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    Posted: August-01-2012 at 4:42am
OpusFSX Version 2.07.4 Beta is now available for download on our web site.
 
This beta version includes the following changes,
 
Mulit-layered cloud types have been changed to assume a more realistic lower stratus layer, followed by a cumulus layer, followed by one or more stratocumulus types. Reported towering cumulus and cumulunimbus formations are always left unchanged.
 
All AHM taxiing effects are now disabled whenever the ground speed reaches 30kts or the
throttle is greater than or equal to 70% open.
 
Reported visibilities of 10SM in Metars is now always interpreted the same as 9999 and CAVOK. Hence will result in the maximum surface visibility setting being used (typically 48km or 30 miles).
 
Regards
Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.07.5 Beta is now available for download on our web site.

This is very much work in progress, I have posted this beta to give some idea of our progress even though I have had to reduce the cloud smoothing effects to just the aircraft's location. The new winds aloft and weather updating has been changed to minimise the problems with erratic aircraft behaviour. However, before we proceed further we must investigate some FSX anomalies and consider the changes required to the weather interpolation and averaging functions, which now need to be revised to take account of the new cloud types. This work is likely to take a few days.

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Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-02-2012 at 7:09am
OpusFSX Version 2.08 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
This beta includes the following changes and upgrades,

We have improved the METAR handling, the METAR data interpolation across the Dynamic Weather grid, and improved the weather data averaging throughout the grid area.

We have added 'Enable Cirrus Clouds' and 'Preferred Cover' (0 = random,or 1 to 8) options to the Weather dialog to allow the cirrus clouds, which are not specified in the METAR data, to be controlled by the user.

Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-04-2012 at 5:26am
OpusFSX Version 2.08.1 has now been released and is available for download on our website.
 
Only one slight change from the 2.08.0 beta relating to the way the Live Weather Engine calculates the maximum visibility at altitude. This maximum visibility is now reduced from 128km (80 miles) to 96km (60 miles) at different levels of average surface visibility depending on the current Maximum Surface Visibility setting. If you have set the Max Surface Visibility to 32km (20 miles) then the limit is 28km, otherwise the limit is 42km.
 
We are also attempting to force FSX to set its mouse and keyboard focus onto a newly displayed camera view, this will save having to click on the screen after each view is selected in order to use the mouse or issue keyboard commands within FSX.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-05-2012 at 3:34am
OpusFSX Version 2.08.2 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
This beta includes the server and client software changes to force mouse and keyboard focus back to the FSX/P3D simulator after each camera view selection, and other OpusFSX actions (eg. after accessing the OpusFSX dialogs). I have released this as a beta for a few days because our previous attempts have upset FSX, so far I have found no problems with this new method.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-06-2012 at 2:02am
OpusFSX Version 2.08.3 has now been released and is available for download on our website.
 
The Insert, Delete, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Left, Right, Up, and Down keys can no longer be assigned to camera views. Numeric pad keys 0 to 9 can be used but they must be assigned with the Num Lock ON (for recognition), and used with the Num Lock OFF within FSX/P3D. This is a quirk of the simulator and not the OpusFSX software. Of course you must make sure any camera key assignments are not already used within the simulator.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-11-2012 at 6:53am
OpusFSX Version 2.08.4 has now been released and is available for download on our website.

This version includes upgrades to the CPFlight MCP737PRO/EFISPRO panel drivers including support for a TO/GA auxilary input, includes changes to the AHM software, and includes the new light and heavy aircraft accelerometer data for DHM during the taxiing and landing phases of flight.

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Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-12-2012 at 4:44am
OpusFSX Version 2.08.5 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
In this beta version I have extended the wind smoothing effects to include the target winds at 10,000ft and 39,000ft altitudes. I have also imposed limits on the maximum amount of veer angle to try and keep the effects well within the comfort zone of FSX and P3D.
 
In addition I have changed the weather engine to keep expanding the weather horizon until at least four METAR stations have been located and their current METAR reports downloaded. This should allow the engine to make better use of the improved weather interpolation within any METAR void zones.
 
