I have just received an email from 'Fly Away Simulation' with details about Flight Environment X. It was sent to an email address I no longer use however any mail still sent to it, is automatically diverted to my current address."Now available from Flight1 is their latest version of Flight Environment X for Microsoft Flight Simulator X. Flight Environment X or FEX is a environment enhancement addon for FSX that brings your simulation to life with ultra realistic textures including land, water, clouds and much more. Using HD or High Definition textures with high frame rates, this is one of the best add-ons their is to make your simulation experience even more realistic. You can now pre-order your copy from the SimShack.net online store.Your can order your copy of Flight Environment X right now at the SimShack.net store. With worldwide shipping and a fast delivery service, be one of the first to get your hands on this amazing piece of software. Costs can be calculated in Dollars, Euros and British Pounds. For more information, screenshots and videos, click here:http://www.simshack.net/product_info.php?products_id=355"This is the first time I've come across FEX (it may be old news, I'm not sure). I did a search on the forums for this product but the search facility kept bringing up errors. FEX, to me, seems to be a culmination of UTX, GEX and REX in just one product? Am I thinking along the right lines? If so, aren't they duplicating efforts seeing as Flight 1 have UTX and GEX in their product portfolio?I hope someone can correct me if I'm way off the mark with this one.Thanks in advance.

FEX is indeed an older product and is available for purchase at Flight1.com It is in no way a culmination of the several flight sim products you have mentioned. It has more in common with only REX as it allows different cloud, water, sky textures (if that's the right word) to be installed in FSX. I don't think you would want to have both REX & FEX in use at the same time. I have used FEX since it was first introduced and swear by it. Others swear at it and use REX. Take your choice.

http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=flt1fexHighly recommended by me... Ian

I don't think you would want to have both REX & FEX in use at the same time. I have used FEX since it was first introduced and swear by it. Others swear at it and use REX. Take your choice.

First of all, FEX is old indeed. It's similar to REX but only offers (compared to REX) texture improvements. The original developers left the building (after not giving us all they promised btw!) and Flight1 decided to take over. So far the only thing they did is wrap the old software into a new installer... It's been a long, long time since some serious work was done on FEX, which can't be said of REX (did you hear about the free upcoming new 9 Gb of stuff?).If you (Lynxboy) already own REX I wouldn't spend money on FEX, however (and this is @woodhick) I do own both (bought FEX long before REX even existed) and I do use both without any problems. Both FEX and REX 'simply' copy better textures into FSX and you can use whatever you want to (in both programs you can select what and what not to install, making any combination possible). I use FEX water animation and water colors while the rest is REX. (I don't use the REX weather engine and flight planner btw). So no problems there. Still, if REX had been there at the time I bought FEX, I would have gone for REX only: it simply offers more (and more) and right now it's the only product that's really alive.I'd like to add though that the information you received from Simshack and Flight1 is very (maybe even shockingly) misleading... ("be one of the first to get your hands on this amazing piece of software"... COME ON!!!) They bring it as if it's a brand new program while it's one of the older FSX addons (first release was September 2007). Very bad. Next time I want to buy something from Flight1, I will check the web and check again if what they say is true...

Thanks JvE, I'll have to give REX a serious look.

Thanks for the replies, especially Jeroen.I only use REX though at the moment having some troubles with the weather, in that it's not being transferred to FSX so wherever I am in the world, all I get is 'fair and clear'. Which doesn't help when it's pouring with rain outside the window and it's fabulously sunny in FSX using 'real world weather'. That's by the by and I've logged in to the REX forums to try and get it solved.I do agree though that the email I received was misleading; especially as the subject heading in the email read 'Pre-order your copy of Flight Environment X now'! Which makes you think, at least it did with me, that it's a brand new piece of software due for release.I've seen mention of ASE a few times on this forum too in relation to weather and clouds, is this a REX-a-like in terms of high quality weather and cloud textures? AdamP.S. Should anyone have a REX online account, the thread I've started with my problem is at http://realenvironmentxtreme.com/forum/ind...hp?topic=9424.0 should anyone be interested in trying to assist me in getting the real world weather working again.

Although ASE can generate cloud textures, many of us use either REX or FEX (my case) to generate textures. IMHO, these seem to be more popular than the texture sets you can purchase from Hifi Sim (the ASE people) at extra cost. Having said all that, if you want to be able to generate accurate and good (bad? If you take my meaning) you really need a good wx engine. ASE is the leader in this field (I'll probably get stepped on for that one, ask me if I care).So no, ASE is not a REX-a-like in terms of texture generating ability, because its primary job is to generate the weather you will experience.

Although ASE can generate cloud textures, many of us use either REX or FEX (my case) to generate textures. IMHO, these seem to be more popular than the texture sets you can purchase from Hifi Sim (the ASE people) at extra cost. Having said all that, if you want to be able to generate accurate and good (bad? If you take my meaning) you really need a good wx engine. ASE is the leader in this field (I'll probably get stepped on for that one, ask me if I care).So no, ASE is not a REX-a-like in terms of texture generating ability, because its primary job is to generate the weather you will experience.

Er... I really, really hope you don't mind that I er... jump in here again (don't want to play the guy who knows it all better), but your post might be understood a bit wrong (if I understood it right :( ), so I'd like to make clear that ASE can NOT generate cloud textures but that it is a weather engine only and nothing more (and with 'nothing more' I don't mean to say it isn't much good, because right now it's the best weather engine out there: I fully agree with you on that one!). ASE's weather engine uses whatever cloud textures are installed in FSX (default, REX, FEX, whatever) to display the weather, but it can not generate those textures itself. HiFi Sim does indeed sell a seperate texture package called X Graphics, which on paper is similar to FEX and REX but which really can't compare to either: both FEX and REX are way better.

I have ASE, REX, FEX & XGraphics and I use them all.Some of the confusion comes fromn ASE's ability to save "snapshots" of weather and reuse them but ASE does not generate textures itself.I use ASE for weather generation - the company has been around for a while and it's engine is second to none. ASE has the capability of using whatever textures you have loaded and that is purely subjective. For me, depending on what I want to do, I use mainly FEX with some REX and some XGraphics. I like FEX cloud textgures, REX water textures and XGraphics Airport textures but that is just MY opinion.If you can afford it, get them all and make your own decisions - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.Vic

Quoting J van E above: "so I'd like to make clear that ASE can NOT generate cloud textures..." That pesky dang keyboard of mine!!! I typed all that in and the dang keyboard forgot to transfer it to the post.Seriously, glad you clarified my obscure post, that's exactly where I was trying to go. I understood what I was saying, why didn't everyone else. :(

I have ASE, REX, FEX & XGraphics and I use them all.Some of the confusion comes fromn ASE's ability to save "snapshots" of weather and reuse them but ASE does not generate textures itself.I use ASE for weather generation - the company has been around for a while and it's engine is second to none. ASE has the capability of using whatever textures you have loaded and that is purely subjective. For me, depending on what I want to do, I use mainly FEX with some REX and some XGraphics. I like FEX cloud textgures, REX water textures and XGraphics Airport textures but that is just MY opinion.If you can afford it, get them all and make your own decisions - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.Vic

Is there somehow the possibility to see some screenshots on the net? I'd also like to know, why you prefer the FEX cloud textures, and the XGraphics airport textures. Do they look so much better than REX one's ?