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

 

Thats realistic and i'm fine with that, of course. I meant the behaviour of FSX to smoothen out the weather over time and distance despite of current weather. Thats why Opus is constructing weather in a 192x192NM square. To give FSX no chance to smoothe the weather which would lead to disappearing clouds an frontal systems.

 

Regards

Hirschi

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.

 

Indeed. Dealing with smoothing of METAR changes and transitions is one of the big challenges for any wx program, and there are always going to be tradeoffs whatever you choose to do. One possible solution, of course, is to get an initial load and then stop subsequent loads, but that's not terribly realistic.

 

In Opus, assuming something doesn't change you do get to fly to that distant wx - a most excellent experience. I'm still trying to figure out what does and does not happen in the new REX engine, as I haven't managed to find quite the wx I'm looking for yet. One thing I will say is that so far I'm not getting tossed around as much with REX when things do change. Abrupt changes, both high and low, remain my biggest single reservation relative to flying with Opus. It's an issue that Opus have said they're working on.

 

Scott

I meant the behaviour of FSX to smoothen out the weather over time and distance despite of current weather.

 

Does setting to zero the "Rate at which weather changes over time" in both FSX and your other (non-Opus) weather program help keep this from happening?

 

Hook

I think SKEWR hit the nail on the head. Look, if you compare a sports car's turning radius to a truck you could easily say the sportscar turns faster. But does that make the sports car BETTER? Only if you are interested in turning faster. How about we load a few tons of cargo on the sports car and test again - what? - the sports car got crushed? I guess that makes the truck better! Only if you are interested in carrying a big load. The point is you can not compare a sportscar to a truck other than that they are both vehicles. If everyone using ANY of the products would preface their statements with 5 little words, it would be a lot easier. "FOR MY TYPE OF FLYING" I prefer <insert weather pgm>. But to jump up and shout that <xyz> is the BEST weather engine ever makes absolutely no sense. You cannot compare the three except on individual points.

 

if you are interested in fast loading and don't care about accuracy in winds and temps - cool . If you need to plan a flight where fuel burn during climb and at altitude is important - cool. If you just want want a pretty cloud picture that is close to actual weather but gives you a good feeling - cool. But NONE of those things makes any of the programs the BEST except to YOU.

 

As I see it AS has always been considered the premier weather engine but lacking in the graqphics - they have been working very hard to provide better texturtes etc.

 

REX has always been the leader in graphics but their weather engine lacked a bit. They have been working on developing that.

 

Opus is just coming into the fray with no graphics and a simplistic weather engine but they have a different way of depiction that some folks like and they are working to get better.

 

So depending on a whole lot of things, to anyone, ANY of them could be the best. The ONLY way you are going to determine which is best FOR YOU is to try it. Most of the enjoyment of these products come visually and what *I* see is very different from what *YOU* see - make your own choice based upon YOUR needs, budget and type of flying.

 

Vic

Does setting to zero the "Rate at which weather changes over time" in both FSX and your other (non-Opus) weather program help keep this from happening?

 

Hook

 

Unfortunately, no. Its afaik hardcoded. Theres only a bubble around you with the current weather. The rest of the planet has 15°C, 29.92 inches, no clouds, no precipitation and i don't know for the wind exactly but it seems some kind of ISA model for regions instead of worldwide. Hence the abrupt 180° changes in upperwinds which are very funny when you want to collect some penalty points for overspeeding in FSPax or even stalling your aircraft (for example: headwind 90+kt into tailwind 90+kt at FL410). That wouldn't be a problem since you are always inside your weather bubble but FSX slowly but continously tries to change your bubble to standard-wx. Solution so far: Make a square (or better a cuboid) of weather, tell FSX to keep the fingers outside it. BTW, i had your mentioned rate at 0 the whole time. I don't even know if this has any effect since the external wx-engines turn your setting to "user defined".

 

Regards

Hirschi

If everyone using ANY of the products would preface their statements with 5 little words, it would be a lot easier. "FOR MY TYPE OF FLYING" I prefer <insert weather pgm>.

 

I find it easier still to mentally insert these words myself at the start of any opinion I'm reading. It helps curb redundant phrases and makes for greater word economy.

The rest of the planet has 15°C, 29.92 inches, no clouds, no precipitation...

 

How do I test this?

 

Hook

How do I test this?

 

Hook

 

Since Warp is not allowed near inhabited planets class 3 or higher... i don't know But if you load your plane into a location, its always standard weather until some weather engine starts to work. I read about this bubble and smoothing in a thread regarding Opus a week ago or so but i can't really remeber where exactly. Maybe it was here on avsim, dunno.

