Cameron

New screenshots have just been posted: http://forums.x-pilot.com/topic/8666-real-weather-connector-screenshots-thread-3/#entry91461

Hi All, Today we began testing a new beta of Real Weather Connector which offers up some more refined clouds and colorations. These are the first tests in such a scenario when utilizing Real Weather Connector. The screenshots are taken at a range of altitudes during climb out from an area in California. Final screenshots are take at FL300.

Thanks, Chris!

You can fix it by lowering the sliders. We hope to improve on this going forward as well. Good idea. We'll look into it.

We'll manage the marketing when we're done with beta testing, Chris. Please don't try and turn this into a schooling topic. We have plenty of time to show work as it's progressing. You don't expect Goran to release the Citation with just one wing, or buttons missing in the cockpit when he shows progress shots, do you? There's nothing different here. Let it go. The 'Work in progress' designation for this exact forum and others exists solely for the reason of showing progression.

So the screenshot with the 747 passing over a different cloud type than the overcast layer some 30 or NM behind is in no way different? That's silly, Chris. Frank has also just posted a photo above. If you are left unimpressed, so be it. This product was not in your want list, but it was in thousands of others', and the response has been tremendously positive in e-mail replies to our newsletter (and quite a number here too). Many more images will be posted over time. This is a work in progress forum for great reason, and we're excited to announce the ability to have this feature in SkyMaxx Pro (one, if not the MOST requested feature ever for the product). It's not your cup o' tea, and that's quite alright. I'm truly not interested in debating with you. If you don't see it, then so be it.

Except the "slab" was not in any way in reference to X-Plane's default weather. Again, if you read the original post which started this thread you would understand (I would hope) what this achieves, why, and how. Posting screenshots of default weather directly implies you still don't understand. I understand you are not impressed and perhaps even don't fully understand the whole picture. That said, I'm quite happy most people do "get it" and are excited by the possibilities. Vote with your wallet, Chris. No hand twisting here!

Similar to this?

No, SkyMaxx Pro is not a weather injector, and never has been. It is a cloud rendering engine based on what X-Plane's weather system (or a third party weather injector) tell X-Plane to do (thereby telling SkyMaxx Pro what clouds to render). Your misunderstanding of what the products do are ultimately misguiding your expectations here. Indeed, it is! If you prefer one, massive slab of uniform weather over seeing multiple types of weather based on real weather data, then this product definitely won't be for you!

Those clouds look awful. I don't mind giving people credit where it's due, but I can't even start to see what people find any bit realistic in what I've seen thus far with this product. Even in that last screenshot (even more evident in the videos)!

Sorry you feel that way! To me, seeing weather systems in front and behind me (or left or right) is a huge immersion change. The fact I can be in an area over some broken clouds and see the far distance overcast getting closer to me is a BIG change. This statement/question makes me strongly feel you don't understand what this product does or is intended to do. Perhaps a re-read through the thread is in order. This is not a weather injector, unlike FSGRW, EFASS, etc.

That's just it. It's purely motivated by you. Have you cared to see this topic has over 1,100 views and there's not a whole lot of chiming in? The Gold Star winning, commonly held high Saab 340A does not do this. No one has ever really complained either (and thousands of sales, at that!). I'm not one bit opposed to an external program, nor have I said such. I am commenting on the lack of necessity for something like this in the IXEG product. Having been in this market long enough, I know what is and is not "in demand" for the most part. This is simply not one of them. If someone were to ask me if I'd like to fund such development of a program my answer would quickly be 'no'. I'd never recoup my costs on such a thing! You're taking entertainment to a whole new level. One that majority of simmers do not typically worry about. We wouldn't be having this discussion at all otherwise. I understand you have a beloved VA, and you see a need for it. Just as much as you see a need, I see no need. Would it be nice? Yes. Is it a necessity to properly fly this aircraft? Absolutely NOT. Anyways, I'm checking out of this topic. Have fun, Eddie.

Except, there is a mythical loadmaster in the "randomize" button. Everything you NEED to properly fly the aircraft is there. Anything more and it's only your entertainment side speaking, Eddie. I have yet to hear a reason why this is a true necessity given the ability to utilize such a button and spit out numbers.

Eddie, there is zero doubt in my mind you are in a minority of thousands on this. You can try and make a valid situation in your head to hash or argue this out, but truth be told, pilots do not dictate load counts. Prices and ticket buyers do, and the initial desire in creating this product was in no way to develop a 'Super Duper 737-Classic Financial Economy Edition' product where you could dictate what seats a family of four purchased. The randomizer is, in essence, quite realistic to what a pilot would receive after a boarding process. The numbers for CG and weights are what he cares about. Knowing that a person is in Business class is the least of his worries (other than job security ).

I meant to post about that, actually! We are currently implementing some changes to how the clouds will "color" when this product is active, so this is still work in progress and WILL be adjusted prior to release.

Hi All, Doing more testing today around Florida and Colorado. Just thought I would post a few more pics doing some long haul flying and enjoying the weather! Looking back towards Denver at FL370 with an overcast layer behind us. Approaching the Gunnison, CO area with a nasty storm ahead. This went on as far as the eye could see!

