REX Sky Force - Cloud Model Sync Explanation

[Sticky 267]

For those doing some cloud hunting, I've noticed SF generated what I think is a "street cloud" along the west coast of Florida for a couple days.  Just inland where it should be, right about over Clearwater in the Tampa area.

 

[dacostad 3]

Because of my multi-pic/Multi screen setup I have been experimenting with FSGRW and SF along with PTA.  So far, pretty impressed.

 

David

[geolpilot 88]

13 hours ago, boez said:

If you change this to "But Skyforce structure files and textures are used by AS16 injected weather!" then we are in agreement

A subtle change, but I will concur, since if SF structure files and textures are used by AS injected weather it implies that SF structure files and textures can be used by AS16 injected weather. Another way of saying the same thing.

My whole point was that the weather engine is independent of, and knows nothing about what the structure files contain, neither can the structure files tell the weather engine anything. As you say, the weather engine merely creates data points and attributes within the sim from interpolated Metar data and winds aloft data (REX used Radio Sonde data at one stage, don't know if they still do). It is only when the Sim searches the \weather directory in order to depict the clouds at those data points reporting clouds, that the cloud structures and textures kick in (via a dedicated xml control file in the sim \weather directory!). You could put real garbage cloud structure (.cld files) and related texture files in the correct places, define them with that magic .xml file (as long as the models and xml are SDK compliant), and you could have cumulous clouds shaped and textured like flying pink elephants or Xmas-paper wrapped boxes if you wanted to. The weather engine would not care or know, as you say!

So it all comes down to how many models are created by a vendor, how these are mixed in the vendor's xml definitions file to create even more cloud variants by mixing their models, and the detail / quality of the artwork used on texturing those models. This determines how realistic the clouds will look (the weather looks factor). The weather engine determines how realistically the clouds and other weather is positioned, scaled, classified and densified in relation to RW reported weather (the weather accuracy factor). You can have weather that looks great (good cloud models and textures) but is totally inaccurate if not plain wrong (bad weather engine). Alternatively you can have highly accurate weather (great weather engine),  that looks awful (poor cloud models, bad textures).

Been delving into the SDK and the various control, weather,  and structure files to see how it all works. Fascinating stuff! Compiling a graphic to show this as I go along, may share this with the forum later, if anyone is interested.

 

[Denco 48]

So my observations with SF3D the last two days.

 

SF3D simply performs a lot worse then ASCA. No matter what texture setting I use my gpu usage will be above 95% where there are clouds making the whole sim lag a lot. With ASCA, same weather situation and AS settings, and my FPS is above 50 with gpu usage at around 70%. The sim is smooth.

 

I don't know why SF3D causes such high GPU usage, and my gpu is no pushover, but for now the program is simply unusable on my system since it lags the sim too much.

I wasn't expecting this to happen considering everyone is reporting pretty much the same fps then ASCA.

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

Over time HiFi got tired of people complaining about how overcast conditions killed their GPUs. They did their best to optimize overcast performance. REX in contrast, just decided to produce a dense, realistic looking overcast. That's the difference.

[kurtb 118]

that is correct, but my system handles it perfect no lagging ore fps loss

[Guest]

Just a heads up: REX commented on my SkyForce screenshots (see link below) that they are not showing SkyForce models and that things are all wrong. Unfortunately he failed to tell me how to solve this apparent problem. He said something similar in reaction to someone else's screenshots before, also without giving a solution. This leads me to believe that there may me more people out there who are THINKING they are using SkyForce but who actually are NOT. 

At this moment there is NO WAY of telling if what you see actually is SkyForce...! The fact that things look really different, as on my screenshots, clearly says nothing. I just posted my screenshots on the official REX forum and asked for help on this. I did my utmost best to make genuine SkyForce screenshots and if I really failed in doing so, EVERYONE may fail in doing so. Whenever REX posts a solution and whenever I have tested that solution I will post new screenshots which hopefully will be a lot better than my current ones.

 

[kurtb 118]

maybe a fresh install of prp3d will reveal the true SkyForce 

[Guest]

Just now, kurtb said:

maybe a fresh install of prp3d will reveal the true SkyForce 

Well, actually, I just did reinstall P3D v4 two weeks ago. At the time I installed SkyForce I didn't have any other texture addon installed yet. Only yesterday I installed ASCA and ENVTEX. Now, if I am failing to use SF properly on a rather new install of P3D, ANYONE can fail. I am not the only one who is using these addons together. Hopefully REX will come up with a simple solution. If there is one.

[pete_auau 1,152]

Dont  know  if  this  is the issue  but  do  you  run  sf  as  admim  at all

[David Roch 1,953]

Jeroen, clear your shaders, choose a set of SF clouds and run P3D with SF's weather engine first.
Then reboot your PC and try with AS16.

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, pete_auau said:

Dont  know  if  this  is the issue  but  do  you  run  sf  as  admim  at all

Yes, everything is always admin here. 

21 minutes ago, David Roch said:

Jeroen, clear your shaders, choose a set of SF clouds and run P3D with SF's weather engine first.
Then reboot your PC and try with AS16.

Did everything you say apart from the reboot. Well, obviously I did reboot the PC quite a few times after installing SF but not in between taking screenshots. But for these screenshots I don't use AS btw because I don't want it to change the weather in between sceenshots. I used AS when I setup the test flights and saved them with the 'weather included'. Could this be the problem...? At the time I created the test flights I was using SF.

Anyway, I will see what happens if I redo the test flights after a reboot and also with AS running (which I will set to match the sim time so it will load the weather of the test). It's a bit scary how easily this can go wrong though.

EDIT
WAIT! I see you mean using SF's WEATHER ENGINE first. No, I didn't do that. I will give that a try. Still, that shouldn't be necessary...

[SmokeDiddy 262]

I purchased SKyForce last night and got it set-up and running...I think...per Jeroen's instructions previously posted.  When I close P3Dv4, I get unhandled exception.  I have not posted in Rex support forums yet as I am not verified member.  Just wondering if the Hotfix fixes this issue or maybe I have another issue.  Below is the Excepetion text:

************** Exception Text **************
System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at rexskyforce.controls.wxenginep3d.myProcessTmr_Tick(Object sender, EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.OnTick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.TimerNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

Many Thanks!

Edit, I am using ASP4 and ASCA sky textures only

[Dio 8]

Hi Jeroen, two things

1) at FL410 I noticed clouds below this FL forming a big grid, (is there any solution?  I doesn't look realistic)

2) Sky Colors look faded (or it's just me?) 

I use, SF3d with AS16, FSX:SE 

Regards.

[David Roch 1,953]

No that "shouldn't" be necessary but that might help! :-)
It's like if AS16 is keeping some data in cache somewhere.