Apologies for the large images - I was going to post thumbnails and links, but cannot get the beeping link code to work right.I was tweaking the display to get a good setting on some VFR photo terrain I bought this week.When I turn Mipmapping off, or even lower it the texture detail just goes. The same happens for normal terrain, so it's not a VFR photo terain issue.Here is mipmapping at max:http://www.stuntie.fsnet.co.uk/fs_mipmap_max.jpgHere is mipmapping at minimum:http://www.stuntie.fsnet.co.uk/fs_mipmap_min.jpgThe only setting changed between the two is the mipmapping slider.I'm sure this is not what is supposed to happen.I'm sure it's not what happened when I first ran FS2004.Any ideas about whats gone wrong?CheersStuntie

Hi Stuntie,Actually, I believe that's EXACTLY what is supposed to happen. The mipmaps are, essentially, a series of textures that are embedded into a single bmp file and have decreasing resolutions by a power of 2. So, if the highest res mipmap is 256x256 (the max for a terrain tile) then the other mips would be 128x128, 64x64, 32x32 and so on. By turning down your mipmap sliders you are, in effect, telling FS to use only the mipmaps at a certain resolution and lower. In using the lowest number, you're saying cover my ground with the same image, but only display the lowest resolution mipmap. The above example is exactly what you get when you do that. It should improve performance nicely, but at the cost of extreme image degradation.Hope that helps,

That is how it works for me. The default setting is 4, as you move the slider lower to the left, it gets blurrier. Move it higher to the right and it gets sharper and you may notice an increase in shimmering, particularly when you are closer to the ground. Kurt M

It doesn't actually change the mipmaps being used, but changes the lod bias. At the lowest setting you are still getting the 256x256,128x128, etc. mips at the same distance as at the higher settings, they are just blurrier. Kurt M

Mipmaps are the work of the devil, and the sooner FS dispenses of them the better off we'll all be.

Well said, Eric!

Sorted it.The VFR install guide recommended Mipmapping 'off'.Mippmapping 'off' refers to a setting in fs2002 - fs2004 is different. 'off' in fs2002 = slider at 4 in fs2004.

Without mipmaps you'll get lower performance and horrid graphical shimmering... I originally had the mipmap setting up high to get more detailed textures, but couldn't stand the shimmering that introduced.

You'd also put a large load on the graphics system. X Plane has a sight distance that's limited to 25 miles for this very reason. In that sim, maximizing sight distance is a huge frame rate killer. I suspect that the problem in MSFS isn't the use of mip-mapping but rather how it's implimented. Programs like IL-2 seem to handle this much better and without the shimmering effects.TonyDigital-Flight

Yes, higher mipmapping means detailed textures. If you are getting shimmering, might I suggest you enable anisotrophic filtering on your graphic card (IF it can handle the so-called "minimal" performance hit). This should greatly reduce your shimmering, and this should work with other games experiencing this problem, too.