The engine still relies on the simulator to interpolate the winds between altitudes of 10,000ft and 39,000ft, so if anyone still experiences erratic aircraft behaviour between successive weather updates then please send me your c:\OpusFSX\Themes\OpusWeather.txt file and let me know at approximately what altitude you experienced the problem. If necessary I will fix target wind speeds and directions at other altitudes (e.g. 18,000ft and 28,000ft).
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-13-2012 at 8:29am
OpusFSX Version 2.08.6 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Winds aloft are very problematic within FSX/P3D and all weather engines can suffer from erratic aircraft behavior when the winds aloft are changed. In this beta version I have modified the wind smoothing effects to take these limitations into account and minimise any erratic wind aloft changes, hopefully preventing all erratic aircraft behavior in flight.
 
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Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-14-2012 at 5:49am
OpusFSX Version 2.09.0 has now been released and is available for download on our website. This version includes the following changes and additions,
 
The DHM body acceleration effects have been modified to smooth the forward/aft head movement slightly.
 
The winds aloft calculations and smoothing effects have been modified within the Live Weather Engine to overcome problems within the FSX/P3D simulator. All winds aloft are now stabalized to prevent erratic changes within the FSX/P3D simulator after weather updates.
 
The Weather dialog's 'Preferred Cover' setting for cirrus clouds has been removed since the actual cloud cover depends entirely on what cirrus cloud textures have been selected and loaded into the simulator.
 
To prevent any distractions whilst landing, all Weather updates are now disabled for 10 minutes after the aircraft descends below 1800ft AGL, assumed to be the final descent phase of the flight. This final descent phase is cancelled whenever the aircraft climbs back above 1900ft AGL. Once cancelled, normal weather updating will be resumed.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-15-2012 at 8:54am
OpusFSX Version 2.09.1 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Modified the CPFlight driver's shutdown and startup of the FSXPMDG.EXE program. This program is now shutdown immediately an FSX/P3D dialog is displayed and restarted about 4 seconds after the dialog is closed. If the sim has been paused prior to displaying the dialog then it must be unpaused before any MCP controls become effective. If the OpusFSX server program is shutdown and restarted for any reason then the user must make a change on the aircraft's MCP panel to force the PMDG software to re-establish the SimConnect link and accept new controls.
 
Winds aloft changed to limit the maximum strength and simplify the targets for FSX in an attempt to minimise or erradicate the erratic behavior within the simulator.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-15-2012 at 2:59pm
OpusFSX Version 2.09.2 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
This version includes the initial prototype for the Dynamic Aircraft Movements (DAM) for 2D 'scenic' views with slight adjustments to the normal DHM operation. At present it has been implemented for the server's 2D 'scenic' views only. I will implement the feature on the client systems once the software is finalised.

To configure the effect, enable DHM on your 2D view and edit the DHM taxiing and landing parameters to your own preferences. The head acceleration effects do not use the accelerometer data and may not be noticeable in the 2D views. This initial version was scaled with a 2D view offset by 1 metre in the y-axis. If necessary we will adjust the effect to suit the view's configured y-axis offset. At this stage we are just looking for cockpit builders to try out the taxiing and landing effects and we will progress from there.

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Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-17-2012 at 12:18pm
OpusFSX Version 2.09.2 has now been released and is available for download on our website.
 
See the above description. We are now working on Beta versions for the Live Traffic and DHM airborne and turbulence effects upgrades.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-20-2012 at 6:53am
OpusFSX Version 2.10.0 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
In this version we have smoothed out some of the rough edges of the DHM effects for heavy aircraft and changed the OpusFSI Menu structure in the simulator's Addon menu.
 
We have also added a 'Load Static Weather Theme' option to the Live Weather submenu. This new menu option displays a transparent FSX/P3D menu allowing the pilot to load a static weather theme. When a static theme is selected the Live Weather Engine will be disabled automatically and the selected static theme loaded on the server and all connected client systems.
 
At present, only the standard static FSX/P3D weather themes can be selected through this method, we will extend the facility once the concept is proven. The 'Enable Weather Theme' checkbox in the server program's Weather dialog must also be ticked to use this option.
 
