) A number of HUDS have special features

Choice of layouts/colour - Dangerous HUD (fighter cockpit view, hauler cockpit view and glass only view, 6 colours) & Xenon HUD (2 colours)
Current Location Display (with Current Risk Notifier) - see Deeper Space HUD
Weapon Bays Missile Identifier - see ChupacabraHUD
Warning signs for low altitude/energy/shields/high temperature - see Vimana HUD
Extra add-on modules (purchasable) with some of the functions of the Combat & Navigation MFD's - see Vimana HUD
Sun glare contrast - see Xenon HUD
Sound effects - see Dangerous HUD
Listings of present equipment - see Z-GrOovY MiLHUD, Vimana HUD, Deeper Space HUD & the Coluber HUDs (these lists are inevitably partial - there is so much equipment)
Shield Capacitors gauges - see ChupacabraHUD

"Vanilla game" HUD
1 Shield Strength (Fore & Aft shields)
2 Level Indicators: Fuel, Cabin Temperature, Laser Temperature & Altitude
3 Pylon Weapon Indicators: Missile (selected), Missile, ECM-Hardened Missile, Quirium Cascade Bomb
4 Aegis Indicator (for aegis of main orbital station)
5 Mass-Lock/Status Indicator (Green, Yellow or Red)
6 Short-Range Scanner
7 Clock
8 Scanner zoom factor
9 Compass
10 Speed Indicator (relative)
11 Roll/Pitch Indicators
12 Energy Banks
Since a joystick is not plugged in, the Joystick precision indicator is not shown

An Example of a Ship OXP custom HUD: Simon B's Arachnid OXP "Wolf" HUD (2009)

Aad HUD

Almost Almost Default HUD! by Spara (2016)

Another HUD

Another HUD by NorthenderPNE (2011)

CB-HUD

CB-HUD Mark II by Captain Beatnik (2011)

ChupacabraHUD

ChupacabraHUD by CommonSenseOTB (2011)

Coluber HUD CH01

Coluber HUD CH01 by Captain Beatnik (2014) & improved by Norby (2020)
Screenshot showing the Coluber HUD CH01 on a 2560x1440 pixel (16:9) monitor scaled-down to 1000x563

CombatHUD

CombatHUD - widescreen version (standard version has Comms and Console messages above the dials on either side). By Smivs (2014)
Combat HUD (Red Alert mode)

Compact HUD

CompactHUD by Aegidian (by 2006), updated by Diziet Sma (2014)

CRR-HUD

CRR-HUD BB An adaptation of the Coluber Red Racer HUD: see Coluber Blue Racer. By Captain Beatnik (2012)

Dangerous HUD

Dangerous HUD showing just the green & blue variants (not Orange, Pink, Purple & White). by Gsagostinho (2017-8)

DeeperSpace HUD

Deeper Space HUD by Pleiadian (2017)

Deepspace HUD

Deepspace HUD by DeepSpace (2009)

Deepspace Retro HUD

Deepspace HUD by DeepSpace (2010)

Dr HUD

Dr HUD by Dr. Nil (2010)

ExtraLarge HUD

ExtraLarge HUD provide a very large, alert sensitive scanner and custom dials with CombatMFD but no 16:10 support due to not enough room for the bottom two MFDs. By Norby (2015)

Fighter HUD

Fighter HUD Mk2 by CaptKev (2008-9)

G-HUD

G-HUD Mk2 by Gunney Plym (2008)
Download Large version of screenshot

Isis HUD

Isis HUD by Killer Wolf (2013)
Comes separately or included (as an option) with some Killer Wolf ships (Dominatrix, Werewolf, his newer Venom oxp's).
An old HUD: no MFD's, no HUDSelector compliance.

KeeperHUD

KeeperHUD by Keeper (2016)

Klepto HUD

Klepto-HUD OXP by Kleptoid (2006)

Large HUD

Large HUD looks like the default HUD but with 10 MFDs, custom dials with CombatMFD and a large alert sensitively colored scanner. By Norby (2015).

Both 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10 displays are supported, but in 4:3 "only" 8 MFDs are usable.

Medusa HUD

Medusa HUD by ClymAngus (2009)

Mega Walnut Dash HUD

Mega-Walnut Dashboard Based on the original Fer de Lance HUD of the legendary Aegidian (2005)

MilHUD 4000

MilHUD 4000 by Wildeblood (2012)

MilHUD (Military Specification HUD)

MilSpec HUD by Wyvern (2006-11)

MillHUD Refit

MillHUD Refit by Wolfsstar BH (2015)
Based on Wyvern's MilSpec HUD: HUD Selector compatible, five alert condition colours, 10 MFD's...

Mod HUD

Mod-HUD by CaptSolo (2011-2)

Nova Lux HUD

Nova Lux HUD by Vincentz (2015)

Numeric Style HUDs

Numeric Style HUDs or browse viewtopic for current information. By CommonSenseOTB (2011), updated by Diziet Sma, User:Spara, Norby (2015)
Version 3

OrangED HUD

OrangED HUD has up to 4 MFDs. By Zireael (2014)

Pie Chart Style HUDs

Pie Chart Style HUDs or browse viewtopic for current information. By CommonSenseOTB (2011)

Small HUD

Small HUD like the default small HUD but with 10 MFDs. By Norby (2014)

Smart HUD

SmartHUD-widescreen version (standard version has Comms and Console messages above the dials on either side). By Smivs (2014).

Stranger's World Default Altimeter HUD for the vanilla game

Stranger's World Customised Altimeter HUD for "Stranger's World" games

Trek HUD

Trek HUD by Barabis (2008)

Venom Cockpit HUD

Isis Interstellar's HUD for their Venom line of ships.
Three versions are supplied: standard (as below), mahogany & walnut burr

Vimana HUD

Vimana HUD by Gnievmir (2019)

Vimana-X HUD

Vimana HUD by Phkb (2023)
Modifiable from the Docked F4 Screen (Vimana-X Settings)

Wide-Screen HUD

Wide-Screen HUD by Wildeblood (2013)

Wolfwood HUD

Wolfwood HUD by Wolfwood (2006)
Note: the image shows an Imperial Cruiser even though at bottom right it says "Cobra Mk III". Note the Imperial Cruiser has increased energy banks and missiles. But this gives you an idea of what it looks like.

Xenon HUD

Xenon HUD by Phkb (2015-9)

Yet Another HUD

Yet Another HUD v0.2 / Oolite BBS Discussion

Also known as the Plagiarism HUD, due to shamefully stealing parts from Trek HUD, MilHUD and GenericHUD. By Palmski (2010)

Condition Critical:

Z-GrOovY MiLHUD

Z-GrOovY MiLHUD by Dertien (2013)

Yellow condition displayed, showing legend

Tweaks

Tweak to 'dock' an older HUD so that it does not overlap the bottom of the F2-F8 screens while docked see here. By phkb (2014)
Tweak to customise a HUD's altimeter to allow for the Strangers World gravity wells. See code at the bottom of the first post here. By Stranger (2018)
How to tweak OXZ's

Links

HUD
MFD
HUDSelector - a HUD manager
The HUD-shop (2009-10)