Are clouds the best ever now? I'm impressed.

[MarcG 2,929]

Just now, MrBitstFlyer said:

RexWeatherforce has 'dynamic' presets.  For example, you can choose 'approaching cold front' where the weather starts off clear, but over time the weather worsens until it rains.

Ah ok thanks, I'm not gonna pay for a mod for it though, just merely contemplating the idea should the Live Weather not suit me or something!

[sightseer 895]

13 hours ago, SubtotalGuide said:

I challenge anyone to try and re-create these Release version upper-level clouds in the current build. I honestly want to know how it's done now.

I have a weather theme designed for SU9 but I can't share it because its trapped in the XBox cloud wherever that is; but I can share the theme its derived from and you can adjust as needed if you want it.  It produces the following pics but only in mountainous areas like this is San Fransisco and Mt Fuji :  You'll notice that the high clouds in your image are blurry squarish puffs - people complained so they refined them a bit.  My theme only produces two layers.  Adjust the density of the middle and top layer iirc

 

 

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<SimBase.Document Type="WeatherPreset" version="1,4">
    <Descr>AceXML Document</Descr>
    <WeatherPreset.Preset>
        <Name>20220220_lowsparsewithhighocastb</Name>
        <Image>weather/presets/clear_sky.jpg</Image>
        <Icon>weather/presets/clear_sky.svg</Icon>
        <LayeredImage>weather/presets/clear_sky_layer.png</LayeredImage>
        <IsAltitudeAMGL>True</IsAltitudeAMGL>
        <CloudLayer>
            <CloudLayerDensity Value="5.000" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerDensity>
            <CloudLayerCoverage Value="0.023" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerCoverage>
            <CloudLayerAltitudeBot Value="2500.000" Unit="m">
            </CloudLayerAltitudeBot>
            <CloudLayerAltitudeTop Value="3688.080" Unit="m">
            </CloudLayerAltitudeTop>
            <CloudLayerScattering Value="0.000" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerScattering>
        </CloudLayer>
        <CloudLayer>
            <CloudLayerDensity Value="0.000" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerDensity>
            <CloudLayerCoverage Value="0.949" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerCoverage>
            <CloudLayerAltitudeBot Value="6764.563" Unit="m">
            </CloudLayerAltitudeBot>
            <CloudLayerAltitudeTop Value="6906.768" Unit="m">
            </CloudLayerAltitudeTop>
            <CloudLayerScattering Value="0.183" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerScattering>
        </CloudLayer>
        <CloudLayer>
            <CloudLayerDensity Value="0.000" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerDensity>
            <CloudLayerCoverage Value="0.903" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerCoverage>
            <CloudLayerAltitudeBot Value="6421.357" Unit="m">
            </CloudLayerAltitudeBot>
            <CloudLayerAltitudeTop Value="6906.768" Unit="m">
            </CloudLayerAltitudeTop>
            <CloudLayerScattering Value="0.223" Unit="(0 - 1)">
            </CloudLayerScattering>
        </CloudLayer>
        <WindLayer>
            <WindLayerAltitude Value="0.000" Unit="m">
            </WindLayerAltitude>
            <WindLayerAngle Value="279.000" Unit="degrees">
            </WindLayerAngle>
            <WindLayerSpeed Value="17.250" Unit="knts">
            </WindLayerSpeed>
        </WindLayer>
        <MSLPressure Value="101325.000" Unit="pa">
        </MSLPressure>
        <MSLTemperature Value="288.150" Unit="k">
        </MSLTemperature>
        <AerosolDensity Value="1.000" Unit="m">
        </AerosolDensity>
        <Pollution Value="0.000" Unit="(0 - 1)">
        </Pollution>
        <Precipitations Value="0.000" Unit="mm/h">
        </Precipitations>
        <SnowCover Value="0.000" Unit="m">
        </SnowCover>
        <ThunderstormIntensity Value="0.000" Unit="(0 - 1)">
        </ThunderstormIntensity>
    </WeatherPreset.Preset>
</SimBase.Document>
 

[lwt1971 7,348]

12 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

No need to read again - you stated the only way to get these cloud types was by using presets or manually configured weather. I wanted to make it clear RexWeatherforce creates other cloud types with live weather. 

