RealView / Swiss Edition

By Patrick Wanner (2 April 2002)

Screen shot taken near the Vierwaldstättersee, showing off RealView's excellent terrain model. Photo courtesy of Initiative Computing AG.

Introduction

With the introduction of GenView, ELITE was for the first time ever given a 3D-terrain model and basic scenery database. This permitted true CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) simulation and also rudimentary VFR flight. Unfortunately, GenView's primitive graphics weren't enough for true VFR flight. This is where RealView comes into the picture.

RealView began as a high-end research project at Initiative Computing, the makers of ELITE and RealView. They've sold RealView databases to institutions such as NASA and flight schools looking for accurate terrain models for specific regions. In order to create precise terrain models with accurate and life-like textures, you need to purchase high-end

A closer shot of RealView's terrain and satellite textures. Note the magenta artificats. Photo courtesy of Initiative Computing AG.
third-party data. The required data is very expensive and it is the deciding factor when it comes to pricing. This also explains why RealView has been sold for thousands of Francs - until now. ELITE Swiss Edition is a trial, in order to evaluate the demand for accurate navigation databases in the mass flight simulation market.

In this review, I will refer to ELITE Swiss Edition as RealView, since RealView is the underlying engine in ELITE Swiss Edition.

System Requirements

To use RealView you need a PII 450 MHz with 64 MB RAM, 700 MB hard disk space, a 32 MB graphics card with full OpenGL support and 1024x768

Taken southeast of Zurich, flying towards Pfäffikon. Note RealView's realistic visibility modelling and the nice water colors in the Lake of Zurich. Photo courtesy of Initiative Computing AG.

resolution, Windows 98, Me, NT 4.0, 2000 or XP and a valid version of ELITE 7. RealView doesn't run on Macintosh computers.

The testbed is a P4 1.7 GHz with 512 MB RDRAM, a 60 GB hard disk, a Geforce 3 Ti200 graphics card with 64 MB and Windows XP Professional.

Specifications

Initiative Computing used 50-100 m DEM data and 25-30 m satellite images to generate RealView. The graphics engine powering RealView is proprietary. RealView doesn't have any roads, railways or obstacles data. Thanks to the relatively high-resolution satellite imagery used, all rivers and bodies of water of reasonable size appear in the simulator.

North of Birrfeld just after takeoff, in Sector North.

Performance

RealView runs smoothly on my system, with all the details activated. I have however noticed a bit of stuttering when banking fast (especially in the initial banking, when aileron and rudder are being applied). This can be quite aggravating when you're turning to final, since you rely purely on visual cues during that stage of the approach. Otherwise, though, the performance is quite acceptable on my testbed. For users with slower computers it's possible to turn down the airport details (various lighting options), in order to improve the frame rate.

Visuals

Following the Rhine, nearing Schaffhausen. Note how the Rhine appears to flow uphill in one of its curves.

With its satellite data, RealView's scenery is pleasing to the eye, but doesn't appear to be truly "photo-realistic", but rather synthetic. Another problem with the satellite data is that it's quite fuzzy. As mentioned above, there is no specific road data: roads and railroads appear as fuzzy traces in the landscape and it's tough to even tell one from the other. Another problem is the extreme general fuzziness of the textures at low altitude and the presence of various artifacts (i.e. purple spots on mountain sides).

The DEM terrain model simulates the locations and shapes of the various mountains in the covered area quite realistically, so that it's possible to identify them. I did however notice some oddities with the DEM data,

Still following the Rhine, with the Lake of Constance coming into sight.
such as spots where rivers seem to go uphill and so on.

Like GenView, RealView features improved airports. They include realistic runway lighting, appropriate to the airport and taxiways, although they are generically generated (they are on the correct side of the runway, but do not reflect the actual real-life structure). Another feature that RealView inherited from GenView is the improved weather modeling, including METAR download capability and the actual depiction of cloud layers in the out-of-the-window view.

Geographic Availability

The only RealView database available to the public covers Switzerland.

Over the west part of the Lake of Constance, approaching Constance.

There are no plans at the moment to expand RealView's geographic coverage, although it would be technically feasible, according to Initiative Computing.

VFR Flight With RealView

After getting to know RealView by flying a few approaches, I decided to try out a VFR flight, taking me from Birrfeld to Wangen / Lachen, both small airfields in the vicinity of Zurich, Switzerland. This is a flight plan I created in flight school and I thought it would be suitable for testing RealView's abilities. For those not familiar with Swiss geography, I suggest referring to the National Geographic web site for an online map of the area I flew in. My planned routing was to depart Birrfeld into

Flying over the southern shore of the Lake of Constance, with the town of Romanshorn at our 12 O'clock.

