Weather Center 2.0 Is Available!

Weather Center 2 is now available!WC2 is a new weather add-on for Flight Simulator 2000/2002. Completely redesigned from Weather Center 1.0, WC2 features a new, sophisticated weather generation algorithm based on an algorithm employing airport "influence factors", which allows the simulation to combines weather from airports all around the aircraft into an accurate, complete weather scene (other weather add-ons only use the nearest airport producing rather artificial results--this is the algorithm also used by Weather Center 1). This new algorithm drives weather generation AND provides the basis for the innovative radar display, which graphically simulates an onboard precipitation radar avionics device! Moreover, the radar imagery and the generated weather sent to Flight Simulator are based on the same weather scene, so what you see in the radar is what you see outside the cockpit!Why is this radar different from FSFlightMax? Weather data has two forms: pre-processed and post-processed. Preprocessed weather is the raw data downloaded from an Internet service, like NOAA or Vatsim. This data is the raw observed conditions at each airport around the world--it does not include any observational data in the regions /between/ airports nor does it convey information about the size and shape of precipitation data. When FSFlightMax interfaces with a weather generation add-on, like Weather Center 1, it reads the information in this pre-processed form. This yields poor results, because it is the /post/processed weather which is sent to Flight Simulator and is what you see outside the cockpit windows. The processing core of a weather generation program, like WC 1translates the preprocess data into postprocess data by applying generation algorithms, then this data is sent to Flight Simulator. FSFlightMax has to "guess" what the weather generator is producing and render an appropriate return on its radar screen--that is, it doesnt actually know what is REALLY going to Flight Simulator. This disparity between "FSFlightMax-generated returns" and generated weather from add-ons like WC 1, creates unrealistic situations. FSFlightMax could report precipitation around an airport, but away from the airport, this precipitation may not even be generated by the weather generator add-on, so outside the cockpit, you'll see nothing! As your plane gets closer to that airport that is observing rain or snow, then the likelihood of parity between FSFlightMax and the generated weather rises, but what you see in FSFlightMax is NOT what is being generated by the weather generator addon!WC 2 removes the disparity! The radar imagery in WC 2 is the exact same weather being generated and sent to Flight Simulator! Furthermore, because of the influence-factor based algorithm, WC2 can actually predict weather for the regions in between airports!WC2 is completely contained within Flight Simulator--no longer does your weather generation program have to be started as an external program! WC2 provides 5 modes of display presenting weather tracking information, flight plan forecasts, the graphical radar/situation display, and over 40 configurable options. The mini-display saves screen space by condensing the critical weather tracking information and radar into a small display area.Visit the Simulation Widgets Weather Center 2 website for information and the free Novice edition!http://www.simulationwidgets.com____________________Keith KileSimulation [email protected]