Tired of paying each month for P3D and going back to Steam FSX for awhile. I would like to know free or inexpensive ways to make it look great. There used to be a DX fixer for it but was discontinued years ago so what other ways do you guys (or gals) use to make it look as good as possible?

I hate to answer a question with a question....but to my understanding that default P3D doesn't look much better than FSX.  What did you use to make P3D look better?

Default P3Dv4 looks tons better and needed nothing to enhance. I know there are tweaks to enhance FSX and just hoped some would surface here. 

You can still buy DX10 fixer: https://sites.fastspring.com/stevesfsxanalysis/product/dx10sceneryfixer

There is also a cloud shadows extension: https://sites.fastspring.com/stevesfsxanalysis/product/dx10cloudshadows

Steve is still active in the support forum and his blog.

It really depends upon what you mean by enhance. 

They aren't free, but can be inexpensive depending when you buy them.

IMHO, the two basics are the replacement of textures with FTX Global Base, FTX OpenLC and REX Texture Direct with Soft Clouds for the Sky.

I think you just missed sales on both, so I would wait until the next

 

Edited March 25, 20197 yr by airernie

For me, Steve's DX10 Scenery Fixer along with the cloud shadows has made a huge improvement in the graphics and immersion for FSX:SE.

Another great product for weather simulation and realistic clouds and skies is HiFiSim's Active Sky 16 and Active Sky Cloud Art.

 

Dave

 

Yes, the Steve's DX10 Scenery Fixer goes a long way to improving FSX. In my opinion, it helps bring FSX up to what would be considered P3Dv3 levels. Although Steve may have stopped continued development of the DX10 Fixer, it's probably because he's squeezed as much blood out of the stone that is FSX as he could. You can only go so far with an addon before you start running headlong into the challenges the platform itself presents.

That being said, P3Dv4 really has made some solid improvements visually, making it stand much more on its own.

-Greg

Hi Paul.

DX10 Fixer is a no-brainer IMHO.

Freemesh X for topographical enhancement worldwide (the continental USA up to LOD12 is available as an open beta). 

Both the above have support forums in AVSIM.

For an inexpensive bit of atmospheric immersion you may want to check out FSOpen Clouds. It's no Active Sky but it certainly improves stock FSX clouds and atmosphere.

http://www.fsopen.co.uk/software/openclouds/

£5 per year for the subscription for worldwide weather (UK weather is free :) ) Watch the videos and see what you think. 

 

 

Or you can use FSXWX which is free for worldwide weather and does a great job in FSX and P3D

For inter-urban (ie non-populated) area textures there is TEP: https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/500355-terra-emergence-project-fsx-p3d/

18 hours ago, greggerm said:

Although Steve may have stopped continued development of the DX10 Fixer, it's probably because he's squeezed as much blood out of the stone that is FSX as he could.

Not true. Steve is still actively developing the Fixer and the Cloud Shadows add-on. The last Fixer update was in December 2018 and Cloud Shadows was updated in January this year - https://stevesfsxanalysis.wordpress.com/author/stevefsx/. Both highly recommended. The Fixer is worth it for the cockpit shadows alone!

Unfortunately I couldn't get on with the DX10 fixer, it broke anti-aliasing on my ATI card. So I either had DX10 with cockpit shadows and everything jaggy, or DX9 with no shadows but smooth lines. I opted for the latter.

23 hours ago, warbirds said:

Tired of paying each month for P3D and going back to Steam FSX for awhile. I would like to know free or inexpensive ways to make it look great. There used to be a DX fixer for it but was discontinued years ago so what other ways do you guys (or gals) use to make it look as good as possible?

Why did you pay each month?

1 hour ago, G-YMML1 said:

Why did you pay each month?

Should be asked and answered on the P3D forum, since the question isn't relevant to the OP question.

 This is a FSX forum.

1 hour ago, G-YMML1 said:

Why did you pay each month?

Agreed... I would suggest switching to a one time purchase plan for P3DV4.