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Active Sky Evolution for FSX

https://www.nzff.org/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=14974

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:05 pm
by sundayflyer
I'm thiking of getting ASE for my weather as I had an early version of Active Sky in FS9 back in 2005. I currently still use the default weather and as you all know it sucks............... Is anybody using ASE and if so would you like to post any comments about it. I have visited the Hi Fi Sim site etc but I would really like some local comments about the product when used with the default textures. I know alot of you use REX but the huge download is putting me off for the moment. If somebody could post some shots with ASE using the default textures flying above the clouds that would be appreciated. Currently with the default weather above the clouds looking down all I get is a white smear to the horizon which looks terrible. Hi Fi sim also have a product called Graphics X. This is not a big download. Would this do you think be complimentary to ASE. I also note that with the lack of reporting weather stations in NZ, currently only 3 NZAA NZWN NZCH, what effect does this have using the online weather section? Some years ago I use to paste the metars from ifis.airways.co.nz into Active Sky which worked very well. But now I see they produce them in a AFIS format. I don't know where to get the original metars from now.
Cheers,
Daryl

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:10 pm
by Ian Warren
I'd go directly and buy REX :http://www.flightsimstore.com/ cool.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:14 pm
by scrubcutter
Yup, I got it Daryl. Review here in the Multipurpose/Multifunction/Utility section of the reviews sums it up well. The only thing is that it seems to smash my FPS, but I need to get a bit better acquainted with it this weekend whilst I have some time off!

Mark

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:20 pm
by scrubcutter
Ian Warren wrote:
QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Jun 11 2011,1:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'd go directly and buy REX :http://www.flightsimstore.com/ cool.gif

Correct me if I'm wrong Ian, but REX only provides the enhanced graphics? ASE is the actual weather engine, which ideally would be used with REX. (My next utility purchase). ASE shuts out the default weather and creates an enitrely new interface, bit like Accusim overriding the default FM of the aircraft. ASE on my system currently uses default weather graphics, but provides physical reality. Try taking off in a small plane just after an airliner and feel the wrath of the jet wash! plane.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:36 pm
by Ian Warren
Active Sky has a similar format and interface as the REX which comes with the enhanced graphics . Both very much the same

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:24 pm
by sundayflyer
Thanks for that link Mark it looks like a good product.
It doesn't mention fps. I would hope that it would not have much effect.............. If you get a chance to try it out please post some shots as previously mentioned if you can with the default textures. And what frame rates you think you are getting.
Cheers,
Daryl

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 3:22 pm
by brad63
scrubcutter wrote:
QUOTE (scrubcutter @ Jun 11 2011,1:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Correct me if I'm wrong Ian, but REX only provides the enhanced graphics? ASE is the actual weather engine, which ideally would be used with REX. (My next utility purchase). ASE shuts out the default weather and creates an enitrely new interface, bit like Accusim overriding the default FM of the aircraft. ASE on my system currently uses default weather graphics, but provides physical reality. Try taking off in a small plane just after an airliner and feel the wrath of the jet wash! plane.gif


I have had both. Get REX. It also has a weather engine and from my experience gets better FPS.
Also I way prefer REXs clouds,as I would often see doubled up and identical clouds next to each other with ASX.
Also found with ASX weather engine wind shear at altitude would often suddenly point me 45 degrees off my track. I dont know
how realistic this is but to me it didnt seem realistic.REX has excellent support and upgrades their texture sets and add
more on a regular basis. So yeah get REX.

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 3:54 pm
by Ian Warren
As the same - tried both , gave AS away - mistake buying it , environment engine is better , REX is the one to get ... jeez sound like pushy salesman smile.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:01 pm
by sundayflyer
Do you get some sort of commission Ian.................for promoting REX?

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:14 pm
by Ian Warren
Now let me see unsure.gif ... umm Bugger No ! tongue.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:26 pm
by kcgb
Rex for textures (water, cloud, taxiway, runway) the weather engine in REX is nearly the same as the FSX one but with a few more cloud layers and can tell you where the weather is.
ASE, ASX or ASA (not sure which one) for weather engine, Adds updarfts, downdrafts, wake turbulance, thicker cloud layers and I think high alttitude jetstreams.

