Hello,
I'm noticing that if I fly into any location inside Prepar3D, that has scenery objects that use animation, cabins with smoking chimneys, strobe lights on poles, etc. the smoke will not be present unless I pause the program and refresh the scenery library. Kind of a problem that should be looked into.
I own the pro license and use my P3D for general aviation, bush pilot training skills.
Brad
Animated objects problem
If you read the SDK documentation ( i think its in there somewhere ) it will tell you that effects are a low priority for the sim to draw and will draw them based on available resources for the sim to use. So the more stress the sim is under the less likely it will draw effects. The only thing i cant tell you if its linked to the CPU or GPU.
Yes, but he is right, and it is a problem.
If you have performance problems Prepar3d WILL stop drawing effects, which is one of the reasons why I cannot accept a lower graphics setting on my system.
The problem is that effects are not really important for a flight simulator game, but for my training they are very important. It is a very big difference if my students look into their targeting pods and see a target that is destroyed and displaying a "burning" effect or if they see a target that looks like it was not hit at all.
Additionally Prepar3d will also not draw explosions if you are pretty far away from the target (medium level bombing). This is just very, very bad, because of course the pilot is watching his bomb through the targeting pod and is looking for the hit, so if the explosion does not get drawn, he will assume the bomb failed or did not hit, which changes the whole mission for everyone as he will be doing a reattack.
This is just a bad problem and will have to be addressed eventually. I am also looking for a switch to ALWAYS draw effects, no matter the distance or performance.
If you have performance problems Prepar3d WILL stop drawing effects, which is one of the reasons why I cannot accept a lower graphics setting on my system.
The problem is that effects are not really important for a flight simulator game, but for my training they are very important. It is a very big difference if my students look into their targeting pods and see a target that is destroyed and displaying a "burning" effect or if they see a target that looks like it was not hit at all.
Additionally Prepar3d will also not draw explosions if you are pretty far away from the target (medium level bombing). This is just very, very bad, because of course the pilot is watching his bomb through the targeting pod and is looking for the hit, so if the explosion does not get drawn, he will assume the bomb failed or did not hit, which changes the whole mission for everyone as he will be doing a reattack.
This is just a bad problem and will have to be addressed eventually. I am also looking for a switch to ALWAYS draw effects, no matter the distance or performance.
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Bradallen43
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat May 10, 2014 1:09 am
Quote:
Quote from snake2008 on June 30, 2014, 22:10
That's no good...I do bush flying as well not as hardcore as some of us but I haven't noticed this yet haven't looked really, will keep an eye open, I have FTX and Global & Vector installed I'm sure that changes all sorts of parameters...do you have 3rd party scenery installed assuming you do?
I use ORBX FTX Scenery. I have Global with Vector and the North American Regions, PNW, PFJ, NRM, CRM and SAK.
Brad
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cookedinlh
I've noticed the same issue . . for me with OV-10 firing rockets. I hear the audio EVERY time but the rocket trails and the target explosions effects seem to happen or not happen randomly. It seemed like some shots would just disappear into the scenery and the next time would show . . or sometime "half show" as if partially buried in the scenery under various complexity . . standard P3D scenery. . . or Photo Real complexity turned up.
Very confusing for confirmation of aiming . . . So with your comments about frame rates I adjusted the scenery complexity low and got visible hits more often it seemed . . . so there is a relationship but still the surface hits often disappear without any explosion effect. Does this seem like the same issue? I have some programming background but just starting to use SDK for Special Effects.
Thanks for any suggestions
David
Very confusing for confirmation of aiming . . . So with your comments about frame rates I adjusted the scenery complexity low and got visible hits more often it seemed . . . so there is a relationship but still the surface hits often disappear without any explosion effect. Does this seem like the same issue? I have some programming background but just starting to use SDK for Special Effects.
Thanks for any suggestions
David
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Bradallen43
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat May 10, 2014 1:09 am
I think that's unacceptable. Especially for training purposes, which is what this platform is supposed to be for, how can you produce a product that decides to sacrifice something that users might need to see to help them with training? For my situation, low and slow in the bush, if I'm flying out to an unlisted airstrip in the wilds of Alaska, I need all the training and help I can get. Now in FSX, my destination has a cabin and there is smoke coming out of the chimney and it's working. Okay, not a problem.
