Hi guys,

Before you read the post PLEASE NOTE:

1.) If you don't have FPS issues with the Carenado Caravan, you don't need this fix
2.) This method will fix the following problem: FPS gradually falling by 30-40% after 5-10 minutes.
3.) In other words this fix won't give you an overall performance boost, it just makes sure that performance stays constant and won't degrade through the flight.

4.) This fix might not work on your setup as well as on mine, due to the million possible hardware/software/configuration variables

A bit of background (if you're interested, otherwise skip this section):

One of my favorite planes is the Caravan. When Carenado made one I loved the textures and the look but the FDE was far from good. That's until Bernt Stolle fixed the issue, and Carenado published it as an optional patch. There was only one problem left: performance. I have a FSX set up that is capable of a constant 30FPS with almost all add-on planes. Sure enough, when I start the flight with the Caravan, it is 30, then gradually it falls down to 17-20 within a 10 minute time period. I know that turning off the weather radar helps a bit, but it didn't fix my issue. So, I just accepted that HD textures might be too much for my gear and removed the bird from my hangar. But a couple of days ago, I decided to dig deep and find the cause, even change the texture size if needed.

I've been testing it with the VC textures removed - same outcome, FPS drops down after a while. So it's not the textures. It must be the gauges then. I removed the gauges, and reloaded the textures. Surprise, surprise, same result. FPS dropping down. Strange. When I switch to external view FPS flies up to 30 almost instantly. There is something wrong with the VC.

Then I started to play with the panel.cfg file, and after 5-6 trials I FOUND A FIX! Now I can fly for hours and the FPS stays around 28-30 constantly.

The fix:

1.) Make a backup of the panel.cfg file in your Caravan folder
2.) Open the panel.cfg file
3.) At the bottom you'll find four separate VCockpit sections
4.) Change all size_mm and pixel_size values to 512,512. Don't change anything in the 2D section (WindowXZ)
5.) Save the file
6.) Load the plane up and see if it made a difference for you

I wanted to understand why it worked. I found a couple of virtual cockpit tutorials. They all mention that these values (size_mm, pixel_size) always have to be the same! Otherwise very bad things can happen

Again, I want to stress that this DOES NOT APPLY TO THE 2D PANEL, DON'T CHANGE THE VALUES FOR THAT.

Hope this fix will work for you too!

Dan

Just checked my panel.cfg file and the entries all already match.

Hmmm, could it be a patch that I'm not aware of? I know 3 other guys who had the same problem with the different numbers.

Wont this degrade the panel quality if you put it to 512 from 1024?

It had no visible effect on quality, I'm running FSX in 1240 X 1080 with 8XAA.

 

OES NOT APPLY TO THE 2D PANEL, DON'T CHANGE THE VALUES FOR THAT.

 

What 2D panel? Mine doesnt have a 2D panel

I meant the GPS, manual, door, and control panels. Sorry, it was a bit misleading.

Ahh. 2d  windows.

 

Hmmm, could it be a patch that I'm not aware of?

 

The only "patch" I know of is the flight dynamics enhancement (FDE) by Bernt Stolle.  I modifies the aircraft.cfg file but to my knowledge does not address the panel.cfg file in any way.  I wonder if the installation routines by Carenado read and factor in screen resolution.  I run at 1920 by 1080 and all of my res sets matched.  I have never modified them.

Well, I have the FS9 version but I have this problem too. Looks like I'll need more testing: I've just done one flight around KSEA, looks like I have better FPS, but I'm not sure if this is more than just placebo.

I'm definitely seeing a more blurry panel in the vc, what happens if I raise the numbers all to 1024 instead of 512?

I'm definitely seeing a more blurry panel in the vc, what happens if I raise the numbers all to 1024 instead of 512?

That what will happen if you reduce the resolution from 1024 to 512. You can get better performance but it will be at the expense of quality. Nothing free in physics.