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Scenery Update : KDFW - Dallas Fort-Worth v1.02 by Aerosoft


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Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Header.jpg

 

Scenery Update : KDFW - Dallas Fort-Worth v1.02 by Aerosoft

 

The DFW - Dallas Fort-Worth Scenery by Aerosoft was released only back in May last year 2017. That is not even eight months ago, but it already feels an age away in this constantly changing X-Plane11 world of late. To a point although the name on the title says Aerosoft, this is in reality a Omar Masroor scenery of KRSW - South Florida International fame, it feels or looks nothing like your usual Aerosoft European scenery, but it is a very good if excellent Omar Masroor scenery.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Head 1.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Head 2.jpg

 

Dallas DFW, is a huge machinery of an airport, huge in every respect. So to a developer they are faced with a dilemma in how much can you actually deliver before ruining the idea and how much time should you give to a scenery of this size before it becomes a monster of all proportions. In other words you have to find a balance. Aerosoft's excellent EDDF - Frankfurt XP11 shows you this balance in delivering an exceptional quality scenery, but at a price and with very good frameweight running efficiency on your computer.

 

Active elements

The original DFW scenery (Review Here) was very good but in a few areas it needed a bit more attention, more a fine tune than significant changes, and you get that here, but the overall focus of this update v1.02 is on the ground routes for X-Life and WT3 (WorldTraffic3).

 

The timing of the original release was while WT3 was still in development, it worked because I used an early (development) version in the review, but it didn't work well either because the ground routes were not set out completely correctly within the scenery, so it was a sort of the "chicken or the egg" scenario.

 

The problems for scenery of this magnitude is that if you don't have any active traffic, then the airport looks and feels very empty or even lackluster and an airport like this DFW scenery would certainly highlight that perspective. And so an active element like X-Life or WT3 is essential to bring the scenery to life in activity.

 

As luck would have it then Omar Masroor is one of the best developers in creating these ground routes and their functionality. Remember the better the built in ATC ground routes are completed and refined then the far better that WT3 and other active aircraft elements work with(in) the scenery. Again as we saw with the EDDF - Frankfurt scenery in that expertly crafted ground routes created an excellent activity that gave the scenery an almost total realism and feel in airport operations.

 

Another important element is that the WT3 ground routes are refined on another level and with not just with the well laid out ground routes themselves, but also for the settings for "AirportOperations" and "ParkingDefs". These settings are crucial in laying out the airport's distinctive operations and where and what aircraft are positioned around the airport, in other words all the American Airlines aircraft are correctly berthed at Terminal C and all Delta aircraft are berthed at Terminal E.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Head 3.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Head 4.jpg

 

So it is  important that you can generate the ground routes correctly here at DFW, and there is 210 of them to generate which can take a fair amount of time...  but they are still missing the essential elements of the AirportOperations and ParkingDefs? So my recommondation  (and save yourself a lot of time waiting for the ground routes to be generated) is to download the competed set by Omar Masroor with all the three elements completed : World Traffic v3 Files for Aerosoft's Dallas/Fort Worth Intl (KDFW) Scenery, the results are far well worth the effort.

 

Another important point is that you don't need to put your WT3 sliders to maximum to generate traffic, as if you do you will overwhelm the airport...

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Radar 1.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Radar 2.jpg

 

...   this is with the route generation slider set to 50%, and still there is a huge amount of traffic going in and out of DFW, so use the sliders with care.

 

Get it right and DFW is very much alive with traffic action. At night (or twilight) highlights the huge amount of traffic around DFW...

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 1.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 2.jpg

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 3.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 4.jpg

 

...  DFW can have six active runways running at the same time for approach and departures, and taxiing from the outer 35R/17L can take time.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 5.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 6.jpg

 

But admit how long if ever has it been before you have seen a real American Airport running like a typical American airport with aircraft banked up everywhere in waiting to land or bottle-necked in waiting to takeoff, not at all if ever if I recall.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 8 LG.jpg

 

This also creates another scenario in that you have to know your taxiway routes and navigation around DFW. Not just your way around, but the "right" way around and in which certain taxiways are the right flow direction way, and so you don't have a head on with a departing aircraft or get stuck in queue going the wrong way...

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 9.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Traffic 10.jpg

 

...  so from the cockpit perspective DFW is very busy place to navigate (correctly) and keeping yourself in line with all that moving traffic...  but then again that is what you signed up for in X-Plane wasn't it?

