As you all know by now SF comes with 3 Big down sides. 1) The Cloud redraw 2) No weather WX with PMDG/FSL 3) No Historical weather option.

After two flights I cannot bring myself to use the REX SF weather engine. The re-draw just kills it. What I would say is if that was sorted out I would switch to SF in full in a blink of an eye, even with no WX the gain is worth it. 

I'm not saying that like some that say "O my free clouds are better", "Envtex is better" "AS+ASCA is better". I own them all. So I feel am talking first hand not judging something I have no first hand experience with. But sadly and it is sad to say at the moment I cannot use the weather engine and using AS weather engine is not as good. But!

I went into REX and turned of the WX and then deleted my shader to start with a clean shader file.

People I see asking " what do I get over Soft clouds" etc well it's all in the manual if you took the time to read it. But i will show you what you get over a free cloud set, your rex soft clouds or any you can think of.

When you pick a cloud set (you don't have to, you can leave it as random) you are not picking a cloud texture 1x upper 1x lower. You are picking a set of 8, yes 8, so you not using 1 texture like before. If you think your 1 cloud is better then your kidding yourself. I loved my REX Soft clouds, well did!

Here you can see what i mean you pick a set not 1.

So to show you what you get with AS weather engine and SF Real Time Sync Mode ON, here are some shots of the last flight test I did from EGJJ to my home airport EGNX. No supper weather just a cold day over the UK real time weather.

So for me from this day on my weather choise is AS weather engine with SF. When they fix the redraw SF anyday and all day long.

 

I am also usinf SF3D with As16. Currently i am on my way in the fsl320 from EPWA to EGFF in a great performing overcast that i have not seen before.

like many others i am not totally happy with SF3 but maybe inespected too much. Currently i enjoy it and looking forward into descend to EGFF

1 hour ago, Nyxx said:

So for me from this day on my weather choise is AS weather engine with SF. When they fix the redraw SF anyday and all day long.

Nice summary Dave and I agree with you 100%. The redraw issue is a detriment and a huge step backwards but the models and textures are a step forward. 

So performance is better? 

ASP4 used for WX in PMDG, Majestic, and FSL? 

Not sure i understand the redraw. Is this only with Rex weather engine? 

Is it possible to have ASP4 on a network  PC and just REX plugin on SIM PC? 

Thanks for taking the time to do review David and others. 

Thanks Michael Moe 

is the redraw issue fixed by using ASP4 as the weather engine, or does it still happen when SF injects new cloud textures?

ASP4 works as normal you only have redraw if you use SF weather engine.

Until they make the weather engine not redraw, best way to think of SF is as an ASCA on steroids.

But if you use SF with ASP4, are the cloud and sky textures dynamically injected? And if not, what is it giving you that Rex Texture Direct doesn't? I still haven't seen a clear answer on that.

If the answer is yes, you're dynamically injecting Rex cloud and sky textures with AS weather, that's great! I'm sold. The reason I never moved to ASCA was because the textures just didn't look very good, but I loved the idea of dynamic changes.

James

6 minutes ago, honanhal said:

And if not, what is it giving you that Rex Texture Direct doesn't? I still haven't seen a clear answer on that.

You have got a clear answer, = clue read my post again. 

There is little point in me taking screenshots and posting a topic if no one reads it before replying.

14 minutes ago, Nyxx said:

ASP4 works as normal you only have redraw if you use SF weather engine.

Until they make the weather engine not redraw, best way to think of SF is as an ASCA on steroids.

Thanks David 

Apreciated 

Michael Moe 

3 minutes ago, Michael Moe said:

Thanks David 

Apreciated 

Michael Moe 

Your welcome Michael.

Hopefully REX can sort it. Until then! For £29 is worth every penny. One no sale airport cost more.

5 minutes ago, Nyxx said:

You have got a clear answer, = clue read my post again. 

There is little point in me taking screenshots and posting a topic if no one reads it before replying.

With respect, David, I did read your post and looked at the screenshots -- it showed that there's a set of textures that you pick rather than a single texture. That may well be a selling point, but my question is whether SF is intelligently selecting between those eight cloud textures based on atmospheric conditions. I promise I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse, but I really don't see an answer to that question in your post.

James

26 minutes ago, Nyxx said:

Until they make the weather engine not redraw

That won't happen, REX said so. We don't want people to think this redraw problem will be fixed with a patch or so. SkyForce should be regarded as a texture addon for skies and clouds with a weather engine for those who don't own a proper weather engine. REX never should have added that weather engine because it is making the entire discussion about this addon complicated. Look at SkyForce as ASCA (on steroids or not) and it's quite a simple choice one has to make: do I like what I see here and there or not.

5 minutes ago, honanhal said:

With respect, David, I did read your post and looked at the screenshots -- it showed that there's a set of textures that you pick rather than a single texture. That may well be a selling point, but my question is whether SF is intelligently selecting between those eight cloud textures based on atmospheric conditions. I promise I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse, but I really don't see an answer to that question in your post.

James

I think he said - you dont have to chose which by my understanding means that on the go it inject any of the 22 sets... right ? 

I am still not sure about sky inject as in ASCA...

Very fair review. This is how I thought of their previous product as well - Rex Essentials and Overdrive with Rex Soft Clouds etc. Lots of great textures etc. But I switched from their weather engine to Active Sky because of the truncated weather injection. The same is happening with SF. If they can ever sort this out they will have many believers and users because the whole package with the texturing, clouds etc. and the interface is great. On your recommendation I'm shutting off the weather engine of SF but I love the clouds, texturing, sounds etc. and coupled with PTA this is great.

 

I flew yesterday a flight and really like what I saw using the SF weather  engine BUT FOR the jarring weather injections.

 

 

1 minute ago, honanhal said:

With respect, David, I did read your post and looked at the screenshots -- it showed that there's a set of textures that you pick rather than a single texture. That may well be a selling point, but my question is whether SF is intelligently selecting between those eight cloud textures based on atmospheric conditions. I promise I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse, but I really don't see an answer to that question in your post.

James

James

I have Rex Texture Direct + Soft clouds. You will know that you pick 1 upper cloud texture to use and one lower one. The Soft clouds are my personal favorite. As i understand it, once you have picked 1 of each it then loads them into the sim.

As you have seen you are not loading 1 texture of each but 8 of each for SF to use,  in fact you are loading 1509 with other options for there engine to use. So its using nothing like what Rex Texture Direct + Soft clouds did could offer you.

Look in the bottom right corner to see what SF is using to depict the weather. 1509...

Hope thats helps.