Warning - there is a known menu handling bug in FSX and P3D which can cause the simulator program to crash, usually when you select options too quickly or even move the mouse too quickly over the menu options. Nothing we can do about this I'm afraid Ermm
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-22-2012 at 7:14am
OpusFSX Version 2.10.1 Beta is now available for download on our website.

In this version we have included the initial prototype of the airborne vibration accelerometer data and DHM airborne vibration effects. The vibration effects are governed solely by the engine power setting, landing gear, and flap status. This protoype also includes the InFilght and Turbulence accelerometer data which at present can only be viewed in DHM test mode. In test mode you must disable the vibration effects in order to see the in flight low-frequency turbulence effects.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-24-2012 at 9:37am
OpusFSX Version 2.10.2 Beta is now available for download on our website.

In this version I have corrected a problem with the Live Weather Engine which was failing to interpret METAR conditions such as -TSRA correctly. The Automatic Head Movements (AHM) have been speeded up and smoothed very slightly. The DHM body acceleration effects have been changed so that they alter more smoothly. The general DHM processing has been improved and the new airborne effects have been added. This is the initial prototype version showing the airborne vibration, low-frequency and high-frequency turbulence effects. We have also added a 'Bump Aircraft' option (bumps the aircraft in turbulent conditions) with the turbulence effects which will be implemented in a later beta or the release version.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-24-2012 at 8:04pm
OpusFSX Version 2.10.3 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
This version includes another minor correction to the thunder storm problem. Now the Live Weather Engine will create an appropriate thunder storm cloud whenever TS is reported and the METAR does not report any cloud layers.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-25-2012 at 10:25am
OpusFSX Version 2.10.4 has now been released and is available for download on our website.
 
We have decided to bring this version to release because of the improvements to the METAR handling in which we have also added CBMAM, ACC, and CLD type extensions in addition to improving the handling of the basic TCU and CB types. I have also included ground friction in determining the turbulence strength.
 
Even though there is no beta version available at the moment, we will be continuing to release beta versions very soon as we make progress and improve the new DHM effects.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-27-2012 at 9:56am
OpusFSX Version 2.11.0 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
This version includes some changes to the Live Weather Engine, slightly modified turbulence effects, and the following new Weather dialog options,
 
1. Disable Fog Effects
 
For those who do not want to see the thin layer of stratus topping the fog banks. Warning this will also make all fog banks totally invisible from the air.
 
2. Disable Mist Effects
 
Same as above but to disable the thin layer of 'broken' stratus topping misty areas (vis <= 6000 metres).
 
3. Ignore Reduced Visibility < 6000m
 
When ticked, instructs the engine to ignore all reported reduced visibilities that are greater than 6000 metres and instead use the specified 'Max Surface Visibility' setting.
 
N.B.  6000m is the general limiting level for reported misty (BR) conditions and 1000m is the limiting level for all reported foggy (FG) areas.
 
For those who do not like flying in limited visibility, now you can tick the 'Ignore Reduced Visibility < 6000m' box and set your 'Max Surface Visibility' to anything you like. This will ensure you see nice and clear surface features. However, whenever actual misty or foggy conditions are reported then these will still be strictly adhered to.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-29-2012 at 5:11am

Live Weather Engine Upgrade

Due to the rising interest in the Live Weather Engine (LWE), our sincere thanks folks, we would like to announce the following MAJOR upgrade to the LWE. The development for this upgrade will be staring immediately. Other 'work in progress' or planned upgrades will also be slotted in where applicable.
 
For example,
 
TrackIR Compatibility - we now have the SDK and will be implementing this upgrade very soon.
SkyDemon - will be included as part of Stage Three, see below.
Live Traffic - still work in progress, delayed recently due to the workload.
 
The Planned LWE Upgrade will be carried out in the following five stages ...

Stage One :- Constant Update of Turbulence Parameters
 
The software used to deternmine the turbulence effect's frequency and strength parameters will be given its own thread so that these checks can run steadily and smoothly in parallel with all other LWE activities.
 
