Optimize FSUIPC (registered) for clouds and winds

[^Lucifer^]

Hello everybody :)

I searched in this and other forums but didn't find any solution: clouds and winds still change suddenly, often causing overspeed and bad looking meteo transitions. I don't have this issue with FS2004 real weather, so I think it's due to my fault. BTW I checked any "smooth ***" option in FSUIPC 3.14 settings.

FSMetar 1.5 provides meteo data.

Could you suggest me optimal settings for FSUIPC, in order to obtain more realistic smooth changes?

Thank you!

Greetings from Italy :)

[Pete Dowson]

clouds and winds still change suddenly, often causing overspeed and bad looking meteo transitions. I don't have this issue with FS2004 real weather

If you set the weather sliders in FS's Options-Settings-Hardware all to maximum, you shouldn't have many occasions where clouds appear suddenly. That's usually due to limited cloud drawing distances. They may still pop up at that maximum distance, but it is less noticeable. Make sure you have 100% 3D clouds as the 2D clouds are notoriously bad both for popping up and flickering.

FS2004's own downloaded weather "morphs" the clouds -- i.e. it grows them and shrinks them. I've been trying to find a way into that mechanism in FS2004 but it is simply so complex I don't have much of a hope. Microsoft won't help, at least not until FS2006, by which time I hope to have persuaded them to provide some weather interface so that third party weather programs can compete.

As far as wind shifts are concerned, FS should be interpolating those correctly between stations, but there is certainly a bug in the FS code as 180 degree wind shifts can occur -- even with their own downloaded weather. It is not a phenomenon limited to the add-on weather programs at all, though, since the weather they provide tends to be more complete, more varied, it may be more likely.

I know both the main weather program authors are trying very hard to find ways around the problems in FS2004 and I expect both FSMeteo and ActiveSky to be superior to FS's own weather in due course.

BTW I checked any "smooth ***" option in FSUIPC 3.14 settings.

FSUIPC's smoothing can only smooth what is going IN to FS's weather stations. Except for visibility (which I found a way to bypass) I cannot get to the actual wind and clouds being presented in the simulator, I can only smooth the inputs being made to FS. What it then does with them is outside my control.

FSMetar 1.5 provides meteo data.

I don't know FSMetar, sorry, so I cannot even advise on what steps it may be taking. I think you'll need to ask the author. I only have regular contacts with the authors of FSMeteo and ActiveSky.

Regards,

Pete

[^Lucifer^]

Thank you very much Pete!

I'll modify weather detail and I will take a look at FSMeteo and Activesky.

Goodbye :)