Just installed Opus - have ASN and EZCA - opinions needed

[vgbaron 3,508]

What a useless degrading comment Vic  :rolleyes: Both ASN and OPUS do an excellent job generating the weather and OPUS is much more than you suggest...

No more useless and degrading than yours Bert. We each have our opinions. I stand by my comment. Opus is a fine product, FSGRW is a fine product and REX is a fine product but for accurate weather, winds and temps - ASN is superior for many reasons.

 

But it still remains an individual choice.

 

 

Vic

[hesynergy 67]

Look on YouTube for side by side weather generation shootout of both...

 

...one thing I can think of that OPUSFSI doesn't have, is historical weather..

 

From the OPUSFSI weather manual

Live Weather Features

 

 Live Weather constructs Dynamic Live Weather from current live (or historic) METAR data.

 

 Accurate detailed weather as far as the eye can see throughout your flight. No more unrealistic globalized weather from horizon to horizon, with OpusFSI you can see distant weather patterns all around you. See the changing weather patterns en route as you fly.

 

 Live Weather provides instant weather updates. No more unrealistic clearing of the weather prior to updating. No more annoying screen flicker as METARs are slowly loaded into the sim.

 

 No more METAR voids or unrealistic METAR data morphing.

 

 No more inconsistencies with distant ATC and ATIS reports. Accurate Destination Weather when over 200km away, with perfect weather reports at any distance to any point en-route.

 

 OpusFSI weather reports can be used instead of ATIS, and at non-ATIS airstrips.

 

 Live Weather allows you to see low lying mist and fog patches.

 

 Live Weather creates very realistic cloud, visibility layering and an overcast effect.

 

 Live Weather lets you turn on, off, or automatically generate the cirrus cloud effect.

 

 The Live Weather Engine supervises both the turbulence and ultra-realistic Dynamic Head Movement utilising actual real-life captured 3D accelerometer data.

 Create your own named weather themes from the current weather.

 

 Load your own custom weather using a simple METAR import file.

 

 Load historic weather from within the last 24 hours.

 

 Dynamic Weather reports displayed during flight for your local area, destination, alternates, en route, lower and upper atmosphere weather.

 

 Flight Plan Assistant imports activated flight plans and provides dynamic flight plan weather reports together with detailed reports on METARs, GRIB lower and upper atmosphere weather, flight plan waypoint weather and SIDs/STARs ordered according to direction and distance.

 

 Live Weather Assistant provides maps of Surface QNH, Surface Winds, Surface Visibility, Surface Temperature, Precipitation Levels, Low Cloud Cover and Met Station Cover for the current 800 x 800 mile weather map.

 

 Client Side Weather Control enables you to edit flight parameters and display weather data on a networked client PC.

 

 Live Weather allows perfect synchronisation of dynamic weather and cloud formations on networked systems.

 

Sky and Cloud Textures

 

The Live Weather Engine does not include any sky and cloud textures. For optimum effect we strongly recommend you install sky and cloud textures from packages such as Flight Environment X (payware) or HDEv2 (freeware) for clouds with the sky upgraded by Danny Glover, and use the OpusFSI Live Weather Engine for the actual weather updates.

 

We would strongly recommend using lower resolution 1024 cloud textures and also not using HD cloud textures, this will be beneficial in terms of frame rates as well as looking more realistic and less harsh.

 

And from experience... Absolute minimal frame rate hit ....so, you get DHM, CAMERAS, AND weather...in one package....oh...and look at their site and look up a number of revisions that Stephen has made to his product since it was introduced.

 

That's my take...and I have both....but I need to play with ASN more for a truly fair comparison

 

Chas

[tf51d 284]

 

 

Look on YouTube for side by side weather generation shootout of both...

 

That's one problem OPUS isn't well represented on youtube, and so far can't find any comparison videos, especially for OPUS FSI

[vgbaron 3,508]

The only real way is to try the demo's and compare it to YOUR way of flying. Looking at someone else's youtube doesn't really tell much - on YOUR system it could be a stuttering mess.

 

Some simmers plan flights correctly, calculating fuel burn, weights, time to climb etc - for these people -accurate weather depiction is a must - winds, temps etc are critical. For others, just flying through the clouds, low and slow and having a beautiful visual experience is what they like.

 

Each weather program does the latter well - it's up to you to determine which does the former more accurately.

 

Vic

[Rimshot 1,135]

No more useless and degrading than yours Bert. We each have our opinions. I stand by my comment. Opus is a fine product, FSGRW is a fine product and REX is a fine product but for accurate weather, winds and temps - ASN is superior for many reasons.

 

But it still remains an individual choice.

 

 

Vic

 

Fair enough Vic. It is indeed an individual choice. But your words suggest Opus weather is far from accurate and you can only use it for and I quote "pretty cloud cover and some wind". That is utter nonsense. I have never understood the superiority ASN has according to its users. I have used ASN as well as OPUS and I fail to see why ASN would be so much better...

[tf51d 284]

 

 

I have never understood the superiority ASN has according to its users. I have used ASN as well as OPUS and I fail to see why ASN would be so much better...

