Problem with FSUIPC Visibility Setting

[The-Flying-Dutchman]

Hello Community,

Hello Peter,

I got one problem with the visbility setting.

Picture 1: According to my setting the visbility restriction should be turned off after passing 10000ft upwards.

Picture 2: Below 1000ft everything works fine, 4/8 clouds, visibility 25NM

Picture 3: The Problem: After passing 10000ft the visibility is still at 25NM. But according to my settings it should increase to the visibility setting (after passing 1000ft) I use in the FS Menu (75NM) because 25NM applies only when beeing 10000ft or below.

Any ideas about the problem?

[Pete Dowson]

Picture 1: According to my setting the visbility restriction should be turned off after passing 10000ft upwards.

... Any ideas about the problem?

I think you misunderstand. The 10000 altitude option you are using doesn't change anything you may have set in the weather system except the upper altitude of FS's lowest visibility layer. It isn't touching anything else, so without knowing how you have the rest of the weather set up it is not possible for me to comment further. If you want FSUIPC to deal with your visibility all the way up you need to think about using the graduated visibility facility. Otherwise you'd need to see the complete weather status -- maybe the output from WeatherSet2, or the weather logging in FSUIPC.

Also, you have visibility smoothing enabled, so whatever the current visibility is, above the lower restricted level, it will take a while to establish itself at your set rate of 10% change allowed per second.

Numbers are more meaningful here than pretty pictures, which are not measurable. I cannot "see" what is going on with your pictures, and I most certainly cannot estimate the seeing distance -- maybe you can better if you have a map of the area.

BTW, what exactly is that the "75nm" you have in the "FS menu"? Is that in the scenery visibility options, or something in the weather?

I've not really used FS9 for years, and certainly not changed FSUIPC's weather handling in well over 4 years, and I'm sure it still works as it used to, to everyone's satisfaction. I just wish i could do the same for FSX. Maybe you just need some clarification? The question you need to ask is, if FSUIPC was doing nothing, would you be seeing 75nm above the top of the lower visibility layer (which I think defaults at something a little less than 10000, but i may be wrong)? Since FSUIPC is not supplying a layer nor any restriction above that layer -- excepting for the smoothing of course -- I am a bit bemused about what you would be expecting it to be doing?

Regards

Pete

[The-Flying-Dutchman]

Hello Peter,

ok, I should have asked in a much easier way I do not know why I did not :wink:

All I would like to have is that below 12000ft. the visibility is max. 25NM and above 12000ft 55NM

So, do you know what I have to change to make this work?

In the fsuipc visibility window is a box called "Set graduated visibility".

I thought / think that this is the window in which I can make this settingas it gives me the opportunaty to do that

So I made the following setting:

Set graduated visbility: Checked (Yes)

From This Altitude: 1ft

Up To This Altitude: 12000ft

With this visibilty: 2500 (for 25NM)

Effect: I do have max. visibilty of 12000ft (as I wanted to have) but after passing 12000ft and above the visibility still remains on 25NM but according to the setting it should increase as the 25NM Value is only for altitudes below 12000ft.

Thanks for any help and best regards!

Btw.: It is amazing that you support your product that good. I have never seen a support forum like yours (fsuipc) in which EVERY Thread get's an answer. Thats amazing and very very custumor oriantated!!!! Thanks for this!

[Pete Dowson]

All I would like to have is that below 12000ft. the visibility is max. 25NM and above 12000ft 55NM

You want an abrupt change, just like that? won't that happen if you turn off all of the FSUIPC facilities and just set that into FS's weather menu?

It was to prevent such unrealistic things that the visibility graduation facilities were added to FSUIPC.

In the fsuipc visibility window is a box called "Set graduated visibility".

I thought / think that this is the window in which I can make this settingas it gives me the opportunaty to do that

Well, yes, but it shouldn't be so abrupt. FSUIPC provides a transition.

So I made the following setting:

Set graduated visbility: Checked (Yes)

From This Altitude: 1ft

Up To This Altitude: 12000ft

With this visibilty: 2500 (for 25NM)

Effect: I do have max. visibilty of 12000ft (as I wanted to have) but after passing 12000ft and above the visibility still remains on 25NM but according to the setting it should increase as the 25NM Value is only for altitudes below 12000ft.

ErI don't understand any of the above. Sorry.

The graduated visibility region operates from the top of the restricted visibility layer, eg 10,000 feet or wherever FS or you set it, gradually increasing it, linearly, to the upper visibility at the very top altitude. In other words you get three regions:

1. ground to level 1 (top of FS's restricted layer) == visibility x

2. level 1 to level 2 (usually very high, above max flight levels) == linear smoothing from x to y (so halfway it will be (x + y)/2).

3. above level 2 = FS's defined max according to current option settings. Not affected by FSUIPC.

Bear in mind that the values computed in this way are the target values. If you also have smoothing enabled, then there may also be a delay according to the smoothing settings.

This is the way it has worked for years, in FS2002 and FS2004 (unfortunately not in FSX though*). Please do also check the documentation. I'm sure it explains it there already better than I can here.

Regards

Pete

* I couldn't find any way to directly control the visibility graphics in FSX, and SimConnect's weather control is rather unpredictable and arbitrary in this area, resulting in unpleasant effects when such things are tried.