FSX: Steam Edition - Active Sky Next Add-On is an application created by HiFi Technologies. FSX: Steam Edition - Active Sky Next Add-On was first published on . It is currently available on Steam, Other.
About This Content
Active Sky Next, the most widely used weather engine for PC flight simulation, provides an entirely new level of realism to your FSX: Steam Edition experience! Advanced technologies enable incredible levels of accuracy and smoothness. Realistic radar simulation, cloud position awareness and synchronized ambient effects, brand new air effects, brand new thunderstorm depictions, microbursts, thick overcast, smooth cloud transitions, variable cloud areas, voice weather briefings and forecast data integration are just some of the features that await you!
With ASN, your skies will be accurate, smooth, visually stunning and uncompressed. No longer must you configure complicated settings to achieve accuracy in certain areas while compromising others. You can have it all, all the time.
ASN also introduces, for the first time ever in a weather engine: Complete cloud position awareness, synchronized cloud-based ambient weather effects and an integrated accurate radar simulation. Precipitation is accurately depicted in the proper locations within and below appropriate cloud structures. Entering or exiting a cloud brings an appropriate change in precipitation, visibility and turbulence. The exact position of clouds and precipitation cells are always synchronized between the simulator depiction and the radar display.
Thunderstorms have been given great attention, utilizing a new depiction system, ambient effects, radar and cloud position synchronization. Completely new microburst, updraft and downdraft, enhanced turbulence and wind-shear effects combine to make thunderstorms beautiful yet dangerous. Using the new radar system will be key to safe piloting in the vicinity of these storms.
Full International Airmet/Sigmet simulation is now provided in real time weather mode, with airmet/sigmet areas shown visually on the map and/or gauge. These areas are now also synthesized, influencing weather depiction appropriately. If a Sigmet warns against severe turbulence, convective activity, or icing, you can expect to encounter this appropriately during your flight.
New voice weather briefings, a new intuitive user interface with resizable/undockable and multi-window support, redesigned high-resolution wake turbulence simulation, and enhanced air effects are just a few of the other new features in ASN.
Features
- Hybrid Weather Depiction System
- Utilizing a combination of Theme Control, SimConnect Interfacing, and new Low-Level interfacing via our brand new AS Connect module, comprehensive control of the weather environment is finally achieved
- Ambient conditions including Visibility, Wind Direction and Speed, Pressure, Temperature and Precipitation type/density are completely controlled, smoothed and synchronized for accurate and realistic conditions at all times
- Higher performance depiction and updates utilizing new features such as dynamic Cloud Draw Distance Control
- Smooth Cloud Theme Transitions
- Clouds depicted using the Theme Control method are smoothed during transitions to new conditions using our unique Smooth Theme Reload method
- Newly Designed High-Fidelity Air Effects
- Air effects are brand new, bypass all internal simulator air effects and include: Wind Shear with Predictive Detection and Alert System (via audio warnings and visual mapping overlay)
- Micro bursts synchronized with thunderstorm activity
- Up drafts and Down drafts with high-resolution terrain awareness
- Thermals with realistic simulation based on temperature and surface type
- Wake Turbulence with realistic moving wake trails effected by wind
- Cloud Turbulence synchronized with cloud sprite positions
- Enhanced Wind Turbulence with direct aircraft attitude control vs. simple camera head movement
- Cloud Sprite Awareness For Accurate In-Sim Depiction Synchronization
- In-cloud visibility reduction
- Cloud-related turbulence
- Accurate ambient precipitation localization and control
- Accurate radar precipitation graphics
- Accurate cloud position graphics
- New Precipitation Radar Graphics
- New levels of realism are provided with totally accurate precipitation radar that is aware of actual cloud sprite positions in the simulator
- See and avoid dangerous conditions on the radar that accurately match the in-sim depiction
- Graphics Compatibility