 

Well this is what did it for me!! Can OPUSFSI do this? (This is FSX BTW)

 

[Need-To-Know 34]

I have seen you guys say no historic weather in Opus. Maybe I have misinterpreted what you mean but it does do historical weather:

 

http://www.simforums.com/forums/saving-dynamic-weather-historic-weather-themes_topic42840.html

[tf51d 284]

I have seen you guys say no historic weather in Opus. Maybe I have misinterpreted what you mean but it does do historical weather:

 

http://www.simforums.com/forums/saving-dynamic-weather-historic-weather-themes_topic42840.html

Not exactly the same thing! All that describes, is saving your weather and loading it another day. ASN can do that too. What is missing in OPUS is a database of past weather for the whole world for any time. In ASN I just set historical weather, then select a time and date (Could be 6 months back or further) and it will load the weather for that date from anywhere in the world. So for example if you want to fly through one of hurricanes from last year you can.

[Need-To-Know 34]

Not exactly the same thing! All that describes, is saving your weather and loading it another day. ASN can do that too. What is missing in OPUS is a database of past weather for the whole world for any time. In ASN I just set historical weather, then select a time and date (Could be 6 months back or further) and it will load the weather for that date from anywhere in the world. So for example if you want to fly through one of hurricanes from last year you can.

 

Ahhh roger that, I had not ever thought of that. Not really a feature I would use but understand why people would.

[vgbaron 3,508]

Fair enough Vic. It is indeed an individual choice. But your words suggest Opus weather is far from accurate and you can only use it for and I quote "pretty cloud cover and some wind". That is utter nonsense. I have never understood the superiority ASN has according to its users. I have used ASN as well as OPUS and I fail to see why ASN would be so much better...

As a long time ASN beta tester Bert, we really try to avoid knocking another product. There is enough room in the market and each product will prompt the other to do better. MOST users rate a weather program visually - if the clouds are pretty and if the METAR says there should be clouds, then it's good.

 

Bottom line - if you can't see the ASN advantage - stay with OPUS. A car is just a car but the difference is what lies under the hood, but if you only test at 60MPH - they all look the same. IMHO, what is under the hood of ASN is significantly superior to any other weather engine when it counts.

 

But it still comes down to the same as any other purchase, if you don't need or use the features, why buy them?

 

Vic

[Rimshot 1,135]

Well this is what did it for me!! Can OPUSFSI do this? (This is FSX BTW)

 

 

I have no idea Tom. To be honest I rarely fly through the clouds. Just as in real life I am a VFR pilot in the sim, so I prefer to stay below them  :smile:

 

As a long time ASN beta tester Bert, we really try to avoid knocking another product. There is enough room in the market and each product will prompt the other to do better. MOST users rate a weather program visually - if the clouds are pretty and if the METAR says there should be clouds, then it's good.

 

Bottom line - if you can't see the ASN advantage - stay with OPUS. A car is just a car but the difference is what lies under the hood, but if you only test at 60MPH - they all look the same. IMHO, what is under the hood of ASN is significantly superior to any other weather engine when it counts.

 

But it still comes down to the same as any other purchase, if you don't need or use the features, why buy them?

 

Vic

 

Thanks for explaining Vic. I own both products. For the type of flying I do I have never come across major differences in accuracy of weather depiction between the two. Because I like VFR and low and slow I rarely fly in extreme weather. If the weather is to bad to fly I adjust it manually or use historical weather. So it could very well be I have never flown in weather that shows the differences between ASN and OPUS.

I have no idea what's going on under the hood of ASN that would make it better than OPUS. I'm not a programmer. Do you know what is happening under the hood of OPUS? I'm curious about the 'many reasons' you mention that make ASN the better choice according to you. No matter what. lately I've found myself using ASN more, mainly because the GUI is so much more attractive and user friendly.

[vgbaron 3,508]

So it could very well be I have never flown in weather that shows the differences between ASN and OPUS.

I have no idea what's going on under the hood of ASN that would make it better than OPUS. I'm not a programmer. Do you know what is happening under the hood of OPUS? I'm curious about the 'many reasons' you mention that make ASN the better choice according to you. No matter what. lately I've found myself using ASN more, mainly because the GUI is so much more attractive and user friendly.

I do a LOT of flying full IFR. What I do not do is calculate fuel burn, weights, etc when flying IMC. there are a lot of VA that really plan the flight to calculate fuel time to climb, loads etc. To do that correctly you need to know winds and temps and have them be accurate. That's just one area that ASN shines.

 

The weather gauge is another - you can look at the gauge and see the cells in front of you and look out the windscreen and there they are - if the gauge shows a path around them, you will see that too. This implies placing clouds where they belong as opposed to generating clouds to fill the area.

 

Anyhow, as I stated earlier - all the weather programs work - it's up to the individual to decide which looks and works better for THEIR way of flying.

 

Vic

[Ebs 114]

Nice to hear some opinions on Opus. I'll keep an eye on it but it'll have to pull some tricks to beat ASN in my opinion.

[mikea76 184]

What a useless degrading comment Vic  :rolleyes: Both ASN and OPUS do an excellent job generating the weather and OPUS is much more than you suggest...

 

Nothing against OPUS it is a fine product but ASN is a major breakthrough. For the first time we have accurate weather radar for tubes and accurate 3d weather.  I own both products and I use ASN all the time now. 

 

To say they are equal in weather generation is underselling the  breakthrough that  ASN had regarding controlling weather in a 3D environment.  I understand some don't see or get  why that is a huge deal but it is and in my opinion once you start charging for a product I don't see to play lets be fair games and say they are all equal.

 

On the other hand I think Opus has a advantage where it links camera control to weather.  If HiFI does that in a future product I think that would make HIFI the hands down best weather engine.