Hello, new here & with questions about FSUIPC/Weather

[CAFedm]

Hello all,

I was directed to this forum by way of a need to contact Mr. Dowson, in regard to an FSUIPC-related item. Specifically, after having installed this program, it has been discovered that manually-installed cloud textures (for thunderstorms) no longer display. These had been added manually using the FS Sky World storm pack, and looked really ominous. The auto-generated weather and working radar features are excellent and both things that I wish to keep functional in FS2002, but the thunderstorms generated are very mild by comparison, displaying some gray cloud patches among a mostly clear blue sky. Wondering if anyone can advise whether there is a way to either incorporate these cloud textures into FSUIPC, or whether there is a way to selectively "turn off" certain functions of this program, such as thunderstorm generation - alternately, maybe someone can recommend a good replacement cloud package that works with FSUIPC. I look forward to any suggestions!

Regards,

Brian

[Pete Dowson]

I was directed to this forum by way of a need to contact Mr. Dowson, in regard to an FSUIPC-related item.

The directions to get here are, in fact, incorporated into all my documents, including the FSUIPC user guide, and on screen in the first page of FSUIPC options, and also via a link on the main download page at http://www.schiratti.com/dowson. :wink:

Specifically, after having installed this program, it has been discovered that manually-installed cloud textures (for thunderstorms) no longer display.

Sorry, but FSUIPC doesn't touch any graphics at all, and most certainly cannot affect any changed bitmaps you have installed.

Wondering if anyone can advise whether there is a way to either incorporate these cloud textures into FSUIPC

FSUIPC cannot deal with textures of any sort whatsoever. It is merely an interface for other programs to control things in FS, and to read data from FS. It isn't part of its function to provide extra or different graphics -- I wouldn't even know how if I wanted to.

or whether there is a way to selectively "turn off" certain functions of this program, such as thunderstorm generation

All of the user-controlled weather facilities in FSUIPC are user options, available only to registered users (i.e. those with a valid FSUIPC key). For non-registered copies all such options set defaults. By default the random thunderstorm generator is off, in fact. The only option defaulted on in FS2002 is the one to add a high light cirrus layer occasionally.

Please refer to the Clouds section of the FSUIPC user guide. You will find everything you need there. You will see (from the picture on the left in that section, which is the one for FS2002) that no other options are enabled by default, none at all.

- alternately, maybe someone can recommend a good replacement cloud package that works with FSUIPC.

Replacement cloud packages consist of replacement textures. Once you've replaced the cloud textures manually, they are replaced. No program, and espcially not FSUIPC, will "bring back the original ones" automatically -- they don't even know if you kept them or where you put them.

Programs which SET cloud layers through FSUIPC will set them regardless of what set of cloud textures you have installed. These are "weather" programs, like FSMeteo and ActiveSky.

Regards,

Pete