Cameron Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 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! 11
Brobi737 Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 This sounds great! But surely it has to have a negative affect on Performance/FPS? Cheers, Blake
Cameron Posted January 10, 2016 Author Report Posted January 10, 2016 This sounds great! But surely it has to have a negative affect on Performance/FPS? 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! 1
WR269 Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 This is encouraging, is there any progress in the limited layers of wind and cloud of XP? Sometimes you know there is an overcast layer at 3000ft but you won't see the cloud until you are around 6000ft in descent Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1
Brobi737 Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 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! Ok sounds good Can't wait for the new update then! Cheers, Blake 1
Cameron Posted January 10, 2016 Author Report Posted January 10, 2016 This is encouraging, is there any progress in the limited layers of wind and cloud of XP? Sometimes you know there is an overcast layer at 3000ft but you won't see the cloud until you are around 6000ft in descent 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. :-) 1
WR269 Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 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. Thanks Cameron, fantastic to see developers breaking the limitations of the base simulator. Look forward to seeing these products. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Cameron Posted January 10, 2016 Author Report Posted January 10, 2016 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! 6
AeroPictor Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Thank you very much for this promising improvement of X-Plane experience… Wishing you all the best and offering my support if needed… 1
letec Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Okay. Your shots are from of 2500-20000ft ?? And how it looks from 35000 ft ??
cmbaviator Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 I don't really understand,I have currently skymass pro 3 and fsgrw, so what will real weather connector offer in addition compared to fsgrw ?
Snagger Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 How do I give you my money? Where's the "empty wallet" button?! Seriously though, will this just be included in the next update of Skymaxx, or will this require a separate purchase? Also, where's the button that gives you my money to magically make this downloadable?
Claude Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Seriously though, will this just be included in the next update of Skymaxx, or will this require a separate purchase? Quoting the very first post of this thread : "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."
Jose Almeida Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Hi, I'm really excited with this. I asked Frank numerous times to develop something of this sort and I am very glad that he finally succeeded. Congratulations, Frank, and thank you. José 1
maxymaxy Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) Hi,I am using FSGRW with SkyMaxx v3. One pc runs the instruments and the flight model, while the other one runs the three outside displays. This set up works fine with clouds synchronized etc. I have been flying around the world with X-Plane in a Carenado C90b. I am currently flying south over Brazil which has some significant thunderstorm activity. The weather depiction is not very realistic. Fluffy white clouds here and there with lots of lightning and rain: the XP local map shows seriously red patches.Is there any way to address this kind of depiction or is the underlying problem with X-Plane's weather engine?regardsTed Edited January 10, 2016 by maxymaxy
Vantskruv Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 Why can't you integrate the code in the Skymaxx plugin as a paid upgrade instead? The amount of plugins is getting extraordinary, cannot we just to keep down the amount of plugins?
jcomm Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 (edited) Cameron, this is really GOOD NEWS! As a long time user of AS products, and also long time member of the Active Sky beta team, I look forward to try this add-on :-) I'll do it also in the perspective of my real life work, at the Portuguese Metoffice ( LPPT ), just as I did with AS products which are, by far, the best available for the MSFS platform. Maybe we can finally have in X-plane 10 what I've been missing for a long time ... On my recent return to XPX, to test the results of the "torque bug fix", I even decided to buy SMP again - now on v3 ... Edited January 10, 2016 by jcomm
Morrigan Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 I don't really understand,I have currently skymass pro 3 and fsgrw, so what will real weather connector offer in addition compared to fsgrw ? As far as I understood, the plugin would get the real data for the entire grid at once, not just for the area around the airplane as I know NOAA does (I assume FSGRW too). That would address the issue of visible and very noticeable cloud popping, changing forms or magically adding a layer right in front of your eyes. That would hugely improve the immersion and the general quality of flying and it's something that X-Plane users wanted for months (years?).
cmbaviator Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 As far as I understood, the plugin would get the real data for the entire grid at once, not just for the area around the airplane as I know NOAA does (I assume FSGRW too). That would address the issue of visible and very noticeable cloud popping, changing forms or magically adding a layer right in front of your eyes. That would hugely improve the immersion and the general quality of flying and it's something that X-Plane users wanted for months (years?). Ah okay thanks. So I guess that in connector, we'll be able to import flight plan so that the software can enhance the weather on the flight path ? CMB Sent from Tapatalk
Andy10r Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 I plugin for a plugin.....Im running out of £££ to spend on X-plane lol. Hopefully this will be sub £20.
diamonddriller Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 This will really transform the experience. Well done. Can't wait
sundog Posted January 10, 2016 Report Posted January 10, 2016 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. Just to provide an update, Real Weather Connector + SkyMaxx Pro 3.1 is totally decoupled from X-Plane's internal 3-layer limitation now. Internally weather is represented by a grid, and each cell of that grid can have up to 6 layers of clouds at any altitude. Development is moving fast The only limitation is the METAR data itself. If the METAR has been changed by an external weather engine to fit within X-Plane's default 3-layer system, then that's the only information we'll have available to us. 4
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