http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/forums/topic/110469-x-plane-11-ultra-weather-xp-v20/&

Plot thickens  

Still cartoonish IMO compared to what we get in P3D / FSX... I mean, those cumulus in Ultra-Weather XP...

Both X-Plane and FSX / P3D could learn from IL-2 or even Rise of Flight, in as far as cloud rendering ( of various types ) goes...

For example...

1 minute ago, jcomm said:

Still cartoonish IMO compared to what we get in P3D / FSX...

Yup but also one could say the same thing about other parts of P3D/FSX - not referring to clouds -  I can live with clouds as cartoonish as they will be better at some point

50 minutes ago, Richard Sennett said:

Jim this looks more like what I think that guy above is doing havent looked into it just found video this looks like it to me

 

 

 

It's honestly hard to pinpoint, with so many people coming up with their own fixes and other doodads for improving XP's weather.  I'll be honest, with the exception of maybe a little too much softening of the clouds in the current default weather rendering, they look a heck of a lot better than any work done before.  I only found (for personal preference), that I had to adjust the ambient gain of the clouds, with a dataref change, to get them to look more real.  I'm glad I waited on purchasing a 3rd party weather add-on, so I can direct the cash to a good aircraft. ;)

2 hours ago, jcomm said:

Still cartoonish IMO compared to what we get in P3D / FSX... I mean, those cumulus in Ultra-Weather XP...

Both X-Plane and FSX / P3D could learn from IL-2 or even Rise of Flight, in as far as cloud rendering ( of various types ) goes...

For example...

Those in the video are not the new XP11 default clouds. The new default clouds now look remarkably similar to IL-2 clouds.

XP11:

IL-2:

Of course it's not a complete overhaul of the weather system, so the various limitations are still there. And I think the performance cost of the clouds is still too high compared to other simulators.

 

Yes !  Indeed Murmur.

2 hours ago, Murmur said:

Those in the video are not the new XP11 default clouds. The new default clouds now look remarkably similar to IL-2 clouds.

 

That was my first thought. They seem to be a considerable improvement. Certainly good enough that now I can go back to areas I was previously avoiding because xenviro only gives real weather.

The new clouds look excellent considering they are not finished by Laminar.  I am also glad that I waited and did not purchase any 3rd party addon's.

Clouds look pretty good! Didn't expect that. Just goes to show why you should not pay $40 for a cloud plugin, and another $20 each time they "upgrade" it. Some people have put more money into SkyMaxx then the simulator.

54 minutes ago, rototom said:

Just goes to show why you should not pay $40 for a cloud plugin, and another $20 each time they "upgrade" it. Some people have put more money into SkyMaxx then the simulator.

True, but I believe our contributions (or at least my) encourages further development which is good for everyone.

1 hour ago, rototom said:

Clouds look pretty good! Didn't expect that. Just goes to show why you should not pay $40 for a cloud plugin, and another $20 each time they "upgrade" it. Some people have put more money into SkyMaxx then the simulator.

Let's not be too hasty. Options are good. 

XEnviro is doing some things at higher altitudes that the airline pilots like, and it's a work in progress. It may end up being the go-to weather plugin for those who fly with real weather 100% of the time.

SkyMaxx Pro has always been a little lighter on frame rate than default XP clouds, and it does a few unique things like rain from individual clouds, raindrop/snowflake sizes, and some other tricks. I know Ben is still working on optimizing the clouds, but right now SkyMaxx Pro v4 is easier on the frame rate on my system than pb15 clouds. If that carries over to final XP11 release, there may be people who prefer this plugin to get a few more frames.

I like having options. I don't see these plugins as being that expensive to experiment with, and you can't really know which one is right for your flying style without trying them. Screen shots can only show so much. They don't recreate what you'll see on a typical flight in the places you fly, and with the planes you fly. 

The default clouds look really good. I would be satisfied with those visual clouds if my budget where restricted. However, take a look at some guy who improved (or changed) the XEnviro clouds textures. 

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?%2Ffiles%2Ffile%2F36688-x-enviro-experimental-clouds%2F

 

@Sebjo89 Wow - they look awesome will give them a try this evening. Thanks for posting.

Peter

Will check these new clouds this evening, look quite an improvement, I'm curious about FPS hit.

I don't agree with people saying new clouds make an external plugin useless, I stll believe XEnviro is what makes me feel as close as ASN with a believable weather around me. But could be that with new default clouds they will have to reprice down the package to attract new customers unless they add something new and good with next patch.

30 minutes ago, Desaix said:

Will check these new clouds this evening, look quite an improvement, I'm curious about FPS hit.

I don't agree with people saying new clouds make an external plugin useless, I stll believe XEnviro is what makes me feel as close as ASN with a believable weather around me. But could be that with new default clouds they will have to reprice down the package to attract new customers unless they add something new and good with next patch.

Ok, so you expressed your opinion about what you feel is good for you, and that's fine, but let's respect other people's opinions as well.  To be fair, during this BETA phase, looking at everything objectively, is of the utmost importance.

I for one, never said that an external weather package was useless (and I know no one called me out on that), just that it wasn't necessary for my own usage, which others could possibly agree on.  I'm not understanding the "reprice" statement though.  I think that both X-Enviro and SkyMaxxPro have laid out their blueprints for what is offered with weather so how much more can they cram into their package and what would justify a pricing shift?

Wouldn't it be reasonable to agree that if we, as the user, get accurate METAR data, as well as accurately depicted representations of clouds and other weather anomalies, that it would be enough for flight simulation? Now, if we are talking about wishlist items, how about accurate depictions of tornadoes and hurricanes?  How about better lightning strikes?  Then there is the simulation of snow blowing across runways...I see that in people's videos who use X-Enviro and THAT doesn't seem real to me.