Final thought on FS Sky World

[Guest SD Sim]

Hi Chris and others,It's taken me all day, but I think I finally have it figured out. I'm sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but from all the threads I've read, I think there are others beside myself who are still puzzled. Hopefully this will help.In it's default mode, MSFS comes with a number of different cloud textures, with distinctive file names. These include the following:cld.x = cumulus cloudscldcn.x = thunder cloudscirrus_x, cumulonimbus_x, cumulus_x, and stratus_x = mid/high level cloudsThe simulator itself comes with a standard set, which is used when you either manually set weather, or when you download the real-world weather. What Chris has done is to vastly improve these cloud textures, and make many more of them.There are two easy ways to use his clouds. Both use FS Sky World (FSSW). The first method is to choose the clouds yourself. In the latest version, you can easily select from a number of packages for each layer. The alternative is to let FS Sky World pick the cloud packages at random, where you specify the period for each update. When FSSW selects a package, it will select a package in the FSSW clouds folder and replace the textures in the root texture folder. It does this one package at a time. Thus, one refresh might give you a new cld.x set, while the next might give you a cldcn.x set. Until a new set is written into the root texture folder, the old set will continue to be used.What does this mean for the end user. Here is where Chris will have a chance to correct me if I'm wrong (strong possibility). Anyway, if you are flying in cumulus (cld.x), and you get an update for thunderstorms (cldcn.x) that don't exist, you won't notice any change in the clouds your watching. The only time they'll change is if another cld.x package is selected and written into the root folder. As far as I can determine, only one cloud package is selected at a time in random mode, but there are several different cloud types, as detailed above.I hope this makes it clearer for some of the newer users, like myself, out there. My aim here is to help clarify (I hope) the use of a wonderful utility.

[Chris Willis 8]

Hi, "Anyway, if you are flying in cumulus (cld.x), and you get an update for thunderstorms (cldcn.x) that don't exist, you won't notice any change in the clouds your watching. The only time they'll change is if another cld.x package is selected and written into the root folder."You can copy all clouds bmp in each single one folder, this will give you 100% cloud change when the auto install is enabled.http://fsw.simflight.com/FSWfskAddingCloud...eSituation.htmlThe metar donwload from 3rd party weather generator is preserved and can update the clouds also, if not updated from fs sky world se.All texture thats are in fs2000texture can by used with fs sky world se, such as, FSW raindrop, fsw moon, fsw sun , fsw runways lights , autogen texture etc. Morehttp://fsw.simflight.com/FSWFskHelpMenu.htmlThanksChris Willis[link:fsw.simflight.com/FSWMenuFsSim.html]Clouds And Addons For MsFshttp://fsw.simflight.com/fsw.jpg

[Guest jase439]

You can configure the Auto Refresh feature to choose from only a subset of cloud types. If you want continual cloud changes for a certain class of clouds (which is most appropriate for FSMeteo), then choose only those cloud types (Cumulus for FSMeteo since that is the cloud type that it seems to use exclusively) and you will get a new set every time the refresh timer is triggered.

[Guest SD Sim]

Thanks Chris :-) Let me see if I understand correctly. What you are suggesting is that I can create a new folder that contains one complete set of textures for a given layer. By way of example, I can create the following folder:My favorite set 1 = Real Edge Pack 1 set 1 + Real Thunderstorm Severe set 1 + HM level set 1. I then would have to reconfigure the cloud.ini to use my favorite set. I can then make as many of these combined folders as I want, and have FSSW use these new "packages" to create the cloud layers.My assumption is that I can have only one cloud set for each layer, since each set within a layer always has the same name (i.e. cld.1 - cld.10). But I think I'm still missing something fundamental here, because of this statement in the read-me:"All new clouds pack folder created in fs2002/texture/Fs Sky World 2002 Should always finish with the word: set 1, (set 2, set 3, if many packs are used within the same series like real edge series) from=1 to=1 Those line should always set from=1 to=1, you change them only if there is more than one set in the same series like the real edge pack 1 and pack 2 from=1 (for the real edge series, 5 set in each pack) to=5 This I find confusing. Do you mean that I can have seperate folders called, for instance, "my favorite set 1", "my favorite set 2", and so on (each set with different .bmp files)?Sorry for being so dense, but I feel like I'm close to grasping the complete concept, and I don't want to lose my hold.