Hi to all

 

I have been using X-Plane since more than 15 years (!) now. Today i decided to give P3D a try, because of the bigger choice of Ad-Ons...i first wanted to wait before it goes 64 Bit but since it could still need 1-3 years i just can't wait anymore and am very curious about :smile:

 

So i just purchased the professional licence (is still downloading).

 

I would be very happy if i could have some help for choosing the "must-have" Add-Ons i have to download / purchase so that i can start with the best basis possible. I want the best that is visually possible (since it was the standard i was used to with X-Plane). I'm having a PC that was highe-end in 2013, so still not bad (With TITAN Nvidia 6GB)

 

From what i have read from i would need some of the following Ad-Ons:

 

- FreeMeshX (better MESH)

 

- ORBX FTX Global (better textures)

 

- ActiveSky Next (Weather Engine)

 

- REX TD and Soft Clouds (Cloud textures)

 

- FSUIPC (to communicate via IP to other Ad-Ons, is that right?), i know XPUIPC in X-Plane so i guess it's the same?

 

- The VATISM-client if i want to fly online on Vatsim

 

What do you think? Is there other ones i forgot?

 

After that of course i will try some of the PMDG airtcrafts, that i am extremely curious about. But fist i have to learn the basics functions of P3D itself like the menus, keys etc.

 

I would appreciate any feedback! Perhaps from other X-Plane users as well?

 

Thanks & cheers

Franz

 

 

- FreeMeshX (better MESH)

Yep.  You would be fine with this and can't argue with the price.  I have never compared so I don't know if this is any better or not, but a payware option is www.toposim.net.  I have all the North American stuff and EU stuff and have been more than happy with it.  I use the FreeMeshX stuff for the rest of the world and that is fine too.

 

 

 

- ORBX FTX Global (better textures)

Yep.  An alternative would be Ground Environment X(GEX).  A matter of personal choice as to which is better.

 

 

 

- ActiveSky Next (Weather Engine)

I would check out AS16/ASCA now.  That's the latest in the HiFi series.  But, yes, the best in weather generation for the MSFS series, IMO.

 

 

 

- REX TD and Soft Clouds (Cloud textures)

Yes.  However, there are free stuff out there too.  Don't remember all of them.  Also, from my above suggestion, if you went with ASCA from HiFi, you would arguably not really need REX, at least for sky textures anyway.

Hi to all

 

I have been using X-Plane since more than 15 years (!) now. Today i decided to give P3D a try, because of the bigger choice of Ad-Ons...i first wanted to wait before it goes 64 Bit but since it could still need 1-3 years i just can't wait anymore and am very curious about :smile:

 

So i just purchased the professional licence (is still downloading).

 

I would be very happy if i could have some help for choosing the "must-have" Add-Ons i have to download / purchase so that i can start with the best basis possible. I want the best that is visually possible (since it was the standard i was used to with X-Plane). I'm having a PC that was highe-end in 2013, so still not bad (With TITAN Nvidia 6GB)

 

From what i have read from i would need some of the following Ad-Ons:

 

- FreeMeshX (better MESH)

 

- ORBX FTX Global (better textures)

 

- ActiveSky Next (Weather Engine)

 

- REX TD and Soft Clouds (Cloud textures)

 

- FSUIPC (to communicate via IP to other Ad-Ons, is that right?), i know XPUIPC in X-Plane so i guess it's the same?

 

- The VATISM-client if i want to fly online on Vatsim

 

What do you think? Is there other ones i forgot?

 

After that of course i will try some of the PMDG airtcrafts, that i am extremely curious about. But fist i have to learn the basics functions of P3D itself like the menus, keys etc.

 

I would appreciate any feedback! Perhaps from other X-Plane users as well?

 

Thanks & cheers

Franz

- FSUIPC (to communicate via IP to other Ad-Ons, is that right?), i know XPUIPC in X-Plane so i guess it's the same?

Yep, you're correct.  This is the XUIPC equivalent.  It's not required for everything, but is definitely highly recommended I think.

 

- The VATISM-client if i want to fly online on Vatsim

VPilot is what you'd want here.

 

Others...

GSX for ground handling stuff.  There's probably more.  But all I can think of right now.   :smile:

Hi Kevin

 

Thanks very much for your very kind explanations and help! I really appreciate. I will take a look at the other add-ons you mentionned too.

 

For now, i just made my first flight. Oh my God that is really hard (not the flying) but i will have to reprogramm every keys as i was used in XP...but i was expecting that of course. Let's see if i will be ready to purchase the PMDG products the next week-end. First have to practice a little bit :smile:

 

Thanks again Kevin and cheers

Franz

Don't forget Orbx FTX Global Vector.  It's a great improvement over default vector (coast lines, roads, etc.). 

If you are into Bush flying the ORBX Region and Airport sceneries (PNW, NCA etc) are top notch, where available. Much better than any X-Plane scenery - where availabe, as I said.

