There's no altitude sensation in P3D/FSX

[xender 459]

Hi guys!

 

I have a problem with FSX/P3D. When you're flying at altitude (Lets say 30,000 or 40,000 ft) and you look outside, it doesnt look like you're flying that hight. For example, look at this image:

 

 

You CAN feel the altitude there. Is it possible to make P3D feel like that? any addon? something? (PD: I use p3dv3 and activesky next)

[sd_flyer 6,042]

Higher terrain resolution can help I think.

 

Looking at your photo I can't really tell what altitude it is. So I guess altitude perception is subjective.

[Murmur 3,941]

Hi guys!

 

I have a problem with FSX/P3D. When you're flying at altitude (Lets say 30,000 or 40,000 ft) and you look outside, it doesnt look like you're flying that hight. For example, look at this image:

 

You CAN feel the altitude there. Is it possible to make P3D feel like that? any addon? something? (PD: I use p3dv3 and activesky next)

 

The sensation you're talking about is mostly due to atmospheric scattering (simplifying a lot, this means that far things veer towards a blue/white tone).

 

Most other flight simulators model atmospheric scattering (the freeware FlightGear, X-Plane, DCS EDGE, War Thunder). FSX/P3D does not model atmospheric scattering, so this decreases the hi altitude sensation.

 

I think it's a pity it was not introduced in P3D, since the visual engine is already very good for the rest, and adding atmospheric scattering would be a nice improvement.

 

I think P3D allows shader mods, so maybe atmospheric scattering could be added as a 3rd party addon. Easy money IMHO. If I had the programming expertise, I would write such an addon.

[cmpbellsjc 2,960]

The sensation of altitude is also different when your actually looking out the window of a plane and can literally see for miles, compared to looking out the window of a plane in a simulation that's being rendered on a 30" monitor.

[DutchAir 2]

IMO that shot looks to be about FL350. It looks very realistic to me for a simulator!

If that is dense cloud its absolutely fantastic. Otherwise its Antarctic or Arctic and likewise looks

fantastic to me. 

 

Edit: Looking at your photo again, I find my self wondering are you playing games.

I has so much nuance and detail I wonder if its a real photo?

 

Second edit: I'll eat my hat if its not a real photo :-)

but I cannot say if its ice or dense cloud :-)

[mikethe6th 60]

IMO that shot looks to be about FL350. It looks very realistic to me for a simulator!

If that is dense cloud its absolutely fantastic. Otherwise its Antarctic or Arctic and likewise looks

fantastic to me. 

 

Edit: Looking at your photo again, I find my self wondering are you playing games.

I has so much nuance and detail I wonder if its a real photo?

 

Second edit: I'll eat my hat if its not a real photo :-)

but I cannot say if its ice or dense cloud :-)

 

The OP says it's a real photo. Just wanting to recreate that in a simulator.

[snglecoil 1,828]

The OP says it's a real photo.

Where? "Image" = real photo I'm assuming.

[garrett_frank 150]

I agree with the OP's sentiment: 1000 feet often looks like 3000 feet and a typical cruise altitude looks like you're around the mid-teens.

 

Every now and then I download the X-Plane trial and goof around with it and in addition to the incredible night-lighting, road traffic and flight physics, I find that the altitude sensation is also a little more realistic.

[TheNerd 12]

The sensation you're talking about is mostly due to atmospheric scattering (simplifying a lot, this means that far things veer towards a blue/white tone).

 

Most other flight simulators model atmospheric scattering (the freeware FlightGear, X-Plane, DCS EDGE, War Thunder). FSX/P3D does not model atmospheric scattering, so this decreases the hi altitude sensation.

 

I think it's a pity it was not introduced in P3D, since the visual engine is already very good for the rest, and adding atmospheric scattering would be a nice improvement.

 

I think P3D allows shader mods, so maybe atmospheric scattering could be added as a 3rd party addon. Easy money IMHO. If I had the programming expertise, I would write such an addon.

 

Reshade can probably do something to mimic atmospheric scattering. There's a guy on the forums that uses it and his screenshots look like that picture.

[flyerkg 62]

FL350 was my guess too. I typically don't spend that much time up high in FSX or any of my other sims. Every now and then I will attempt high altitude flights in U-2 and SR-71, but mostly I am down close to the ground in helicopters or around the flight deck of amphibs and carriers.

[sd_flyer 6,042]

I agree with the OP's sentiment: 1000 feet often looks like 3000 feet and a typical cruise altitude looks like you're around the mid-teens.

 

 

MSL or AGL?

[garrett_frank 150]

MSL or AGL?

 

All AGL. And I just realized there was a typo in my post. "1000 feet" should have been 10,000.

[xender 459]

IMO that shot looks to be about FL350. It looks very realistic to me for a simulator!

If that is dense cloud its absolutely fantastic. Otherwise its Antarctic or Arctic and likewise looks

fantastic to me. 

 

Edit: Looking at your photo again, I find my self wondering are you playing games.

I has so much nuance and detail I wonder if its a real photo?

 

Second edit: I'll eat my hat if its not a real photo :-)

but I cannot say if its ice or dense cloud :-)

 

Indeed its a real picture, those are clouds. The pic is from the pilotseye video where they are delivering a 777F to lufthansa cargo. (Amazing videos btw)

 

I managed to get the horizon looking like that by playing with the maximum visibility. The real problem is the clouds/ground

 

The sensation of altitude is also different when your actually looking out the window of a plane and can literally see for miles, compared to looking out the window of a plane in a simulation that's being rendered on a 30" monitor.

 

I agree with you on that. Its not possible to get the exact feeling as in real life. But even on a 30'' monitor you can get some of that, after all you get it by looking at that pic on your computer.

[padolamap 7]

Reshade existe dentro de un proceso que simula bastante bien que el azul altura GemFX está dentro del archivo y llama ambient_light

[Mallcott 23]

I find zooming out makes a considerable difference to perceptions at altitude.