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/images/notams/notams18/hifi1211/hifi1211.jpgLots of Updates Today! ASXP SP1 Update has gone official, and is now available! Thanks toall the beta participants and to all our customers for their feedbackin helping us evolve our ASXP product over the past months. Highlightsof ASXP SP1 include many new enhancements, better turbulence, moreoptions, increased stability and several fixes. New OPEN BETA updates for all other platforms/active products arenow also available. This includes ASP4, AS16 for P3Dv3, AS16 for FSXand ASCA. The updates provide fixes/enhancements to improve yourexperience. Get the full detailshere. Note: FlightSim.Com Store customers can upgrade to ASXP SP1 simply by returning to the store and downloading and installing ASXP again. Shop HiFi Products - now on sale at Store.FlightSim.Com
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/images/notams/notams18/hifi1211/hifi1211.jpgHiFi Simulation Technologies continues to update theirActive Sky XP weather engine for X-Plane. An open betais now available for those who wish to participate and get and advancedlook at new features. ASXP SP1 Open Beta RC2ASXP SP1 is now available as an OPEN BETA for those who wish toparticipate. RC2 has been posted. Beta versions are not yet stable/official and can and probably willcontain bugs and issues. Please use at your own risk. To download the beta, click here for our Downloads Page. ChangelogRelease Candidate 2Slightly reduced roll motion in turbulence effectAdjusted turbulence for less overall effect for light/medium weight GA aircraft (2000-10000lbs)Fixed potential memory leak/crash/OOM issue related to loggingFixed an error in parsing old .fms flight plan format containing an uppercase "3 VERSION" lineRelease Candidate 1Changed maximum surface visibility (and minimum surface visibility's maximum setting) to 30SM vs. previous 20SM, when in default theme/cell depiction mode, to increase surface vis when conditions dictatOpen Beta 4Adjusted gusts/variability effects for increased smoothing, more organic feel and reduced repetitive yaw movement in near-surface wind layersTuned turbulence for more effect for heavy to super heavy aircraft (767+)Tuned turbulence for less effect for mid weight airliners (757)Improved Cirrus depiction for more appropriate cloud/texture type Open Beta 3Fixed 2 potential crashesMiscellaneous stability improvementsUpdated User's Guide (typos) Open Beta 2Tuned turbulence: Decreased effect scale for middle-heavy weight aircraft, Increased effect scale slightly for light aircraft, increase pitch rotational effect overall, reduced roll effect slightlyUpdated API docs to correct issue regarding as_xconnect.txt module log filenameAdded client IP address/ports logging into in as_xconnect.txtService Pack 1 Change LogAdded Turbulence improvements throughout for increased realism and compatibility with various aircraft typesImproved weather update process to significantly reduce "cloud redraws" when the relevant cell areas haven't changed significantly even during a download/update processAdded new 3-letter USA airport/weather station data support - 3 letter airports now provide actual weather data, when available, instead of interpolatingImproved weather station coverage by approximately 500 stations globallyAdded 5 second delay when looping ATIS/Flightwatch messagesAdded common data export path support as per FSX/P3D AS products (available in General options)Added support of VV/// METAR elements which will force ceiling to 0ftAdded additional X-Plane version checking logic during folder selection process to prevent a case where automatic detection of an old/obsolete version could be found without user's confirmation and no ability to select the desired/proper version folderAdded + character support in Active Sky account e-mail addressesImproved documentation regarding default X-Plane location/folder selection process whether standard or Steam variantAdded various user registration process improvementsImproved cell/station logic logging for debugging purposesImproved interpolation logic for very short flights with or without flight plan for more accurate weather conditions even when a station borders multiple "cells" that previously may have had variable weather causing apparent discrepanciesImproved interpolation logic in generalAdjusted Maximum and Minimum Surface Visibility options when in default non-global depiction mode to limit maximum value to 20 miles (due to X-Plane limitations in this mode)Reduced yaw/side forces during turbulence