 

Outside of them things may look a bit different, but the recent ORBX OpenLC NA is excellent for the whole US.

 

 

To add: That ORBX fun comes at a price. However they have a sale twice a year (the next one should be around Thanksgiving) where I bought quite a number of the items I own.

 

Kind regards, Michael

First things first...

 

Ease into it - don't go addon crazy.  I've been flying XP10 for only a few years and I sort of went addon crazy went I got into that....  that was dumb.  I'm out some dollars because I was too hasty - I don't use the addons anymore.  Take a look at a few things you really like and start with that.

 

You want to try PMDG....?  Long hauler or short hauler?  I'd go B737 NG myself...  I think the plane offers more for the money (imo).

General Aviation - Realair Legacy v2, A2A Comanche etc etc

 

Scenery?  People love Orbx, but it can cause VAS issues (32bit issues that we don't see in XP10 anymore).  I have a ton of Orbx stuff, but it takes some horsepower - what's your CPU?  Flight1 makes an extremely efficient texture package called Ground Environment P3D, F1 makes Ultimate Terrain X, but they don't always work well with Orbx...

 

Airports?  FlightBeam, FSDreamTeam, Flytampa are the best out there.  Google an airport you like, and see if they made it yet.

 

Weather?  AS16 vs OPUS FSI vs REX for weather generators (P3D smokes XP10's generation as of now)

 

Cloud textures/environment?  REX vs Active Sky vs FEX vs freeware hehe.  Check the avsim library there are some exquisite sky/cloud textures for free.

Your list is pretty good. I'd say you are on the right track so far!

The one thing that you should add as soon as possible is AS16. Weather is (IMO) the single biggest advantage P3D currently has over XP, and AS16 is (arguably) the best weather addon available at this time.

 

FSUIPC is a must-have as well, although it's quite a bit different from XPUIPC. FSUIPC allows you to configure your input devices, buttons, keys etc and assign hem to various profiles, so you don't have to reassign your controls when flying different aircraft (similar to what X-Assign does). It also has many other functions of course.

 

Rex TD and soft clouds are on sale for 50% off quite often, so it's a good idea to wait for the next sale.

 

Another payware addon worth having is the Ezdok camera plugin. One thing I love about X-Plane is the camera system which is very flexible and easy to configure (quick views, etc). P3D's camera system on the other hand is a real PITA and feels like something left over from FS2002, which it probably is. WIth Ezdok it's pretty much what you get with XP's default camera system and the Headshake plugin.

 

If you are looking for some high quality freeware aircraft, there's a good selection available. Manfred Jahn's C-47 / DC-3 is a must-have and can be found at Sim-Outhouse. If you need something smaller, French-VFR have an excellent C150.

 

 

If you are into Bush flying the ORBX Region and Airport sceneries (PNW, NCA etc) are top notch, where available. Much better than any X-Plane scenery - where availabe, as I said.

 

 

Have you actually tried X-Plane? While I love the ORBX regions, there are many stunningly high quality freeware scenery addons for XP which IMO rival ORBX or even surpass them in some cases. Particularly for the PNW area and Scandinavia, but also New Zealand.

My suggestion would be to start with a good base, so to remedy your list a bit:

FreeMeshX (better MESH) - YES

ORBX FTX Global (better textures) - YES

+ Ultimate Terrain X v2 for whichever continent you like (if available), if not then ORBX stuff (Vector + LC)

ActiveSky Next (Weather Engine) - YES (or AS16, I would skip ASCA)

REX TD and Soft Clouds (Cloud textures) - YES

FSUIPC - YES

The VATISM-client - VPILOT

 

What do you think? Is there other ones i forgot?

 

+ ORBX Trees

+ GSX

(+ PFPX)

 

With this you have a good base, upon you can simply buy aircraft after aircraft and scenery after scenery.

 

As Ryan said, do not go crazy and start buying bunch of airports, scenery or aircraft.

Pick a route between two addons you might like, see that all fits a bit together, and buy the package. Go fly.

 

Have you actually tried X-Plane? While I love the ORBX regions, there are many stunningly high quality freeware scenery addons for XP which IMO rival ORBX or even surpass them in some cases. Particularly for the PNW area and Scandinavia, but also New Zealand.

Yes, I have it installed including W2XP and some more goodies and MisterX SF and a few payware addons like Skymaxx. While there are regions with poor Prepar3d coverage (including some in Europe, notably in Germany, which will change soon) where W2XP is superior and while there are some good regional and aiports addons, I still think very few of them come close to what ORBX provides. And I tried what XP has to offer so far for NZ (I know more is in the works) but IMHO nothing so far comes close to my absolute favorites ORBX NZNI/NZSI, 

 

But this shouldn't derail into another P3D vs XP thread, thus I'll not reply anything more on this point here.