- ASN works with default and add-on graphics textures
- Included Radar and Weather Mapping Gauge
- Realistic satellite-wx-based mapping display with NEXRAD precipitation simulation
- Predictive Wind Shear system provides aural wind shear alerts
- New Thunderstorm/CB Simulation
- Thunderstorms are bigger, higher, and more consistently depicted
- Integrated Turbulence, Wind Shear, Micro burst, and Vertical Air effects
- Strong thunderstorm cells can be difficult if not impossible to fly through
- Different effects depending on position relative to the thunderstorm clouds
- Uncoupled Audio/Voice System
- Allows playback of audio on either client or server in networked configuration
- Allows selecting the desired audio device
- New voice sets and new voice weather briefings
- New voice SIGMET and AIRMET warnings
- Comprehensive Weather mapping With New Overlays:
- Precipitation Base Reflectivity and Echo Tops
- Detailed Cloud Positions
- Predictive Wind Shear
- Other Aircraft (includes wake trail representation)
- Winds, Visibility, Sigmets, Airmets, Pireps, Stations, Airports, NDBs and VORs
- Flightplan Route and Waypoints with integrated flight plan editing capability
- New high performance display with click and drag panning and track-up display mode
- Integrated Real-Time Sigmets, Airmets and Pireps (Both USA and International)
- Sigmets and Airmets provided by actual data for all global regions
- Sigmets and Airmets provide influence in weather synthesis (i.e. appropriately injecting forecasted turbulence)
- Pireps provided by actual AS user reports
- Aloft Inter-layer Interpolation
- Provides smooth and realistic vertical transitions of wind direction, wind speed and temperature as you climb and descent
- Weather Cell Awareness and Depiction Control
- Complete awareness and synchronization of weather cell-based cloud model drawing for the ultimate in cloud depiction accuracy
- Prioritization of inter-cell weather station data depending on departure and/or flight plan relevant stations
- Forecast Weather Integration Including New Forecast Aloft Data
- With the click and drag of a mouse, see forecast conditions, graphically and textually, hour by hour, up to 24 hours in advance
- Improved winds aloft planning accuracy
- Dynamic weather changes based on forecast conditions when METAR information becomes stale
- Brand New User Interface
- Multi-monitor support
- Resizable and undockable windows
- Multiple weather condition window support
- Access to the Improved HiFi Weather Data Network
- Multiple high-performance servers in different regions for excellent redundancy and availability
- Always-improving coverage and resolution
- High-resolution surface and wind aloft data collected from multiple sources
- Newly incorporated multiple forecast-window wind aloft data (real-time and historical)
- Historical data access for the past 2 years
- Accurate Winds Aloft
- Using World Area Forecast System data (a.k.a. GRIB data), developed and improved since 2002
- Enhanced high-altitude wind and temperature simulation above 50,000ft
- Completely smooth transitions at all times with no wind shifts
- Hurricane Simulation
- Realistic hurricane simulation based on actual hurricane data
- Overrides surface weather station data (which is usually erroneous during hurricanes)
- Full Flight and Weather Planning
- Manually enter, import, or build a flight plan using auto-routing
- Easily change waypoints/route during planning or while in-flight
- Receive updated navigation log, weather briefing text, or voice weather briefings
- Receive favorable wind/altitude information, dynamic ETAs per waypoint and live conditions updates
- Integrated Voice Features
- Receive realistic voice weather updates via ATIS, FlightWatch and FSS simulation by tuning your radio to 122.0, 122.02 or 122.05
- Enhanced Weather Search
- Easily find weather conditions with improved station/range filtering
- Smart Data Interpolation
- More robust data interpolation for more realistic weather conditions and depiction in areas with fewer reporting stations
- Station Database Management
- Easily add, edit or disable different types of stations (Weather, Airport, NDB, VOR)
Additional New Features
- New Hail simulation and included hail audio effects
- Automatic Simulator Flight Plan Import (optional)
- Customizable User Option Presents and EASY/REALISM mode option sets
- Favourite Weather Stations (add, remove, and recall any station’s conditions from the favorites menu)
