Which one do you recommend in order of best Weather Engine? I feel like Active Sky 2012 does not generate enough cloud layers.....

 

I have cloud layers set to 5 in AS2012. You'll need about the same for Opus: two cloud layers plus one for cirrus (if you have that option checked in Opus, it's either on or off), and another two for ground fog plus a layer of stratus over top of it so you can see it from above.

 

Hook

I used to use AS2012 and ezdok.. now I use AS2012 for textures and opus for my weather engine and DMH

 

One of the things I love about opus is the DHM makes more sense and I feel more realistic than with ezdok. I get turbulence in clouds and turbulence when it makes sense.. instead of random DHM turbulence effects.

Before I consider investing the bucks in opusFSX, can someone please tell me if it has a nice map feature as compared to AS2012?

Before I consider investing the bucks in opusFSX, can someone please tell me if it has a nice map feature as compared to AS2012?

 

No map

Opus' feature roadmap is pretty big, including a pseudo weather radar.

No map

 

Ok then, here is a request for OPUS developers. Give me a good map like AS2012, then I will buy your product. Yes I know that each person has their own priorities and this is pretty high on my list.

Give me a good map like AS2012, then I will buy your product.

 

While some kind of weather map is essential for flight planning, you may be able to find better weather maps online.

 

I currently use http://www.skyvector.com for flight planning and weather information. There is a good variety of chart types and the weather station information in METAR format is available by hovering the mouse over the weather stations highlighted on the map. The Layers tab will allow you to show cloud coverage or precipitation. One thing I like about it is that if you're flying VOR to VOR, the outbound heading is the VOR radial, not the magnetic heading.

 

I haven't found a good winds aloft site yet, preferably using standard meteorological symbols for the wind rather than the arrows shown in AS2012. Does anyone have a recommendation? I don't want a list of wind speed/direction/temperature for a single station, but an actual weather map showing the winds.

 

Since I'm still using AS2012 for weather, I also use their weather map so that I get the exact weather that Active Sky will be injecting into FSX.

 

Hook

I haven't found a good winds aloft site yet

 

http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/wafswindb.shtml#ft340

 

http://weather.adac.ae/wtcharts.aspx

 

Just a couple of examples.

I tried the trial version and was very impressed. I'm looking around for cloud textures, I don't intend to spend money on textures after paying $45 for a weather engine. I did see where AS 2012 is going for $10 less. I'll have to think about this one for awhile. AS 2012 does have nice textures. We'll see.....

Without a doubt for me Opus is the winner here. ASX and REX are great in their own rights but Opus shines because you actually can be in one type of weather and see different weather further off that you can approach, fly through etc. In the other programs, you can have great textures but when the weather is updated, it suddenly changes, and you're in the weather, which is not very realistic. If it were like that with terrain, it would like flying over prairies and then suddenly things refresh/update and it's like "oh, there are the mountains".

 

I was a skeptic at first, but thought the flight1 30day money-back guarantee was a good one. Without a doubt, this has fired FSX back up for me in a big way. Camera shake is really improved and I love it now, even more features to come on that apparently. Full overcast, realistic entry into / out of cloud decks is amazing--and weather loading is nearly instantaneous.

 

Also, if you want to, you can still use textures from REX or ASX with no problem, so if you feel attached to them, you don't have to give them up. The big plus for me is that they keep on updating and adding features--in some cases almost daily(!). You can see for yourself the beta release schedule in the Announcements section of the Opus forum.

 

So for me, all these reasons are why I like the Opus engine!

 

Alex Malek

Ok then, here is a request for OPUS developers. Give me a good map like AS2012, then I will buy your product. Yes I know that each person has their own priorities and this is pretty high on my list.

This is trivial. Opus truly uses real weather so you might as well use the real weather maps available at many aviation weather sites. No need for them to give you another map.

I'd like to but-in as it's relevant because I'm getting asked a lot about Opus, several IF users have Opus and it works great with IF, most use AS for real world weather and REX textures, as far as I can tell. IF does not currently have a real world weather connection, but will do soon, and does have the most advanced engine; i'm working hard to keep things that way.

 

IF's global weather simulator is going to be fed with real world METARs shortly. In a separate process the global weather will be simulated and METARS taken from that and injected into the sim with properly refactored METARs to work best with FSX. The "weather engine" i'm working on here continues with free roaming and weather across empty expanses, but now has completely smooth transitions with no changes or pauses whatsoever.

 

http://flightsimulat...ks?context=user

 

http://flightsimulat...h.F9WRRilL.dpbs

 

plenty more shots there

 

Regards

Steve

This is trivial. Opus truly uses real weather so you might as well use the real weather maps available at many aviation weather sites. No need for them to give you another map.

 

Maybe It's trivial for you but could be very important for others, It's not really important for me but I would like to see that in Opus in the future if possible.

Would also like them to include cloud textures with Opus so I can ditch REXE, maybe trivial too you but important for me.

and does have the most advanced engine

 

How more advanced compared to Opus

Have just settled on Opus and now comes another more advanced weather engine, soon there will be a bunch of passionate users trying to convince others to buy this new more advanced engine, and I have to go out and buy this one too, damn where does this end.

haha, yeah, just a medical problem had me shelve IF 5 years ago, then i got better recently and picked up the project, but some parts had to get left out of the F1 product, or wait too long. :-}