Well then you read wrong I'm afraid... my sentence "As the clouds variety problem is only when using live weather, and given that better/more cloud variety can be currently had with manual weather and presets" does not therefore imply that manually configured weather or presets are the *only* way to get more clouds variety 🙂 .. Yes we all know what Rex does. If you got confused by the "only" in that sentence I was saying that the current problem is *only* confined to the live weather scenario.

Edited June 22, 2022 by lwt1971

[WestAir 2,522]

8 minutes ago, sightseer said:

I have a weather theme designed for SU9 (...)

Seer that looks amazing! 

Just proves how once we get 2 more cloud types on the base live weather this game will look breathtaking!

[GSalden 4,656]

Because of the XBox I still see it not happening that clouds/cloudtypes/cloudlayers will be improved….

But I would gladly be proven wrong by Asobo.

And my interest only goes to Live Weather. Static weather I have left way behind me. I also want Live AC traffic.

[Krakin 5,745]

26 minutes ago, lwt1971 said:

but then that's going to be a problem for Rex too isn't it.

You couldn't have made it plainer than that. There's a difference between listening to respond and listening to understand lol. If I had to believe these guys, I would start saying the horizon seen through objects bug was introduced to make xbox work lol. MS introduced MEATR injection and it borked their live weather. Simple as that. Like you said, if this was something introduced to make the Xbox version work, REX should not be able to do what it does. I suspect the issue has something to do with the METAR and Meteoblue integration not playing nicely with each other. Again, that's just my guess.

[Noel 4,487]

1 hour ago, spitzer said:

Now Ultra clouds settings is equal to medium clouds settings before xbox release(su5). 

Also Pixelated and grainy clouds have begun with this su5 update. 

Unless Xbox and pc versions seperates completely we wont be able to see any further improvement graphics wise. 

I wonder if DX12 might change that calculus.  Perhaps w/ the DX12 update we will greater access to higher VRAM capacity so another level over Ultra might be implemented, perhaps Extreme, to improve in particular nearfield display of clouds and let those w/ the hardware to render it do so.  I certainly have plenty of GPU headroom to exploit if I keep the Render Scale at 100 or 110.  Nearfield clouds can be downright fugly at times now, too blurry, and just not optimal at all.  From a distance clouds often look quite decent but the closer you get the worse they can look.  

So, we have the hardware, they just need to improve the pathway to exploit it.  I see absolutely no reason why Asobo can't ramp up the complexity/quality w/o hurting Xbox users--they simply use the slider setting they can process, no big deal.  Same same for PC users w/ less than recent hardware they use the slider level they can process.  Why it hasn't happen yet, is the main puzzle.  I can imagine a couple of possible explanations including technically not possible because of the cloud rendering engine they're using.  I do agree it was better pre SU5.   It's a bit hard to fully characterize succinctly because some parts of weather rendering has improved.  It's the cloud rendering quality, that has deteriorated quite markedly IMO.  There is massive room for improvement, and we can anticipate increasing levels of hardware capability during MSFS' purported service life.  This is why I'm confident Asobo will get there w/ the weather and cloud depiction, over time.  I hope they put mega resources on this!

Edited June 22, 2022 by Noel

[lwt1971 7,348]

35 minutes ago, Krakin said:

You couldn't have made it plainer than that. There's a difference between listening to respond and listening to understand lol. If I had to believe these guys, I would start saying the horizon seen through objects bug was introduced to make xbox work lol. MS introduced MEATR injection and it borked their live weather. Simple as that. Like you said, if this was something introduced to make the Xbox version work, REX should not be able to do what it does. I suspect the issue has something to do with the METAR and Meteoblue integration not playing nicely with each other. Again, that's just my guess.