 

Refinements

There has been a a lot of refinements made to the scenery. The Skylink rail around the airport has been adjusted to fix the distorted tracks and the flickering, it looks and feels a lot better now, but the rail cars do still move a little too fast.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Shuttle 1.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Shuttle 2.jpg

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Shuttle 3.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Shuttle 4.jpg

 

Skylink trains are now also lit at night, with the windows and lights that are now visible.

 

Taxiway Overpasses

Both the significant DFW taxiways A and B east and X and Y west pass over the Route 97 International Parkway. But they both had street lighting that was unavoidable and startling for the passengers...

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Overpass 1.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Overpass 2.jpg

 

They have been cleared or cleaned up, and so it is now "clearway" all the way and looks far better. Also the missing taxiway centerline + edge lights and intermediate hold short markings on the aircraft overpasses have been also fixed. And the WT3 Traffic uses the overpasses with perfection and ease...

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Overpass 3 LG.jpg

 

Radar Installations

There are two significant radar towers at KDFW that were both missing in the original scenery. One tower is Northwest by the approach to RWY 18L, and the other which I noted in the review was missing from the Southeast. This radar tower was quite significant because it is highly visible from taxiway ER, that links RWY17L/35R from the main central area, and you taxi right past the installation. Both radars are also animated to add into the realism.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Radar 3.jpg  Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Radar 4.jpg

 

Blast Deflectors

There was a lot of missing jet blast deflectors around DFW. These have now been installed and add to the visual realism of the airport, the quality in design is excellent as well.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Blast deflectors 1.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Blast deflectors 2.jpg

 

The "Maverick" (113.10) DME/VOR structure has also been inserted on the South Route 97 International Parkway entrance to DFW...

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Mav.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Flag 1.jpg

 

...  and the American Flag and the American Airlines plaque at the Terminal A-C Connector is now also in place.

 

There are marshallers now at all eligible gates/stands with no A-VDGS. But the Docking guide didn't work on Arrival for me (The airbridge did however connect correctly).

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_marshall 1.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_marshall 2.jpg

 

Ramp Towers

Did you know there was three Ramp Towers missing? You do now and they have all been installed correctly.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Apron Towers 1.jpgAerosoft DFW_v1.02_Apron Towers 2.jpg

 

There has been a lot of small tidy up work in about 30 items that includes the missing MALSR approach lighting on Runway 31R, and the LAHSO lights now stay on during the day and pulsate at the FAA-designated rate (1.72s ON, 0.46s OFF). The colour of high-pressure sodium apron lights and added in individual 'billboard' for lamp housings. There has been a dozen areas of buildings and support columns that have needed 3d work attention and they have been cleaned up as well, so all in all a lot of fine detailing has been completed.

 

Aerosoft DFW_v1.02_Final LG.jpg

 

Summary

The potential of an extremely busy US Airport in realism has until now been a bit of dream in X-Plane. Yes there are already a few great WT3 setups now working including like the great Atlanta KATL courtesy of Captain K-Man, but this is first built in setup to use the traffic system to its full potential, and yes it is quite a lot of activity when running at a peak arrival or departure period. And this scenery lays out the ground work of what will soon become the normal or what the normal should be like, and what an exciting vision it is.

 

 It comes with a good framerate option as well considering the mega size of this scenery, and I will admit I am running with my texture quality set at only "High" and not extreme, but it does deliver a fluid simulation, with a lot of elements working together.

 

So the introduction of excellent ATC ground routes are the basis and highlight of this update, but also a significant one as it lifts the scenery to above the average and make DFW into one of the most interactive airports in the US.

 

The developer has also listened and fixed the most of various different issues, including a lot of what I mentioned was required in the original review, so a listening developer is always a good thing in creating great scenery. I personally is still not particularly happy with the building night window textures, not so much the grey terminal textures, but the hotel, buildings and carpark bland flat grey ones, in fact they are the only really poor elements in the scenery now as it this Aerosoft DFW becoming a significant scenery for use and for that exceptional interaction.

 

Flying into this DFW - Dallas Fort-Worth is a big adventure at peak periods day or night, but that is what X-Plane is about now as well...  exciting and active...  who would have thought that about X-Plane only a few years ago...

