Active Sky 2012 - settings

[severniae 78]

Hi All,

 

Me again - I've recently bought active sky 2012 and I'm trying to get the WX settings right for the in flight graphics - I'm using the Active sky WX and graphics. At first I was quite impressed but on second looks it seems not as chrisp or as nice looking as REX 2.0 did so a shame I may have to revert to nasty old REX weather!! :(

 

But I thought before having to do that I'd see if anyone knows any ways to get the sky to look right - for example using real world weather outside my window looked kind of like this; http://fragrentflowers.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/dscn0083.jpg - and it was raining - however within FS there were a few puffy white clouds.... and rain - not one of them looked like a cloud worthy of producing raing at-all! Just looked like a summers day! Now before when I used REX the rainy day weather looked menacing and horrible - just like out of the window.

 

I have a problem in that - The REX weather/graphics are beautiful, but the WX engine is terrible. Massive wind shifts and inaccurate weather - plus no historic WX option.

 

AS2012 - Brilliant weather engine, and the visuals do look pretty OK - the sky is a nice natural blue and clouds when they turn up do look good. The problem is that there aren't many of them. I haven't found much cirrus and no stratus cloud at-all so its a bit strange.

 

I've tried fiddling with the cloud options in the WX config in AS2012 but don't really know what I'm doing. Could anyone lend me a hand please?

 

James

[CoolP 283]

James, did you already try the free upgrade for REX, which would then be REX-E (Essential). Due to the free nature, I'd say it's worth a look although I really do think that AS2012 can give you a good weather impression too.

 

Just chiming in because you wrote about REX and the corresponding weather engine while, maybe, missing that significant step. I saw some other folks missing out the REX-E upgrade so I'll just leave that note.

[chris512 5]

I think you can use the AS2012 Weather Engine with the Rex textures...

[severniae 78]

Hi CoolP

 

Didn't know about the upgrade - shall give it a go!

 

And Chris..... you can? I didn't think the two were compatible?

 

What I'd really like to do is try AS2012 textures for a while - at times they do seem more realistic than REX, just REX is prettier and I guess the real world isnt always that pretty! - What do others use in the wx settings tab of AS2012?

[Gianluca Garella 0]

I use rex textures with ASE (not 2012).

I'm waiting too for REX essential. It's free for existing customers and in case you don't like it go back to your previous settings, it's risk free.

If i have to be honest anyway i'm pretty happy with the mix REX + ASE.

I have never had a completely overcast sky before, now I do, and the clouds in HD look really great.

[Delion Romeo 0]

Who can give me mtn free browser settings

[CoolP 283]

I think I don't understand Delion's question.

 

.... you can? I didn't think the two were compatible?

Chris is right. It's mainly that the weather addons tell FSX which situation to establish. The FSX engine then picks the cloud textures which can be payware, freeware, default, anything. So you can feed FSX with weather data from any engine and you can also pick any weather related texture basis. So REX can drive AS2012 textures, ASE can drive REX, freeware can use them all and so on.

 

When you look into the textures folder of FSX while some graphic addon replaces the cloud textures (sort by date to see it), you will see that the names and even sizes remain static, just the design or artwork changes. When you allow some graphic addon to inject high res tectures, you will see their sizes go up though but the name scheme remains static. And those names are what FSX calls for, regardless if the artwork is from this or that dev.

[HercFan 1]

I use REX Essentials textures and AS2012. It's totally compatible and easy to do. Heck, you can even use AS2012 textures for some items, and REX for others.

 

If no one chips in today to explain to you, I will once home this evening.

[ZKOKQ 986]

I think I don't understand Delion's question

Hmmm I don't either, it went whoop, right over my head.

[severniae 78]

Ahh ok didn't realise that. So I could if I so choose just install the REX textures and leave AS2012 to manage the weather!

 

What settings do you guys use in the clouds options for the most realistic visuals? And also whats the general concensus, is it that REX has the better visuals and that AS2012 has the better WX engine?

[HercFan 1]

The screenshot here: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/378625-staying-below-the-ceiling/#entry2411321

 

Is a mix of AS2012 real-time weather with Rex E 2048 HD clouds.

[chris512 5]

Yes you can just install various textures from Rex and AS. When you set your preferences you put a tick next to the textures you want to install. For example "Sky" and "Wave Animation" If you want Rex ocean and wave textures but AS runways, then selct the options the the respective programs accordingly.

 

Once you've installed these textures you don't need to do it again. All Rex is doing is replacing the FSX textures in the scenery folders with better ones that Rex have designed.

 

A good trick from this point onwards is to de-select all of the options you don't want to change in the future. I, for example, only ever change my sky textures with Rex. I only select these. Then when I choose my new sky textures it only installs them. Keeping the others all selected just means you sit there waiting for Rex to re-install a load of textures you already have. This saves a great deal of time. De-selecting the options you've installed that you don't want to change doesn't mean they'll get uninstalled. They won't.

 

At this stage you now have a nice FSX install with better textures. You can use any weather generator you like. Some people chose to run AS2012 weather generator with Rex textures. There's even a freeware weather generator but I can't remember what it's called.

 

Make sense?

[ajpongress 467]

Who can give me mtn free browser settings

 

Huh?

[Daveo 36]

Who can give me mtn free browser settings

 

Google maybe. :sorry:

[Delion Romeo 0]

Free browser settings on my mobile phone that is what am saying. the network provider is mtn Nigeria