Notice: ASCA content is NOT compatible with Prepar3D v5’s EA mode (Enhanced Atmospherics) and will not be visible when this mode is enabled, as visuals will be replaced by trueSKY clouds and skies.  ASCA content for P3Dv5 is limited to non-EA mode only, where it will operate normally as expected in the traditional “FSX-style” cloud representation.

Active Sky Cloud Art (ASCA) is a new kind of graphics add-on for Flight Simulator X and Prepar3D that incorporates brand new technologies and content types to transform your skies and significantly increase realism, variation and dynamics.

The technology behind ASCA includes optional tight integration with Active Sky 2016, ASP4 and ASP3D (in non-EA mode) to enable features such as Real-Time Texture Dynamics, which allow you to manually change or have your textures automatically changed multiple times throughout a flight without the need to shut-down and restart your simulator! The variation experienced throughout a flight with AS16/ASP4/ASP3D + ASCA is unprecedented, especially when flying through areas of varying weather conditions and severity. In addition, in ASCA’s Full Dynamics theme, simultaneous variation of up to 8 different texture sets (128 cloud textures total) are provided including simultaneous texture resolution to provide increased performance for certain cloud types that don’t require high resolution (such as overcast layers).

ASCA’s graphical content includes replacements/enhancements for everything above the horizon: Cirrus clouds, Cumulus clouds, Stratus clouds, Thunderstorm clouds, Sky colors and Lighting. But in addition to the graphical textures, ASCA also includes something very different: Brand New 3D Cloud Structures, which replace and/or enhance nearly every aspect of the cloud scene within the simulator! Thunderstorms are bigger, overcast is more full, light “few” humilis-type clouds are more visually appealing, and all cloud scenes are specifically tuned to match the ASCA texture content and provide maximum realism.

A primary design focus for ASCA was performance.  From solid overcast, to towering cumulonimbus, everything was designed for the best visuals with minimal performance sacrifice.  Careful 3D modeling of cloud structures and textures enables this, while creating realistic and unique variants of the real-world cloud types including stratus, nimbostratus, altocumulus, altostratus, cumulus humilis, cumulus mediocris, cumulus congestus, towering cumulus, stratocumulus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, cumulonimbus incus, cumulonimbus calvus and more.

SP3 brings P3D v5 and ASP3D integration in non-EA mode.  Also included is SP1 and SP2 which brings brand new softer cloud textures, a new cirrus set, revamped original cloud and sky textures, new natural sky color sets, new integration and API capability, improved overall resolution, improved overcast depiction, new geographic wx-influence profiles, and several new UI features including new options, plus more!