OPUS Weather Engine....feedback?

[XPX64man 130]

Had anyone used the Opus weather engine yet? Any feedback? How does it compare to AS2012? The write up on it makes it seem much better. I am surprised because I came here thinking this would have been much discussed about topic sure to the supposed all new way to import weather into FSX but am thinking there is not much intrest in it??

 

I don't even know what it is or where to get it. Where is the link?

[Opus Software 84]

I don't even know what it is or where to get it. Where is the link?

 

http://www.opussoftware.co.uk/opusfsi.htm

 

Great video Joop, you did an excellent job. :Applause:

 

Regards

Stephen

[XPX64man 130]

Thank you for the link. :smile:

[JBZ 13]

Any chance of doing a weather engine only? I cannot take advantage of the camera's and dynamic head movement. I may have missed it (a lot of posts to read) but is the WX engine working in demo mode? I don't see a need to change from AS2012, but would like to try it.

[Opus Software 84]

Sorry, currently the Live Weather Engine is not available in demo mode.

 

It's difficult to show all the benefits of our Live Weather Engine. Instant updating, detailed and varied weather, as opposed to 'global' or morphed METARs and their annoying loading effects (i.e. sky clearing then the screen flickering as the METARs are individually loaded into FSX/P3D). All the benefits are clearly stated on our website. If you only fly locally to one airport then I suppose global weather would suffice, you don't need to see the changing weather en route so having the same weather everywhere won't matter. Also you don't have to worry about totally inaccurate ATIS reports etc.

 

We might prepare a Dynamic Weather Theme for people to download and install as a staic theme within FSX. Then you could fly out of an airport and explore the varied weather patterns and meteorological in the theme's 480km x 480km weather region.

 

As for the other features within OpusFSX I'm afraid it comes 'as is'. You can just enable what you want to use and leave the rest of the features available should you want to expand your realism horizons in the future.

 

Regards

Stephen

 

[Dicko 3]

This program looks promising. Stephen, a question regarding the networked setup. I am not interested in the different views on the client computer but I am interested in the weather engine operating on the client computer. Reading the documentation it seems FSX needs to be installed on the server and the client. Is it possible to copy the Opus software to the client for the express purpose of running the weather engine without the need to install FSX on the client as well?

Regards

Andrew

[Opus Software 84]

This program looks promising. Stephen, a question regarding the networked setup. I am not interested in the different views on the client computer but I am interested in the weather engine operating on the client computer. Reading the documentation it seems FSX needs to be installed on the server and the client. Is it possible to copy the Opus software to the client for the express purpose of running the weather engine without the need to install FSX on the client as well?

Regards

Andrew

 

This remote 'client side' operation of the Live Weather Engine is one of our soon to be released upgrades. This option will not require you to have FSX/P3D installed on the designated client, just a LAN connection to the server and an Internet connection to download the latest METAR reports.

 

Regards

Stephen

[Dicko 3]

This remote 'client side' operation of the Live Weather Engine is one of our soon to be released upgrades

I tell you what Stephen, if this software allows this with all the other features, this program will be a cracker! When would soon to be released be?

[JBZ 13]

Sorry, currently the Live Weather Engine is not available in demo mode.

 

Oh well, dice it's though Flight1 if I don't like it, I can jut send it back.

 

As for the other features within OpusFSX I'm afraid it comes 'as is'. You can just enable what you want to use and leave the rest of the features available should you want to expand your realism horizons in the future.

 

Expand my realism.......lol....I have a home cockpit setup so VC's and panels are a thing of the past. As far as I'm concerned my realism is expanded to as much as a home user could get. I guess if I could turn those unnecessary features off and they don't eat up system resources, I'm ok with that.

[Opus Software 84]

I tell you what Stephen, if this software allows this with all the other features, this program will be a cracker! When would soon to be released be?

 

That's a tough one to answer, but I would say within the next couple of months, but there again if enough users want it, it could be completed much sooner. We would like to let the dust settle on the current round of tweaks and enhancements to the weather engine and DHM effects first. You should note that the weather engine has been designed to run without any adverse effects on the server. Running it on the client will speed it up if no FSX or P3D is in use (I will remove the Sleep statements releasing the CPU). The client operation was intended as a precursor to other features like the Live Weather Assistant. FYI - Last time we measured, OpusFSX with all options enabled, had almost immeasurable effect on FSX, about 1 FPS at most.

