REX 5 - Sky Force 3D

Sky Force 3D is a complete overhaul of the weather and environment experience while bringing dimension to FSX, FSX: Steam and Prepar3D:

• New 3D Cloud Models and Structures Created for Real-World Cloud Classification
• Dynamic Synchronization
• New Cloud SDK (no more upside-down clouds or repeating cloud bottoms)
• Natural Photo-Based Environment Textures
• New Weather Engine
• Integrated Flight Center
• Interactive Mapping System
• Built-in PTA Integration
• Innovative Sky and Sun Atmospherics
• New Lightning Effects
• New HD Environment Sound Effects
• and Much More…

FEATURES
New 3D Cloud Models and Cloud Structures - The First In-Flight Sim:

• New 3D cloud model structures and SDK, patterned after real-world cloud classifications with their own specifications, positions and heights
• Each of the 3000+ 3D cloud model structures were developed in comparison to their real-world counterpart
• NEW clouds types, including; altocumulus, stratocumulus, humilis, mediocris, congestus, tower cumulus, cumulonimbus calvus, supercell and rainshaft, tornado, stratus, nimbostratus, altostratus and cirrus class
• Real-world cloud model system including (but not limited to) cloud streets, super cells, wall clouds, funnel, shelf, rain shaft and tornadoes
• Restructured cloud SDK for true formation realism
• Single-session cloud texture variation, allowing more variety during a flight session, increasing the overall realism
• The new cloud system models storm structures reaching 70,000 feet
• Included are wall and shelf clouds, and in some circumstances, these will include funnel clouds and tornadoes of various shapes and sizes

Real-Time Weather Engine:

• Intelligent weather engine that harnesses over 70,000 points of weather data globally
• Reads and interprets live model data to sample the atmosphere and therefore will sync the appropriate clouds structures

NEW Photo-Based Natural Environment Textures and Innovative Sky Atmospheric Effects:

• Fully compatible with DX9, DX10 and DX11
• Tailored to low AND high-end systems
• New natural, photo-based environment textures while exploiting the power of PTA integration
• New techniques create a smoother, realistic and natural sky color blending at dawn and dusk as well as newly improved visibility and fog
• With VBlend and Vaporous Skies, we have achieved more realistic horizontal and vertical day, dawn and dusk fog generation and sky visibility blending
• The sun atmospheric rendering effects are very cinematic and will be noticeable through the virtual cockpit
• Lightning Fast Texture Installation
• Full 10-Day Cycle Sky Texture Sets: When the Sky Force 3D 10-Day Cycle is installed, the simulator will dynamically load a different sky color transition from sunrise through sunset each day

PTA Presets Built-In:

• Is included in Sky Force 3D were specifically designed for use with the sky textures and atmospheric effects in Sky Force 3D
• Is required for use with our presets

Flight Center:

• No-nonsense tool that is geared for those who want to view their flight plans and experience true weather along a route
• Supports the standard XML based plan file from FSX and Prepar3D
• Export support for PFPX

Interactive Mapping System:
Integrated interactive mapping system provides 6 weather overlays to allow you to visually sample the weather prior to departure:

• Precipitation Overlay – You can view all the locations of precipitation, our precipitation does not look like speckled paint spats, but true radar echoes
• Winds Overlay – 9 levels of wind from 3,000 to 53,000 feet can be viewed in this overlay so that you can make smarter decisions for better fuel consumption
• Temps Overlay – 9 levels of temperatures from 3,000 to 53,000 feet help you avoid potential areas and levels of icing and rime
• Pireps Overlay – This overlay lets you read position and data from real-life pilots across the world
• Sigmets Overlay – This overlay provides not only US-based but global sigmet data in real-time
• Metar Overlay – Utilizing that fact that our servers download the local weather data 6 times an hour gives you the most accurate view of the local weather
• Flight Plan Overlay – If you import a flight plan into the Sky Force Flight Center, then a visual view of the flight plan is available
• Major Airport Overlay – This map overlay provides a vital point of reference to help you as you fly
• Major Road Overlay – To give more detail and help especially to the pilots who like to fly VFR, we provide a significant road overlay to follow
• Zoom Feature – Allows you to zoom into the local level and zoom out to the regional level
• Precip Opacity – Allows you to reduce the prominence of the precipitation echoes on the various map for simple reading

• Microsoft Flight Simulator X, FSX: Steam Edition or Lockheed Martin - Prepar3D V1-V5+
• Windows 7 or higher
• RAM Memory: 8 GB or higher
• Hard drive space: 30 GB
• Video card: DirectX 9 or higher

Internet Connection: Required for installation, registration and general operation!

