Where are the CB's?

[HiFly 16]

My fourth flight with the new 2012. All flights same problem. It will not hold IMC weather and will not display CB clouds or thunderstorms despite the METAR. This is a classic example from MPTO this morning ( I use historic OFFLINE wx)Here is the metar: MPTO 180700Z 08013KT 1SM +RA OVC009 OVC058CB 24/22 A2983I was using standard depiction mode with a 90 nm radius set. The GUI correctly was displaying the metar. The first image is at the tarmac and it appears that the weather is displaying correctly but no thunder or lightning. ( I have elected Wx-influenced textures after loading flight plan). The second image depicts the wx directly above the airport at 7000 agl ( I slewed up this time for the photo but is identical to what I was getting when I took off in flight )

Now I hate to be a grynch here. I know you have put a tremendous effort into this product, Damian, but I use the simulator to keep sharp on IFR practice and I setup or find extreme wx conditions for my flights. With ASE I was able to do this. I invested in the new product, not for the textures, but for an improved wx engine. The above example is not an anomaly but rather the occurence with each of the flights I have attempted. If I wanted fair weather flights I would not need a wx engine. The other point (mentioned in my earlier post) is that there is no texture for Thunderstorm clouds. I therefore assumed they would just be constructed from towering cumulus but I have yet to see anything resembling such being depicted by AS2012 no matter what textures I have been selecting. Also the textures for lightning are way too small and unrealistic and the thunder sound when I load the program is great but have yet to hear it thru FSX on any of my heavy thunderstorm setups. I doubt that what I am reporting has anything to do with the settings I am chosing but I am open to suggestions.

[Chris Willis 8]

Hi, Can you see if the clouds details are in Simple or Detailed mode in Fsx?, in Fsx go to OptionSettingDisplayWeather they must be in Detailed mode and Clouds Coverage Density slider to full right.For sound, go to optionsettingsound, sets the environment slider sound to full right and reduce a bit cockpitengine, make them equal to able to heard all sound. lighting size, this is standard size that fsx use.

[HiFly 16]

Thanks for timely response, Chris. I use all sliders in FSX always full right and FULL detail and still get over 30+ fps with NGX so not an issue. And I also have no issues with simconnect in the log file. Its show connected and no errors. The depiction log file shows that it has sent surface wx as it should but it never references wx conditions aloft, but the CB cloud tops were set to high 20's and here in Florida it is not unusual for CB tops to be in the high 40's so not unrealistic. In 2nd image, however, it is not even an OVERCAST let alone CB depiction and this is slewed straight up from the position in image one (note the same coordinates at the top). Further note: after I took this image I paused and went back out to AS2012 and it had changed the first cloud level to STRATUS OVERCAST and the CB though still showing in the Metar file was changed to CUMULUS in the Gui and a much lower tops.The FSX depiction still should be OVERCAST and it wasn't even that!My 4 attempts have been from different airports and different wx conditions but I always have tweaked the Metars to include CB's and the results are always the same: Overcast disappears as I climbout and NO Cumulonimbus ever depicted! The Custom menu still shows as correct ceiling and as Overcast but display goes to broken or scattered when I still should be flying in heavy rain, clouds, and turbulence!If this is proper performance then I am going back to ASE which had no such issues as of the latest Beta. I am quite disappointed at the expense for something that may be "pretty" but lacks realism.

[HiFly 16]

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For sound, go to optionsettingsound, sets the environment slider sound to full right and reduce a bit cockpitengine, make them equal to able to heard all sound. lighting size, this is standard size that fsx use.

There is no sound of Thunder because AS2012 is not depicting CB's!!!! It is not a problem with my sound settings! Everthing works if I MANUALLY Custom configure wx but not thru AS2012 is my point. And the texture for LIGHTNING (not lighting) is much smaller than default FSX IMO. I live in the lightning capital of the world and when lightning appears it covers a much larger portion of the sky.

[Damian Clark 1,150]

Hello Craig,What is your "Prevent Thunderstorms with CB" option set to?Please do contact me via support ticket, I'd like to look at this in more detail....

[HiFly 16]

Oops! It has been said before in these forums that most of the "bugs" we think we encounter in some of these great new complex add-ons are really not "bugs" at all but stem either from misunderstanding or pure "user" error. Well my apologies to Damian, Chris, and the great development team at HIFi. Somehow, someway, I had inadvertently disabled DETAILED CLOUDS in FSX. Good thing I wasn't still employed. I would sure have been written up for that one! lol! Anyway, once enabled everything began performed to spec. I did notice that with "wx-influenced" textures the combinations do present some very unique scenery. Clouds were to the correct heights and were definitely turbulent and billowing but not exactly as they look in reality but it is a great experience none the less and I have no complaints. I spent way over 30 years looking at the real ones so a little artistic license makes it interesting.

[Chris Willis 8]

HI Craig,Good news, the reason why I told you to see the detailed clouds, it's because, these was looking default fsx will less definition and blurry to me...With time and different metar, you will notice different visual, it will take some time, the clouds formationstructure are the metar with wx engine. With time you can see x condition, x factor structure with x texture with wx influenced.

[gman1986 14]

Excuse my ignorance but when you say CB's is that just an abbreviation for cumulonimbus?

[Chris Willis 8]

Excuse my ignorance but when you say CB's is that just an abbreviation for cumulonimbus?

Hi Gavin,Yes.

[gman1986 14]

Thanks Chris