"Sector North", to then fly northeastwards, to St. Gallen, then southwards, along the Rhine, to Sargans, to then turn northwest, fly over the Walensee lake to the Lake of Zurich and to then to land at Wangen. The trip takes me in a circle around Canton Zurich passes through multiple other Cantons en-route. It also presents some interesting sightseeing possibilities.

For this flight, I used ELITE's real-time weather feature and chose to use ELITE's A36 Bonanza. After takeoff I found my first landmark, the river Aare. Right after that, I ran into my first problem. The flight plan said, "follow the railroad from Koblenz over Germany until Schaffhausen". RealView has no specific railroad data though and the satellite texture resolution is too low to be able to clearly identify the railroad. I was

Enroute to Gais, looking to my left. In the distance you can see St. Gallen-Altenrhein airport.
forced to modify my flight plan and to follow the Rhine until in a southeasterly detour to Schaffhausen. Once I got there though, I was able to continue with my original flight plan. As I approached the Lake of Constance (Bodensee), I was pleasantly surprised by RealView's realistic water textures: they reflect the depth of the water and look nice. While flying along the southern shore of the Lake of Constance, I glanced at my flight plan, to see what was next. In a small town called Romanshorn, I was supposed to fly southwards, following the railroad to St. Gallen. This again posed a problem and I had to employ other techniques to get there. Per my flight plan, I flew to Gais (southeast of St. Gallen) and then turned northeastwards towards Altstätten, where I would enter the Rhine valley. From there I would then fly southwards to Sargans. In Altstätten however, the weather looked rather ominous to the east and southeast.

The weather in the Rhine valley is rapidly detiorating, the top of the mountain at my 2 O'clock is already in the clouds.
Nevertheless I decided to continue with the flight, since the forecasts had predicted constant VMC (visual meteorological conditions) along the entirety of my route. As I flew southwards, the visibility began to drop gradually and the situation was becoming quite uncomfortable, with the now low cloud ceiling and mountains on both sides. I decided to turn back, since the weather report was obviously wrong and I didn't want to try my luck. At my current position, half-way up the Rhine valley, I opted for St. Gallen-Altenrhein airport. The weather in the northern part of the valley wasn't that great either, but better than what was waiting for me in Sargans. Even if I'd made it to Sargans, the situation at the Walensee could have been even worse though, since the lake is surrounded by high mountains on both sides and the valley is quite narrow, which could have prevented turning back as well. At St. Gallen-Altenrhein, I flew a left-hand pattern and made an uneventful landing. I hadn't completed my trip, but had managed to avoid a possibly dangerous situation in perfect conditions for CFIT.

Conclusion

After having tested ELITE Swiss Edition for a good three weeks, I conclude that although it is a solid product, it doesn't meet the standards set by today's leading programs and add-ons. In addition to the reduced photorealism, the lack of proper roads, railroads and obstacles truly makes VFR flight a tough proposal. This is a point that must be improved in upcoming versions of RealView.

A temporary lapse into IMC. At this point, I decided to divert to St. Gallen-Altenrhein.
Turning around, to backtrack to the Lake of Constance. Note how the mountain tops are in the clouds and how the visibility is generally quite bad.
Make no mistake, ELITE is still, in my opinion, the best IFR simulator available at the moment. ELITE is meant to be used for IFR training. If you want to simulate CFIT situations, then GenView will fulfill that purpose amply. If however you're looking for VFR training, I suggest, as it stands, using another simulator. For ELITE users who fly mainly in Switzerland and want better visuals than what GenView offers, Swiss Edition may be just what they are looking for.

For more information on ELITE Swiss Edition, please refer the following websites and phone numbers:

In the U.S.A.:

ELITE Simulation Solutions
672 N. Semoran Blvd.
Suite #104
Orlando, FL 32807
U.S.A.

Descending and preparing for a landing at St. Gallen-Altenrhein. Note the much lower visibility than in figure vfr6.
On approach to St. Gallen-Altenrhein.
Telephone: (800) 557 7590 or (407) 277 7700 outside of the U.S.A.
Fax: (888) 269 1120 or (407) 277 7623
Web site: http://www.flyelite.com

In Europe:

Initiative Computing AG Switzerland
Wiesentalstrasse 4
CH-8185 Winkel
Switzerland

Telephone: (0041) 1 861 05 61
Fax: (0041) 1 861 05 63
Web site: http://www.flyelite.ch

Patrick Wanner
patrick@dmarch.com

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