If you have already purchased any REX add-on in the Aerosoft Shop, you will receive a 10% discount on the purchase of this add-on. Please only add the "REX 5 - Sky Force" to your shopping cart and the discount will be automatically deducted.*

But if you have purchased a REX add-on in the Aerosoft Shop before February 2017, please enter your serial key of your add-on in the voucher field at the checkout.

*NOTE: Therefore you need login into your same account you used purchasing the previous version of REX in the Aerosoft Shop.

Technical Update 2.6:

• FIXED – Weather rendering in Enhanced Atmospherics of Prepar3D v5+  
• FIXED – Auto load of flight plan into Prepar3D v5+  
• FIXED – Weather engine not injecting weather into P3D v5.2 +
• FIXED – Error occurring when installing individual textures after resolution options changed
• FIXED – PMDG wind export throwing error message during creation
• FIXED – Registry issue with use with Environment Force
• FIXED – Mapping not showing key weather elements
• FIXED – Error with splash screen load
• FIXED – General performance issues
• IMPROVED - Visibility handling in non-Enhanced Atmospherics weather rendering
• IMPROVED - Metar weather rendering of the weather engine

Technical Update 2.5:

• ADDED – Support for Prepar3D v5
• FIXED – Improved visibility and haze effect rendering for Prepar3D v5
• FIXED – PMDG wind file missing folder issue
• FIXED – Optimization risk negative numbers with higher-end graphics cards
• FIXED – Registration failures
• FIXED – Cloud brightness modification for Prepar3D v5
• FIXED – Overcast cloud models for Prepar3D 5 (Non-trueSky™)
• FIXED – Green bar rendering when disabled
• FIXED – Backup files will not overwrite with both 64bit and 32bit installed
• FIXED – Export file not updating
• FIXED – Export JSON file not being downloaded
• FIXED – Flight plan not being cleared within the application
• FIXED – Client connection database error
• IMPROVED – Rendering moderate rain handling when BR is recognized within the metar report

Technical Update 2.4:

• Fixed – Mapping upper level winds greater than 100kts depiction
• Fixed – Upper level winds greater than 100kts with weather injection
• Fixed – Green bar showing when disabled
• Fixed – Cloud shader brightness
• Fixed – Weather briefing connection
• Added – Function to prevent re-registration after software update
• Added – Function to save themes to server
• Added – Function to save user settings to server
• Added – Functions for preparation of Creative Update 1.0 content
• Added - Support for PMDG weather file
• Added – New weather data export json file for 3rd-party developer SDK

Technical Update 2.3 (Build: 5.0.2019.0514):

• Fixed – Cloud Model In-Sync issue
• Fixed - Odd cloud patterns
• Fixed – Error issue with a missing icon
• Fixed – Network remote computer connection issue
• Added – New weather rendering engine (Preview)
• Added – Cloud shader fix to improve cloud coloring
• Improved – Performance of mapping
• Improved – Performance of the weather engine

Update 2.2:

• Fixed – 3D Model Issues
• Fixed - Performance of weather engine
• Fixed - Performance of the mapping system
• Fixed - Performances issues

Update 2:

