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Weather System

That FSXWX looks pretty good, although all the file replacements and .cfg file changes seem a bit complicated.
My question would be: How does it compare to things like ASN, or FSRealWX? I currently FSRealWX Lite, and it seems to work beautifully "out of the box", so to speak. No changes to any FSX default files or anything like that. Is this FSXWX better? More accurate? Just better looking?
I just want to see if it's worth the effort, such as it is, to install with all the required changes it needs.
Thanks for the help :)
Pat☺
 
Tom, FWIW, all the weather engines still have to use the world wide met data, met reports and forecasts and most tap into NOAA's data. After that how the weather is reproduced on your system is a matter of the graphics and textures and the programming capacity behind it. I use REX which has been quite dependable, but when I am also using FSX for other work (aircraft mods etc) FSX becomes the default. REX is always superior but is not because of the data feed but the programming which uses the data. There are others but I do not find the default system all that bad either.
 
ActiveSky 2016 is the most accurate weather engine I've used. Previously default real world weather in FSX, OpusFSI, and ActiveSky Next. It can depict multiple layers of weather/clouds and provides a very smooth visual transition between weather changes.

It is worth every penny.
 
The installation does seem complicated might give it go. Reason I ask is because no matter how many days pass the weather around a an airport sometimes seems to never change. Henry does ActiveSky automatically update the weather?.
 
henrystreet said:
ActiveSky 2016 is the most accurate weather engine I've used. Previously default real world weather in FSX, OpusFSI, and ActiveSky Next. It can depict multiple layers of weather/clouds and provides a very smooth visual transition between weather changes.

It is worth every penny.
Click to expand...

Agreed...I use REX for textures, but I just got AS16 over Christmas and I will never use anything else...they know how to do weather over there. It looks more reaslitic and behaves very good for a sim. I'm very impressed. The features are fantastic all the options available to customize. makes a great package.
 
+1

Active Sky Next 2016, REX TD with Soft clouds and to make it even better...

EZDok 2 just updated their engine to read ASN 2016 live. The new turbulence engine gets real time data from ASN, so now the cloud turbulence is pretty incredible. The options for cloud layering and visibility are extremely flexible. When I encounter a live weather system I really like I save that off to archive for days I want to tap into specific weather for video or screen caps.

The whole package is the best setup I've seen to date.

My two cents...that and a buck ninety eight will get you a cup of coffee. :encouragement:
 
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Tom,
Most weather engines available update the weather "on the fly" as they say. Usually every few minutes, depending on the particular weather engine and it's settings made by the user, as well as the availability of information from the various METAR stations.
The big problem with the default weather in FSX is, and this has been known for a long time, that sometimes it's up-to-date, sometimes they can go weeks, or even months, with no changes to the weather at all. That's why most recommend 3rd party weather engines. ASN, FSXWX, FSRealWX, REX, whatever.
I, personally, am on a very fixed income, so I only use freeware. My favorite has been FSRealWX lite. It works for me, and seems to me to depict the weather quite realistically. It doesn't necessarily have super spectacular cloud textures or whatever, but the winds, cloud layers, fog, icing, whatever are accurate to the real world. I'm not after pretty pictures, just accuracy, so it's all I need. Again, this is just me, personally. I am always open to something new, or "better", or whatever, though. That's why the FSXWX is interesting to me. Also, it's free :)
Pat☺
 
I think the default FSX weather engine had had its day even when new and reports of it not updating have been going for years. ANYTHING is better than the default;)

ATB
DaveB:)
 
Sorry for the late reply after looking at other sites I've decided to gonfor Active Sky 2016. Is there anything else I need to get before I purchase it?.
 
I think AS2016 is just a weather engine Tom. To get the very best out of it.. I'd get some different clouds too. You may be able to get it with Cloud Art as a bundle. Otherwise.. look at REX Texture Direct.

ATB
DaveB:)
 
I use Rex Texture Direct + Soft Clouds and AS16 and the visuals are outstanding.
Add Steve's DX10 fixer and cloud shadows to that and you will be in for a treat.

Joe
 
Much of the debate depends on what the simmer wants. Some products offer better visuals and more options for what is/can be displayed. Others may offer a more robust set of algorithms to 'generate' the simulated weather.

What we see and fly through in the sim is still dependent on the data source(s). Worldwide, the source of that data comes only from a very small percentage of the visible atmosphere and then it's collected, transmitted and rebroadcast through the various weather services - within certain criteria.

METARs - the 'actual' weather, is done by humans or machines HOURLY. It is observed, tabulated and then distributed. This is the core of what the sim gets so there is a lot of time in between as well as huge distances between stations. In the case of the automated systems in N. America and more now in other parts of the world, the automated observations are ongoing but many of those are not polled at all, or they may report to the central system every 15, 30 or 60 minutes even if they are available by radio (or in some cases by phone) in "real time". The only criteria for updating in between the hourly METAR is when there are significant changes that affect operational conditions (drop/rise in viz, wind changes, precipitation to name some) and then a Special Observation is put out. Some of those are only triggered by pilot or ATC reports to the weather observer who is indoors except during his observation.

The automated stations only report data from a tiny spot of sky and some technical guesses of other conditions. The human-observed conditions are more comprehensive as the observer sees a 360* picture in most cases and can interpret things like patchy fog, nearby showers, multiple cloud layers, etc.

If you don't like your local forecast (public or aviation) then don't expect much from a $50 add-on running alongside a $50 sim. The real world ones are done with human interpretation of computer-modeled data run through large, dedicated computer systems but still provide a generalized image/guess.

What happens in the vast spaces between reporting (and forecast) stations is anybody's guess or a computer-generated hypothesis and I doubt we'll ever get anything nearing 50% accuracy so 'sorta like' is a pretty reasonable substitute.

Then again, there are many who don't care if it's real or accurate as long as it looks good.
 
Are you saying that I shouldnt get AS16 because it will basically be the same as the default FSX weather system where it updaes itself every so often?.
 
Because they both update every so often with basically the same input data doesn't mean the FSX default weather system and AS2016 are the same at all. That's just one aspect. (All the engines use the same Wx source data because really that's all that's available.)

The latest AS products (ASN, AS2016) have a DLL that installs in your sim and communicates with the external Wx engine. This allows the product to change your weather experience inside the sim world for far greater realism than the default engine. For instance wind transitions are smoothed, and the crazy instant cloud pops are eliminated - visual transitions between different weather areas are absolutely smooth. The unrealistic FSX depiction of IFR conditions is fixed - when you are in clouds you will see nothing. You're inside a ping-pong ball. Mist and fog and all other visual effects are more real. Turbulence is VASTLY more real.

There's really no comparison. Once you experience this enhanced realism going back to default weather (or older products that don't offer these realism features) feels primitive and game-like not a simulation at all.

Tom Burnside said:
Are you saying that I shouldnt get AS16 because it will basically be the same as the default FSX weather system where it updaes itself every so often?.
Click to expand...
 
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