HiFi Simulation Technologies has now brought its popular weather engine to X-Plane 12 with the release of Active Sky XP 12. This latest version of Active Sky is designed to take advantage of all of X-Plane 12’s new weather and SDK capabilities.
For those unfamiliar with Active Sky, it is an advanced program that integrates with your simulator’s weather system to create highly accurate and realistic weather. Active Sky allows flight simmers to inject live or historical weather data or create customized scenarios to ensure the weather is catered to your liking. HiFi has previously released Active Sky for FSX, P3D, and X-Plane 11, and this latest release builds on those previous releases.
In addition to the weather engine, Active Sky XP 12 has some additional features that elevate the weather experience. First, the application works with X-Plane 12’s weather API to enhance smoothing, create new 3D procedural clouds, and improve the simulator’s lighting system. In addition, Active Sky XP 12 builds upon the simulator’s air effects to simulate turbulence, drafts, thermals, microbursts, and other weather phenomena.
For those that prefer to use a combination of X-Plane’s and Active Sky’s live weather depiction, there is an optional live hybrid depiction control that uses X-Plane 12’s live weather during cruise and Active Sky’s live weather during takeoff and landing. There is even integration with Navigraph and SimBrief. Finally, like the X-Plane 11 version of Active Sky, Active Sky XP 12 allows for weather voice delivery on Active Sky’s designated frequencies and there is a mobile app companion.
You can purchase Active Sky XP 12 from simMarket for €39.99. However, HiFi is offering the product as a free upgrade to all existing Active Sky XP customers through May 19, 2023.
Features
- Evolving weather depiction utilizing XP12’s new weather SDK/API
- Optional live hybrid depiction control
- Active Sky Weather Engine
- Historical weather is included for up to 3 years in the past
- Custom weather allows visual application and modification of all weather parameters using the ASXP12 interface
- Navigraph and SimBrief integration
- Voice weather delivery Active Sky ATIS and Flightwatch are available at any time by listening on 122.00, 122.02 or 122.03 for closest station, actual/current interpolated conditions and destination weather reports, respectively
- Comprehensive API allows 3rd parties to integrate in many ways, getting or setting nearly every parameter of ASXP12 weather and depiction
- Mobile companion app
- Enhanced air effects
