Previewed on the DDENN Challenger

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5yrMXMXGu0k

 

Hopefully this could be applied to other aircraft

What I would luv is the engine exhaust now that would be awesome

Really nice. Hope we could have it as a native X-Plane feature. MSFS has had environment mapping since FS2004, at least.

I don't mean to tread on anyone's toes here, but I have often tried to like X-Plane. And one of the main things that bothered me was that all the planes look like they are made of plastic... This is the first one I've seen that does not have that issue .

Looks amazing.  Would indeed be great if it could be applied to other planes; would be something I'd pay for.

Yes, we need it on other planes as well.

What I would luv is the engine exhaust now that would be awesome

X-Plane already has engine exhaust.  Heat blur/shimmer

This is a great step forward, although I'd be worried about compatibility issues in future versions, e.g. If X-Plane ever gets native support, would this plugin still work or old planes be updated, etc..

 

Also, just of curiosity, do people really think reflections are that important in the scheme of things we're waiting for?, i.e. How often do you spend looking at the plane from the outside (In my case very rarely), and it's actually something I've never noticed there being a lack off

I'm with you on this one Tony. I fly a Tomamhawk in RL and you do look out over the wing, but you are not looking to see if there are pretty reflections. When I fly in the sim the same is true - I am looking for a landmark, turning point, traffic etc. So I actually can't recall what reflections there are on the wing of the Tommy in RL although here must be some. Certainly I don't think - 'OMG the reflections are missing'.

 

Also when I watch a video of FSX/P3D/Xplane I don't recall noticing whether one has relflections or not (although I am aware of it as this subject has raised its head before as one reason why some people would not use X Plane - as if that is the be all and end all - lol).

 

Funnily enough it wasnt an issue that Robert Randazzo has raised at any point in building their first aircraft.

 

Having said that, in one of recent the Flightsimcon 2015 videos (I assume the X Plane one but can't remember) Ben is lightly joshing with Austin and saying how he was pointing out to Austin which parts of a plane has reflections and which don't - so it is on their radar but not necessarily that high up - and for Austin is probably just a minor irritation - don't you just love him?.

Just as there are immersion breakers in FSX/P3D, this is something that breaks the immersion for me personally in X-Plane (the lack of reflection, making a lot of shading just look like plastic of some sort). To me, the shading in X-Plane has just always looked 'off' and it breaks immersion at times. It will be more important to some than others.

I hope this will be a new standard in future airplanes in Xplane.

Just like guages reflections , the super manuiplator thing that is getting used more often etc...

Honestly never even noticed.

Even if dden will release the source code, I don't see much chance to apply it to other planes without a little work:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=68266#entry742181

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCwBwakOtos&feature=youtu.be

 

It would be about time for LR for environment reflections, chrome etc. Ten years after FS? Well cross fingers for xp11...

This is a great step forward, although I'd be worried about compatibility issues in future versions, e.g. If X-Plane ever gets native support, would this plugin still work or old planes be updated, etc..

 

Also, just of curiosity, do people really think reflections are that important in the scheme of things we're waiting for?, i.e. How often do you spend looking at the plane from the outside (In my case very rarely), and it's actually something I've never noticed there being a lack off

 

I think it's important for a few classic bare metal liveries where the default X-Plane texture just never looks right, like the Eastern Airlines DC-3 at the Smithsonian. Fighters like the F-104 and P-51 that were often seen in bare metal don't look right either. 

 

I mean, look at this livery for the LES DC-3 (link below). It's a good effort, but it still has X-Plane's signature flat gray, plastic look when it should be much more reflective:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=17248

 

WRT external views, I do sometimes spend time looking at whatever I'm flying from the outside, not just admiring the plane but because I get a better sightseeing view of the local scenery. Sometimes I post screenshots at the FSEconomy forum, and those are usually outside views to show what I'm flying, and where.

 

So yes, I'd pay money for a plugin that could do this on a variety of planes. And it really should be a default feature in X-Plane. Not just because "FSX does it," but because Laminar is steadily improving the realistic appearance of everything else in the sim, so why not this?