Switching to X-Plane
Want to convert? We can help.
Microsoft Makes Big Cuts at Flight Sim Studio
Microsoft has laid off it's entire Flight Simulator development team, and many people are not sure what to do next.
Many tens of thousands of people have been switching over from Microsoft Flight Simulator to X-Plane for quite a few years, and the current situation at Microsoft would seem to indicate that this trend will continue at an accelerating rate.
We at Laminar Research are ready for the influx of new customers coming in now, and will be facilitating the move from Microsoft Flight Simulator to X-Plane to make the transition as easy as possible for everyone. We will continue to make X-Plane the most powerful, accurate, flexible, and fun flight sim there is. Here is our new manual to help get new people started. Here is a Microsoft->X-Plane key list to help people transition.
With or without Microsoft, I believe that X-Plane is by far the best flight-sim on the market, and with the development of new versions that we have going on behind the scenes right now... suffice it to say that what's coming next will blow everything away that you have seen so far.
This page will be devoted to helping people convert from MS to X-Plane. We will post tools to convert airplanes and scenery, and tutorials explaining how to use and develop for X-Plane that are oriented towards people that have been using and developing for MSFS in the past. The X-Plane Wiki's Scenery Development page is a good place to start.
Many people make their living creating add-ons for MSFS, and those people may be anxious about the apparent demise of the software. They might not need to be worried, though, as 2008 was the best year ever for X-Plane (thanks largely to the Apple iPhone, and the huge swath of customers that came over to X-Plane when they discovered from the iPhone version how cool X-Plane is). X-Plane is not going away.
In fact, X-Plane sales are increasing each year, and X-Plane is actually quite a bit easier to develop planes and scenery for than Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Plane-Maker is very user-friendly, and if you can just enter the geometry of the aircraft in Plane-Maker, then X-Plane will predict the way the airplane flies for you; users don't need to enter aircraft performance into X-Plane, like one did with MSFS. By default, the X-Plane aircraft visuals are based on the geometry entered in Plane-Maker, but this can be overridden with incredibly detailed 3-D models if you like.. 3-D models that can be easily exported from AC3D.
There are tools available to convert scenery from MSFS to X-Plane format. To begin, see this post on the X-Plane.org forums.
As well, X-Plane has plug-ins (see the X-Plane SDK site) to interface third-party tools with the simulator. Using plug-ins, you can read and write data in X-Plane very easily, allowing you to create third-party add-ons, which we enthusiastically support.
The bottom line is that we at Laminar Research are ready to accept the inflow of customers from Microsoft, will continue to make X-Plane the best flight simulator in the industry, have new things lined up that will knock your socks off, and will post tools and information here that will make your transition from MS to X-Plane be as painless (and fun!!) as possible.
This applies equally to both customers and add-on developers.
Signed: Austin Meyer, Author, X-Plane
Looking for information on switching from Microsoft ESP?
Click here to go to the ESP page.
Quick links
System requirements
- A 2 GHz CPU
- 1 GB RAM
- DirectX 9 video card or newer
See X-Plane in action!
Prepare to be stunned by X-Plane. Videos and photos speak where words can't. See the Multimedia page...
What do other people think?
Get more opinions before you buy. Read reviews and connect with current users. We're confident they feel as strongly about X-Plane as we do. Learn more...
What sets X-Plane apart?
It's blade element theory, of course. By breaking down every surface of the airplane and calculating the forces acting on each piece individually, X-Plane delivers the most realistic flight experience available. Learn more...
Try the demo, or get the update
The demo is free, and it's a relatively small download. The updates, too, are free, and their bug fixes and new features make them worth the time it takes to get them. See the Downloads page...
Get the manual
In either PDF or Wiki form, the X-Plane manual can answer many of the questions you may have. See the Support page...
Official X-Plane sites
XSquawkBox.net: The X-Plane Scenery Development page
Scenery Central: The X-Plane 8 scenery page
The X-Plane SDK: "Plug-In Headquarters"
X-Plane Airport and Navigation Data: The source for data updates and designer information.