No offense guys, but this is being blown way out of proportion. Let it be made clear this product was and still is a labor of love from the get-go. This is important to know, because the lead technical advisor on the product not only is obsessed with X-Plane (sorry, Jan ), but also the 737-300 as a whole (even after thousands of hours in the aircraft and moving to the Airbus in real life now). He's flown the real deal for years, as a Captain, and is the most qualified of any of us to speak on the necessity of something like this. Truth be told, even if it were forced to be a set "passenger total" in your head at all times, this is not a deal killer, and if it were, Jan would never (I repeat: NEVER) let any of the team get away with it. Besides, the randomizer for the Load Sheet portion of the GUI is there for good reason. I'm sure in due course things like this will be added if deemed truly necessary and the demand is there. No one is forcing you to purchase this until it meets your needs (if that ever happens). Until then, you'd be missing out on something rather amazing to experience in sim. There's really no sense in trying to argue this right now. In my opinion, the fact there is already a load sheet randomizer option in the menu I previously showed kind of makes this argument rather silly, but to each their own. We'll see what the future holds.

^ What she said.

Please read the tutorial flight manual. This information would certainly be there

SkyMaxx Pro v3.1 will do much to rid of this. As stated previously, we'll announce more on SMP 3.1 updates soon!

A couple more shots from the other day... Frank (Sundog) took these while flying around the Orlando area. There was a fog bank present in sim, just as there was in real life at the time, and it was cool to see!

In this regard it's a standard X-Plane limitation (even for the default clouds in sim, as you know). We see this flaw, and we have ideas, but that is not something figured out/implemented for now. Lots of tricks up our sleeves for the future though! SkyMaxx Pro simply draws what it's told, and the 3 layer limitation is part of that. EDIT: We now have 6 layers. This post can be dismissed. :-)

Not really, no (at least not here). We're doing everything we can to maintain performance and put in whichever tricks we can. Wait for more info on what's in SkyMaxx Pro v3.1 to understand what we're achieving!

Please note this is considered work in progress at all times for now... (Click for larger image)

Hello Captains, Since the release of SkyMaxx Pro v1 one of the most requested features was to be able to see cloud/weather formations in the distance similar in a manner to what X-Plane default clouds are able to achieve (but at a huge cost of performance running those default clouds). Unfortunately, the X-Plane plug-in Software Development Kit has not made such a seemingly trivial concept very easy to achieve, as the weather "radar" X-Plane draws is actually only available to default X-Plane's own cloud system at a root level. Laminar has stated that allowing this same information to be accessible to plugins would require a certain amount of work they are unable to provide at this time, so we've sat in limbo contemplating what we can do to improve this (or how). It is with great excitement that we announce Real Weather Connector today after lots of work and research on how to tackle a perceived issue for the SkyMaxx Pro series. To be precise, Real Weather Connector will further enhance your flying sessions when utilizing real world weather from sources like NOAA, FSGRW, X-Plane's Real WX Download option, EFASS, etc. It will parse the METAR data downloaded from these applications and grid the SkyMaxx Pro v3 clouds to their respective locations. Don't think of it as a replacement for whatever you use to get real weather from. It enhances the experience by creating a more direct link between these apps and SkyMaxx Pro - and it also works great with X-Plane's built-in real world weather or any weather engine that drops METAR files. As an example: If you flew without Real Weather Connector installed right now your SkyMaxx Pro v3 clouds will draw clouds from METAR data download from apps like those listed above and create weather based on your EXACT aircraft location while you fly. What happens here is what some refer to as clouds popping in and out, miraculously changing from one extreme to another (like broken clouds suddenly disappear and overcast comes in out of nowhere). You won't see weather systems ahead or behind you, but instead the same type of cloud systems everywhere you look until you move to the next closest METAR location. With Real Weather Connector you will see weather systems in the distance! You will see systems behind you, to your left, and to your right all based on the real weather data you download. It makes for an amazingly immersive experience, and we're really excited to have achieved this! The finer details: Real Weather Connector will create weather systems based on downloaded Real World data from programs like those listed above. It will require SkyMaxx Pro v3.1. The version 3.1 update will be free to all existing customers and contain other enhancements we will announce soon. SkyMaxx Pro v3 will recognize when Real Weather Connector is installed and a new menu option will become available to select whether you'd like to use real weather data or not. Real Weather Connector will be its own product, but is dependent on SkyMaxx Pro v3 to run. A lot of R&D has gone into this to make this work. As usual, all SkyMaxx Pro v3 updates will be free for that respective product, but we need to be able to pay the bills for the development and time it took away from our families to create this Real Weather Connector add-on. A price will be announced at a later time. To be clear, there are more lines of code to produce Real Weather Connector than there is in SkyMaxx Pro v3. It's been that big of a project! We are currently in beta and trying to catch any bugs we can find (and we expect to find some with such a complex way to draw these clouds). We do not know how long this process will last, but we are working diligently to get it into your hands. Screenshots are below a few posts down as well as HERE! Happy Flying, and thanks for looking!