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Who says X-Plane can't be just as beautiful a sim as FSX?

That does look good. I think the rub is that X-Plane isn't as "developed" in aftermarket models as is FS. Nice scenery...

[quote]Who says X-Plane can't be just as beautiful a sim as FSX?

I say it.
XPlane in the day is as beautifull as FS9 in the night.
The only things that look really good in XPlane are:
- the water (really lovely)
- the detailled airports
- the autogen density for forest that I could see on some screenshots.
But XPlane has never been about graphics anyway, it's an interesting simulation for OTHER reasons (and very valid reasons, too).

I'll put the X-Plane Cessna up against the FSX Cessna any day of the week and the Cirrus Jet is simply awesome.  Yes, there is room for improvement but it's also got it's own share of eye candy...

As for the flight model in X-Plane; It certainly doesn't feel like any Cessna I have flown... 

Well, from your screenshots, it seems to me that the XPlane Cessna should be compared to the FS9 Cessna, and certainely not to the FSX one, at least for the external model, for which FSX proposes precise textures, bumpmapped details and self-shadowing.
But I admit the small size of those screenshots do not allow to really appreciate the quality of the external model or the textures. Perhaps you could show it wih the camera closer to the plane, to see more details ?

The quality of some of the FS9 default planes should not be under-estimated. The Cessna were real good, and the C182 was pretty soon imported in my FSX hangar (FSX has only a C172, FS8 had a C172 and a C182 as well).

As for the VC, could you post a screenshot of it please ?

Nice, but I still think fsx is better!

Ah, there's another graphic thing that is much better in XPlane: the aircraft ground shadow. I believe it's a "real" shadow painted on the ground, so it displays correctly even on a hill.
In FSX (and FS9, and any other version of FS), the shadow is just a stupid flat 3D object which is always horizontal, and dissapears as soon as the ground is not flat anymore 

PS: here is how the default FS9 C182 looks like when transported into FSX. I have to admit the front window looks better in XPlane, since there is some king of reflection on the angles that make it look very realistic. The rest of the plane in FS9 looks stunning, though.

It's true, the ground shadows are nicer in FSX, and the reflective textures really add to the plane, but everyone disses X-Plane as being ugly and that's not really the truth.  It can look quite nice...

Of course FSX will look better, but Austin's one man show deserves a lot of credit.

[quote] but everyone disses X-Plane as being ugly and that's not really the truth.