But in this same situation using P3D if that smoke effect is disabled by the program, now when I arrive, I have to flip a coin on what direction to land now. Why this is so important is that I use the smoke to help me figure out what direction the wind is coming from, that smoke is going to help me set up my approach and landing. Most remote airstrips might not have a wind sock and even if they do, in P3D, it's hard to see that wind sock at all, IF it's even there. But smoke from a campfire, or chimney, etc. That's a huge windsock and now P3D removes that effect? For me, that's not good and needs to be addressed by the LM team. Bush pilots in the real world have trees blowing and other natural things that they can use to determine a proper approach and landing on some unimproved, dirt airstrip, beach, mudflat, grassy area on a plateau or sandbar out in the boonies without a wind sock. Now I'm limited by something that's supposed to help me learn a skill for my pilot training and I think that's a bad decision.
Brad
But in this same situation using P3D if that smoke effect is disabled by the program, now when I arrive, I have to flip a coin on what direction to land now. Why this is so important is that I use the smoke to help me figure out what direction the wind is coming from, that smoke is going to help me set up my approach and landing. Most remote airstrips might not have a wind sock and even if they do, in P3D, it's hard to see that wind sock at all, IF it's even there. But smoke from a campfire, or chimney, etc. That's a huge windsock and now P3D removes that effect? For me, that's not good and needs to be addressed by the LM team. Bush pilots in the real world have trees blowing and other natural things that they can use to determine a proper approach and landing on some unimproved, dirt airstrip, beach, mudflat, grassy area on a plateau or sandbar out in the boonies without a wind sock. Now I'm limited by something that's supposed to help me learn a skill for my pilot training and I think that's a bad decision.
Brad
It certainly is bad design, but the good news is that the closer you get, the more likely it is that the effect gets drawn. Also permanent effects have a pretty high chance to eventually get drawn.
I think the chance that the smoke out of that cabin does not appear when you get close to land is very small.
The chance however that a short explosion does not show is medium to high, depending on the distance.
I think the chance that the smoke out of that cabin does not appear when you get close to land is very small.
The chance however that a short explosion does not show is medium to high, depending on the distance.
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DocCruncher
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:35 am
Just a thought; are all you guys running with the "Graphics/Target frame rate" slider maxed out all the way to the right?
I have reduced mine to only 30 FPS & that (for me) seems to resolve some of these weird graphics problems.
Setting it to less than max takes a BIG load off of the graphics card & also helps the CPU load less.
When I had it maxed out my graphics card was running at 64% on one site and simply by reducing the Graphics/Target frame rate to 30 FPS the load dropped in half to only 32%.
Give it a try; it can't hurt... if it does't help you can always slide it back to full.
Cheers;
Doc
I have reduced mine to only 30 FPS & that (for me) seems to resolve some of these weird graphics problems.
Setting it to less than max takes a BIG load off of the graphics card & also helps the CPU load less.
When I had it maxed out my graphics card was running at 64% on one site and simply by reducing the Graphics/Target frame rate to 30 FPS the load dropped in half to only 32%.
Give it a try; it can't hurt... if it does't help you can always slide it back to full.
Cheers;
Doc
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thompsonpeters
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:17 pm
I wanted to chime in here and offer another voice in agreement with the particle effects visibility issue. I work chiefly with multiplayer missions, and they're vital there (to the degree that objectives are nearly impossible without them).
I have noticed a couple other scenarios in which effects seem to render more often:
-Scenery object (with attached effect) starts very near the player
-Effects are attached with the AttachEffect action
Unfortunately, the latter of those two scenarios is not viable in any multiplayer setup, since it (obviously) can't be used in free flights, and in multiplayer missions, it can't be fired globally (only locally).
I have noticed a couple other scenarios in which effects seem to render more often:
-Scenery object (with attached effect) starts very near the player
-Effects are attached with the AttachEffect action
Unfortunately, the latter of those two scenarios is not viable in any multiplayer setup, since it (obviously) can't be used in free flights, and in multiplayer missions, it can't be fired globally (only locally).