Stage Two :- Increased Weather Horizon
 
The weather grid (horizon) will be more than doubled. The Dynamic Weather will be extracted from the central 480km x 480km (300 x 300 mile) area of the extended weather grid which will now cover an area of 992km x 992km (about 620 x 620 miles).

The most recent METAR reports from ALL met stations within the weather grid's area will be downloaded and used to construct the detailed weather map on the grid. The central grid area being used to generate the Dynamic Weather.

We also have plans in stage Four to increase (i.e. double) the resolution of the Dynamic Weather region to construct the weather using 16km weather cells. The reason for these upgrades is to obviously provide the most accurate, detailed and stable weather possible, even when flying in METAR sparse regions. The extended weather grid will provide a vast look-ahead or peek over the current weather horizon so that the central area you are located and flying within is constructed using a much wider meteorological picture.

Stage Three :- Networked LWE Option

A remote LWE option will be provided allowing you to offload the LWE onto a client computer system. This system will not need FSX or P3D to be installed if you are using it solely for the LWE. That is if you are not intending to drive additonal views off the client. The networked client will of course need Internet access, as good a connection as you can manage, and a good LAN connection to the server.

Stage Four :- Increased Weather Horizon

The weather grid (horizon) will be more than doubled once again but only on the networked LWE. The Dynamic Weather region will once again remain the same size since this already extends well beyond visible range. The Dynamic Weather will be extracted from the central 480km x 480km (300 x 300 mile) area of the extended weather grid which will now cover an area of 1952km x 1952km (about 1220 x 1220 miles). We will also increase (double) the resolution of the Dynamic Weather by constructing the weather throughout the weather region using 16km weather cells. This change will also benefit future upgrades such as the Live Weather Assistant and a Live Weather Radar type feature.

Again, the most recent METAR reports from ALL met stations within the weather grid's area will be downloaded and used to construct the detailed weather map on the weather grid. The central grid area being used to generate the detailed weather.

Stage Five :- New Weather Interpolation Algorithm (WINTER)

We will be developing a completely new Weather Interpolation algorithm which we have code named WINTER. WINTER will operate in its own thread and be fully integrated into and synchronised to the LWE. This recursive algorithm (process) will be responsible for looking at the full weather grid and interpolating all the weather in between the known met stations. It will be far more intelligent than the existing weather inetrpolation algorithm. This task will also be responsible for stabilising the weather data to prevent any faulty met reports messing things up (e.g. a faulty automated met station reporting 60mph winds when all around the winds are calm).

Time Scales

Stages One to Four should progress smoothly and be available over the coming month or two. WINTER will hopefully be available before the onset of Winter Smile

We believe the above changes will provide the most detailed, stable and consistent weather possible. Providing smooth transitions even when flying across large METAR void areas such as deserts, seas and oceans. The extended weather horizon in conjunction with the new Weather Interpolation Algorithm (WINTER) will help to smooth out all transitions, including the displayed cloud formations.
 
One final comment, just in case we haven't recommended it before, we now recommend a maximum 'Cloud draw distance' of 80 miles or 128km within the FSX Settings - Display - Weather options. Of course, this is only our recommendation. This recommendation will be added to our Getting Started guide.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-29-2012 at 10:51am
OpusFSX Version 2.11.1 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
This version includes some changes to the Live Weather Engine's cloud heights, increasing the heights of CB and TCU clouds. Problem resulting in mutliple stacked layers of cumulus clouds corrected.
 
DAM high-frequency turbulence effects added to the existing low-frequency and vibration effects. DHM low frame rate warning message added to dialog.
 
The parking brake status is now relayed to all client systems.
 
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Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August-30-2012 at 5:15am
OpusFSX Version 2.11.2 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
In this version single 128km vis layers are now split into two separate layers to minimise the FSX/P3D reduction in visibility, especially noticeable in winter.

in addition to the usual reduction for mist and fog, the visibility can now only be reduced to 32km if there is rain or snow in the weather cell and there is at least one cloud layer capable of producing the precipitation.

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Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.11.3 has now been released and is available for download on our website.
 