effectsVarious UI adjustments for 125% and 150% scaling modesChanged default maximum surface visibility to 20 miles for consistency between depiction modesUpdated Documentation to account for changesFixed problem with ASXP turbulence not effecting larger aircraft appropriatelyFixed issue regarding yaw forces seemingly persisting after turbulence events in some casesFixed problem with cirrus clouds not depicting in many cases when in default cell/theme depiction modeFixed some UI layout issues in certain casesFixed some language issues and typos in UI messages, descriptions and documentationFixed problem in password change function where password change may cause inability to login in some casesFixed issue with crosswind attenuation with gusts/variability presentFixed problem with very long passwordsFixed an issue regarding sigmet boundary parsing in some casesFixed problem regarding delayed/obsolete TAF data preventing proper interpolation in some casesFixed issue regarding AI aircraft data read in some cases (regarding certain add-ons that modify internal AI aircraft datarefs)Source Purchase Active Sky XP
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Active Sky XPPublisher: HiFi Simulation TechnologiesReview Author: Sean McLeodSuggested Price: $39.99/images/fsc/wbicons/store-buy-now-button.pngWelcome, fellow flight simmers, to areview of Active Sky XP, created by HiFi Simulation Technologies. Thisreview will focus on the basic installation and operation of thesoftware, a real-weather enhancement add-on for X-Plane 11. But first, here is a little background on the HiFi Sim Tech group,from their web site: "Refining Weather Accuracy and Realism since2000! Active Sky is a comprehensive weather simulation engine for FSX,P3D and now the X-Plane desktop flight simulator platforms. Over 20years in development, Active Sky continues its ongoing journey in anongoing quest to improve the simulated aviation weather experience foreveryone. HiFi is comprised of pilots, programmers and artists whoshare a common passion for aviation, weather and simulation. We strivefor the most realistic weather experience possible, alwaysprioritizing function and fidelity above all else. We love what we doand thank all our customers and supporters for enabling us to continueto improve and expand Active Sky!" Here is the description of the Active Sky XP product, as presentedby developer HiFi Simulation Technologies: "Introducing HiFi's first weather engine for the X-Planeplatform... Active Sky XP (ASXP) brings the popular award-winningActive Sky weather engine to the X-Plane platform for the firsttime. Using a hybrid weather depiction interface through X-Plane 11'sweather API, a realistic, high-performance and high-fidelity weatherexperience is realized." As you have read by now, HiFi Sim Tech have been around for quitesome time and have refined their product extensively while developingfor MSFS and Prepar3D. Now all that expertise has been brought toX-Plane for us all to enjoy. Currently, ASXP is only available for the Windows platform. Mycomputer setup that I used to test the software is as follows: CPUi7-2600K OC'd 3.9 GHz, 32 GB DDR3 RAM, GPU Gigabyte GTX1070 G1. I havethe latest Nvidia drivers, using X-Plane 11.31. So, how does it all work? Well, let me guide you through myexperience of being a newb to Active Sky XP. InstallationInstallation was, for me, a breeze. I honestly don't think I readthe installation instructions, I just ran the installer. Of note, youmust create an account with HiFi Sim Tech to use this product. It isstraightforward for anyone that has similar experience with productsrequiring a persistent internet connection in order to use them. Wheninstalling the product, you have the option to install additionaltextures - I did not elect to install them as I am minding the size ofthe installation against my available HDD capacity. With the setupcomplete (by the way, ASXP has a thorough set of instructionscontained in a PDF) it was time to fly! Operation /images/reviews/asxp/1.jpgYou will find two icons on your desktop. The main icon should beobvious, and the secondary icon is for the web application. I was ableto open the web application from my desktop in order to check it out,but I was unable to open it on my mobile devices. Contained within theinstruction manual are details on how to get the web applicationoperational on your home LAN. It is a bit involved with configurationof your router, opening a specific port in order to allowcommunication with the ASXP software. Double clicking on the main icon brings