 

Kind regards, Michael

Don't forget Orbx FTX Global Vector.  It's a great improvement over default vector (coast lines, roads, etc.). 

OK, thanks will take a look at it.

 

But this shouldn't derail into another P3D vs XP thread, thus I'll not reply anything more on this point here.

 

Don't worry, I'm not trying to start an argument either. I just disagreed on the point that ORBX was "much better than any X-Plane scenery". I enjoy flying both sims and both have some pretty good scenery available. NZ is my favourite ORBX region too, by the way! :smile:

 

 

OK, thanks will take a look at it.

 

Regarding FTX Vector, I'd recommend to wait a little before deciding to buy. While FTX Global (Textures) is a great product and well worth the price, Vector (roads and coastlines) still has some issues and IMO isn't as essential.

Also, there are other products available (Flight1's Ultimate Terrain series) which do pretty much the same job, but IMO offers better quality. Also, it's available for different regions - so if you only fly in the US, for example, it would be cheaper to get UTX USA rather than Vector (which has global coverage). You can mix FTX Global Base with UTX without any issues, by the way.

 

As others have mentioned it would be a good idea to go slow when buying addons.

Thanks very much guys! Just discovered all advices. Really appreciate. It's already a lot of informations, so i will go step by step. The first difficulty was to find the place i should install the FreshMex-Folder for Europe. So i put it in the Scenery-folder, was that correct? And talking about the camera system i already had some difficulties as well. I still need some time to find the right buttons i used in XP, because everything feels completely different.

 

Another thing: I have the "Extrem 3D PRO" Joystick from Logitech and since i had the top button (that can be moved in every direction) assigned in X-Plane to the trim (up and down), i could only assign one direction in P3D for the moment. Default was something called like "Pan-view" that was assigned to that button and it worked perfectly. But trying to assign to it the up and down-Trim didn't seem to work, since the menu can't do any difference beetween pushing or pulling that little button and only recognize it as one button or action alone (that means Trim up OR Trim down...). Not sure if i could explain it right (sorry for my not perfect english).

 

Another thing is i did not found how i can Zoom in and out from any view.

 

The first reason for me using P3D is to use the kind of Ad-Ons we can't find in X-Plane for now, like all PMDG-products or the upcoming FSlab A320 and the much bigger offer of Airport-Scenerys. I am mostly interested in flying Heavies, so no bush-flying :smile:

 

And I already have PFPX, an absolutely amazing Flight Planning tool, by far the best one available.

 

As someone said, i will try to go slowly and step by step and not going Add-On-Crazy...once again i will need a lot of time to have set the keys and learned the basic fonctions i'm used to and to feel familiar with it. And only then i guess the PMDG 737NGX will be my first payware aircraft :smile:

 

Someone asked about my systems: i7-4770K, 3.5 Ghz, 16 GB Ram, Nvidia TITAN 6GB VRAM.

 

Last question for today: how can i view the actual frameretas so that i can play a little bit with the rendering settings?

 

Once again, thanks to all for their great help and the lot of informations i will read again in details in the next days.

 

Cheers

Franz

Last question for today: how can i view the actual frameretas so that i can play a little bit with the rendering settings?

 

Once again, thanks to all for their great help and the lot of informations i will read again in details in the next days.

 

Cheers

Franz

Shift + Z.

 

Kind regards, Michael

 

 

Another thing is i did not found how i can Zoom in and out from any view.

Assuming all your key commands are still default, I think you do this by pressing and holding the space bar(this enables "Mouse Look" I believe it's called) and then you can use your scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

 

 

The first difficulty was to find the place i should install the FreshMex-Folder for Europe. So i put it in the Scenery-folder, was that correct?

Not sure what Scenery folder you put it in.  If it's the one off the root of P3D, then no.  Though, for scenery, it really can be located anywhere you want.  You just have to add it to the scenery library, pointing it to the freemeshX folder that contains the scenery(and optionally texture) folders.  I don't recall all the exact details on walking you through that step by step though.  So, that's the best I can tell you there.  But, you can't just add it to a scenery directory and have it automatically picked up like you can in XPlane.  Well, there's ways you can but they are not advisable to do that way.

 

 

Another thing: I have the "Extrem 3D PRO" Joystick from Logitech and since i had the top button (that can be moved in every direction) assigned in X-Plane to the trim (up and down), i could only assign one direction in P3D for the moment. Default was something called like "Pan-view" that was assigned to that button and it worked perfectly. But trying to assign to it the up and down-Trim didn't seem to work, since the menu can't do any difference beetween pushing or pulling that little button and only recognize it as one button or action alone (that means Trim up OR Trim down...). Not sure if i could explain it right (sorry for my not perfect english).

Yeah, I don't think this is possible in P3D.  But, I could be wrong?

Hi Franz...as I ponder P3D now myself, please tell me how you're getting on, brother.