The problem with a luminescence of headlights remained... (when flying plane around). It is a pity!

 

 

 

Something to keep in mind, the cloud motion video was recorded with P3DV2.2 running at a simulation rate of 128X ... the Fraps recording was then put thru Adobe PP where I increased the speed by another 7X ... so you're seeing about 7 hours or so compressed into about 5 minutes ... so that's going to exaggerate the perceived frequency of cloud "popping".

 

I think there is room for additional work on how clouds are presented, but if one is looking for truly "realistic" volumetric clouds then we're probably about 10-20 years away from technology that could do that in real time (and be affordable) ... best hardware of today would be render farms (think 256 CPUs or more) that can take many hours to render just a 7 seconds (say @ 30 fps, that's 210 frames) sequence of a truely realistic cloud ... taking into account light sources, and light reflection, environment, etc. etc.

 

Here is a video (not mine) from a tool I've used before called Cinema4D to render volumetric clouds: 

 

 

Skip to the 3min mark in the video and you can see how long it takes to render (those small squares filling out the image is the render of a single frame - and that may not be final render, just preview render) just that small scene in 3D space ... not trying to deflate anyone's bubble, but what you are asking for in terms of realism in clouds is not going to be viable in "realtime" any time soon.  You're going to have to use the "blind eye" approach to make them seem "more real"

 

Here is a good article on how clouds are done in FSX and P3D (actually think this goes way back) -- not specific to FSX/P3D, but it's the "billboard" approach and give you a good idea of what is going on with cloud rendering.

 

Cheers, Rob.

I notice the sun shadow inside the VC is still there with an overcast condition. (i.e. in last video landing approach at 1500 feet.... on yoke's column)

pity

pity

 

 

Breaks in the cloud.. even will full overcast you get holes here and there.

 

With my build all internal and external shadows disappear when in the shadow of a cloud... I trust this has not changed.

Rob, all this is also understood but the fact of the mater is that cloud rotation in V2.1 is insane and given the choice between flying through clouds and the cloud kinda vanishing bit by bit as I fly through it (old rendering method FSX, V1.4, V2.0) and flying 500 feet below cloud base looking out and around for other traffic and seeing the clouds rotating like gear wheels in sync with the movement of my head, I take the former any day. LM did indicate that putting an option in the GUI to select between the old rendering method and new rendering method would not be difficult and that if the interest was there they would do. Its seems obvious to me that old rendering method is better for VFR flight and the new rendering method better for IFR where you will actually be flying through the clouds.

 

Anyway the jury is still out on REX4 for me because despite its simplicity, I have yet to see it produce clouds as visually compelling as REX3

 

Having said that when I get my hands on V2.2 tomorrow I am doing a completely fresh install and I will compare cloud rotation before and after the installation of ASN and REX4.

 

I am getting it tomorrow, right Rob? You're not making up fake bugs so you can keep it all for yourself are you? :lol:

 

I posted this time laps video elsewhere but I though I would add it here to. Its Condor the Soaring Simulator, granted rendering is dated but these clouds are actually behaving the way real clouds do. You have to wait until about mid day before the cumulus layer starts to from. If this could be done in P3D with updated rendering that would be awesome.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNfuZbH42Pw

Breaks in the cloud.. ....

 

At 1500 feet that looked like a solid overcast

 

As long as there is not a full array of vivid sun delineations inside the VC when its raining or snowing under an overcast on the tarmac it would be better than before.

Having said that when I get my hands on V2.2 tomorrow I am doing a completely fresh install and I will compare cloud rotation before and after the installation of ASN and REX4.

 

I found it much-much worse, due to extensive use of Stratus layers, which really highlight the spinning... I now set my own weather and use no Stratus, but that is no good if you want RW conditions.

 

Considering the highly vocal thread on the LM forum, with many requests to give us an option... which we were told would be a very easy thing to do, and they would do if it was wanted, I still hope it will be implemented. It clearly IS wanted, as a option at least, and am supprised it didn't make 2.2... unless it has of course?

