I was considering jumping into REX Essential.. I'm not seeing enough info on a couple of points though.

 

From what it looks like, it no longer auto starts when FSX starts.. So does this mean that if you want rex weather downloading, you must use a batch file and launch the app then launch fsx.. (or always launch REX then launch fsx from within REX (not ideal))?

 

Secondarily, I dont see any information out there that indicates if REX Essentials can be run on a second machine (laptop) then have fsx running on the main via simconnect as with REX 2..

 

Does anyone know these answers or how to go about them?

 

Thanks in advance.

I've been using Essentials for a while now and really like the weather generation. Until they release the first big service pack, which I believe is progressing well, you have to understand the time it takes to get Essentials to reliably inject weather into your flight scenario. I've have reliable loading by following this sequence:

1. Start Essentials
   
2. Wait the full duration of time it takes to download and interpolate weather. This can be a 5 minute operation. Go make a cup of coffee! Let it complete!
   
3. Now start FSX. Select your flight plan and allow FSX to move the aircraft to the departure airport, BUT DON'T LOAD the flight itself yet...
   
4. Now alt-tab back to Essentials. Choose 'Fly Now!'. Click the Load Weather button.
   
5. Now alt-tab back to FSX. Click Fly!
   

As your flight initializes in FSX the weather will be injected into your scenario in a brief few seconds.

 

From what I've read as comments from the Developers, they have addressed this slow load time to the tune of something like 80% improved. I know others have other methods to load Essentials weather, but the way I mention is at least totally reliable, albeit very slow. I think this was a real defect in the design of the program, but to their credit they are addressing the issue in a big way.

 

Noel

I've been using Essentials for a while now and really like the weather generation. Until they release the first big service pack, which I believe is progressing well, you have to understand the time it takes to get Essentials to reliably inject weather into your flight scenario. I've have reliable loading by following this sequence:

1. Start Essentials
    
   
2. Wait the full duration of time it takes to download and interpolate weather. This can be a 5 minute operation. Go make a cup of coffee! Let it complete!
    
   
3. Now start FSX. Select your flight plan and allow FSX to move the aircraft to the departure airport, BUT DON'T LOAD the flight itself yet...
    
   
4. Now alt-tab back to Essentials. Choose 'Fly Now!'. Click the Load Weather button.
    
   
5. Now alt-tab back to FSX. Click Fly!
   

As your flight initializes in FSX the weather will be injected into your scenario in a brief few seconds.

 

From what I've read as comments from the Developers, they have addressed this slow load time to the tune of something like 80% improved. I know others have other methods to load Essentials weather, but the way I mention is at least totally reliable, albeit very slow. I think this was a real defect in the design of the program, but to their credit they are addressing the issue in a big way.

 

Noel

I do #5 first, then #4.

I do #5 first, then #4.

 

I did that for a while as well but on occasion noticed weather wasn't loading, so I tried the method above and so far no failures. I hope they spiff up this area as it's otherwise a great program.

Such a REX fan..a rarity but I digress. I wouldn't gloss over the - l o n g - wait and the always prematuely bally-hooed SP1 and HD texture pack (Overdrive) which is still not released. But to answer the OP No..REX E is no longer launched by FSX and REX E must be run first..which means a long waiting game. I don't know, as the other gent seems to know, that 'anything' at REX developers is progressing smoothly..I don't know except what is posted on thier homepage and the forums.The latest website "news" is about server upgrades heralding way back 3 months to June 2012 and no mention of REX E SP1 or HD textures is to be found except the standard "Soon to be Released" promo advertisement. In the REX E forums it is seriously frowned upon by the REX developer(s), to even ask "When might we expect some of that promised product development?" I know this first hand as an REX E customer and forum participant. REX E with SP1 and HD textures (Overdrive) are now supposedly incorporated into one and the same package. To be such a a really excited user of a still unreleased final product and to proclaim "testing is going fine" is mysterious..but with nearly 3,000 posts maybe he is a developer himself..it's a bigger secret about REX E than Mitt Romney's secret tax returns. I quit using REX 2 and REX E because I got tired of waiting..and waiting..and waiting..so have most others who value thier time. Of course that slow laborious waiting game with REX E has "all been fixed" really..?? Show us.

I'm having issues getting REX ESS weather engine to connect to FSX, hopefully they get me up and running else I might have spent all that on just textures. Its probably easier to get Obama's real birth certificate from Kenya than get the engine to run.

I actually agree...It would be much more difficult to get Obama's Kenyan birth certificate since he was born in Hawaii..according to every official document. Even Donald Trump with all his billions can't even come up with anything..except a perpetual bad hair day. Truly though Obama's real and true birth certificate wIll be revealed after the election, as it is in a lock box in the Cayman Islands..or is it a safety deposit box in his un-numbered secret Swiss bank account.matters not..Boy did Michelle give a great speech tonight and really boxed Mitt's ears without even mentioning his name. I WOULD however pay $$$ to see Mitt and Ann posing in thier church-mandated special Mormon 'sanctified' underwear..oh..you didn't know about that did you? Well have a look right HERE.