• Fixed – Freezing of application when user confirms removal of favorite airport
• Fixed – Scaling issue with Windows 10
• Fixed – Overlapping community theme notification
• Fixed – Notifications causing P3D 4.1 to reload
• Fixed – Issue of overwriting last entered favorite airport during registration
• Fixed – CTD issue when some users right-click the interactive map
• Fixed – Aircraft and precipitation positioning on the map
• Fixed – Failure when Pilot2Atc flight plan is imported into Sky Force
• Fixed – Naming conventions for Sun/Atmospherics sets 08 and 13
• Fixed – “Theme completed” popup when adding a new set
• Fixed – Issue where weather was not showing in the Weather Center due to foreign date/time
• Fixed – Searches within the Weather Center for stations/airports not in the database
• Fixed – Texture sets not showing due to missing folder sets
• Fixed – .net error messages within the In-Sync Cloud Engine
• Fixed – Toggle button “Enable Quick Start” not being aligned with other buttons
• Fixed – Issue where Sky Force was causing P3D to go directly into “Load” mode
• Fixed – Major jumps of altimeter
• Fixed – Accuracy of weather injections
• Fixed – Visibility causing complete reduction including the cockpit
• Fixed – .net errors with the weather engine
• Fixed – OAT/TAT/SAT erratic temperatures increasing with altitude
• Fixed – No weather showing
• Fixed – Visibility too low for FSX, FSXSE when at 10SM
• Fixed – Weather injection issue causing errors with GSX and ChasePlane
• Fixed – Weather engine continuing to inject weather after it was turned off
• Fixed – In-sim green status bar not showing during weather engine injection
• Fixed – Network mode for weather injection
• Fixed – Installer stating “Organization” instead of “Email” during user registration
• Fixed – Issue with Sky Force working with FSUIPC autosave
• Fixed – Long named favorite airports cutting off on Favorite Airport panel within the Dashboard
• Fixed – Sky Force resolution issue with Windows 10
• Fixed – In-Sim briefing not reporting flight plan data
• Fixed – In-Sim briefing not showing clouds reported
• Fixed – Issue with textures sets not being saved when creating themes
• Fixed – Issue of application hang while changing a theme within the PTA window
• Fixed – Double popup alert window when installing a preset theme from the PTA window
• Fixed – Default airport not being saved after restart
• Fixed – Preventing duplication favorite airports from being added
• Fixed – Weather not reporting CAVOK properly within the Weather Center
• Fixed – “Precip” button on the mapping still showing precipitation if turned off
• Fixed – Latest TAF report is included in the Weather Center data
• Fixed – Bank numbers did not change when selecting a category in My Saved Themes or Community Shared Themes
• Fixed – Toggle button within the Engine setting grayed out when not active
• Fixed – Search for weather stations with winds over 30kts+
• Fixed – Length of notification text on successful texture install being cut off
• Fixed – Step 2 grammatical error during registration
• Fixed – Disabling the In-Sync Cloud function was not disabling all functions
• Fixed – Disabling the weather engine was not disabling the Refresh Weather button
• Fixed – Weather engine was showing DISCONNECTED instead of ON. Changed global variable
• Fixed – Issue where clicking Currently In Sim was causing Sky Force to CTD
• Fixed – Altitude of roll clouds showing at higher altitudes
• Fixed – Issue with cirrus not showing
• Fixed – Weather engine continued to load when disabled
• Fixed – Load time of weather injections in-sim
• Fixed – Inaccurate HDR read-only settings per sim type causing textures to not install correctly
• Fixed – Close icons on system and community notification areas. Incorporated buttons instead of icons as some users would quit the application by mistake.
• Added – Function to minimize Sky Force to system tray
• Added – Option to overwrite default backup of flight sim files
• Added – Fade in/out of generic alert system
• Added – Function to save latest map settings when application is closed and restarted
• Added – 3 levels of density related 3D stratus overcast model sets for user control over performance impact
• Added – 7 levels of density related 3D cumulus overcast model sets for user control over performance impact
• Added – Feature within the Weather Center to add a custom airport into the database when not found
• Added – Feature to set default favorite weather station/airport to show in the Weather Center and Favorite Airports
• Added – View buttons to replace ID numbers within My Themes and Community Themes
• Added – Better handling of the user’s system profile to help optimize texture resolution
• Added – Encrypted serial key field to the Profile Settings window
• Added – Function within General Settings to give the user the ability to start up Sky Force in the system tray
• Added – Flight sim validation location validation
• Added – Full support for weather injection for Prepar3D v4.0 users
• Added – Tool tips rollovers to 3 buttons on top right of main window
• Added – Weather Refresh button to engine status window
• Added – Disabling feature when changing between Enable Performance Optimizer and Auto tune
• Added – Code that prevents duplicate airports from being added to the Favorite Airport list from the Weather Center and Dashboard windows
• Added – Confirmation of Favorite Airport being added when set from the Weather Center window
• Added – Download of the metar_report.xml file for ProAtc users
• Added – Code to prevent users from starting more than one version of Sky Force at a time
• Added – Examples of the required lat/lon degrees when adding an airport to the database
• Added – Note to Flight Center details that winds are provided via the GFS model on the 12 and 00Z times
• Added – Text to Favorite Airports stating to wait patiently as we download data from our servers
• Added – Text to Most Recent Community Themes stating to wait patiently as we download data from our servers
• Added – Added new button synchronization window to track aircraft location
• Added – Disable notifications button for session to community notifications screen
• Removed – Support for PFPX export flight plans
• Removed – Additional popup alert when deleting a favorite airport
• Streamlined – Weather engine
• Streamlined – Cloud model sync engine
• Recoded – In-Sim weather briefing
• Updated – Software User Manual