control clouds and visibility

[Jalizs]

HI ,i juste wanna know if there any methode to control clouds and visibility in FSX like in FS9 through offsets like 0E9A etc...

[Pete Dowson]

HI ,i juste wanna know if there any methode to control clouds and visibility in FSX like in FS9 through offsets like 0E9A etc...

 

Yes, there's the old FS2000 weather interface still there. But they didn't even work that well by FS2002 time, let alone FS2004 (FS9). That's why the "Advanced Weather Interface" was introduced, which worked properly in FS2002 and FS2004. But then FS2004 had a lot more weather capabilities, so the New Weather Interface was developed. And THAT is what you should be using in FS2004.

 

In FSX and P3D more facilities were added, including reading and setting weather using SimConnect format METAR strings.

 

But all three older interfaces were carried through, attempting compatibility, but I really wouldn't advise trying to use anything else in FSX other than the NWI, or Metar strings.

 

Pete

[Jalizs]

Thank you Pete

the problem is i juste want to control visibility and put or remove cloud,other parameters don't matter

[Pete Dowson]

the problem is i juste want to control visibility and put or remove cloud,other parameters don't matter

 

Unfortunately FSX doesn't work that way. In FS9 and before FSUIPC could actually override a weather station's visibility. This was used to provide the graduated visibility feature. But in FSX and P3D you would need to read the station's current setting, change only the visibility setting, and write it back. And you'd need to do that for all nearby weather stations, because the effect is interpolated across the region.

 

You could do it more easily in global weather mode. That is when the whole world has the same weather. There's onlly one set to deal with then. But FSX becomes localised quite quickly and to stay in global mode means resetting the weather each time. That doesn't look good except when changing flight situations.

 

This is why all of the current weather control programs, to work well in FSX, have to do such complex things.  I'm sorry, but I don't know of any easy way.

 

Pete

[Jalizs]

The NWI works fine thanks Pete

[Gypsy Baron]

You can use the FSX Weather tab from the menu in Free Flight to create custom weather....cloud layers, wind layers, visibility layers, etc.

 

It is fairly easy to do. I have been using this lately tom create custom weather for MultiPlayer flights after having spent a lot of time trying various free weather programs and also the FS2004 SDK "WMaker.exe" program.

 

All were seriously lacking when it came to having all aircraft in the session seeing the same weather. Particularly wind direction and velocity for formation flying on our WWII missions (91st Bombardment Group).

 

Now I create a basic weather theme with WMaker, then load that and modify it by setting weather at all the stations along the flight plan route. I then save the flight with a particular name related to the mission. i.e. M133_WX. I then pass the M133_WX.WX file to all the pilots that will be flying and they save a flight with the same name and substitute the WX file that I created.

 

So far we have had excellent results with everyone seeing the same weather conditions.

 

For single player/free flight you can open the "Weather" tab and select Customize. Then you should see a map with the weather stations shown. You click on a station and set the conditions for that station. First I would select the option to set all stations and after that is done you can 'tweak' the individual stations.

 

Paul