you the following loadingscreen. /images/reviews/asxp/t/2.jpgI have elected to set the auto-login feature, because why elsewould you click on the icon except to load the software. /images/reviews/asxp/t/3.jpgOnce the software loads, you are brought to the above screen, theHOME tab. If you load ASXP before you load X-Plane, the software willindicate it isn't connected to the simulator software by showing textin orange beside the 'connection' status and a broken chain icon inthe top bar of the software window. When the simulator is running andconnected, you will see the screen as presented above. The instructionmanual provides excellent descriptions of the functions containedwithin the submenus, I highly recommend reading it to get the most outof your experience using ASXP. FlyingFortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective ofideal flight conditions, my current geographical location and seasonseems perfect to experience what ASXP has to offer. I loaded upX-Plane 11.31, selected a favorite aircraft (X-Hangar Aerostar 700)and set the airport to CYHM John C. Munro International Airport. Sinceit's winter here in Canada, the METAR didn't disappoint: 23022G30KT8SM -SN DRSN BK023 BK037 M19/M24 A2989. Yep, it's winter here. I departed and climbed up to FL240, climbing up through the cloudlayers and precipitation. The visual effect were as I expected, normalX-Plane clouds and precipitation (see Features and Limitations forinformation about the Active Sky replacement textures). Simulatorframe rates didn't appear to suffer too much; I saw 20-30 fps in theclimb, and at cruise over 30 fps. When I was nearing the top of climb, I wondered to myself "how do Iknow that it's working correctly?" This thought put me on the trail ofwhere the weather file is stored (in the X-Plane root folder) and howI can verify it's working. I opened the X-Plane Flight menu andselected the Weather option in order to test my theory. /images/reviews/asxp/t/7.jpg /images/reviews/asxp/t/6.jpgLooking at the first of the two images above, notice the WeatherMode field at the bottom left corner of the X-Plane program; it reads"from custom METAR (.rwx) file. This should indicate that ASXP is providing the weather for thesimulator. If you wish to verify it's using the correct .rwx file,select "Load new METAR" beside the Weather Mode field and select theMETAR.rwx file in the X-Plane 11 root folder. Looking at the second of the two images above, notice the WeatherMode field says "Match Real World Conditions". This indicates that thedefault X-Plane weather engine is taking care of the weatherbusiness. Now, compare the differences between the information in thetwo images regarding the cloud layers and wind layers. The differences might not immediately jump out at you, but it doesshow that ASXP is doing its job. The gusty winds at the variousflight levels provided some light turbulence, which didn't overwhelmthe sim flying experience and added just the right amount ofrealism. To finish up the flight, I returned to CYHM, descended for a cloudbreak as the reported ceiling was 2500' and performed a visual arrival(hah!) at Hamilton airport. The local visibility wasn't stellar, butit was at least VFR. FeaturesSo what else does this magical program do for you besides throwweather at you? Here are a few of the other tab menus (for completeinformation on the features and operation of ASXP, please refer to theincluded instruction manual). Map - weather map with options for different overlays of a widevariety of information, including real time tracking of your aircraftin the simulator environment. /images/reviews/asxp/t/8.jpgConditions - detailed information about the current atmosphericconditions your aircraft is experiencing in the sim. /images/reviews/asxp/t/9.jpgFlight Plan - Would you like to go on a long distance trip? Here'swhere you can plan the trip, which will facilitate the use of the nexttab... /images/reviews/asxp/t/10.jpgBriefing - Remember that trip you planned in the Flight Plan tab?Well here you can receive a weather briefing based on your Flight Planas entered. /images/reviews/asxp/t/11.jpgSearch - Are you looking for some thunderstorms to chase withhurricane hunter aircraft? Here you can search the database of weatherstations for the specific kind of flight conditions you wish toexperience. /images/reviews/asxp/t/12.jpgConclusionI must say that my experience using Active Sky XP; discovering allthe features available to tailor the weather experience in thesimulator, was exciting! As I got acquainted with the program, itbecame apparent