Introduction
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport of the National Capital Region of Delhi, India. It was named after Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India and it is the busiest airport in India. Imagine Simulation, who is no stranger to the world of add-on sceneries; have taken up the large task of designing this airport in great detail. Some of the features associated with this scenery are as follows;
- The airport features custom made runways
- Terminal buildings rendered to 5cm per pixel scale
- Interactive docking system to park you right on your mark
- Taxiways with highly realistic concrete textures
- Full airport taxiway and runway signage
- 3D approach lighting and full ILS Navigation
- There are hundreds of airport vehicles and ground personnel
- Aircraft can be found parked at custom textured parking positions
- All hangers, cargo and airport auxiliary buildings are modelled
- There is even a secure perimeter fence with security checkpoints and emergency vehicle access points - all under the steady gaze of intermittently placed security cameras!
The scenery also comes with an easy to read manual that highlights some of the features, how to optimize your PC, airport diagram and a FAQ section that will help you to have the best use of this product.
Later in the review we will also take a look at the recently released KATL scenery by ImagineSim which is an updated version to their previous release a few years ago.
Installation
The installation process was quite simple. In your download you will receive not only the installer file, but also the key which will unlock your product. After executing the installer file and entering your key, the process of installing the product into your simulator is all automated, provided you follow the instructions and prompts on the scene.
After the installation you also have the option to customize some of the features you would like in your scenery such as static aircraft. All in all this part of your VIDP experience is straightforward and it shouldn’t cause any problems at all.
VIDP
My first impression of this scenery was the accuracy of each building. The team of developers who created this scenery went to great lengths to ensure that all the “T’s” were crossed and the “I’s” were dotted. One of the things that also stand out is the amazing ground textures.
The textures seem to be a mixture of photo-real and custom made textures. The combination of these two came off quite well as it made the airport feel so much more realistic than the default airport. Starting with the runway, as you can see from the photos above they are very nicely done and they have a “used” runway look which is realistic given the heavy traffic at this airport on a day to day basis. The taxiways have more of a photo-real look to them but are very nicely done.
While on the topic of runways and taxiways, I must also mention that the airport signs in this package are remarkably accurate and complete. Imagine Simulation took no shortcuts when creating this scenery and this is evident in the fact that at each gate and taxiway there are appropriate signs.
Moving on to the terminal building, it is also clear to see that much time was taken in modeling these terminals accurately. Many airports in India have very unique designs and New Delhi is no exception. If you were to compare the modeling done in this package with the real life terminal buildings you will no doubt be impressed by the detail that has gone into this scenery.
In and around the terminal buildings and on the ramp you will also notice a major feature of this product which are the ground vehicles and ground personnel. This feature adds a new dimension to your experience as it makes the airport come to life. No longer will you be sitting at the gate with only the sound of your APU to keep you company. My only gripe with this feature however, is that the airport vehicles lack “intelligence” in that they will plow right through your aircraft if you get in their way.
Another feature I thought I would highlight is the option for having static aircraft parked at the gates. This may or may not be an important aspect of airport sceneries for all and for this reason, Imagine Simulation has made it possible to add and remove this feature which comes in handy if you use a Traffic program or you fly online and you need the additional gates to be available.
In addition to this option, you can also remove the ground vehicles if you so desire. Instructions on how to customize these features is available in the manual which I highly suggest you read.
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When the Sun Sets
As night falls on New Delhi, the airport takes on an entirely different look as the terminal, ramp, taxi and runway lights come to life. The night lighting of any add-on scenery in my opinion can make or break your overall experience. In the past, while using other scenery packages you may have noticed that at times the lighting was either too bright or very inadequate. In this instance I would say that there is a perfect balance. The terminal and ramp areas are well lit and I especially appreciated that even the ground vehicles have lights which makes them easier to spot at night.
The taxiway and runway lights are a definite highlight of this scenery package. Most of us who don’t often use add-on sceneries may be used to the bland taxiway lights that are default in FSX or FS9. I can assure you that once you try a product such as this and experience the realism of having 3D taxiway and runway lights, you will never look back.
By now you must be wondering, how does this scenery impact frame rates? Well I can assure you that this scenery package will have absolutely no impact on your frame rates whatsoever. This is due to the level of optimization available to you, the user. The laptop I used to review this scenery is nothing to talk about where performance is concerned. All I can say is that I was able to use this scenery along with products such as the PMDG NGX and I had no issues at all.
Overall I think this is a fantastic scenery package and if you are interested in sprucing up your simulator you may definitely want to try this scenery.
If you would like to see more images and information on this scenery, have a look at this link.
KATL
Many of you may already be familiar with ImagineSim’s KATL scenery which they released a few years ago. This time however, ImagineSim is releasing not just a patch of the KATL scenery, but an entirely new and updated product.
The airport features custom made runways, terminal buildings rendered to 5cm per pixel scale, an interactive docking system to park you right on your mark, taxiways with highly realistic concrete textures, full airport taxiway and runway signage, 3D approach lighting and full ILS navigation.
The new textures and overall remodeling of the airport is quite evident as you explore various sections of this airport. Attention to detail was also a high priority aspect of this scenery as can be seen in the terminal buildings, taxiways signs and other surrounding buildings owned by Delta. The grass textures have also improved and they look very realistic.
Another important aspect of this scenery is that it blends in well with the default scenery around the airport. Many times you may have noticed that some airport sceneries look drastically different to its surrounding area. This tends to give a very unrealistic representation of the environment and the entire experience of flying in and out of the airports is ruined. This is especially evident when flying at night and as you can see from the photos below, the night time textures are absolutely stunning.
Thankfully though, ImagineSim went to great lengths to ensure that this updated KATL scenery was up to par with the expectations of today’s FS9 and FSX users. If you would like to see for yourself, this scenery is also available as a demo version which allows you to try before you buy.
Here are a few screenshots that shows the quality and detail of the new KATL scenery.
Performance wise, the new KATL runs fine on my laptop and I have no lagging of any kind. Overall, this is a product that will run just fine on almost any PC. Of course, there are recommendations but you can also optimize your installation to suit your needs.
All in all, I would highly recommend this new scenery.
Summary / Closing Remarks
Publisher: Imagine Simulation
Platform: FSX
Format: Download (79MB)
Reviewed By: Marlon Carter |
For the price of $29.99US, these scenery packages are well worth its price. I was very impressed with the level of detail and I am sure it must have taken many painstaking hours of work to produce such high quality products. Imagine Simulation has consistently produced amazing scenery and this is no exception to their flawless work.
What I Like About VIDP and KATL
- Very accurate representation of the real airport
- Barely any effect on frame rates
- Easy to install and uninstall
- Very realistic ground textures
- Night time textures are also very realistic (not too dark not too bright)
- Fully compatible with products such as AES
- Demo version is available so you can “try before you buy”
What I Don't Like About VIDP and KATL
- I wish the ground vehicles were a bit more intelligent and wouldn’t drive right into your aircraft at times.
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