 

Regards

Stephen

 

Oh well, dice it's though Flight1 if I don't like it, I can jut send it back.

 

 

 

Expand my realism.......lol....I have a home cockpit setup so VC's and panels are a thing of the past. As far as I'm concerned my realism is expanded to as much as a home user could get. I guess if I could turn those unnecessary features off and they don't eat up system resources, I'm ok with that.

 

Ah nice, a cockpit builder. Live View is for you then with Live Traffic coming soon. If you only drive a single main 2D 'scenic' view on each of your computer systems in your home cockpit then you might be interested in our new Dynamic Aircraft Movements (DAM). This is the same as the DHM effects, using the same accelerometer data, but intended for 2D cockpit views and shaking the aircraft rather than the pilot's head. The DAM effects can only be displayed within the main FSX view though, it is impossible to shake anything in a windowed view. At present, this is the first release Beta, and only the main server's 2D sceneic view is shaken. When everyone is happy with the effects we will sync and include them on the client systems.

 

Regards

Stephen

[JBZ 13]

Hmmmm, I only use one computer to display my outside view as it is hooked up to a projector. My clients run my instrument displays and all other FS programs. The dynamic aircraft movement sounds interesting, is this like accufeel?

[JBZ 13]

Also one more question as I didn't see this in the features list. Is there a way to input a flight plan so that the destination weather will be accurate? If not how does the program know where my destination is to provide the most accurate weather? I understand that winds aloft data is not live yet, but when it becomes live, will be be able to retrieve that data to input in our CDU's based on the waypoints of our flight plan?

[Opus Software 84]

Hmmmm, I only use one computer to display my outside view as it is hooked up to a projector. My clients run my instrument displays and all other FS programs. The dynamic aircraft movement sounds interesting, is this like accufeel?

 

If it is just a single main view within FSX then it will work fine. If it is a virtual cockpit view then you can get all the full DHM effects by shaking the head, if you have a 2d 'scenic' or 'out of the window' view then the effects are changed automatically to shake the aircraft instead of the head (i.e. altering the pitch/yaw axis instead of the usual XYZ). The DAM was introduced as a prototype especially for all those using 2D views, so that they didn't miss out on using the accelerometer data. Not too familiar with accufeel.

 

Regards

Stephen

[Dicko 3]

That's a tough one to answer, but I would say within the next couple of months, but there again if enough users want it, it could be completed much sooner

I for one will buy it if the weather engine was enabled to run on the client, I reckon I wouldn't be the only one who would purchase based on this. In my case I have off loaded as much as I can to the client to enble maximum performance benefit for FSX on the server. Every FPS is a bonus.

 

Also one more question as I didn't see this in the features list. Is there a way to input a flight plan so that the destination weather will be accurate? If not how does the program know where my destination is to provide the most accurate weather? I understand that winds aloft data is not live yet, but when it becomes live, will be be able to retrieve that data to input in our CDU's based on the waypoints of our flight plan?

+1

[Opus Software 84]

Also one more question as I didn't see this in the features list. Is there a way to input a flight plan so that the destination weather will be accurate? If not how does the program know where my destination is to provide the most accurate weather? I understand that winds aloft data is not live yet, but when it becomes live, will be be able to retrieve that data to input in our CDU's based on the waypoints of our flight plan?

 

Good question. The Live Weather Engine does not need to know your destination because it always downloads all METAR reports from every met station within it's (or your) current weather horizon. At present this is a 480km x 480km rectangular area centred on your aircraft's present lat/long position. In the future, we will be extending this horizon out to construct detailed weather for a 960km x 960km region. In both cases you don't have to worry, the detailed weather extends further than the eye can see and will include any destination or alternate you desire once you get within 240km of the airfield (or 480km after the upgrade). This is why you can 'see' the varied weather en route, all around you and especially the weather up ahead. Just like the real world.

 

Regards

Stephen