to me that twenty years of developing, refining,streamlining and adding features to the program, really shonethrough. The practical application of this program occurred to me aswell, in terms of enhancing the experience when utilizing thesimulator for real-world training. Now the question of "Should I buy this software enhancement forX-Plane, is it worth it?" I would say it's worth it - it's a highly polished product,providing enhanced weather engine features above and beyond what isavailable in the default X-Plane weather controls. If you are satisfied with the default weather engine, that's OK too(not everyone enjoys flying through inclement weather and would ratherstay in the sunshine with calm winds). You'll miss out though, on thedynamic weather experience provided by Active Sky XP. /images/reviews/asxp/asxp.jpgThanks for reading. Sean McLeod Purchase HiFi Technologies - Active Sky XP Features SpotlightActive Air EffectsReplaces internal X-Plane turbulence and air effects, providingenhanced turbulence, drafts, thermals, terrain-based wind effects,surface friction, gusts, variability, wake turbulence, microbursts andmore. High-Performance Weather DepictionUses internal X-Plane 11.2x/11.3x cloud depiction for maximumperformance and smoothness, with multiple weather depiction modesincluding theme cell "real weather" mode and global static mode - VRcompatible and optimized! Active Sky Weather EngineAn evolved version of the Active Sky platform brings the corefeatures that made Active Sky the leading weather engine for otherplatforms: Advanced weather synthesis and interpolation,high-resolution global winds aloft, realistic air and atmosphereeffects, a comprehensive weather data network, integrated visualmapping and planning, and much, much more. Voice Weather DeliveryActive Sky ATIS and Flightwatch are available at any time bylistening on 122.00, 122.02 or 122.03 for closest station,actual/current interpolated conditions and destination weatherreports, respectively. Surface Crosswind AttenuationOptional, for better ground handling in crosswind conditions whilepreserving headwind/tailwind component for performance accuracy. Mobile Companion AppUse any device/browser to connect with Active Sky over your networkand view and control the weather. LimitationsNot a complete visual cloud rendering replacement. We have put ourprevious X-Plane visual cloud rendering replacement efforts on hold(until next year) due to performance considerations and changing APIenvironment/tools that are not yet finalized. We expect our visual cloud rendering replacement technology todebut in Q4 2019, subject to change based on many factors. ASXP features high-performance cloud depiction with a focus onconditions accuracy, utilizing the X-Plane internal cloud renderingvia a hybrid API approach, with two different modes available. ASXP also features an optional high-performance photo-realisticcloud texture replacement with a simple texture installationwizard. Windows 64-Bit (v7 or later) OnlyMac, Linux and 32-bit X-Plane/Windows versions are not supportedIn a networked environment, the ASXP application/client may run on Windows 32-bit (7 or later), but X-Plane must be 64-bit on Windows 64-bit (7 or later)We hope to bring additional OS/platform support in the futureX-Plane version 11.26 or later (64-bit for Windows) is requiredRequirementsX-Plane v11.26 or later, 64-bit Windows Version (Mac and 32-bit Windows versions are not compatible)Windows 7 or later, 64-bit VersionActive and stable internet connection (broadband recommended)*500 MB available hard drive space1 GHz+ CPU2 GB+ RAMOpenGL 3.3 graphics device (nVidia GTX500 or or equivalent, or better)1024x768 minimum available screen resolution to display all user interface features*Certain countries may not have access to our USA server networkdue to governmental policy restrictions and/or internet network routeblocking. These countries include at this time, but are not limitedto: Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Sudan. If you can access thehifisimtech.com web site, you will also be able to access ourservers. Use of this product is not authorized in any country subjectto relevant embargo, sanction, restriction or prohibition applicablewithin the USA. Sean McLeod Purchase HiFi Technologies - Active Sky XP