This release version introduces options to decrease or increase the level of turbulence experienced. We have also modified the clouds to look a little more menacing in areas where there is precipitation, and have adjusted the turbulence to take into account flying in the vicinity of towering cumulus and cumulu-nimbus clouds.
 
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Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.12.0 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
The is the first beta containing the TrackIR5 interface. Please read the post in our TrackIR5 Interface topic for details (most important).
 
Warning - At the time of writing, I do not believe NaturalPoint have got around to including OpusFSX within their games list (we have emailed them). As soon as it is listed you will be able to enable and use the interface.
 
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Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.12.2 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
In this beta release the Live Weather Engine (LWE) has been speeded up and the visibility layering has been changed in an attempt to prevent any visible bands appearing just below the cloud bases. Please note, for maximum realism and optimum visibility layering we still recommend a Max Surface Visibility setting of 32km or 48km. The client software has not been changed in this beta release and does not need upgrading from version 2.12.1 (Beta).
 
Latest news on the LWE upgrade, the development is proceeding very well indeed. We hope to have beta version 2.20 ready some time soon which will incorporate stages one and two of the full LWE upgrade.
 
Regards
Stephen
 
 
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OpusFSX Version 2.12.3 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
In this beta release the OpusFSX server program automatically disables the TrackIR interface whenever the Cameras dialog is opened, allowing normal camera configuration and editing with the TrackIR device. The DHM processing has been modified to improve the smoothness of the camera motions for both normal and TrackIR use. TrackIR effects must be tuned using the TrackIR smoothness setting.
 
People have reported that TrackIR is working but you must set TrackIR smoothness to a low value, most are setting it to zero, but on my system a setting of between 5 and 10 seems best. You will need to experiment with the TrackIR Smoothness setting on your own system and set it to a value your PC is happy with and avoids any jerky DHM movements. Use the test options within the DHM dialog to see what the DHM should look like on your system, then try taxiing up and down in windowed mode and adjust your TrackIR Smoothness until you have the optimum result.

Regards
Stephen
 
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OpusFSX Version 2.20.0 Beta is now available for download on our website.
  
Firstly, the version 2.20 Beta includes the new improved smooth and fluid DHM motions incorporated into previous beta version 2.12.3. in addition this version also includes a major upgrade to the Live Weather Engine (LWE).
 
Live Weather Engine (LWE) Upgrade ...
 
Extended weather horizon and dynamic weather region
 
The new weather engine's horizon covers an area of 992km by 992km (616 by 616 miles) centered on your aircraft's current position, at present this matches the size of the detailed weather region created by the LWE.
 
We have also doubled the resolution of the weather map, each weather cell now being 16km square. This provides the most accurate, detailed and stable weather possible, even when flying in METAR sparse regions such as deserts, seas and oceans. To work within the limitations of FSX/P3D, all wind smoothing has been performed using a resolution of 32km, the winds being averaged in weather cells containing more than one METAR station.
 
The geodesic mapping of this region ensures all ATIS reports will be accurate out to a distance of about 90km (FSX limitation not ours), but since you must be within about 35nm of the airport to receive the radio transmission that is really no limitation.
 
Improved weather interpolation
 
This version also includes the new WINTER weather interplation methods which are completely METAR centric as opposed to the previous version which interpolated the weather from the centre of the grid outwards. The new weather interpolation method should provide added stability to the weather especially within the central area where the aircraft is usually located (depends on your weather update settings).
 
If the weather changes drastically between updates then the most likely cause is a change in the actual METAR reports, the METAR reports are always treated as gospel but of course they can change between updates and this will always be reflected in the weather you see around you.
 
Regards
Stephen
 
 
 
 
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OpusFSX Version 2.21.0 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Firstly, we have once again taken the opportunity to increase the smoothness of the airborne DHM effects. These changes only affect the low frequency turbulent motions but should help on lower performance systems.
 
Other changes included in this beta ...
 
The TrackIR interface will now shutdown if you disable Live Camera, this will also force all the DHM threads to abort.
 
Adjacent cumulus cloud layers that have similar cloud bases and share the same coverage have been modified to display cumulus over stratus and hence prevent FSX/P3D rendering duplicate cloud images. Gets rid of that 'I'm seeing double' feeling.
 
