10 minutes ago, abrams_tank said:

Also, my understanding is that the main feature missing from the weather radar in MSFS 2024 is the "tilt" function.  Since you are knowledgeable about the MSFS SDK, aside from "tilt," may I ask what else is missing from the weather radar in MSFS 2024?

Ultimately developers want a granulated set of data that entails what the weather is in-front of the aircraft. This would provide one the ability to build their own bespoke weather radar with capabilities, projection and colors that are bespoke to that aircraft. Currently the weather radar in MSFS works at signifying precipitation but that's about it, it doesn't allow for some of the more complex features that you'd see in an airbus or boeing WX. It's more akin to a weather radar you'd find on a TBM.

Taken from xplane's blog, 

Quote

For plugin authors, the second form is via a 2D RGBA return-strength texture, which provides radar return strength values in the 8-bit RED channel of the texture, from which plugin authors can read these values and render their own wx displays.

Something like this in MSFS would be fantastic.

I guess scaling the weather engine to work on anything between a console and a PC with a 2kg GPU adds complexity.

Why? As mentioned above, it comes down to different priorities. XP12 is clearly positioning itself towards the prosumer market, while MSFS 2024 is focused on serving the massive user base built since 2020, though it still adds improvements that only a small niche of users will truly appreciate.

That’s exactly why I use both sims. They’ll never be the same, and each shines in its own way.

26 minutes ago, sloppysmusic said:

weather radar supplies 3d data for that space.

That is assessed with an adjustable tilt.

 

26 minutes ago, sloppysmusic said:

MSFS doesn't have 3d weather at all and won't allow 3rd parties to access the sdk to write their own. So what you have instead is a 2d snapshot of ONE altitude OR (much worse) a compression of a few thousand feet(whatever the msfs weather bubble is I don't know sorry) into a flat layer to provide nothing else but a pretty picture on your radar screen. 

Sorry but this isn't true at all. The weather radar in MSFS projects in a conical view when using the horizontal and vertical projections. Real aircraft also present an amalgamated 2D snapshot of the radar cone or in more modern airliners, a phased array. Regardless they scan is beams of about 5-15 degrees (horizontally and vertically) which captures a number of altitudes which gets, as you say, compressed into a flat projection on a navigational display (or dedicated display).

That's why pilots use the tilt to get a better understanding of the tops and lows of adverse weather to determine whether they can fly above/below it or just fly around it horizontally.

How else would you present 3D based information on a 2D screen?

Edited September 5, 2025Sep 5 by Lucky38i

4 minutes ago, Lucky38i said:

How else would you present 3D based information on a 2D screen?

perhaps he speaks about 3D volumetric buffer (read "storm structure")  on multi-scan radars, scanning ground up to 60k ft.

But it is still you as the PIC who gets spoon fed 2D views with overlays.

Either way, as you hinted....very few simmers truly understand how a real wx radar work and how to interpret returns from various tilt/gain settings and  apply that to mature storm cells (squall line returns) vs old cells ("melting band" returns).

but I applaud LR, it's great fun to tinker with it.
 

Here's Asobo's WXR api in action. As can be seen it provides a 3D cone of precipitation detection ahead of the aircraft. It has accurate, adjustable range.

This isn't NexRad, this is the WXR function in the Kodiak. It's not random and it's not a 2D downward looking view either. 

Is it sophisticated enough to replicate an Airbus or Boeing system? Not really. It's certainly not going to give things like wind shear predictions...but then again it's uncertain if we'll ever get stuff like that on a home pc system.

Could it be improved? Certainly. 

Personally I'd like to see a complete overhaul of the weather and everything associated with it in a dedicated weather SU. It is THE most fundamental aspect of aviation and absolutely deserves it.

 

 

2 hours ago, abrams_tank said:

Yeah, the avionics in XP 12 are so far behind MSFS 2024. MSFS 2024 (and MSFS 2020) have the best software G1000 (NXi), G3000, G5000, and G3X that you can get for a flight simulator - you can't even buy a better version in the payware market.  And the GNS 530 and GNS 430 for MSFS 2020/2024 are also extremely good.  And with MSFS 2024, Working Title did the Honeywell Primus Epic 2 and Universal UNS-1 as well.

XP 12 has miles and miles to catch up with MSFS 2024 avionics.

I have aircraft in XP12 equipped with the TDS GTN 750's.  My CIS Piper Seneca has two of them.

But as you say, if the priority in a SIM is a bigger range of avionics, MSFS supplies it.

5 minutes ago, DD_Arthur said:

Is it sophisticated enough to replicate an Airbus or Boeing system? Not really.

Yeah, man, that's the whole point. LR is offering a WXR that at least gets close to mimicking all the major functions/quirks of airliner weather radars, even shadow returns. 

I'm tired of being told that just because Asobo is shooting out a 3D cone, it's "good enough." 

Anyway, MS/Asobo don't care about this so I threw in the towel on hoping for accurate weather depiction and WXR in MSFS. They're cooked in that regard. 