If Open clouds was still freeware I would have said go with that, but now its got a yearly lisence fee dry.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:26 pm
by scrubcutter
brad63 wrote:
QUOTE (brad63 @ Jun 11 2011,3:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I have had both. Get REX. It also has a weather engine and from my experience gets better FPS.
Also I way prefer REXs clouds,as I would often see doubled up and identical clouds next to each other with ASX.
Also found with ASX weather engine wind shear at altitude would often suddenly point me 45 degrees off my track. I dont know
how realistic this is but to me it didnt seem realistic.REX has excellent support and upgrades their texture sets and add
more on a regular basis. So yeah get REX.

Unfortunately too late for me Brad. I have already got ASE. I did a bit of reading before I got it, apples for apples as far as I can tell, about 50/50 on who prefers which one. ASE is not equivalent to ASX, but ASA, and according to what I can tell, is a vast improvement over ASA. Clouds are not as good as what I have seen from the REX screens people have posted, however the wind activity appears to be very realistic in the 20 or so hours I have had on it so far. I just did a flight from YLHI to YSTW in an Epic Victory VLJ, and apart from getting dealt to by the propwash of an AI Dash 8 that took off in front of me, all the real-time wind transitions were smooth between SFC-FL30. Near YSTW the weather was o/cast with approx 3 status layers with appropriate temp inversion modelled as I descended through which I thought was pretty cool. I have still only scratched the surface of the ASE interface, but from what I have read it is capable of a lot of functions.

QUOTE
Thanks for that link Mark it looks like a good product.
It doesn't mention fps. I would hope that it would not have much effect.............. If you get a chance to try it out please post some shots as previously mentioned if you can with the default textures. And what frame rates you think you are getting.
Cheers,
Daryl[/quote]
Hi Daryl, will post some screens later. My frames are a bit lower, but that is due to the density of the clouds depicted, not the ASE engine working in the background, i.e. no change from an equivalent default cloud cover. I am looking at the X Graphics package to enhance it visually, but have blown the months broadband cap already thanks to the Orbx May sale, so will have to wait a bit for that! tongue.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:32 pm
by sundayflyer
Thanks guys for all this info... Have just had a look at the REX site. Now this product seems interesting. I don't know what problems I could have trying to download 3g. I see they have a Digital Media Service for an extra $10.00. What does this do?

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:54 pm
by scrubcutter
I think there has been some cross-purpose talk on this thread of which I am also guilty. The following excerpt from the Avsim review sums up the difference between ASE and REX well:

Because of all that, there are a number of different ways to go about enhancing the way FS deals with weather depiction. You could add a custom cloud set to it, which will not affect how FS interprets weather data, but will improve how the weather data it does interpret will actually end up looking in the sim. Alternatively, you could add a utility which has a more sophisticated weather engine, which would improve the way FS interprets the weather data it has to convert into a simulation of what you see in the sky and experience in the wind and turbulence.

For these different aspects of FS weather generation and depiction, there are some utilities out there which do everything, one such being REX (Real Environment Extreme), which adds custom high resolution cloud sets as well as its own weather engine, so it is a one stop shop for enhancing the weather. But Active Sky Evolution is more focused in what it does than REX, concentrating on purely on how the weather is interpreted. Thus there are no graphical cloud set enhancements with ASE (it will use whichever ones you have installed), as it simply concentrates on reading and depicting weather data better than anything else out there, and it has to be said that it is massively capable in that regard.

Thus the typical ASE user is likely to use it in combination with an enhanced cloud set, although they could just as easily use it with the default FS clouds if they wanted to. Many choose to use the enhanced clouds sets which come with REX, but forgo its weather engine and instead use the superior weather interpretation capabilities of the ASE weather engine.

If you are after pretty graphics with a weather engine that is better than default, then REX is the one.

ASE is purely a complex weather engine, without graphical enhancement (although default clouds look better anyway, bit like the Orbx weather themes!), but will operate with addons such as REX.

