Clouds no longer volumetric - WISH to fix this

Since probably around SU5, the LIVE WEATHER clouds are no longer volumetric, or at least they have been “watered down” so much that they are not representative any longer. Let me explain: They are now just “fog like” blobs in the sky. There is no clear definition (NOT opaque enough), normally in the real world if we are flying along and “into” a cloud where we see fine one second, then once in the cloud ZERO visibility.

What happens now in the sim is we see a cloud in front of us, we start to fly “into it” but instead of a swift transition from seeing just fine to no visibility, we get this gradual reduction of visibility like we have flown into a slight “fog”. You can always see something above or below you no matter where you are in these clouds. (just go to outside view and scroll around the aircraft as you fly through clouds - TRY to find a time where you cannot see ground or sky - it is very rare if ever). This is normally the case flying horizontally into a cloud, but you really notice it in the new “overcast” model when going up vertically through the layer of “fog”.

Clouds in the sim now LOOK like they are volumetric and OPAQUE from a distance, but upon flying into them, they usually either “melt” around you or become very transparent the closer you get, until fully transparent if you manage to get “into” the clouds. Was this to improve performance? This change ruined the cloud realism.

The sims clouds never used to be like this, and I WISH we could go back to the way the clouds used to be before SU5 timeframe. Or maybe they can be fixed to be even better? There was mention in one of the Q&A’s that we would be “blown away” by some big changes in the clouds by late 2022 or early 2023. I hope this is still the case? If not, I WISH that the weather system is opened up to outside developers as remarked about in the Q&A here? Developer Q&A Twitch Series: September 29th, 2021 - YouTube

But also I am SO looking forward to this “secret” update in late 2022 - 2023 timeframe that Jorg mentions below!!

Issues with clouds?
Hm… here are the 3 golden rules:

Rule Nr. 1:
All visuals and eye candy in all software exists to be downgraded without mercy for FPS FPS and more FPS.

Rule Nr. 2:
Even if hardware four times or maybe ten times faster than actual Nvidia 3090ti cards will get released from the mad science wonder labs of AMD and Nvidia very soon (let´s say in a year or two) - more FPS optimization must be made for potato PC´s.

Rule Nr. 3:
Cineasts and graphics conaisseurs who prefer perfect visual quality and superb eye candy and fantastic OLED-scenery with highest rendering distance, and 10 or better 12 bits of colour depth (without the slightest mach-bending) over “more FPS” and “more K” who say “but 45FPS is absolute fluent, my visuals are of utmost priority!” are not existent and just an urban legend.
There is no need to cater for mythical creatures that probably don´t exist. :smiley:

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This is a known issue, a couple of threads exist for that in the weather bug forum:

And one in the wishlist forum:

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I was thinking the same as you, but now I am not really sure that the reason of having such a regression in the clouds depiction is to save FPS. Why ?: 1- because at launch, FS2020 had really nice clouds with realistic opacity and it was running very smoothly. 2- if you use SU10 FS2020 weather presets or free 3rd party like Floyds Epic Clouds » Microsoft Flight Simulator that have clouds with good opacity, I don’t notice a drop (or few, what’s normal) in the FPS. For me and many in the weather bug forum, the clouds depiction suffered a regression with SU7 and introduction of METAR and XBOX version. I don’t want to blame METAR neither XBOX, maybe just a coincidence. It is just like with that SU7 they have re-written completely the live weather engine (maybe a new team did that) and lost all the good work that was in place at initial release. Who knows why, we don’t have any idea. Now most of the time we have transparent cumulus cloud type that are not realistic.

Agree the frame are not related, it’s the live weather manipulation on layers/setting for live weathher data have been changed to get more proper result, like you stated the less opaque clouds is the density setting, look like it’s a kind of bug, using custom manual preset you can have all sort of clouds formation, density, without affecting performance.

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I wonder if that “surprise” update at the end of 2022 or start of 2023 is still in the pipeline?

That would be awesome if they could do something to improve clouds visuals and why not, add things like bend them according to winds or things like that.

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We do need the settings to be adjusted here, so that ULTRA really reflects what a high end machine can do, where as most people would be better suited on MEDIUM or HIGH. Let the users choose what FPS hit they’re willing to take.

Currently flying 4k, and many cloud formations are just big cartoonish blobs in the sky.

We did have much more fidelity and resolution before.

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As an edit to this now, SU11 does seem to have improved the cloud textures again.

Hi i am that mystical creature :wave: hehe

[Sigh] There’s always one…!
:grin:

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