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

X-Plane Store logo sm.jpg

 

Yes! KDFW - Dallas Fort-Worth by Aerosoft is NOW available from the X-Plane.Org Store here :

 

KDFW- Dallas/Fort Worth

 

Price is US$23.99

 

Features:
  •     30 cm/pixel orthoimagery and 1 cm/pixel custom ground detail/markings
  •     Airport lighting and pavement markings closely follow FAA/ACI standards
  •     Terminals with interiors modelled using actual architectural drawings
  •     Modelled aircraft overpasses crossing International Parkway
  •     Ray-traced ambient occlusion, local illumination and specular mapping
  •     Uses advanced X-Plane features such as decal shading and 3D spill lights
  •     Animated passenger boarding bridges and Safedock® A-VDGS at all gates (using the freely available AutoGate plugin by Jonathan Harris)*
  •     Animated road traffic and Skylink APM
  •     Complete taxiway network for use by ATC and AI aircraft
  •     Fully compatible with the X-Life plugin by JARDesign
  •     Makes full use of the new ground service vehicles introduced in X-Plane 11
  •     Thousands of hand-placed objects such as parked cars and streetlights
  •     Parked cars, streetlights and terminal interiors can be individually turned on/off to optimize performance
  •     Uses 4K textures to maximize performance by minimizing draw calls
 

Requirements:

X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac and Linux
2Gb VRAM Video Card Minimum. 4Gb+ VRAM Recommended
Current version: 1.02 (last updated January 9th 2018)
 
If you have already purchased KDFW by Aerosoft, the go to your X-Plane.OrgStore account for this free update. And the download World Traffic v3 Files for Aerosoft's Dallas/Fort Worth Intl (KDFW) Scenery  is highly recommended.
 
____________________________________________________________________________________
 
Review by Stephen Dutton
16th January 2018
Copyright©2018: X-PlaneReviews
 
(Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copy of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions)
 

Review System Specifications:

Computer System: Windows  - Intel Core i7 6700K CPU 4.00GHz / 64bit - 16 Gb single 1067 Mhz DDR4 2133 - ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 8Gb - Samsung Evo 512gb SSD 

Software:   - Windows 10 - X-Plane 11 and also used in X-Plane v10.52

Addons: Saitek x56 Pro system Joystick and Throttle : Sound - Bose  Soundlink Mini

Plugins: Environment Engine by xEnviro US$69.90 : XPRealistic Pro v1.0.9  effects US$19.95 : WorldTraffic 3.0 Plugin - US$29.95 : BetterPushBack - Free

Scenery or Aircraft

- McDonnell Douglas MD88 by Rotate (X-Plane.OrgStore) US$59.95

 

Full update v1.02 logtext

  • All scenery elements are now correctly aligned with the ground layout
  • New custom files for World Traffic v3 and updated files for X-Life v2.0 support
  • LAHSO lights now stay on during the day and pulsate at the FAA-designated rate (1.72s ON, 0.46s OFF)
  • Added missing MALSR approach lighting on Runway 31R
  • Added missing taxiway centerline + edge lights and intermediate hold short markings on the aircraft overpasses
  • Added missing apron lights on the underside of the Skylink tracks
  • Added AutoGate marshallers to eligible gates/stands with no A-VDGS
  • Added missing night lighting on the Skylink cars and tracks
  • Added missing jet blast deflectors throughout the airport
  • Added the three missing ramp towers
  • Added the two missing radar towers with animated spinning dishes
  • Added the missing American flag and American Airlines plaque at the Terminal A-C Connector
  • Added the missing Maverick VOR/DME structure
  • Added missing parking sheds north of Terminal E
  • Added missing fuel tanks at well drilling sites throughout the airport
  • Added wind-dependent ATC traffic flows to runways and one-way directionality to parallel taxi routes
  • Added the service roads that run parallel to International Pkwy
  • Fixed streetlights protruding through the aircraft overpasses
  • Fixed Skylink track pillars protruding through PBBs and GSE
  • Fixed visual artifacts on the aircraft overpasses
  • Fixed default AI aircraft not using the airport
  • Fixed color of high-pressure sodium apron lights and added an individual 'billboard' for each lamp housing
  • Fixed PBBs not connected to the Terminal B Stinger
  • Fixed position of RIDS displays for Gates B1-B3
  • Fixed flickering parts of the Skylink tracks
  • Fixed visible seams between orthoimagery tiles
  • Fixed sky visibility through translucent windows
  • Fixed missing interior wall sections of Terminals A-C & E
  • Fixed flickering interior wall sections of Terminal D
  • Reduced the probability of incorrect airlines at Terminals D & E when using the MisterX static aircraft library

 

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