Anyone know what addons they're using in this shot?

 

I probably couldn't run them anyway since I run textures on high or normal

 

But I am curious - they look sublime

 

1. X-Plane 10.30.  No weather or cloud add-ons.  This is vanilla.

2. Rendering settings aren't even that extreme… the texture resolution is set to "very high" with compress textures turned on, cloud detail is set to 18%, and HDR, volumetric fog, and atmospheric scattering is on.  Gamma is at 2.0 and HDR AA is set to 2x.

3. Clouds were set using the second radio button in the "Weather" window. (Set Random and only semi-controlled weather patterns).

4. Coverage set to 25%, intensity set to full right, temperature set to centre, system size set to centre, and randomness about 1/4.  (Due to the random nature of the "randomness" function, results may vary.)

5. Season: summer (June 29) and time is… well… you see the position of the sun, so adjust accordingly.

 

And then just fly around and look for the best locations and cloud formations.  

 

Really, I think the trick is to use the "Set Random and only semi-controlled weather patterns".

Is the sun actually illuminating that cloud top near the bottom of the frame?

Wow. My vanilla clouds never look anything like this.

I do wish XP could get some sharpness to the clouds.

 

Not all clouds in real life are blurry and almost "aerosol sprayed" like this.

Ryan:  Sure looks like it.

 

But today's weather in my city made the clouds look a lot like those in X-Plane.  Sure, sometimes the clouds in real life have sharp edges, but then again, clouds in real life are quite complex and will probably never really be simulated in all the variations that are possible IRL.

Dan what's your favorite Carenado plane you've done so far (in XP of course)?

I like many different ones for different reasons… but I tend to like the latest ones best, simply because they stretch me most, and they allow me to use the newest X-Plane features.  

 

But here are some that have stood out:

 

-I liked the V-tail Bonanza V35 for a long time, because I always loved the V-tail concept… and the Carenado model has tip tanks that you can enable/disable in flight, with changes to the aerodynamic characteristics and fuel capabilities.

 

-When I started work on the Seneca, I first started using SASL, which really vastly expanded the amount of stuff that could be done with aircraft; custom sounds, pilot animations, differential throttle control, camera presets, enhanced prop visualizations, etc. suddenly became possible.

 

-Then the Caravan came along, which I loved for a long time, since it was a big turbine single, and provided numerous challenges to work through… the most tedious of which was, the railings for the back door.  Animating those is a real challenge.

 

-I got really excited about the C337, as that had been a childhood favourite of mine.  I'd just sat and watched one do circuits at Boundary Bay airport, around the time I was working on it, and was enthralled by its looks and sounds.

 

-Then I must say I spent a lot of time with the bush extension pack of the C185. That was fun. I loved all the variety… skis, floats, skimming on water with the balloon tires, STOL performance… a real bush hero!

 

-The A36 was probably THE most challenging Carenado plane I've ever worked on, because of the scratch - programmed Aspen EFD1000 display panel, available as a 2D pop-up.  Stretching experience.  I have a special connection to that plane.

-The C90 and B200 stick out in my mind as some of the most feature-rich and interesting planes; I really started making use of 3D HDR spill lights (ceiling lights with gimbal animations), and made custom animations for buttons and switches, which gave them more of a realistic spring-loaded feel.  I really enjoy flying those King Airs.  Just the feel they have is tremendous.

 

Yeah, I'd have to say those King Airs are probably currently my favourites, where I think I like the B200 slightly better… just because of the looks, (High-T, beefier appearance, optional winglets, which incidentally also affect aerodynamics) and the power it has.

 

On the Alabeo side, I think I like the Robinson R66 most… I'd always wanted to have the opportunity to work on a heli, and I just love how that one turned out… with the vibrating instrument panel, the fully articulated rotor head, the ability to switch between arcade mode and realistic mode, etc.

Judging by the rest of the pictures from the set on their website, i believe that RTH (Real Terra Haze) or manual lua color gains were used to achieve this. Try the Real Terra Haze (form the .org) with HDR enabled. Clouds themselves seem to be vanilla here.

Yeah, I'd have to say those King Airs are probably currently my favourites, where I think I like the B200 slightly better… just because of the looks, (High-T, beefier appearance, optional winglets, which incidentally also affect aerodynamics) and the power it has.

 

I agree with you Dan. The B200 ( i don't have the C-90 (yet)) is my favorite also. This one is just crazy good. Immensely fun to hand fly, following the flight director is a joy. Carenado is my favorite X-Plane developer at this moment in time. X-Plane is like an iceberg, with a lot yet to be discovered. The potential is phenomenal. Do you think if we bug Austin and Ben enough, we'll get cube (environmental) maps in there at some point? :lol:

 

Anyways, I need to thank you for all that you've accomplished for X-Plane.

On the subject of clouds, I have linked to one of my videos from early May. These are the Aerosoft SkyTools clouds. I can't remember which sets I was using back then but I think they looked realistic. Watch at 3:05 when the camera is under the 747's wing and look at the clouds above. A magical moment for me.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE1xqDcI7DI

Is the sun actually illuminating that cloud top near the bottom of the frame?

Sure, Ryan! Clouds in XPX are dynamic 3D objects that really come to life with HDR on and in certain weather conditions. The vanilla clouds in XPX can look really good with tweaked art controls or the use of EFASS weather engine (ultra WX) that changes values of art controls "on the fly" with some great results!

Great screenshot by the way!

I really love flying the Carenado planes in X-Plane 10!

Anyone else use the Mooney M20J in XPX?

 

Might be my favorite plane!  :-)

 

Bums me out to hear they won't be updating any older planes (even for $$ would be great) with new GPS features.  Sort of makes the older planes more "dead on arrival" moving forward to me.

XP10.30 default clouds are awesome.