As a 99% VFR sim pilot, (and a real life paraglider/paramotor pilot), accurate down in the weeds weather is more important than good looks to me personally, hence why I went with ASE (I had already heard the negative stuff about ASX, and although it was on special, figured that ASE would be the right choice for me). As with anything, check out the pros and cons thoroughly on as many forums as you can find before comitting hard earned cash to it. smile.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:12 pm
by Kelvinr
sundayflyer wrote:
QUOTE (sundayflyer @ Jun 11 2011,1:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm thiking of getting ASE for my weather as I had an early version of Active Sky in FS9 back in 2005. I currently still use the default weather and as you all know it sucks............... Is anybody using ASE and if so would you like to post any comments about it. I have visited the Hi Fi Sim site etc but I would really like some local comments about the product when used with the default textures. I know alot of you use REX but the huge download is putting me off for the moment. If somebody could post some shots with ASE using the default textures flying above the clouds that would be appreciated. Currently with the default weather above the clouds looking down all I get is a white smear to the horizon which looks terrible. Hi Fi sim also have a product called Graphics X. This is not a big download. Would this do you think be complimentary to ASE. I also note that with the lack of reporting weather stations in NZ, currently only 3 NZAA NZWN NZCH, what effect does this have using the online weather section? Some years ago I use to paste the metars from ifis.airways.co.nz into Active Sky which worked very well. But now I see they produce them in a AFIS format. I don't know where to get the original metars from now.
Cheers,
Daryl


Hi there,

I saw your post and just had to put in my 2 cents. I have to say, ASE has been without a doubt a requirement for my own flying as it seems to compare well with realtime weather. On a rainy day (realtime) if I want to fly I will load up the sim and I get just that, a rainy day, I even compare with realworld flight information -- 99% accurate. Just the type of clouds that show differ as REX or ASE does not give you clouds on the fly just one texture set at a time. So If you want as real as it gets then ASE is the way to go. I have tried REX weather and although a little less pressure on the processer/graphics card it doesn't seem to give me the same tingles as with ASE. The most improved part of ASE is the fog/haze layers, seem much better than anything I have tried.

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:26 pm
by scrubcutter
sundayflyer wrote:
QUOTE (sundayflyer @ Jun 11 2011,4:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks guys for all this info... Have just had a look at the REX site. Now this product seems interesting. I don't know what problems I could have trying to download 3g. I see they have a Digital Media Service for an extra $10.00. What does this do?

Dunno if you really need it, I downloaded the Orbx PNW from FSS (I presume thats where you are planning to get REX from?) which was a bit over 4.2 gig and although it took a while, I got it without the DMS. Your call though!

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:33 pm
by deeknow
When you're flying in NZ though isnt the choice of a weather engine pretty much irrelevant, AFAIK there is no reliable NZ weather data source for a Sim engine right so if you fly mostly in NZ whats the point in splashing out on something like ASE. Surely you're better off going for the eye-candy and general improvement of weather representation of something like REX? Interested to hear what kiwi fliers think about this

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:38 pm
by Ian Warren
End off the day , you cannot physically feel the bumps/air turbulence - Weeds smile.gif I have an A-6 rocking (280 IAS @ 500ft) safe high in the non smooth area off the mid North Island in real world weather and on autopilot real weather and are really still rocking , continious adjustment , auto pilot off climbed to Flt23 and smoothed out (level 354 IAS) - now at Flt33 level at 268 IAS , get a few bumps - yearly lisence fee is not for me , i guess the its up to the customer , REX suits me but maybe AS has other areas to offer , now back to were the Intruder is spose to be ...... in the Weeds smile.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 6:23 pm
by kcgb
Ian Warren wrote:
QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Jun 11 2011,5:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
End off the day , you cannot physically feel the bumps/air turbulence - Weeds smile.gif


you can if you have this http://www.flightsimstore.com/product_info...products_id=451 biggrin.gif

PostPosted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 6:47 pm
by Ian Warren
Now Kade , if I can get a real ejector seat .. that would be the buy cool.gif
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