REX SkyForce, PTA, ASP4, ENVSHADE, ENVTEX

[ckyliu 1,749]

I use FSXWX for weather in P3D. It's free, it works, there aren't 10 billion confusing settings to tweak. ASP4 is better but not enough to make me want to pay.

And for clouds I just have REX4TD+SC, I use the auto generated weather theme so I get variety.

You can spend a fortune on products, hours setting them up but many seem to overlap or require additional programmes for them to interface with for full functionality, and I think they're often subject to diminishing returns too. I find Skyforce annoying as it it needs Weatherforce to get the full effect and it overlaps with REX4, so if I was using ASP4 I'd go for ASCA and use REX for the other stuff like sky textures, asphalt and concrete etc.

[timest 472]

2 minutes ago, ckyliu said:

...as it it needs Weatherforce to get the full effect

Which will be incorporated into Sky Force for free. 😉

 

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

I'm very much looking forward to evaluating SkyForce with a weather engine made especially for it.  We'll see!

 

[gspi1991 0]

Just in case you missed it - simmarket just started summer sale (30% off) for HiFi products until July 8th.

[Vali 83]

On my side am I using AS4+ASCA+Envtex+PTA2.62+ReShade (with Pete's pta and reshade files). At this level, I am not sure if SF will make a big difference to worth it.

[GSalden 4,656]

8 hours ago, Nyxx said:

Agree but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

And how our monitors show colour/contrast etc. Your clouds shadows have a huge blue cast on my screen probably not what you see but way to blue on mine but if that looks right for you then=happy days. How it looks on my screen is evelevent to you all that counts is what looks right for you. We all chase the same goal really it's lucky we have different way to get it.

Up to everyone to find what looks best in their eyes.

 

The blue cast is called Rayleigh scattering. Rayleigh scattering is caused the blue hue of the daytime sky and the reddening of the sun at sunset. It is always there. It may make your sim look less "polaroid" but it is how it is in real life.

 

Edited June 29, 2018 by GSalden

[busdriver 258]

Really appreciate all the replies. What is the best way to incorporate the following, so it all plays nicely in P3D V4.3:

 

REX SkyForce 3D

ASP4

PTA.

 

Is there a tutorial on getting all this to work smoothly? 

 

[ErichB 3,638]

Bill

The good man @J van E did a good tutorial on it here.

 

[earthdog 842]

1 hour ago, busdriver said:

Really appreciate all the replies. What is the best way to incorporate the following, so it all plays nicely in P3D V4.3:

 

REX SkyForce 3D

ASP4

PTA.

 

Is there a tutorial on getting all this to work smoothly? 

 

ASP4 - Weather Engine. Different options for different systems (especially for cloud/visibility opotions).

REX SF - You can use this for all textures. PERSONALLY i use REX SF for everythign except: Sky Colors (from 1coder.ru), Sun Effect (Search for simple sunmod in avsim).

PTA - I tried around 5-6 times to move to tomato but i stick with PTA, mostly because i like flying more than screenshoting. Dumped ENVTEX due to lack of shader customization.

In your position i would start with REX SF - Choose whatever you like and then go to ASP4. Read the manual to find a sweet spot for settings or ask someone with similar flying preferences (IFR/VFR) and similar machine.

Then try some PTA if you dont want to fiddle much.

P.S. And try to keep the f/o KPI above 1  f/o = Flying/Optimizing.... 🙂

I am also for reality looks:

Edited June 29, 2018 by earthdog

[pmb 5,137]

1 hour ago, ErichB said:

Bill

The good man @J van E did a good tutorial on it here.

 

Excellent tutorial indeed. I used his Skyforce + AS2016 + ASCA + Envtex combination with very good success under 4.2 and will re-implement it into 4.3 (required due to Contents update).

Kind regards, Michael

[Nyxx 6,993]

3 hours ago, GSalden said:

The blue cast is called Rayleigh scattering.

I do know what it is Garard.

Getting it to look right on everyone screens is a different matter altogether.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Nyxx

[ErichB 3,638]

1 hour ago, Nyxx said:

Getting it to look right on everyone screens is a different matter altogether.

 

1 hour ago, Nyxx said:

3 hours ago, GSalden said:

The blue cast is called Rayleigh scattering.

True. 

But in addition,  for the representation of lighting,  or depth of saturation, there are so many factors which play a role in what looks real.  Temperature, moisture, dust, other airborne particles, time of year, time of day, to name a few.  I find it very odd when people say they don't want the screen looking pretty, they want it looking realistic - which is of course what we all want.  But some people's idea of realism is a static representation of saturation (some like it less saturated, some more saturated) - and that's the way their preference remains - which isn't realistic at all.  

I have been on flights out of London in winter where I've looked out the window and thought, 'my God it's so bleak' - pale blues, whites almost no reds..  Other days in winter I've noticed  how vibrant  the horizon was - deep blues and reds.  Depth of colour is affected by light and the variables which make up how the horizon looks will always be different.  

No one PTA setting will be realistic for every day of winter and every day of summer.

[GSalden 4,656]

5 minutes ago, ErichB said:

 

True. 

But in addition,  for the representation of lighting or depth of saturation, there are so many factors which play a role in what looks real.  Temperature, moisture, dust, other airborne particles, time of year, time of day, to name a few.  I find it very odd when people say they don't want the screen looking pretty, they want it looking realistic - which is of course what we all want.  But some people's idea of realism is a static representation of saturation (some like it less saturated, some more saturated) - and that's the way their preference remains - which isn't realistic at all.  

I have been on flights out of London in winter where I've looked out the window and thought, 'my God it's so bleak' - pale blues, whites almost no reds..  Other days in winter I've noticed  how vibrant  the horizon was - deep blues and reds.  Depth of colour is affected by light and the variables which make up how the horizon looks will always be different.  

No one PTA setting will be realistic for every day of winter of every day of summer.

You are absolutely correct.

I am working on changing Raleigh scattering  not only depending on flying altitude but also on weather conditions for a new All Months PTA preset set ..

[ErichB 3,638]

1 minute ago, GSalden said:

You are absolutely correct.

I am working on changing Raleigh scattering  not only depending on flying altitude but also on weather conditions for a new All Months PTA preset set ..

That's super Gerard.  Look forward to it.

erich

[ideoplastic 86]

I have all the items mentioned on this post and tried them all, and in the end I still use all clouds from REX Skyforce and weather from ASP3D4 - I am at this very moment parked at Stansted on a clear very sunny day. The only cloud textures that come closest to reality after tweaking the light levels are those by Rex. I live only 3 miles from the airport and when I tried all these programs in different types of weather all were lacking, except for REX  and the reason has always been for me that I found it impossible to achieve a correct level of atmospheric lighting and clouds looked rather dull and washed out.. On a very cloudy or overcast day there is always light glare and only managed to achieve it with the Rex textures and some lighting tweaks. Of course this is my subjective opinion and respect those of others with a different view, just wanted to tell my own experience.