by design Weathering slider - Not as effective

[NickMunro]

Hi there,

The A340 is looking fantastic in its current state, and I’m really looking forward to the improvements that will continue to come over the next few months.

I’ve noticed that the default appearance of the A340 is quite weathered and dirty, which isn’t quite to my taste as I prefer flying cleaner airframes. I was excited to see that an adjustable weathering slider was included (similar to the one on the A350) but it doesn’t seem to change the livery appearance at all. The dirt slider appears to work as expected, adding grime to the lower fuselage, but the weathering control doesn’t seem to have any visible effect.

Could your team please take a look at this?

Thanks in advance!

[richboy2307]

Hi @NickMunro

It is definitely working, though there is a difference in the degree of change in A340 vs the A350, primarily for performance reasons. Dynamic Weathering/Dirt requires nodes, and each node comes at the cost of performance. In the current implementation, all efforts have been made to keep nodes to a bare minimum,  as such alot more of the dirt/weathering is part of the livery/base textures as opposed to "dynamic".

One place where you can observe this in effect currently for example is on the seals for avionics compartment (and other maintenance panels on the belly):

(Click to enlarge image)

But your feedback is noted and relayed to our Art team for consideration. Thanks!

[NickMunro]

Hi @richboy2307

Thanks for the response and for relaying my feedback, much appreciated!

In the comparison image you gave, the only difference is the positions and number of what I'd call stickers or labels. When I think of the term "weathering" and "dirt" I think of the grime, marks, and smudges on the airframe which as you say is not dynamic. I can see the difference the dirt slider makes on the bottom of the airframe from the dirt kicked up by the tyres.

If it will be the case that the weathering slider will be the same going forward I'll be very bummed as the ability to easily have a clean aircraft with the a350 was one of my favourite features and I'll miss it on the a340.

To end off positively, the aircraft for the most part is excellent and I really enjoy flying it! The a340 will always be one of my favourites. I'm just a clean freak 😂.