I almost never experience the  rotating cloud issue . . . and I am using Active Sky Next real weather. Why is it that some users like me rarely experience this, while rotating clouds are such an huge issue for so many others?

 

Here's new Nvidia Technology for Fire and Smoke.

 

I imagine it shouldn't be too hard to morph this Smoke into clouds maybe? Cloud seems a lot less dynamic than the smoke shown. Man it would look so good.

 

 

I almost never experience the rotating cloud issue

 

 

Well, you do, but you either don't notice, or the way you fly means it has less impact... every time this comes up, someone always says "I don't get this" but, it IS the way the clouds are coded and that is that. If you don't notice, or are not bothered by it then fine, and it is precisely why an 'option' has been requested... there are certainly more trivial complaints about every sim platform, but, for VFR flyers using v2.x its quite a biggie.

 

I hope LM add an option so we can put this topic to bed as much as anything else...

Novation, I wasn't saying that the clouds never rotate at all, but that the effect is so small for me that it is a non-issue. My post was to ask why . . . as in what am I doing differently than those who are experiencing much greater cloud rotation issues.  

 

ASN certainly didn't make it more common for me (I don't use any addon weather textures like REX).  I only fly small GA planes, at speeds below 120 knots, and stay below 15,000 feet, and I generally stay in the virtual cockpit view. Oh, and I don't use any head-tracking hardware.

Oh, and I don't use any head-tracking hardware.

 

That explains a lot because the rotation of clouds is most obvious when you look around/change your view. If you don't change your view, you won't see any rotation at ALL.

 

BTW I myself only notice it (or better said: I myself am only annoyed by it) when I fly very low and the clouds touch the ground: when I look around with TrackIR I can clearly and very obviously see the cloud rotate on the ground (where it has a very sharp and clear line) which spoils the immersion. During regular flight, so with clouds where they belong (up in the sky) I am not bothered with it at all, really.

Novation, I wasn't saying that the clouds never rotate at all, but that the effect is so small for me that it is a non-issue. My post was to ask why . . . as in what am I doing differently than those who are experiencing much greater cloud rotation issues.  

 

ASN certainly didn't make it more common for me (I don't use any addon weather textures like REX).  I only fly small GA planes, at speeds below 120 knots, and stay below 15,000 feet, and I generally stay in the virtual cockpit view. Oh, and I don't use any head-tracking hardware.

 

 

I assume because some things bother some people more than others, or, maybe you get lucky with your conditions, and the generated weather exhibits the issue less, due to the cloud types generated... when clouds are further away, its less obvious, as it is if you are less inclined to use lots of panning, keeping more of a fixed and forward view. There are certainly factors that make this less important for some, and that's great, get on and fly... but, don't suggest (not you personally Arwen) this is something trivial for those who hate what LM have done to the cloud rendering system.

 

There is a great post on the LM forum from a glider pilot who expresses why its so bad, and unrealistic... and I agree 100%.

 

 

 

That explains a lot because the rotation of clouds is most obvious when you look around/change your view. If you don't change your view, you won't see any rotation at ALL.

 

Depends also I think on how far you are from clouds.  The closer you are the worse it gets I believe.

Looks like I didn't link the cloud billboard process and how I believe it works: http://www.markmark.net/clouds/  old article but still in use.

 

 

 

but that the effect is so small for me that it is a non-issue.

 

TrackIR and specific clouds types will emphasis the issue.

 

My personal opinion is that either method is a compromise.  But since this is "by design" it's not a bug.  I'd like to see better cloud processing also, but I know we simply don't have the necessary hardware (SLi, Tri-SLi, Quad-SLi just not enough) to do volumetric cloud process (and shadow/light processing) real time. 

 

 

 

I imagine it shouldn't be too hard to morph this Smoke into clouds maybe?

 

That's on single particle effect, multiple that by 1000's (maybe even 10,000 or more) and then add shadow calculations and a world environment ... even in that video as it rotates a frozen frame I see "stutters"

 

I'm not really disagreeing with those opinions of clouds (rotation and how they look) but I do know what kind of processing requirements would be needed to "solve" the problem ... and that's just not available today or near future. 

 

Cheers, Rob.