The engine RPM, N1, and combustion status is now passed to all client systems to mimic the current engine status for engines 1 through to 4.
 
The cirrus_overcast03_Opus_512.bmp and cirrus_overcast03_Opus_1024.bmp bitmap mask files have been included and will be automatically copied into your simulator's Texture folder each time you start the OpusFSX server or client programs.
 
Live Weather Engine (LWE) Upgrade ...
 
As promised this beta version incorporates the initial release of the FSX winds aloft bug fix. This fix does not effect the detailed and varied weather patterns, we have not had to resort to using unrealistic global weather. We have eradicated the FSX winds aloft bug using nothing more than a wind stabilization technique combined with our detailed weather control. The wind stabilization comes into force as soon as you climb above the adjustable transition altitude, automatic recovery is enabled when you descend below the configured recovery level. Full recovery will only occur when the true wind direction is within 30 degrees of the stabilized wind. As far as I can tell there is no downside, the LWE simply has to force a weather regeneration as you pass though the transition and recovery levels.
 
The transition and recovery altitudes can be adjusted via the Weather dialog. However, the default settings of 19000 feet and 17000 feet should be perfectly adequate on virtually all systems.
 
All users should make sure they have turned OFF all FSUIPC4 Wind Smoothing, it is not needed and may actually interfere with our wind stabilization.
 
The recommended default Live Weather update settings are now 30 minutes and/or 60km travelled.
 
This is the first of three stages for the winds aloft fix and upgrade. This first release eradicates the FSX winds aloft bug whilst still keeping the varied and detailed live weather. If all goes well then in the next stage we will simulate the winds aloft based on the actual prevailing upper winds in your region. This will take into account jet streams, trade winds, polar winds, equatorial winds, etc. to provide realistic upper wind targets for the simulator.
 
Once this second stage is proven then we will upgrade the LWE to provide a true winds aloft option using data downloaded over the Internet.
 
In this Beta both the server and client software has changed so you will need to reinstall on all server and client PCs.
 
Regards
Stephen
 
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September-13-2012 at 7:31am
OpusFSX Version 2.21.1 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
In this version we have attempted to combat the FSX Winds Aloft Bug by including surface wind directional smoothing. This has been necessary since any rapid change in surface wind direction causes the simulator to behave very erratically, a state which it seems very reluctant to recover from (the FSX winds aloft bug).
 
The plus side of our current changes are that we still have maintained some level of variability in the surface wind directions along with accurate surface wind strengths. So far we have not resorted to global or completely unchanging winds.
 
The down side is that with the current level of wind direction smoothing the LWE will not be able to adhere to the reported METAR wind directions if they are changing fairly rapidly.
 
Next week we will introduce a configurable option allowing the user to choose whether to adhere strictly to the METARS (suitable for low level slow VFR flying), or smooth the surface winds to combat the FSX winds aloft bug (high level or fast moving jet flying).
 
Regards
Stephen


P.S. As we learn more about the behaviour of FSX with respect to the surface wind directions then we may be able to adjust the wind directional smoothing automatically. Allowing reasonable variations when accepted by FSX and automatically increasing the severity of the smoothing the closer we get to the problem directions.
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September-17-2012 at 7:28am
OpusFSX Version 2.21.2 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
The extent of the wind directional smoothing has now been graduated to accommodate as much variability in the surface wind direction as possible. Remember you must still ensure all Wind Smoothing and similar effects within FSUIPC4 have been disabled.
 
Only significant status updates are now sent to the client systems in an attempt to reduce the processing overhead on lower performance client systems.
 
Regards
Stephen
 
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OpusFSX Version 2.21.3 Beta is now available for download on our website.

I have raised the altitude for the target winds aloft from FL390 to FL600 and made a few tweaks to compensate for one possible cause of the FSX wobblies I had not trapped correctly.

Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September-18-2012 at 8:52am
OpusFSX Version 2.21.4 Beta is now available for download on our website.