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/images/notams/notams18/hifi1211/hifi1211.jpgWe are near completion of our first comprehensive update for ASXP,which includes several fixes and enhancements, in areas includingturbulence, registration/login, interpolation, wx station databasequality and quantity, reduction in cloud redraws when possible, andmuch more. Please stay tuned for further updates. Thank you! Source About Active Sky XPActive Sky XP (ASXP) brings the popular award-winning Active Skyweather engine to the X-Plane platform for the first time. Using ahybrid weather depiction interface through X-Plane 11¡¦s weather API, arealistic, high-performance and high-fidelity weather experience isrealized. Purchase HiFi Technologies - Active Sky XP
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/images/notams/notams18/hifi1211/hifi1211.jpgIntroducing HiFi's first weather engine for the X-Plane platform. Active Sky XP (ASXP) brings the popular award-winning Active Skyweather engine to the X-Plane platform for the first time. Using ahybrid weather depiction interface through X-Plane 11's weather API, arealistic, high-performance and high-fidelity weather experience isrealized. /images/notams/notams18/hifi1211/hifi-1.jpgFeatures SpotlightActive Air Effects Replaces internal X-Plane turbulence and air effects, providing enhanced turbulence, drafts, thermals, terrain-based wind effects, surface friction, gusts, variability, wake turbulence, microbursts and moreHigh-Performance Weather Depiction Uses internal X-Plane 11.2x/11.3x cloud depiction for maximum performance and smoothness, with multiple weather depiction modes including theme cell ¡§real weather¡¨ mode and global static mode ¡V VR compatible and optimized!Active Sky Weather Engine An evolved version of the Active Sky platform brings the core features that made Active Sky the leading weather engine for other platforms: Advanced weather synthesis and interpolation, high-resolution global winds aloft, realistic air and atmosphere effects, a comprehensive weather data network, integrated visual mapping and planning, and much, much moreVoice Weather Delivery Active Sky ATIS and Flightwatch are available at any time by listening on 122.00, 122.02 or 122.03 for closest station, actual/current interpolated conditions and destination weather reports, respectivelySurface Crosswind Attenuation Optional, for better ground handling in crosswind conditions while preserving headwind/tailwind component for performance accuracyMobile Companion App Use any device/browser to connect with Active Sky over your network and view and control the weather /images/notams/notams18/hifi1211/hifi-2.jpgNote: ForWindows 64 bit (v7 or later) only. Purchase HiFi Technologies - Active Sky XP /images/notams/notams18/hifi1211/hifi-3.jpg
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/images/notams/notams18/hifi1128.jpgIntroducing HiFi's first weather engine for the X-Plane platform: ASXP! Active Sky XP (ASXP) brings the popular award-winning Active Skyweather engine to the X-Plane platform for the first time. Using ahybrid weather depiction interface through X-Plane 11's weather API, arealistic, high-performance and high-fidelity weather experience isrealized. Features SpotlightActive Air Effects:Replaces internal X-Plane turbulence and air effects, providingenhanced turbulence, drafts, thermals, terrain-based wind effects,surface friction, gusts, variability, wake turbulence, microbursts andmoreHigh-Performance Weather Depiction:Uses internal X-Plane 11.2x/11.3x cloud depiction for maximumperformance and smoothness, with multiple weather depiction modesincluding theme cell "real weather" mode and global static mode - VRcompatible and optimized!Active Sky Weather Engine:An evolved version of the Active Sky platform brings the core featuresthat made Active Sky the leading weather engine for other platforms:Advanced weather synthesis and interpolation, high-resolution globalwinds aloft, realistic air and atmosphere effects, a comprehensiveweather data network, integrated visual mapping and planning, andmuch, much moreVoice Weather Delivery:Active Sky ATIS and Flightwatch are available at any time by listeningon 122.00, 122.02 or 122.03 for closest station, actual/currentinterpolated conditions and destination weather reports,respectivelySurface Crosswind Attenuation:Optional, for better ground handling in crosswind conditions whilepreserving headwind/tailwind component for performance accuracyMobile Companion App:Use any device/browser to connect with Active Sky over your networkand view and control the weatherRelease StatusASXP is currently in RELEASE CANDIDATE testing and is expected torelease in December 2018. Please check back for further news, screenshots and more! Source Shop HiFi Technologies products at Store.FlightSim.Com