Asg Usage With Asa

[BMBANISTER 0]

Gents,I am a VERY happy long time user of AS6.5 and ASG and still only use FS9. One of the features I like the most is the ability to load a flight plan into AS6.5 then use the ASG auto-submit feature to pull "Wx-Influenced" textures from ASg. Quick and simple way to get a realistic texute set based on prevailing conditions.From chatter in this forum, your website, and my VA website (all positve comments BTW) I understand that ASA does not include it's own graphics program, it is designed to use any all other to pull texture sets. My long winded question then is can ASG use ASA to properly pull "Wx-Influenced" textures" like it does with AS6.5? If not is there a quick in simple way to do this in ASA? Would I be stuck with loading AS6.5 and pulling textures with ASG, close AS6.5, then running ASA for the actual weatherMy basic dilema is this, I really want to upgrade to ASA and gain all the improvements, but do not want to lose this ability. Brad

[psolk 3,037]

Gents,I am a VERY happy long time user of AS6.5 and ASG and still only use FS9. One of the features I like the most is the ability to load a flight plan into AS6.5 then use the ASG auto-submit feature to pull "Wx-Influenced" textures from ASg. Quick and simple way to get a realistic texute set based on prevailing conditions.From chatter in this forum, your website, and my VA website (all positve comments BTW) I understand that ASA does not include it's own graphics program, it is designed to use any all other to pull texture sets. My long winded question then is can ASG use ASA to properly pull "Wx-Influenced" textures" like it does with AS6.5? If not is there a quick in simple way to do this in ASA? Would I be stuck with loading AS6.5 and pulling textures with ASG, close AS6.5, then running ASA for the actual weatherMy basic dilema is this, I really want to upgrade to ASA and gain all the improvements, but do not want to lose this ability. Brad

Hey Brad,From what I determined last night with some playing, ASA can provide this functionality just a little differently. ASA utilizes the concept of Snapshots to integrate ASG graphics. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.Here is what I did:Under ASA go to Graphics:Select Extended Integration (This will automatically launch ASG in the background to create different weather snapshots (ie cloudy, clear etc...) It then loads the "snapshots" into ASA. It appears to take ~ 1 minute per snapshot to create. I think I did about 40 of them last night. Then, when you go into ASA's Briefing screen and load a flight it will automatically ask you if you want to install a snapshot after FP creation that matches the weather and then after the snapshot is loaded ASA will also go on to ask if you want to launch GEPro if installed. Now, all within ASA you can load your FP, load your wxr snapshot and load your ground textures with 2 or 3 clicks.It is actually pretty slick integration but you do have to manually create the snapshots as part of the process first.Hope that babbling helps!-Paul

[JSkorna 137]

Hi,Paul is correct!

[BMBANISTER 0]

So what I am gathering from this description is that with ASA I can not simply load the current or archive weather .dat file and have ASG pull WX influenced graphics set for that flight.Is is safe to assume that without AS6.5 running ASG has no ability to process a graphics "WX influenced" set? My thought here is I could pulled a set for that specific flight, save as a snapshot, then load with ASA.Bottom line is I really like the ASG ability to produce a unique set of textures quickly for every individual flight based on the weather loaded and not sure if I want to give that up.Brad

[Guest tmetzinger]

So what I am gathering from this description is that with ASA I can not simply load the current or archive weather .dat file and have ASG pull WX influenced graphics set for that flight.Is is safe to assume that without AS6.5 running ASG has no ability to process a graphics "WX influenced" set? My thought here is I could pulled a set for that specific flight, save as a snapshot, then load with ASA.Bottom line is I really like the ASG ability to produce a unique set of textures quickly for every individual flight based on the weather loaded and not sure if I want to give that up.Brad

ASG doesn't produce new textures - it looks at the weather, and then grabs a set of textures that it is programmed to use for that weather conditions, and then installs them.When you generate snapshots using ASA to drive ASG, ASA basically gives ASG a bunch of different weather scenarios and tells ASG to grab an appropriate set of textures and then ASA stores those textures. So, if you generate a large number of ASA snapshots with ASG, then you no longer need to use ASG. I'm generating 30 sets for each of the 7 base scenerios, then some extra IMC and rain/snow sets.

[BMBANISTER 0]

Thanks guys.I guess I didn't come across quite right on what I was asking. I know ASG only pulls textures not produce them. I was asking if ASG communicates with ASA in order to get the loaded metar by which it will base it's "WX influenced" texture grab.I've read other posts here about this but still not clear on that one point. Truth be told, based on my overwhelming positive experience with the HiFi Sim products and support, I will probably by ASA regardless. Sooner or later FS9 will leave my hard drive for FSX or FSNext so I might as well progress. :( I just want to know what to expect and not to...

[JSkorna 137]

Hi Brad,ASA will pull Wx Influenced texture themes if you have made the Snapshots as previously posted about.Thanks,

[Damian Clark 1,139]

I guess I didn't come across quite right on what I was asking. I know ASG only pulls textures not produce them. I was asking if ASG communicates with ASA in order to get the loaded metar by which it will base it's "WX influenced" texture grab.

