Question - Networking OpusFSX

[X_Man 8]

Stephen - If I wanted to run OpusFSX on a client PC to lower the load on the PC I have FSX installed, can I still use TrackIR?

[Brian Doney 127]

AFAIK OpusFSX server must be run on the FSX machine, clients can be used to control live views etc, but no, you can't split it off like other products.

[X_Man 8]

Brian - I tried to run the FSXCLIENT.EXE which could inject weather into FSX but I couldn't get TrackIR to work.

[Brian Doney 127]

FSXCLIENT can only connect to FSXSERVER, which must be run on the FSX machine.

 

Unless something has changed in the last 2 weeks I'm pretty sure what you are trying to do isn't possible with Opus, unfortunately.

[X_Man 8]

Actually, I didn't have FSXSERVER installed on the PC running FSX. Only the FSXCLIENT was running on my networked PC which injected weather into FSX

[Opus Software 84]

We consider it more efficient to run the OpusFSX server on the main 'flying' FSX machine so don't provide an option to run it on a client PC. Therefore TrackIR should only be set up the server machine.

 

As mentioned above the client can be used for displaying weather maps and controlling the weather if you don't have FSX installed on the client. If you wish to display views on the clients then you must install FSX.

 

Cheryl

[jfail 2]

Hi Cheryl

 

Please clear me up on this.

 

I use another weather program running on a client machine which injects weather into P3D across the network.  It requires the use of simconnect.  I believe LM changed the SDK in v2 so that some programs using simconnect are having difficulty until things get sorted out.  I like programs that use FSUIPC such as Plan-G and others, never any problems with network communications.

 

I am interested in purchasing OPUS for the same purpose but I am not clear if simconnect is required for OPUS to run on the network or if I can use FSUIPC on the server and WideFS on the client to inject weather from the client to the server?  I have read the installation instructions on the website but in my old age I am still a little fuzzy about running OPUS on the network.  I do not need to display the weather on the client but it would be nice.

 

Thanks for your help.

[Opus Software 84]

Opus injects weather using a different method, by Dynamic Weather Themes, but issues the load command via SimConnect. All this is done on the main flying server system. You do not need a client system and there is no benefit to generating the weather on the client so we don't do it. The LWE has no impact on the sim and needs to coordinate things such as turbulent motions in real time, hence its best for the LWE to run on the main system. You can set up a 'No Connection...' Type client to provide control and look at weather maps etc. but it does no weather processing.

 

So SimConnect is required on your main system and on the client if a client is used, but its not used to communicate anything. Our own IPC comms software does that as and when needed.

 

Stephen

[RWFeldman 159]

Opus injects weather using a different method, by Dynamic Weather Themes, but issues the load command via SimConnect. All this is done on the main flying server system. You do not need a client system and there is no benefit to generating the weather on the client so we don't do it. The LWE has no impact on the sim and needs to coordinate things such as turbulent motions in real time, hence its best for the LWE to run on the main system. You can set up a 'No Connection...' Type client to provide control and look at weather maps etc. but it does no weather processing.

 

So SimConnect is required on your main system and on the client if a client is used, but its not used to communicate anything. Our own IPC comms software does that as and when needed.

 

Stephen

Though it may be tru that it has no effect. You still have to "remember" to start the server before the sim? Im looking at the Opus demo now. Your saying there is no way of starting the weather engine on a client and not have the server running on the host?

[jfail 2]

Opus injects weather using a different method, by Dynamic Weather Themes, but issues the load command via SimConnect. All this is done on the main flying server system. You do not need a client system and there is no benefit to generating the weather on the client so we don't do it. The LWE has no impact on the sim and needs to coordinate things such as turbulent motions in real time, hence its best for the LWE to run on the main system. You can set up a 'No Connection...' Type client to provide control and look at weather maps etc. but it does no weather processing.

 

So SimConnect is required on your main system and on the client if a client is used, but its not used to communicate anything. Our own IPC comms software does that as and when needed.

 

Stephen

I did not state my question (below the dotted line) properly and it should be ignored.  Re-reading your response clears things up.

 

I presume OPUS is compatible with P3D V2?  I am interested in terminating the other weather program I am using and want to be clear.

 

Thanks

 

------------------------------

So I take it you are saying there is no real benefit to running OPUS from a client and running it on the main P3D machine is the desired method?  No FPS impact etc.?

[Opus Software 84]

There is no benefit in fact there would be detrimental effect since the LWE provides coordinated support to the DHM and Aircraft turbulence software. What you would save (minimal if anything) by having the weather generated on the client you would more than lose by having to communicate the data and weather file. Unless of course you have a ten year old single core PC. With modern day multi core PCs, Win 7 64-bit, and adequate memory, the LWE has no impact.

 

The software has always been designed to have no impact on the simulator's performance. Of course you should do the usual and try and give the sim its own dedicated drive preferably a SSD, since they are generally not multi access, all the usual precautions really. You will have to install the P3D V2 SimConnect as well but you have to do that anyway unless you are not going to install any Addons.

 

Stephen

 

You should also bare in mind its the sim that tells Opus where you are, which then determines what METARs to download in order to generate the 800 x 800 mile weather map. Other weather data may be needed to generate reports from activated flight plans etc.. OpusFSX has never had any affect on the simulators performance. Slight pauses can occur if you generate weather map data and share a disk drive with the sim, depends whether the sim is trying to access data from the disk at the time.

 

Stephen

[RWFeldman 159]

But, in a single system, there is no way of checking weather maps, temps metars etc unless one minimizes the sim ?

[Opus Software 84]

Of course there is.

 

You have the Opus on-screen weather reports, you can run the sim in Windowed mode, or switch to windowed mode, and then view all maps and reports, or install a second monitor and use that.

 

But you can always connect a client system and simply run it in 'No Connection To The Sim' mode. You can then use this to remotely control the LWE, use the LWA Live Weather Assistant to look at all maps, display up to six weather maps separately, open and view text reports for downloaded METARs, GRIB wind and temp targets, flight plan reports, and SID/STARs data reports.

 

The choice is yours. You don't need to network the SimConnects and only need to install SimConnect (which we supply) on the client so that the libraries are present, but the client doesn't use them it just needs them to be installed.

 

Stephen

 

http://www.opussoftware.co.uk/opusfsi/opusfsx_live_weather2.htm#_Toc361558451

 

How much information do you need to fly the sim. All that really matters is in the reports especially if you have processed a flight plan.

 

Stephen :-)

[jfail 2]

Last question.  Is OPUS compatible with P3D V2?

[Opus Software 84]

You still have to "remember" to start the server before the sim? Im looking at the Opus demo now. Your saying there is no way of starting the weather engine on a client and not have the server running on the host?

It is best to run FSX before OpusFSX and if you are using P3D v2 then we have found the opposite may be true - run OpusFSX before P3D v2.

 

OpusFSX server must run on the host 'flying' sim PC.

 

Cheryl

 

Yes it is fully compatible with P3D V2 and the Beta version even has an Enable Volumetric Fog Effect option in the Weather preferences dialog. Set this option to control the volumetric fog and provide excellent fog, mist, inversion layer, and even restricted vertical visibility effects.

 

See our SimForums for details.

 

Stephen