Just a few preliminary queries!

[Sid2008]

Just thinking of changing over to X-plane in future.
To all X-plane users: just 3 simple questions
1) is X-plane 9 smoother to fly (less stuttering) than FSX?
2) does X-plane 9 have default road traffic, and default animated birds/animals?
3) I am an FSDS modeler. How hard is it to use Plane Maker (supposed to come with X-plane 9 cds) to make an aircraft with VC? Does Plane maker come with texturing ability?

Thank you.
Sid

[mfitch]

1) is X-plane 9 smoother to fly (less stuttering) than FSX?

The graphics are generally less detailed, so I find it runs more smoothly on my machine. However, I have a fairly beefy system (Core i7 at 3 GHz, Nvidia GTX 275).

2) does X-plane 9 have default road traffic, and default animated birds/animals?

Not in the sense that FSX does. There are flocks of birds that randomly appear. There are also herds of deer that prance everywhere (even where no such critters exist). Neither cause collisions (that I have encountered).

3) I am an FSDS modeler. How hard is it to use Plane Maker (supposed to come with X-plane 9 cds) to make an aircraft with VC? Does Plane maker come with texturing ability?

I have not modeled any planes for XP. Blender is the software of choice for XP these days. I'm not sure if Plane Maker can produce virtual cockpits (not common certainly). Yes, it can texture. Keep in mind that Blender is free, and there is a now lengthy series of tutorials on designing aircraft for XP using Blender.