I think a lot depends on what you expect and want from a weather engine. I am one of those guys who 'only' want a beautiful theatrical background for my short (usually 50 to 100 nm) low and slow VFR flights. So the weather theme I load with OpusFSX and take off in also is the theme I land in (take note though that an OpusFSX theme can hold loads of various weather situations!!!). I do like the idea that the weather is just as it is in real life but I don't care about in between updates... my flights are too short for that anyway and OpusFSX gives me all the variation I need (if it's there in real life). I don't care at all about winds aloft (low and slow) but I do care about quick startup of the engine and also quick loading of weather. So... for me OpusFSX is the perfect solution!

 

About starting up: ASE takes ages on my PC. If I start ASE together with FSX it often is still busy connecting and downloading when I am in the plane already... Also when I move to another location it takes quite some time for the new weather to load. ASE also gives me a LOT of connection problems and errors... That may be a problem on my PC only but it IS a problem for me nonetheless.

 

About "also, I'm seeing the same "overcast ahead in the distance" in AS2012 with my settings, which is still there when I arrive." OpusFSX is the only weather engine that loads an awesome theatrical background that stays as it is. With ASE the weather only seems to be generated around my airplane and it changes around my airplane as I move along, resulting in clouds disappearing or popping up. And it also seems that the weather around my plane is everywhere. I don't have that steady 'scene' that OpusFSX gives me with any other weather program. Maybe this is due to certain settings, but well... it works with OpusFSX almost out of the box: it's easy to get one while after years of using ASE I still haven't got a clue about a lot of settings. This also may be a personal problem (me being ignorant ^_^ ) but OpusFSX gave me what I wanted minutes after installing it, so... that makes the choice for OpusFSX as my one and only weather engine rather easy!

 

In short: it's all very personal and subjective... ^_^

 

Sums up my feeling exactly. Thanks for cutting down my typing time.

I just picked up carenado's 182T along with the upgrade for REX+ yesterday and I have to say, I love it so far. The weather depiction looks great though I haven't been on any airliner flights, mainly around the pattern in south Texas, but so far, it works great, no shifting winds on final, metars are exactly as they should be and everything. Great update.

Having all 3 weather engine and using AS2012 as imo it's better than REXE(cannot get + atm).

 

Had OPUS for the last week and it's just amazing, you can have clear sky one side of you and a front the other side. It looks like real weather and stays like it when you fly in what ever directing you go.

 

Yes I like wind aloft as I fly the NGX a lot but for me the depiction of the weather far out ways to me not ATM(its coming) getting true winds aloft.

 

True fronts and no ...well your in 4/octas so you get 4 octas all around you to me far out ways if my wind is not on the button. Personal taste, it's great to have 3 to chose from.

 

Each to there own. For me and having used all 3 OPUS is the #1 easy.

One question before I either buy one or the other WX Tool (currently running AS2012). How does the new REX handle IMC at airports? I am really tired of looking for challenging IFR conditions for approach, preferrably VV001 FG only to see the runway shining bringht at 1500' AGL. I saw a video on youtube with an EDMA (Augsburg) CATIII approach using Opus. That was awesome. You could barely see the house sillouettes at 300' AGL and just at 50' AGL you spotted the first runway light. Absolutely amazing. I never was able to approach in such "good" (for excitements sake ) weather.

Does Rex handle IMC correctly? If theres 0 vis in the METAR I want 0 vis in the FSX, too and not to see the runway at 1500'.

 

Regards

Hirschi

One question before I either buy one or the other WX Tool (currently running AS2012). How does the new REX handle IMC at airports? I am really tired of looking for challenging IFR conditions for approach, preferrably VV001 FG only to see the runway shining bringht at 1500' AGL. I saw a video on youtube with an EDMA (Augsburg) CATIII approach using Opus. That was awesome. You could barely see the house sillouettes at 300' AGL and just at 50' AGL you spotted the first runway light. Absolutely amazing. I never was able to approach in such "good" (for excitements sake ) weather.

Does Rex handle IMC correctly? If theres 0 vis in the METAR I want 0 vis in the FSX, too and not to see the runway at 1500'.

 

Regards

Hirschi

 

This is what I've experienced with AS2012 and REX. Opus completely corrects this.

Does the new version of REX still have these problems? I don't know because I haven't tried it yet. I can only give an opinion of what I know and that is that Opus is better than the others are. I have tried REX Essentials, and it is also not as good as Opus. Since Overdrive is the same as Essentials, with higher res textures, I assume I will not be impressed. But, hey, who knows, I may be blown away.

I was at work today, and looked up into the crappy sky we had all morning, and thought to myself....now would be a good time to load up FSX and Opus. It's that good.

 

 

I got that same impression yesterday; there was a 6000 foot thin status-like partial overcast in the east, 1/5 of the sky, and I thought OPUS would do it the same way.

