Aero Files' Duo Bundle Pack for FSX

By Bill Stack
11 May 2009


Screen shots by Aero Files

Aero Files has released ground and sky enhancements for FSX in a bundle of two separate products.

Sky Environment Ultra improves the sky for all seasons, says Aero Files. It calls its sky textures "simply just breathtaking."
Airport Ground Details enhances airport ground objects such as taxiways and runways. Aero Files says and "You will even be able to see cracks in the taxiway markings and the runway where available."

Aero Files promises that we will see more details in the skies and on airports "as soon as you start playing." It also says its enhancements do not affect FSX performance.

The following airport items are enhanced, according to Aero Files tech support: Concrete parking gates, asphalt taxiways, asphalt parking gates, tarmac taxiways, tarmac parking gates, taxiway markings, and higher details for default runways.

Aero Files also touts "new light bloom effects & New Spotlight Effects" that add realism to the airport runway lights, and other lights at the airport.

Aero Files	FSX
Aero Files	FSX
Aero Files	FSX
Comparison of Aero Files and FSX Textures Screen shots by Aero Files

Major Features

Ground textures and pavement markings on taxiways and aprons are definitely better than the FSX default textures. They're richer, brighter, clearer, more detailed, and more attractive overall. Aero Files feels that its dusk and night lighting are their highlights, but I especially like the realism of their concrete taxiways and aprons. My screen shots and theirs show the differences.

Sky textures are definitely different, but whether they're better than FSX sky textures is a matter for discussion. It might be a matter of personal preference, but I don't see "simply just breathtaking" as advertised. More about this later.

The installation program is easy to use. It copies all the Aero Files textures files into the FSX textures folder, literally overwriting and replacing FSX textures files with Aero Files' textures files.

Aero Files	FSX
Aero Files	FSX
Comparison of Aero Files and FSX Textures Screen shots by Bill Stack

Nice Features

As advertised, simulator performance is not diminished. That's because Aero Files' enhancements replace FSX defaults instead of adding to them, so they're simply different colors from FSX instead of added work for the simulator.

An "uninstall" program is included just in case you don't like Aero Files' textures and want to revert to FSX defaults. Because it simply reinstalls the FSX defaults, Aero Files calls it a "backup" program.

Aero Files provides an e-mail address for technical questions, and they responded quickly to all my questions. This bodes well for consumers who have problems with or questions about these bundled products.


Aero Files Installation Screens Screen shots by Bill Stack

Issues

Although Aero Files' sky textures are definitely different from FSX's sky textures, I'm not convinced they're better. In my comparative pairs shown below, the Aero Files version of clear weather (first pair) depicts a hazier condition than the FSX version of the same weather theme. The Aero Files version of the gray/rainy weather (second pair) appears washed out and less ominous, and I don't know what that white spot is in the middle. The Aero Files sunset (third pair) looks washed out while the FSX sunset looks vivid. The comparative shots of cirrus clouds provided by Aero Files similarly show lighter colors in their sky texture.

Aero Files	FSX
Aero Files	FSX
Aero Files	FSX
Comparison of Aero Files and FSX Skies Screen shots by Bill Stack

I don't have many issues with the ground textures, except the hold bars on taxiways (two pairs of screen shots). Solid hold bars mean aircraft must hold until receiving ATC clearance to pass, usually when entering a runway. Broken hold bars mean aircraft may pass without ATC clearance, usually when exiting a runway. When they're solid on both sides, aircraft from both directions must hold for ATC clearance to pass. These hold bars are solid/solid in the Aero Files version and solid/broken in the FSX version, and those different bars mean different things.

Aero Files	FSX
Screen shots by Bill Stack
Aero Files	FSX
Screen shots by Aero Files
Comparison of Aero Files and FSX Hold Bars

Aero Files asked me to make screen shots of dusk and night to show their lighting effects. I did not get the "light bloom" effects they promise in their product listing and they show in their screen shots. Indeed, my screen shots of runway lights in Boston (shown below) did not show much difference between FSX and Aero Files.

Aero Files	FSX
Comparison of Aero Files and FSX Runway Lights Screen shots by Bill Stack

I went through a lot of hassle making my pairs of comparative screen shots, and I feel that it might have been averted if Aero Files' instructions were better, as explained below.

Making comparison screen shots such as those I've made for other scenery add-ons was a time-consuming ordeal. The successful pairs you see in this review came after many hours and days of attempts and back-and-forth e-mails with Aero Files tech support. Switching from Aero Files' ground textures back to FSX default ground textures requires running a "backup" program that replaces Aero Files' files in the FSX textures folder with the original FSX default textures files. That's easy enough, but activating the changed textures isn't as easy as changing scenery, aircraft, and similar items. For several days, I made many pairs of comparative screen shots that looked identical, and I discussed this problem back and forth with Aero Files tech support until I found that FSX must be closed and reopened to effect every change of texture sets. Other features of FSX can be changed without exiting the program. None of this was explained with their instructions or their uninstall program.

My successful comparative screen shots were made as follows: 1) I slewed to a position and snapped a shot using the FSX default textures. 2) I exited FSX. 3) I copied the Aero Files textures files into the FSX textures folder, thus replacing the FSX texture files. 4) I reopened FSX and used the FSX map to position my aircraft in the very spot where it had been previously. 5) I snapped another screen shot. 6) I repeated this procedure several times back and forth until I had the shots I needed. You can see from the reference data shown in the top line of my screen shots that the aircraft were in exactly the same position, even though the scenery appears differently.

Summary

If you want your ground textures to look more realistic than the FSX defaults, Aero Files has what you're looking for. Just in case you don't like them and want to resume the FSX default textures, Aero Files provides a backup program that reinstalls the FSX defaults. You'll need to exit FSX and restart the program to effect the changes, however.

I also want to point out that I spent considerably more time reviewing this product than I usually spend because I wanted to give Aero Files the full benefit of a fair and objective assessment while I was having difficulty seeing any differences between their product and FSX. Toward this end, I invited them to submit their own comparative screen shots, and they accepted my offer. The problem turned out to be the procedure I was using, which resulted from inadequate instructions from the developer. I'm glad I didn't jump to any conclusions out of frustration.

Bill Stack

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