Randy,Having very much enjoyed your 4 videos of the recent German conference, I have been thinking about your decision to support the world simulation through XPlane. With future products this will mean separate PMDG products for each world simulator.In the forthcoming PSX 747-400 simulator from Aerowinx, the plane simulator will be a program entirely separate from the world simulator. An interface program will enable the two simulators to interact and allow them to run on separate PCs. This has the potential advantage of requiring only separate interface programs to each world simulator.To become independent of FSX, the PMDG products would necessarily have to modified. My impression is that the latest PMDG products contain much of the programming required to enable them to separate from FSX. Am I correct in this, or are you still very much imbedded into the FSX functions for each aircraft's flight model?

I was thinking about this - Robert commented that their next project will be a big surprise. Most folk went with it that it would probably be an airbus add-on, but I was thinking - what if they indeed meaning something like this - a largely platform independent add-on.Although to be fair, visuals (incl VC) are a big part of PMDG sims, and I dont think you can do this part independently. Even if you managed to do all FDE, gauges and sounds independent.

Anyone telling you that the flight model/aerodynamics can be separated from the base "world simulator" as you call it is misleading you. We will still have to do separate flight dynamics in X-Plane or whatever other sim we might utilize. Our FMC, overhead systems, autopilot, engine parameter simulation, flight control joystick augmentation etc are all self-contained and will easily "port", but the actual aerodynamics are still part of the host simulator - no way around that. The visual modelling will likely be this way as well or at the very least require a considerable amount of work after any "import" process that might exist.

Ryan - I am not saying it can be separated in FSX or X-plane - I really have no idea - though I would say it could be possible, if the sim is ready for that - and I definitely do think it is possible to make such a program.Basically, it could be set so that all it wants is a stream of position and rotation coordinates in real time and for it just to render based on those.Mind you, I am NOT saying it is the way of future, or that it is feasible to expect a similar performance from such a theoretical system as you get in FSX/XPL.

Part of my point is that a separate sim - PS1 from Aerowinx - has been driving FS9/FSX as a world simulator for years now. It just seems that to separate the flight sim from the world sim would seem to be a long term major reduction in overall workloads.Just my .2p-worth.

...but the actual aerodynamics are still part of the host simulator - no way around that....

Are you sure this is not possible with simconnect, for example through SimConnect_SetDataOnSimObject()? I remember reading recently about a plane that is scheduled for release on FSX that used a different physics engine than the one from FSX, I believe the plane in question was the Majestic Dash 8.EDIT: It was the Dash 8. I dont know if they use SimConnect_SetDataOnSimObject() specifically, but I do know that they run the physics external from the sim. Reference : http://198.164.146.97/fanda/Forum/viewtopic.php?p=8021&sid=f05c11ce233cd1d77a1d4c8fb2c315e1#p8021