 

OR WAIT...maybe mother nature is mimicking OPUS ??? :ph34r:

Since Overdrive is the same as Essentials, with higher res textures, I assume I will not be impressed. But, hey, who knows, I may be blown away.

 

The thing is, both Essentials and with Overdrive have themselves changed. Really. That's what the whole "Plus" thing is about. There's a whole new wx engine.

 

Please folks, before offering opinions - at least TRY the new product (or try to understand it). I like Opus too, but the new versions of REX appears to bring many of Opus' advantages to the table, while fixing some of its disadvantages.

 

I'm still evaluating and trying to understand some of the tradeoffs. One of the problems with comparing real-world wx products is you don't always have the wx you'd like to experiment with, so I've hardly tried everything. So far it does seem like REX is handling transitions and winds more gracefully, and I'm getting real-world winds as well. But I've got a lot of wx scenarios to try yet before I'll know what my preferences will be long term.

 

But this IS a completely new wx engine, and it is doing nice things so far.

 

Scott

Sums up my feeling exactly. Thanks for cutting down my typing time.

 

You are very welcome. ^_^

I don't mean to put down REX. If they have completely changed the weather engine for Overdrive Essencials, then it may be fine now. I am basing my opinion on what I have tried, which is Essentials and Opus. So far Opus blows me away, Essentials, not as much. I'm open to being blown away by Overdrive Essentials....we'll see.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

I don't mean to put down REX. If they have completely changed the weather engine for Overdrive Essencials, then it may be fine now. I am basing my opinion on what I have tried, which is Essentials and Opus.

 

Maybe I'm just cranky this week, but...

 

The topic is the new version of REX Essential Plus (and Plus with Overdrive, but Overdrive just adds back in the additional OD textures). It DOES contain a completely new wx engine.

 

I gave up on the old engine as well, and ultimately moved to Opus with REX textures. But this is not that. It's the new version of REXE Plus that's of interest.

 

Scott

I don't mean to put down REX. If they have completely changed the weather engine for Overdrive Essencials, then it may be fine now. I am basing my opinion on what I have tried, which is Essentials and Opus. So far Opus blows me away, Essentials, not as much. I'm open to being blown away by Overdrive Essentials....we'll see.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

 

You are always entitled to your opinions and they are welcomed. We always aim to please and improve. Hopefully, you will get a chance to try the new changes.

Thatswhy I asked, because its stated as a new wx-engine. Opus is or was the only wx addon so far which could handle real IMC near ground and the frontal weather. Its not REX's or AS' fault but FSX's. If I remeber correctly from a forum post somewhere, FSX is anxious to keep and make the weather completely "fine" over range and time and has an issue to handle overcast or obscured layers and fog in regard of groundvisibility.

Opus managed to work around it. And that was my question aiming for. Is the new Rex Essential Plus weather engine capable of injecting real zero visibility (you must not see the runway from 1500' in VV001) the same way like Opus AND if theres a TS cell 100NM out and i head toward it, will I reach it or will it suddenly disappear as I'm closing in?

 

I hope my English is readable and understandable. I do my best

 

Regards

Hirschi

Flew a KEWR pattern with both the new REX and Opus.

 

EWR was moderate snow at 29F about 1800L yesterday (if anyone would like to try a comparison). Ceiling was 600.

 

(Your mileage may vary, but this was my experience yesterday)

With the new REX I had broken clouds all around and did not lose sight of the ground @ 3000 for a significant (+1 min) amount of time.

Opus showed +snow and I saw the RW (04L) @ about 400 AGL. I DID see all the cars on the NJ TPK though.

 

I like all three programs for different things and IMO right now:

REX: Best textures, responsive dev team

AS12: Best WX info (winds aloft, Temps @ altitude)

Opus: Best depiction of WX (using 3rd party textures) with very good WX engine (based on what I see outside) responsive dev team, camera included

 

I feel I can't lose right now with WX, so I won't feel bad about owning three WX engines... (At least that's what I tell myself...)

@ SKEWR Hehe, I knew it would be a hard decision. Thanks a lot for sharing your view. I think I'll try out the demo of Opus. That will become stressful because in the demo you are limited to change of weather when the airplane is on the ground and it lasts only 10 minutes. So.. picking up an IMC aerodrome.. taxi at 80kt, shortcutting over the greens to the runway... gate climb... approach. Yeah. Better turn collision detection off during that race.

 

Regards

Hirschi

if theres a TS cell 100NM out and i head toward it, will I reach it or will it suddenly disappear as I'm closing in?

 

If the TS cell is diminishing and a newly loaded METAR doesn't show it, in Opus it will suddenly disappear when the new METAR is loaded. In any weather engine, it's possible to keep that TS cell, but then the weather will not match the current METAR. Ideally, you'd like to keep the clouds but remove the thunderstorm, which some weather engines can do.

 

Hook