It's funny how things change. LR is now on the up-and-up while Asobo is being crushed under the weight of the botched release of 2024 as they scramble to make the sim functional. 

40 minutes ago, Lucky38i said:

That is assessed with an adjustable tilt.

 

Sorry but this isn't true at all. The weather radar in MSFS projects in a conical view when using the horizontal and vertical projections. Real aircraft also present an amalgamated 2D snapshot of the radar cone or in more modern airliners, a phased array. Regardless they scan is beams of about 5-15 degrees (horizontally and vertically) which captures a number of altitudes which gets, as you say, compressed into a flat projection on a navigational display (or dedicated display).

That's why pilots use the tilt to get a better understanding of the tops and lows of adverse weather to determine whether they can fly above/below it or just fly around it horizontally.

How else would you present 3D based information on a 2D screen?

Thank you for this response! Good to get accurate and correct information from people like you!

Edited September 5, 2025Sep 5 by abrams_tank

23 minutes ago, chapstick said:

It's funny how things change. LR is now on the up-and-up while Asobo is being crushed under the weight of the botched release of 2024 as they scramble to make the sim functional. 

I believe Laminar Research is trying to emulate the modern weather visualization style of MSFS, likely with one main goal: to win back the simmers they’ve lost over the years (myself included).
Unfortunately, I can't see myself returning. MSFS has evolved into a truly modern flight simulator with immense potential and a forward-looking approach.

What’s disappointing, though, is the attitude I often see from many X-Plane users.
There’s a noticeable hostility toward MSFS, and a lot of the comments on social media resemble the kind of tribalism you'd expect from teenage football game fans. It’s not constructive and doesn’t help the community grow.

 

3 minutes ago, Seth2021 said:

I believe Laminar Research is trying to emulate the modern weather visualization style of MSFS, likely with one main goal: to win back the simmers they’ve lost over the years (myself included).

Obviously. The competition lit a fire under LR for sure. I'm just saying: LR is on an upward trajectory with a vision for their sim, even if they're playing catch-up with MSFS in a few big areas (e.g., graphics tech, terrain engine). Meanwhile, Asobo is so weighed down by bugs and regressions in 2024 that I can't help but feel they no longer have a vision for the platform. The community wishlist just keeps growing longer and longer, all marked "Under Investigation," with zero sign of progress. I still use MSFS a lot, but I've really been feeling down about its future lately. 

I have yet to encounter any significant weather in MSFS that needs to be avoided, let alone towering thunderstorms with 50K foot tops.  This needs to be addressed before a proper weather radar in my opinion.  XP has shown us it can be done (they already have towering thunderstorms, turbulence that you WILL want to avoid, wind shear, etc).  We need weather focused updates similar to what they did with the avionics focused updates earlier.

Edited September 5, 2025Sep 5 by Gilandred

1 hour ago, Seth2021 said:

What’s disappointing, though, is the attitude I often see from many X-Plane users.
There’s a noticeable hostility toward MSFS, and a lot of the comments on social media resemble the kind of tribalism you'd expect from teenage football game fans. It’s not constructive and doesn’t help the community grow.

That happens in reverse also, in this very forum as well. There's tribalism for MSFS just as there is for any other flight sim, the art is ignoring the blatant gas lighting, worshipping, love fests and focusing on the intellectual posts for all aspects whether good bad or ugly.

I follow and admire what X-Plane is achieving, because I have the intelligence to like what I see in different products and one day I might just purchase it. As it stands though, MSFS24 is just about getting closer to what I expected last November so right now that's enough for me.

But as ever, at the end of the day, just enjoy what you want to enjoy and ignore those that preach for one over the other.

I think we should be able to acknowledge and applaud what LR is doing without trying to read the minds of the fine folks at MSobo by asserting they don't care. Martial already said almost from day one that radar tilt is coming to 2024. Seb has indicated that a total rewrite of the weather algorithm will be implemented to finally give us proper CBs and other cloud types.

Just because they're head down dealing with bugs does not mean they have no vision for the sim. Jorg indicated that he has shown his boss plans for the sim going up to 2028. Wishlist items showing under investigation does not mean nothing is being done about them. You will see wishlist items being knocked out post SU4 after most of the bugs are sorted out.

23 minutes ago, Gilandred said:

I have yet to encounter any significant weather in MSFS that needs to be avoided, let alone towering thunderstorms with 50K foot tops.  This needs to be addressed before a proper weather radar in my opinion.  XP has shown us it can be done (they already have towering thunderstorms, turbulence that you WILL want to avoid, wind shear, etc).  We need weather focused updates similar to what they did with the avionics focused updates earlier.

Honestly...still not satisfied with weather even when using Active Sky. The other day I conducted a flight from Miami to Nassau and the towering thunderstorm was directly over the island and the island only.

Clear skies until I approached MYNN into a zero visibility thunderstorm only hanging over the island with clear weather ocean surroundings.

Pretty much this in a nutshell....

 

Edited September 5, 2025Sep 5 by blueshark747