Lol, right? This XBox-is-the-cause-of-all-evil assuming presuming and speculating is all well and good, but it's just that, not *fact* unless stated clearly by MS/Asobo. And for something like clouds variety or cirrus being not rendered as good as before, ya that's not a big ticket item at all in terms of impact on performance.. even if MS/Asobo were to try and scale something back to cater to the XBox, there are other heavy hitting areas for that.

And it's not up to MS/Asobo to "prove" that things not are being compromised due to XBox 🙂... As already seen, outside of cirrus maybe being not as good as before, the core MSFS engine is capable of a variety of clouds/layers/etc. So it's their rendition in live weather that needs fixing, and we'll see what fixes/improvements come >= SU10 for this.

Edited June 22, 2022 by lwt1971

[mrueedi 702]

1 hour ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

You did not recreate the cirro-stratus shown. Create those and post again.

You say this...

 

looks like this...

14 hours ago, SubtotalGuide said:

I challenge anyone to try and re-create these Release version upper-level clouds in the current build. I honestly want to know how it's done now.

 

... and not like this?:

1 hour ago, mrueedi said:

 

 

 

[WestAir 2,522]

16 minutes ago, mrueedi said:

You say this...

looks like this...

... and not like this?:

I think his high altitudes are closer to textbook cirro-stratus though. The ones in your link and bottom picture look more cirro-cumulus to me.

Remember, the only cloud type we have in the sim is really just cumulus. Sometimes it's hamfisted to look like other types of cumulus clouds, which is really what I see in your examples.

I should note that at my Aeronautical University I passed my Aviation Weather class with a C. Take with salt.

Edited June 22, 2022 by WestAir
My spelling is just as bad as my Aviation Weather, haha

[Shack95 2,658]

2 hours ago, spitzer said:

Also Pixelated and grainy clouds have begun with this su5 update.

I first noticed them shortly after release. These screenshots are from November and December 2020.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Shack95

[MrBitstFlyer 3,837]

1 hour ago, lwt1971 said:

I was saying that the current problem is *only* confined to the live weather scenario.

Yes, I know. I wanted to mention Rex WeatherForce does not have this problem with its own live weather - it is only MSFS live weather with the problem.

[MrBitstFlyer 3,837]

1 hour ago, mrueedi said:

You say this...

I say the only accurate cloud type in MSFS live weather is Cumulus. 

[MrBitstFlyer 3,837]

1 hour ago, WestAir said:

I think his high altitudes are closer to textbook cirro-stratus though. The ones in your link and bottom picture look more cirro-cumulus to me.

Remember, the only cloud type we have in the sim is really just cumulus. Sometimes it's hamfisted to look like other types of cumulus clouds, which is really what I see in your examples.

I should note that at my Aeronautical University I passed my Aviation Weather class with a C. Take with salt.

Rex Alto Cumulus

Live weather's attempt at the same/time location.

Rex Broken layer of cumulus with Cirro-stratus layer

Live weather's attempt same time/location

Rex scattered cumulus with Alto-stratus layer

Live weather at the same time/location.

Rex stratus layer

Live weather same time/location

The biggest positive from these images is that MSFS is capable of depicting a much better sky. Considering REX don't have a weather sdk to use, they have done a remarkable job with live weather. Whatever method they have used, Asobo should take note.

My screenshots demonstrate Asobo is using cumulus for everything. If I was in charge of the weather, I would get REX on board as a partner to get around any licensing issues.

REX has no SDK access to weather so they are limited to a global weather model. Imagine what Rex could do with access to the weather!

[Krakin 5,745]

31 minutes ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Yes, I know. I wanted to mention Rex WeatherForce does not have this problem with its own live weather - it is only MSFS live weather with the problem.

And this debunks your little xbox theory