Actually ASG does produce the textures. It's ASA that 'pulls' them. ASG only communicates with ASA during the extended integration "import" feature, in which weather conditions are auto-generated, ASG is asked to create wx-influenced sets for those conditions, and then those graphics are stored in a snapshot. Doing about 100 of them, for example, using the "All Types" option, will give you tons of variation imported into ASA's snapshot system, all with automatically assigned wx-influenced information.Now, outside of this extended integration import, there is no longer a direct link between ASG and ASA. Once you have snapshots, ASA uses those directly.To summarize:ASv6 with ASG = AS would set weather, launch ASG, ASG would install them. No multiple add-on wx-influenced support, no snapshot system features.ASA with ASG = Extended integration first to import snapshots, once that's done, AS sets weather, AS automatically installs appropriate textures. Full multiple add-on wx-influenced support + extended snapshot system features.Its a bit different way of thinking and you're not alone in your initial confusion. We hope the learning curve is fairly shallow and in time the advantage of an open-platform multi-add-on system like this will be obvious. We have many new things planned that take advantage of all this as well, and they would not be possible without a universal snapshot system.Best,

[Guest christopherbarbas]

Hi all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009I am thinking that the provided informations were not clear about ASA.What users has expect is that simple when you load ASA, will provide a 100% realistic, real time, weather influenced, environment at FS9 or FSX.Ok I am reading here that with some "simple" clicks it possible but it is that "simple" clicks that the most off us need or want to avoid.What I understood is that if I first load ASv6.5 with ASG, all that WX influenced, then ASA, push the graphics to FS9 or FSX, the reality is out of the way. Because simply the weather conditions changes from place to place as we know.As described I will have the hole flight some graphics loaded that are not represent the current conditions!If all that is correct "??????" , I think ASA has nothing or extra or whatever, to provide us flying as real as it gets!Regards

[Baptista 49]

Actually ASG does produce the textures. It's ASA that 'pulls' them. ASG only communicates with ASA during the extended integration "import" feature, in which weather conditions are auto-generated, ASG is asked to create wx-influenced sets for those conditions, and then those graphics are stored in a snapshot. Doing about 100 of them, for example, using the "All Types" option, will give you tons of variation imported into ASA's snapshot system, all with automatically assigned wx-influenced information.Now, outside of this extended integration import, there is no longer a direct link between ASG and ASA. Once you have snapshots, ASA uses those directly.To summarize:ASv6 with ASG = AS would set weather, launch ASG, ASG would install them. No multiple add-on wx-influenced support, no snapshot system features.ASA with ASG = Extended integration first to import snapshots, once that's done, AS sets weather, AS automatically installs appropriate textures. Full multiple add-on wx-influenced support + extended snapshot system features.Its a bit different way of thinking and you're not alone in your initial confusion. We hope the learning curve is fairly shallow and in time the advantage of an open-platform multi-add-on system like this will be obvious. We have many new things planned that take advantage of all this as well, and they would not be possible without a universal snapshot system.Best,

ASA with ASG = ASA with GEpro ?a question: as your guide the process of ASA with the Ground Environment Professional work the same way that the ASA with the ASv6? Uninstall the ASv6.5 after installing the ASA, but still with the GEpro. Thanks for the help.

[JSkorna 137]

Hi,Yes, when you click on the GEP Icon. Please make sure that a flightplan has been processed.Thanks,

[BMBANISTER 0]

Maybe I am beating a dead horse, but is there a way you could patch ASG to read the metar from AS6.5 or ASA? That way we still would have the quick and easy method of letting ASG pull "wx influenced" based on a loaded metar. I know the added functionality of multiple supported texture programs is a good thing from ASA perspective and I really want to gain the benefits of improved weather creation ASA has to offer. However, from a graphic texture perspective, I just want to use ASG the simple way I have always done.

[Baptista 49]

Hi,Yes, when you click on the GEP Icon. Please make sure that a flightplan has been processed.Thanks,

Okay, thanks. In time, I want to thank everyone that this forum will help me. ASA is a great product. Great investment for anyone who likes simulation. :(

[BMBANISTER 0]

Maybe I am beating a dead horse, but is there a way you could patch ASG to read the metar from AS6.5 or ASA? That way we still would have the quick and easy method of letting ASG pull "wx influenced" based on a loaded metar. I know the added functionality of multiple supported texture programs is a good thing from ASA perspective and I really want to gain the benefits of improved weather creation ASA has to offer. However, from a graphic texture perspective, I just want to use ASG the simple way I have always done.

Like I knew I would, I went ahead and purchaced ASA. I do really like the product overall. What I am doing now is running AS6.5 with ASG to set my wx influenced textures for the flight. Then I close them out and run ASA for the weather. Like most folks, I still have a bit of a learning curve and there are a few things I have yet to figure out, but I'm sure I will become second nature after a while. Sort of an old dog new trick sort of thing.

[Mike... 7]

So, are these snapshots kinda like Ground Environment Professional II, where you need to generate texture sets first and those are then used?And what about that GEP Icon? Does that not happen automatically. Like in AS, with the GE Pro Submit on New FP?