ASN – Photography, aviation and flight simulation

It used to be called OpusFSX, but that was before P3D arrived on the market. Now it is OpusFSI (a more generic name applicable to many platforms)

OpusFSI

OpusFSI is a weather engine which, like FSGRW, ASN or REX, downloads real live weather close to your route and integrates it in your computer so that your virtual flight is always done in actualized weather. All those programs will update the data more frequently if the weather deteriorates along your flight path.

OpusFSI does not add new cloud texture sets. If you wish to fly in more interesting clouds, you need to use OpusFSI in combination with REX.

Opus works well on a network, which is practical if you want to transfer some OpusFSI functions towards a second computer to limit the use of the main computer’s resources.

OpusFSI is compatible with FSX, FSX: SE and P3D and even with TrackIR real-time 3D view controls (some files will have to be deactivated in the Program Files if you were using TrackIR before buying Opus). You have access to multiple interactive maps to check the weather or SIDs/Stars and to adjust the many options according to your taste.

OpusFSI is quite an advanced program that is well adapted to the use of virtual cockpit cameras. It replicates head movements caused by vibrations or turbulence and allows views from left to right when taxiing or turning in flight. The effects are all adjustable by the user.

If you are using many computer screens for your virtual flight, you can program each screen to show a different view (like the left and right window, for example).

OpusFSI allows you to use historical weather. The program also offers the possibility to relocate the weather over an airport towards another one. As well, you can decide to make some low clouds disappear or eliminate any obstruction to visibility when you want to have a perfect view of the territory. You can even create your own Metar.

Like for other weather engines on the market, you have access to a “flight planning mode”.

An option allows you to include turbulence and wind shear caused by the surrounding terrain within 80 kilometers of an airport.

The data generated by OpusFSI can be used directly in the PMDG B737NGX. That means you can see the real weather on the aircraft’s radar.

OpusFSI is in continual development and new functions are frequently added. They are not all mentioned in the present article.

Like for other weather engines available on the market, it is necessary for you to visit the company’s web site in order to choose the most appropriate software that will be adapted to your type of virtual flying and to the equipment that you use or intend to use in the future.

Here is the link: OpusFSI

For more weather engines, click on the following link: Other weather engines

For more articles on flight simulation on my web site, click on the following link : Flight simulation

Icefield in sight! A screen capture realized with the following products: FSX, FSGRW, REX, and a combination of Orbx creations. Final editing with a photo editing software (slight corrections only)

The screen capture above, titled “Icefield in sight”, represents a virtual flight using the FSX platform. A combination of FSGRW and REX has been used to improve the cloud effects.

As the basic FSX program does not offer a very realistic representation of clouds, it is necessary to get better cloud sets from a third party provider. In the present screen capture, the clouds are a creation of REX, through their Texture Direct and Soft Clouds used in combination.

It is one thing to have access to realistic clouds but you also need a good weather engine. This engine will download real-weather data and, if you wish, will update it every few minutes when you fly.

Many weather engines are available. In the above picture, I used FSGRW (PILOT’S version 1.7, build 29).

To represent the mountains and the icefield, ORBX creations like SAK, Vector and Open LC Canada-Alaska were used. The DC-3 livery is available as a free download from major sites like FlightSim.com or AVSIM .

Last point: when you take a screen capture, it is possible to use a photo editing software (there are many good ones on the market) to slightly improve a particular aspect of the picture. It takes very little effort to learn how to use few basic functions that will enhance your captures.

For more articles on flight simulation on my web site, click on the following link : Flight simulation