 

Regards

Hirschi

If everyone using ANY of the products would preface their statements with 5 little words, it would be a lot easier. "FOR MY TYPE OF FLYING" I prefer . But to jump up and shout that is the BEST weather engine ever makes absolutely no sense. You cannot compare the three except on individual points.

 

Well said, Vic. To be fair, many do qualify their opinions with good descriptions of how they fly and why they value certain things over others, but most of us could do a better job of qualifying and giving context to our opinions.

 

Scott

But if you load your plane into a location, its always standard weather until some weather engine starts to work.

 

I don't think that's correct: afaik you simply get your default weather at startup but that default weather might as well be rain, a temp of -3 C and 30.52 inches...! Since a lot of people don't save a new default flight with different weather, they always get FSX's default weather.

 

Concerning the bubble: I think that's correct (that by default the weather is only generated around the plane and moves along with you) but outside the bubble there is nothing... Why should there be anything outside the bubble? The bubble itself is fake already, a simulated environment. Why should they program a certain condition outside of the place you are flying? That wouldn't have any purpose. You are looking at the sim as if it's the real world and there HAS to be something beyond the horizon. But afaik and imho there is absolutely nothing outside the bubble. ^_^

Ok, I have a question.

 

I am thinking of buying OpusFSX, from all the reviews here.

 

But, I also have REXE+. I want the textures from REXE+, but the weather engine from OPUS.

 

That's possible right? Does OPUS have it's own set of textures?

I don't think that's correct: afaik you simply get your default weather at startup but that default weather might as well be rain, a temp of -3 C and 30.52 inches...! Since a lot of people don't save a new default flight with different weather, they always get FSX's default weather.

 

Concerning the bubble: I think that's correct (that by default the weather is only generated around the plane and moves along with you) but outside the bubble there is nothing... Why should there be anything outside the bubble? The bubble itself is fake already, a simulated environment. Why should they program a certain condition outside of the place you are flying? That wouldn't have any purpose. You are looking at the sim as if it's the real world and there HAS to be something beyond the horizon. But afaik and imho there is absolutely nothing outside the bubble. ^_^

 

Ah, now i've got your point and of course, you're right. Would make no sense to waste computing time through simulating something of no use. Maybe I misunderstood the thread about that bubble technique of FSX weather but one thing I remember: FSX is constantly trying to turn your weather into sky clear conditions (no weather).

I just tried to set AS2012 to 0 visibility conditions. Cloud layer 0' AGL (tried all 4 clouds Cirrus etc. + thickness 8000), FG, Vis 0m, drizzle. It was of course foggy and low visibility. But i could see the runway 500ft, the whole rwy lights and up to 800' AGL i wasn't visually lost. I don't know if FSX is the limiting factor, but IRL I remember fogs where you could not see further than 30ft. But maybe i'm too nitpicking. Approaching in such weather with 140 - 150 kt is something different than standing at the runway and measuring distances.

 

Regards

Hirschi

 

Edit:

Ok, I have a question.

 

I am thinking of buying OpusFSX, from all the reviews here.

 

But, I also have REXE+. I want the textures from REXE+, but the weather engine from OPUS.

 

That's possible right? Does OPUS have it's own set of textures?

 

 

Yes, No.

 

Yes... it is possible

No... Opus doesn't have its own texture set

Ok, I have a question.

 

I am thinking of buying OpusFSX, from all the reviews here.

 

But, I also have REXE+. I want the textures from REXE+, but the weather engine from OPUS.

 

That's possible right? Does OPUS have it's own set of textures?

 

OpusFSX has no textures, it's 'only' a weather engine. So, simply install the REX textures you want (if you want to you can install them and forget about REX completely: you can even uninstall REX completely and still enjoy the installed textures) and simply use OpusFSX to render the weather. This is how I use it too.

OpusFSX has no textures, it's 'only' a weather engine. So, simply install the REX textures you want (if you want to you can install them and forget about REX completely: you can even uninstall REX completely and still enjoy the installed textures) and simply use OpusFSX to render the weather. This is how I use it too.

 

Cool, thanks. Buying it tonight, or this weekend!

A comparison thread avoiding a comparison for three pages now. ^_^

 

Anyone with some screenshots? I mean, it would be interesting unless you are listening to the weather, right?

 

By the way, of course there are different modes available in FSX and of course there's a global weather in use with e.g. the DWC mode from ASE (and later). It also makes sense to load weather related textures since FSX only uses two types of clouds while the addon devs tweak their appearance to match certain conditions.

 

Hence their move to read the weather reports and then suggest a set for the region you are flying to. One doesn't have to use that feature, but it's not that hard to do so since it takes a click to load the weather and another click to let REX or AS2012 decide about the 'best fitting' textures.