Latest improvements to the wind stabilization algorithms to combat the FSX winds aloft bug. It is getting very close to the finished article now as we seem to be winning the battle. We are already developing an improved recovery procedure which will be available in the next release.
 
Regards
Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.21.5 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Both the wind speed and direction are now stabilised. After climbing through the Transition level (19000ft) all winds are now GLOBAL and STATIC. After descending below the Recovery level (17000ft) the FSX winds aloft recovery tolerance is now set to 45 degrees difference between the current surface wind direction and the stabilised wind direction.
 
You are quite likely to notice a small disturbance when climbing through the Transition level and possibly a larger disturbance when descending through the recovery level. Above the transition level all winds are now GLOBAL and STATIC so any change is most probably not coming from OpusFSX LWE.
 
When enabled, all cirrus cloud is now always set to 1 octas cover. A maximum weather update time and distance of 1000 minutes and 1000km is now imposed.
 
Regards
Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.21.6 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Remember you must uninstall your current version before installing the new beta.
 
In this version the transition altitude can now be set to 0 feet to force global wind stabilisation, or 60000 feet to disable it (see below). The recommended Max Surface Visibility has now changed to recommend settings between 32km (20 miles) and 80km (50 miles) depending on local conditions or personal preferences.
 
The latest registered version of FSUIPC4 should be installed and the following FSUIPC Winds settings configured (re: the FSUIPC Options and Settings - Winds tab),
 
Enable Smooth wind changes near aircraft.
Limit the knots or degrees per second to 1.
Set the number of seconds per knot or degree change to 0.
Enable Smooth only when airborne.
Enable the Suppress these wind effects, turbulence and variance options.
Set Max wind speed up to 1000ft to 0 (default).
Set Weather read interval factor to 2 (default).
All other options disabled or set to default values.
 
We recommend setting the Transition Altitude (TA) to 60000 feet and the Recovery Altitude (RA) to 0 feet to completely disable wind stabilisation.

If you still experience wind shifts on your system then set the TA to 0 to permanently enable wind stabilisation and use global surface winds. This is the same method used by other weather engines to fix the FSX winds aloft bug. If you like to enjoy low level VFR flying then try setting the TA to 19000 feet and the RA to 17000 feet, the wind stabilisation will only become effective when you climb through 19000 feet (normally only applicable to high level IFR type flights) and the system will attempt to recover the surface winds when you descend back down through 17000 feet.
 
Regards
Stephen
 
Latest News ...
 
In our latest version 2.22 release we no longer believe you need the FSUIPC4 wind smoothing enabled at all. It seems our own unique methods of wind smoothing have now eradicated the erratic winds aloft altogether without any additional safety nets.
 
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OpusFSX Version 2.21.7 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Remember you must uninstall your current version before installing the new beta.
 
If upgrading from beta 2.21.5 or earlier then please read the above post for 2.21.6 very carefully.
 
In this beta version the Live Camera interface has been upgraded to allow smooth transitions between virtual cockpit (VC) and 2D scenic views. The transition speed is configured in the Configure dialog, a value of 0 is used for instant camera transitions, otherwise the speed can be set between 1 (fastest) and 10 (slowest).
 
N.B. Different aircraft can have different VC panning rates. For now we have tried to take this into account automatically, but when the aircraft specific TrackIR limits are implemented we will add an option to specify a preferred VC transition or panning speed on an aircraft by aircraft basis.
 
This upgrade has been implemented only on the server at present, it will be implemented on the client systems after beta testing is complete and prior to the software release.
 
Regards
Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.21.8 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Remember you must uninstall your current version before installing the new beta.
 
If upgrading from beta 2.21.5 or earlier then please read the above post for 2.21.6 very carefully.
 
After installing please check the settings in your Configure and Weather dialogues.
 
The Live Weather Engine will now generate weather even if FSX/P3D is paused, a weather update is also forced when on the ground and exiting from an FSX/P3D menu. We no longer recommend suppressing wind gusts within FSUIPC4.
 
A Local Weather Report option has been added to the OpusFSI Addon menu. This option will display a transparent menu giving the target meteorological conditions for your current location (weather cell). You can use this feature to check the weather and wind direction at non-ATIS airstrips.
 
