I use Active Sky and REX essential and I love these programs....BUT I was getting real tired of the "flashing" clouds when skies were overcast.   Well, after reading some threads on this forum, I thought it would be best to invest in OPUS FSX because supposedly this program gave real overcast skies the proper treatment.

IT SURE DOES!  Flying with OPUS for the last 2 days has convinced me that it is a superior weather program when it comes to the inclement  weather we've been having here in Pennsylvania.  I even flew in Alaska yesterday and the skies were exactly as they were predicted to be.  I often use Four Flights every Hour  program (free) to tell me where there are VFR and IFR conditions, and OPUS replicated what the weather charts were indeed showing.

Thanks for the heads up on this program.  It's worth the money.

 

Stan

I thought i'd never get true overcast. As2012 never did it properly for me. Opus also cured my need for true overcast conditions. Thanks again Steven!

Good purchase decision Stan. What sets Opus apart from the rest is summed up by NickN at simforums

 

Quote " Other weather software does not inject REAL data into the sim. What they do is inject a STATIC weather code into the sim which completely suppresses any real world simulation of weather and WILL override the FSX code faults which cause wind shifts

 

Problem is, that is not real weather you are experiencing and it means you are flying a 'faked' version of weather and you don't realize it because the weather engine will either report the fake weather report values to you and not the real time values, OR, it will report the real time values and inject something DIFFERENT into the sim and you just don't realize it."

 

What Opus does is try to work with FSX to inject real weather into the sim. What you see in the reports is what you are flying in the sim

 

 

 

There is exceptionally unstable code in upper level wind calculations in FSX and if your hardware is being stressed by scenery, high resolution textures, incorrectly made textures or other items of that nature then the FSX automatic "priority control" system kicks in and shifts the priority of the render from the scenery to the aircraft control.. this is when the faulty code in FSX for upper level winds can go bonkers and the wind shifts occur.

 

This all assumes the user has set Opus up correctly too. If you do not have Opus correctly setup then it can not deal with the upper winds and keep them in line.

 

None the less, what you get with other weather engines is a suppressed fake weather generation.. what you get with Opus is the real world being calculated and reported

Welcome aboard Stan!  I remember one of my first flights with OPUS was to fly into the area I was actually staying at as the weather was real crappy that day.  What was the OPUS weather?  Real crappy too and the low cloud deck with limited visibility as I made my ILS landing was one to remember.  I couldn't believe I hadn't flown with OPUS earlier in the game as it definitely adds that much more realism to FSX.

 

Frequent updates, second to none customer service and an excellent product....what more could you ask for!!

Badfinger,

 

What's your recommendation for setting up OPUS so that the upper winds function properly in the sim? 

@spilok Thanks for the heads up on fourflights.com!! (I've been using Opus for a while)

Badfinger,

 

What's your recommendation for setting up OPUS so that the upper winds function properly in the sim? 

Everything default, except grib download ticked, and the two selections below ticked. ( In download options page) No wind shifts with those settings. Default is the way to go.

Not on my fsx machine at the moment, but can post more detailed options shortly.

So far it is doing a great job, except one complaint. I was flying around KSEA area and notice 4 or 5 bands of clouds that were touching the water. It created a distinct line where the cloud met the water. It looked terrible. Not sure what causes it and would be curious if anyone else has seen it?

 

Bob

I enjoy the program.  But I'm positive all third party Wx addons can create a relatively solid overcast, as long as the layers are above the bottom most layer (and the respective cloud settings are entered into your .cfg).. In OPUS, it will create a true overcast only for the very bottom layer (the one above the airport which is fun for precision approaches to minimums).  I'm not sure if the others do this part.  But above this layer your OVC won't be true OVC because of FSX limitations.  It might look OVC from the VC but if you go to external view you'll see the ground below your acft in a few spots.

 

I'm curious to know if AS2012 or REX provide the true OVC bottom layer?  By true I mean you can pop out of IMC at minimums and never see the apch lights until said point.  I will admit OPUS uses a creative way of rendering extremely poor visibility to simulate a low layer.  It works great for me!

Because more and more options are added to OPUS and things can become/are becoming a bit complicated, I decided to keep OPUS running on default and to enable the (rather new) automatic settings, which let the program decide itself what to do depending on the input of my departure and destination airport ánd cruise altitude. In the beginning, when OPUS had a really simple and clear interface, I used my own settings but as I said, the program is getting more complicated with every beta, so just keeping it default makes life a lot easier.

Everything default, except grib download ticked, and the two selections below ticked. ( In download options page) No wind shifts with those settings. Default is the way to go.

Not on my fsx machine at the moment, but can post more detailed options shortly.

Thanks.  I'll try that.

 

Stan

I enjoy the program, but price is a bit high for me, what do you think about the price? 45$ 

Thanks for the heads up! I too have ASE and I'm underwhelmed by it in general. I might have to give Opus a try!

 

By the way Stan, the company I work for here in England is owned by a company based in Allentown! Small world!

 

 

I enjoy the program, but price is a bit high for me, what do you think about the price? 45$

 

Given how well it works, the outstanding support, excellent documentation, and the continual development of new features, I think it's a fair price. I can think of other (non weather related) addons that charge more and have zero support and zero ongoing development.

 

I also use the cameras feature so for me it's like 2 addons in one package and that makes it a bargain.

I love Opus also. Just wish that TrackIR support was better. Can't seem to get it smooth.

 

 

Sent from my Apple communications device.