REX Essential vs Active Sky 2012

[Jikul 61]

I've been using REX for textures and Active Sky for weather depiction for quite some time now. Now I decided to try Essentials and, while the textures are absolutely outstanding, I'm having a weird problem with the haze layer. It looks like this:

 

 

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

 

Active Sky gives me a much more realistic fog, without abrupt changes. I've heard so many good things about Essentials weather engine that I'm sure I'm missing something. Maybe some setting within the configuration manager? I have the "Enable realistic haze layer" checked, but the problem remains.

[timest 472]

If your having problems with REX, our support forum is located here: http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/

[jzimmermann 238]

Active Sky gives me a much more realistic fog, without abrupt changes. I've heard so many good things about Essentials weather engine that I'm sure I'm missing something. Maybe some setting within the configuration manager? I have the "Enable realistic haze layer" checked, but the problem remains.

 

Active Sky is way more realistic...see for yourself:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first 5 screenshots show the weather using Active Sky 2012 somewhere close to El Paso, Texas, the last screenshot shows exactly the same location with the identical textures loaded, but with the REX Essential weather engine running. I think the result speaks for itself.

 

REX Essential just takes forever to compute all the downloaded data, and somehow the weather engine always blankets the entire world surrounding the aircraft with some sort of haze. I have tried various settings and currently think that Active Sky 2012 still has the better weather engine. Plus there is the haze problem you just showed here too....

 

Cheers,

 

Jerome

[Noel 4,486]

I've been using REX for textures and Active Sky for weather depiction for quite some time now. Now I decided to try Essentials and, while the textures are absolutely outstanding, I'm having a weird problem with the haze layer. It looks like this:

 

 

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

 

Active Sky gives me a much more realistic fog, without abrupt changes. I've heard so many good things about Essentials weather engine that I'm sure I'm missing something. Maybe some setting within the configuration manager? I have the "Enable realistic haze layer" checked, but the problem remains.

 

Best to keep that one unchecked I believe.

[tttocs 301]

I have the "Enable realistic haze layer" checked, but the problem remains.

 

As Noel recommended, definitely un-check this option. I think it's real name should be "enable wildly unrealistic haze", and I believe the manual even mentions something about this being included at user request. It is not enabled by default.

 

Scott

[Jikul 61]

As Noel recommended, definitely un-check this option. I think it's real name should be "enable wildly unrealistic haze", and I believe the manual even mentions something about this being included at user request. It is not enabled by default.

 

Scott

 

Indeed, disabling the "realistic haze layer" seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks guys. :)

 

I also looked it up in the manual and they give an interesting explanation. Apparently having this setting enabled is good for flying in "certain IFR conditions", even though it creates the hard edges. Pretty interesting! :D

[Paul J 349]

That haze interaction with hillsides is sure fixed in AS2012, along with the greatest haze I have seen in the sim thus far. I've gotta say I love 2012. (Can't win them all, Tim) :sorry:

[Noel 4,486]

That haze interaction with hillsides is sure fixed in AS2012, along with the greatest haze I have seen in the sim thus far. I've gotta say I love 2012. (Can't win them all, Tim) :sorry:

 

I have solved some of the difficult start up sequence problem I was having w/ Essentials, and I really like the atmospherics and visibility. I wonder though how AS2012 compares to ASX which I have still but don't use much. Do you think it's improved much over ASX?

[clarkresponse 3]

I have solved some of the difficult start up sequence problem I was having w/ Essentials, and I really like the atmospherics and visibility. I wonder though how AS2012 compares to ASX which I have still but don't use much. Do you think it's improved much over ASX?

 

Funny you ask this question because I´m still using ASX and along with REX textures. Having both working together makes my flying experience more enjoyable.

[Joti 0]

Anyone else still unsure which option to go for? Can't decide!

 

I do mostly low level VFR stuff, and the consensus seems REX is more atmospheric so maybe this will suit me.. Extended loading times seems a hassle though.. Hmmm

[eNuffSaid 4]

Anyone else still unsure which option to go for? Can't decide!

 

I do mostly low level VFR stuff, and the consensus seems REX is more atmospheric so maybe this will suit me.. Extended loading times seems a hassle though.. Hmmm

 

Not just you, Joti. I'm looking at AS2012 or REX-E myself. Just when you think you've made up your mind along somebody who posts something and now I don't know anymore.

 

I really had my mind set for REX-E but along comes JZimmermann (post 93), with 5 screenshots and I must admit the AS2012 screens look alot better than the REX-E screen.

