thanks!  I'll give it a go!

I recently went to REX SF for the 3D cloud models and ActiveSky for wx eng. EA ON and VolClouds OFF in P3D. I'm very happy with the results. I'm running 7900 AS and the Public Alpha SF.

I'll  try that to - all I want is accurate, but pretty weather 🙂

 

46 minutes ago, bbuckley said:

I recently went to REX SF for the 3D cloud models and ActiveSky for wx eng

Hey thanks, thinking of just that myself.

1 hour ago, bbuckley said:

I recently went to REX SF for the 3D cloud models and ActiveSky for wx eng. EA ON and VolClouds OFF in P3D. I'm very happy with the results. I'm running 7900 AS and the Public Alpha SF.

I'm leery of the public alpha build, especially on longer flights over 6 hours.

7 minutes ago, B777ER said:

I'm leery of the public alpha build, especially on longer flights over 6 hours.

Been stable for me but I'm a GA guy with flights <1.5hrs.

I agree with Rob....there must be something else in your settings that is destroying the illusion for you....either that, or it just is not to your taste. good luck.

 

Sherm

Since posting earlier today in this thread, a friend called my attention to the freeware/donation ware program FSXWX. While originally designed for FSX it has been updated to P3D v5...here is the link if you want to take a look and give it a spin. I spent a couple of hours comparing it with AS, and it worked equally well in fair weather as well as stormy, including lightning.

 

https://www.fsxwx.com/home.htm

 

Sherm

 

 

40 minutes ago, shermank said:

Since posting earlier today in this thread, a friend called my attention to the freeware/donation ware program FSXWX. While originally designed for FSX it has been updated to P3D v5...here is the link if you want to take a look and give it a spin. I spent a couple of hours comparing it with AS, and it worked equally well in fair weather as well as stormy, including lightning.

 

https://www.fsxwx.com/home.htm

 

Sherm

 

 

Thanks Sherm, what about upper winds and integration with NGXu's weather radar?

The matter of clouds in P3DV5.2 certainly generates a lot of comments and comparisons. So does the impact or issue of EA and HDR, Shaders and Light treatment in the sim  I have all the various weather programs (AS, REX, P3DWX). I have accumulated them all to determine which program provided the best dynamic representation of sky, cloud and weather phenomena in P3D. I also have ENVSHADE. To be honest all the weather programs work well, AS has a bit better in depth control, REX does it a bit differently and P3DWX just uses the sims inbuilt cloud, vis and weather. 

It seems to me that what looks good on one system may not quite be the case for another. I think the quality of your monitor or screen is often overlooked (colour, depth, shadings and balance on that equipment seems to be critical. How often have you looked at all the various TV's and what other people have or use and noticed how people's perception of colour and light vary widely. Human perception of colour is not a constant. I like it crisp, clear and well defined with good colour balance. 

Now cloud - my simple view is that True Sky with EA is the best representation of cloud I have yet seen in any sim (and I have had them all over the years). I accept that there is a lack of fine definition to cloud shape or edges such as the fluffy summer CU or the cauliflower tops of a big CB, but it is very very close now. Then again many a day I look out my own window at the weather and the cloud and it is just the same (shape, colour and shading) as that being shown in the sim with True Sky. That said I no longer use the 2D clouds or the 3D cloud models of REX, True Sky is adequate. 

Are the clouds perfect - no they are not, the same as the issue of light treatment via EA (the horizon haze issue!) is not perfect either, but overall it is to my eye and based on my own real world flying experience (30 plus years) as close as I have ever seen in any previous simulator. The dynamic weather depiction is also very good with phenomena such as rain, drizzle, snow and lightning very well simulated and quite realistic. There is still an issue of the way the sim depicts cloud at high altitude especially overcast because of the drawing of cloud in the sim but I am sure that will be fixed by some changes here and there. The dynamics of NVIDIA's wave motion also create a whole new level of realism and accuracy to the picture. 

So I just run EA with Volumetric Cloud. I use AS for the dynamic weather. And it is fine by me but I have a high quality monitor a high end NVIDIA card and I have take the time to set up my monitor very carefully to get crisp, well defined colour and balance in the first place. 

Quick example - This is the sim and the airport is Horn Island in North Queensland this morning. EA True Sky and AS weather. I flew into and out of this place for years once upon a time - and it looked just like this. 

 

Coastaldriver,

Where do you set the slider for the volumetric clouds ?  That's the part that keeps me confused beyond words...

 

Bunkie, i thought the slider for volumetric cloud was controlling the amount but apparently this is not the case with V5.2 HF1 on. All the slider does now apparently is control the distance that cloud is drawn (according to Adam Pestridge -  bestsee his vids on youtube on this and volumetric cloud+EA) It is the same as supposedly switchin off/on volumetric fog the sim config resets it to the default (off), So basically the weather injection or weather engine will take the cloud amount provided on forecastas or met reports and hence display those amounts and type. The LM volumetric cloud config file controls the way the cloud looks and changes and the cloud types! EA is controlling the lighting and shading along with the shaders! The only tweak I now apply is with ENVSHADE to drop back the haze effect and to pick up the depth of the sky colour. I also discovered that backing off the HDR also improved the so called interior dark cockpit as well. I turn off cloud shadows because it creates a few unwanted artifacts and besides unless it is perfectly clear still day in real life you do not see cloud reflected on water just the shaded patches!

So basically apart from a few shader changes I am letting the sim program provide and control the lighting and cloud and letting AS direct the weather injection. Happy to post a screen of these settings for those interested. Still waiting a tweak file from Adam for his tweaks for cloud to make it even better!

5 hours ago, bbuckley said:

I recently went to REX SF for the 3D cloud models and ActiveSky for wx eng. EA ON and VolClouds OFF in P3D. I'm very happy with the results. I'm running 7900 AS and the Public Alpha SF.

I had that also before but now Volumetric clouds are much better! Rex clouds are also 2D sprites

Edited August 21, 20214 yr by rob0203

1 hour ago, Bunkie said:

Coastaldriver,

Where do you set the slider for the volumetric clouds ?  That's the part that keeps me confused beyond words...

 

Best is High! But on low systems put it to medium

20 hours ago, rob0203 said:

You should try again with latest Active sky:

EA on

Volumetric clouds on

Detailed clouds checked in Active Sky

Max Cloud layers 9

It is amazing now!

https://postimg.cc/CBnw7LW4

https://postimg.cc/30MYcQhQ