The reported conditions are the target meteorological conditions for your current 16km square weather cell. Even though the targets are assigned to weather cells, they are in fact assigned to single points within the simulator. In flight, the defined point for the weather cell can be over 10 miles away from your aircraft's current postion. Furthermore the target weather will naturally spill over into adjacent cells, hence the weather you see out of the cockpit may match more closely with the weather assigned to an adjacent cell and not the reported cell. Please keep this point in mind when using the weather reports whilst airborne. I will most probably correct this anomaly in the release version.
 
Regards
Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.21.9 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Remember you must uninstall your current version before installing the new beta (do not delete your c:\OpusFSX folder).
 
If upgrading from beta 2.21.5 or earlier then please read the above post for 2.21.6 very carefully.
 
After installing please check the settings in your Configure and Weather dialogues.
 
The weather report text window's title has been shortened for P3D compatibility. All upper wind targets have been tightened to help control wind shifts. The minimum weather update frequency and distance is now set at 5 minutes and 16km. We have changed the layout of the Weather dialog to adopt a more logical ordering. All weather updates are automatically disabled for 15 minutes when descending through 2000 feet to prevent updates just before landing. These descent checks are only enabled after the aircraft has climbed through 2200 feet.
 
One warning, the upper wind targets are calculated the first time the LWE constructs the weather or each time the weather is constructed whilst on the ground. If you stop the server program whilst airborne and restart it, you are likely to generate a large wind shift. We will take measures to prevent this in a future beta or release, but for now best just avoid doing it.
 
Regards
Stephen
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OpusFSX Version 2.21.10 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Remember you must uninstall your current version before installing the new beta (do not delete your c:\OpusFSX folder).
 
If upgrading from beta 2.21.5 or earlier then please read the above post for 2.21.6 very carefully.
 
After installing please check the settings in your Configure and Weather dialogues.
 
In this beta, the weather report text window title has been shortened a little more for P3D compatibility. A problem decoding METAR statements of the form 'VV///' has been corrected. We have also fixed problem resulting from spurious SimConnect data causing the winds aloft targets to be regenerated and a large wind shift.
 
Regards
Stephen
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OpusFSX Release Version 2.22 is now available for download on our website.
 
Remember you must uninstall your current version before installing the new beta (do not delete your c:\OpusFSX folder).
 
If upgrading from beta 2.21.5 or earlier then please read the above post for 2.21.6 very carefully (see also my comment below).
 
After installing please check the settings in your Configure and Weather dialogues.
 
This is the initial release version containing our wind smoothing software and fixes for the FSX winds aloft bug. The Weather dialog now includes an adjustable reduced visibility limit, default 6000m, but you can set it anywhere between 0 and 10000m. The software now closes the Weather Report text window via SimConnect each time the simulator program is terminated. The LWE grid details have now been removed from this and all future beta and release versions. The LWE transition and recovery altitudes have been removed as they are thought to be no longer necessary.
 
Latest tests also indicate that no additional wind smoothing from FSUIPC4 is necessary, our latest internal wind smoothing software seems to cope just fine by itself. We leave it up to you to decide if you want to leave it on (belt and braces) or disable it.
 
Regards
Stephen
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Points: 15442 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September-28-2012 at 6:08pm
OpusFSX Version 2.22.1 Beta is now available for download on our website.
 
Remember you must uninstall your current version before installing the new beta (do not delete your c:\OpusFSX folder).
 
If upgrading from beta 2.21.5 or earlier then please read the above post for 2.21.6 very carefully.
 
After installing please check the settings in your Configure and Weather dialogues.
 
This beta upgrade is essential for Live View networked systems ...
 
In this beta we have corrected a problem that can cause client side lag on Live View systems during weather updates, on some systems it could even mean a lock up until paused and recovered. The client side lag is caused by the large increase in size of the weather data file which is now over 2.5Mb in size. The new fix may result in a very slight stutter during weather updates whilst the large weather file is transferred, these stutters will be reduced in future updates when we employ a smaller size of data file for networked systems.
 
Regards
Stephen
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