Hey everybody.
Got my 757 a week ago. First of all: really nice airplane!

There's just one little thing I'd like to know. Is there a chance to get the rain effect in the virtual cockpit in FSX? I've seen some videos on youtube with that effect, but they were made in FS2004. So I'm wondering if its FS2004 only since I don't have it. (v4.4 installed)

Hi

The short answer is NO. VC rain effects were dumped for the FSX SDK.

However. If the aircraft was designed and created for FS9 using the FS9 SDK, then VC rain can be used in FSX.

There is a big increase in what can be done when creating for FSX using the FSX SDK compared to creating for FS9 using the FS9 SDK. If you have seen or used an aircraft made for FS9 that has been patched for FSX and then later a new release created specifically for FSX you will notice the differences (^*the RealAir SF260 is a good example). We gained a lot but lost VC rain.

Mark

^* I would have liked to use something like the CS757 aircraft for FS9 versus FSX, but I never bought any CS products for FS9. So I can't compare.

Well I'll be a monkeys uncle! You're right. That one does have VC rain.

I posted my answer on the fact that I have seen this discussed in a few FS Design forums with people, who are designing add-on aircraft, asking about how to do it. Only to be told that it isn't possible in FSX. I have seen some very respected FS designers of aircraft, quite a few who work for payware developers, answer that it wasn't possible. So that is good news.

An example from Freeflight Design Shop Design Forums - January 2010

Question - Rick Piper (Skysim)
Hi Guys

Sorry for possibly a repeated question

Can we do Ambient precipitation effects on FSX native windows

if so has anyone using FSDS3.51 managed it ? & how ?

Regards
Rick

Answer - Bill Leaming (Eaglesoft)
No, because FSX won't support the "chained animation scheme" when using the new FSX models and rendering system.

There are only two ways that one may have "VC Rain" in FSX...

1. FS9 compiled models -and- the user has copy/pasted all 32 of the FS9 VC Rain textures from FS9 to FSX's ..\texture folder.

2. The modeler has taken the extraordinary path that Mike (Lotus) used with his L39, which was to script a custom XML "animation system" in modeldef.xml, and used it to drive the custom "vcrain bitmaps" he created for this purpose.

It's interesting that both the one asking the question and the one answering it, work for payware developers!

Mark

I honestly don't understand why ACES Studio didn't bring it across to FSX, it adds to realism in my books.