 

And to stay on topic..REX 2 Overdrive does have really nice HD textures they are stunning..I use them every day and all the time with FSX engine..10 seconds to load the weather. Months ago after creating a REX 2 HD theme I liked and w a i t i ng 6-7 minutes that one and only time for REX 2 to 'do it's thing.' I've uninstalled REX 2 but the textures I once loaded long ago still remain as i did not uninstall Overdrive. .FSX / Jeppesen weather injection is way cool and F A S T.. What's wrong with Jeppesen weather? Good enough for the big iron boys..talking real world here kiddo..not pretend stuff.

I am glad I am not the only one where essentials takes forever to Interpolating the NOAA data.

 

It takes me about 15-20 minutes for me. I hope they can fix this. I dont recall it taking so long with Rex V 2

 

 

I did that for a while as well but on occasion noticed weather wasn't loading, so I tried the method above and so far no failures. I hope they spiff up this area as it's otherwise a great program.

Thanks, I'll start doing that.

I am glad I am not the only one where essentials takes forever to Interpolating the NOAA data.

 

It takes me about 15-20 minutes for me. I hope they can fix this. I dont recall it taking so long with Rex V 2

 

You're egg-zackly right as REX 2 loaded it's weather faster. Accordingly not everyone has 20M-50M/sec internet downstream throughput. Many who choose to live in a rural area (dream retirement home or full-time RV) are on satelitte (Hughes , WildBlue or other over-the-air ISP's) are very restricted in available bandwidth service tiers. So if a developer designs around the standard 20M or faster connection..##### happens to the other 2/3 of the customer base 'stuck' with less either by choice or neccesity?

must be an election year...

First thank you for your great questions and support.

 

I want to encourage you if you have not already, become a member of our support forum so that we can best handle issues over there.

 

http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/

 

Service Pack 1 is progressing well and we will have more news about it soon. In the meantime you can do the following to help your performance.

 

 

1.) In the CONFIGURATION MANAGER/WEATHER TAB please enable the "enable archive weather data purge"

 

2.) In the CONFIGURATION MANAGER/WEATHER TAB please disable the "enable weather interpoloation of weather stations."

 

3.) In the CONFIGURATION MANAGER/WEATHER TAB please disable the "enable weather data overwrite".

 

4.) Finally if you have MS Access you can run a repair and compact database funcion on the mdb file.

 

Please note that we will be releasing a program that allows the users to compact/repair their databases when we release Service Pack 1.

Someone drinks too much koolaid

 

You're egg-zackly right as REX 2 loaded it's weather faster. Accordingly not everyone has 20M-50M/sec internet downstream throughput. Many who choose to live in a rural area (dream retirement home or full-time RV) are on satelitte (Hughes , WildBlue or other over-the-air ISP's) are very restricted in available bandwidth service tiers. So if a developer designs around the standard 20M or faster connection..##### happens to the other 2/3 of the customer base 'stuck' with less either by choice or neccesity?

 

Very true, not everyone can afford a good connection in this economy that went downhill since 2006. I am fortunate enough to actually earn a living, so I am able to afford 20mb up and 40 down.

Very true, not everyone can afford a good connection in this economy that went downhill since 2006. I am fortunate enough to actually earn a living, so I am able to afford 20mb up and 40 down.

Holy crap! Those speeds are incredible! How much do you pay? I pay for 15mbps, but on a Speedtest test I get 24mbps.

First thank you for your great questions and support.

 

I want to encourage you if you have not already, become a member of our support forum so that we can best handle issues over there.

 

http://www.realenvir...eme.com/forums/

 

Service Pack 1 is progressing well and we will have more news about it soon. In the meantime you can do the following to help your performance.

 

 

1.) In the CONFIGURATION MANAGER/WEATHER TAB please enable the "enable archive weather data purge"

 

2.) In the CONFIGURATION MANAGER/WEATHER TAB please disable the "enable weather interpoloation of weather stations."

 

3.) In the CONFIGURATION MANAGER/WEATHER TAB please disable the "enable weather data overwrite".

 

4.) Finally if you have MS Access you can run a repair and compact database funcion on the mdb file.

 

Please note that we will be releasing a program that allows the users to compact/repair their databases when we release Service Pack 1.

 

I'm assuming REX Essential doesnt have a client / server ability.. where one can run the weather engine on a separate machine as before and connect with simconnect.. is this something that will be added later, maybe with "Overdrive" or a SP?