 

Most people (if not all) will say REX-E is better for textures and I care most about textures / VFR. Just like you, I'm not to pleased about the long loading times, but a REX dev has said they will have that fixed in the next Service Pack which should be released shortly.

 

My question is, do textures need to be reloaded every time you start FSX?

Can I simply load my fav. textures from AS2012 / REX-E as a one time only thing, and from then on I only need to start FSX as the new textures will always be loaded?

 

Thanks very much.

[timest 472]

Folks,

 

There's a product manual you can download here: http://www.realenvironmentxtreme.com/forums/index.php?/

 

We are in fact working on the service pack update for REX Essential, which is currently in beta testing. Weather download and interpolation times have been increased by as much as 80%. We will release a full fix list soon, which includes many new features, including the much anticipated archived weather features.

 

Cheers!

[Paul J 349]

Just to clear up: - REX has always had the ability to allow you to create any (texture) theme you like - or for you to simply load any of the many built-in themes.

 

Once that theme is loaded you do not have to "load REX each time you fly" - the textures are there - in FSX. They have replaced the stock FSX textures. You can fly with them as they are, using the built-in FSX weather engine, or you can fly using the REX engine - or you can fly using any Active Sky engine. One does not have to reload REX or any Active Sky to use those textures.

 

The recent changes are that Active Sky now has its own textures, along with a very much improved engine, and REX has renewed its engine, interface and fabulous textures, and will add a whole lot more textures once the Essentials "Overdrive" (and SP) is released.

 

The result is - to my mind - both are excellent weather-management programs, and whether to use one or the other is a hard choice. I have literally spent three months agonizing over this decision: REX is a free upgrade, and AS is not, and being retired - cost is a factor, and I had almost decided to go REX all the way, but the delay with OD and the needed SP - plus "Simmo's" video, and my long usage of AS made up my mind - it had to be AS2012. HiFi has never ignored it's clients, and Damian has continually - for donkey's years - done his best to give us the best weather experience: I even remember when Chris Willis produced his own cloud program, so loyalty has played a big part here.

[MattM1121 1]

I don't like either user inerfaces. They don't follow any ryme or reson. But of the two ActiveSky is the worse. I run into so many problems with that user interface. It makes it difficult to use with other applications.

 

Too bad they don't know the author of FS Flight Keeper. Now that guy knows how to build a user interface.

 

ActiveSky also - for whatever reason - hits the internet and checks stations and my key upwards to 150 times an hour. Not sure what's going on there or why it has to check so often;

 

GET /awas/as2012/weather/fetchwx.php?validDateTime=current&licensekey=<<my key here>>&machinecode=F1B1EA9AAF51355E&stations=all HTTP/1.1

User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0

Host: was2.hifisim.com

Connection: Keep-Alive

 

You can see from the attached file for each day that I ran the applciation the amount of times it checks my key/stations. There's something about that that I don't like.

 

ActiveSky does not support multiple visibility layers. So when I purchased AS2012 I realized that I was actually buying an engine that's the same as FS9. So as far as functionality I took a step back. REX appears to support multiple visibility layers. (I think I should double check the REX visibility again)

 

When looking at issues with AS I note that more often than not FSX is blamed for either being buggy or not supporting some feature, or FSUIPC is to blame.

 

I prefer REX textures over AS. But for all my love/hate relationship with AS, I use that the most on a networked PC. But lately I've been really frustrated with AS and want to try REX more.

 

My opinion; nothing more.

 

-Matt

[eNuffSaid 4]

Weather download and interpolation times have been increased by as much as 80%.

Hi Tim,

 

Yes, I did read you mentioned that in one of your earlier posts. That's why I also referred to that in my post above yours. I see you are really on top of things and I appreciate that very much. People are very positive about REX and when people post their add-ons list 9 out of 10 times REX is in there.

 

Once that theme is loaded you do not have to "load REX each time you fly" - the textures are there - in FSX.

 

Thanks Paul, that was just the info I was looking for.

 

ActiveSky also - for whatever reason - hits the internet and checks stations and my key upwards to 150 times an hour.

 

That's nasty, Matt. Thanks for bringing that up. Good network snooping.

 

@ all,

 

I was reading the thread (Missing Coworker Mission not working). Some have suggested that addon Textures / Mesh may possibly affect the default FSX missions. Can REX-E textures do this?

 

What about the weather conditions in the missions, can these be affected by REX?