Dipping a toe into DX10

[1Wolf 7]

DX9 is running pretty good and stable but I'm at the point now where I think I'd like to try out DX10. I've been doing my homework and reading the stickied posts along with the DX10 section of the AVSIM FSX Guide.

 

Before I go any further though I just have a few questions I was hoping someone might be able to fill me in on...

 

Will doing all the "stuff" for DX10 listed in the AVSIM guide and stickied here on AVSIM permanently change my FSX installation? If I save off my current FSX.cfg Will I be able to go back and forth to my current DX9 and DX10 at will? Or does DX10 and all of the fixes described in the stickied posts and AVSIM guide permanently alter or change stuff?

 

Provided my sytem will run the DX10 stable...is there a downside to DX10 over DX9?

 

I imagine one downside folks might list is incompatibility. If so, how does it stack up with compatibility versus the different 'categories' of Add Ons? What I mean is...how compatible is it with UTX & GEX, or ORBX, or MegaScenery/BlueSky Photoscenery? Or is it just certain airports? Or is it just certain aircraft? How about Weather programs like REX/Active Sky 2012/Opus FSX? Or Texture programs like those available in REX or Active Sky?

 

With regards to the AVSIM guides and stickied posts, I see they've been updated just a few days ago so they must be at least fairly current. Are there any other fairly common fixes or tweaks that folks are often using for DX10 FSX that are not listed or mentioned in the guide or stickies?

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

[Paul J 349]

 

Will doing all the "stuff" for DX10 listed in the AVSIM guide and stickied here on AVSIM permanently change my FSX installation?  No - there is nothing "permanent" in DX10, neither in DX9, Wulf! All you need to do is to backup whatever you think might result in a permanent change. Personally yI backup the whole FSX, plus my FSX user files to a 2-gig external drive. I also use a "Temp" folder on my desktop for quick changes, such as when trying a new or different shader patch.

 

If I save off my current FSX.cfg Will I be able to go back and forth to my current DX9 and DX10 at will? Or does DX10 and all of the fixes described in the stickied posts and AVSIM guide permanently alter or change stuff?

As above - and in the Guide - you can create a "DX9 Configs" and copy all of your DX9 "stuff" into it.

 

Provided my sytem will run the DX10 stable...is there a downside to DX10 over DX9?  Each of us has our likes and dislikes: I have seen folks quit DX10 because of "too many incompatible airports": well I fly the US Pacific Coast, either ORBX VFR, or the LH Maddog from KSAN up to Vancouver, and those stops in between. I use ActiveSky 2012, EZCA, FSUIPC, TrackIR, MTX, SweetFX, Aerosoft's Aspen II,FSDT CYVR and  LatinVFR's KSAN, with SceneryUtopia SanDiego Buildings, plus all of the OrbX PNW, NRM and CRM. All compatible except the new Orbx "GA aircraft" package, where some are are some aren't.

FlyTampa KSEA & St. Maartens, FlightScenery Portland,  FlightBeam KPHX and KSFO, plus the old (2003) MAAM KRDG - all "incompatible", but the Version of the Shader patch which I have fixes these perfectly. Stever's DX10Fixer (which is undergoing tests right now) also fixes these, plus many - or most - of the Aerosoft airport problems. 

 

I imagine one downside folks might list is incompatibility. If so, how does it stack up with compatibility versus the different 'categories' of Add Ons? What I mean is...how compatible is it with UTX & GEX, or ORBX, or MegaScenery/BlueSky Photoscenery? All quite usable, Wulf:

 

Or is it just certain airports? Or is it just certain aircraft? These are the two which may (or may not) cause some pain, as you read above - not all airports and not all aircraft, are "clean". The issue mainly revolves around airport scenery night textures becoming grey: same with one or two older aircraft. As above, though, these are mostly fixed dependent upon your patch version, and are being fixed with Steve's (not yet released) DX10 Fixer. How much it impacts you depends upon your style of flight. I rarely fly at night, so I don't care whether any particular airport has a few grey textures or not - but that's me. I test them for Steve.

 

How about Weather programs like REX/Active Sky 2012/Opus FSX? Or Texture programs like those available in REX or Active Sky? All work perfectly.

 

With regards to the AVSIM guides and stickied posts, I see they've been updated just a few days ago so they must be at least fairly current. Are there any other fairly common fixes or tweaks that folks are often using for DX10 FSX that are not listed or mentioned in the guide or stickies? No, but many folks will try their own version of the Inspector settings, as systems do vary one to another. 

 

Generally - if you work at getting your fsx.cfg settings "right", over three or four weeks, you will be successful with a conversion to DX10. Just backup your NI, your cfg, etc.,  - plus the whole FSX, then you have nothing to worry about. There's also a good bunch of folks here, who will gladly help. I am often remotely on someone's pc, using TeamSpeak and TeamViewer. Work like a charm, and gets around all this readin' and writin'.

 

All the Best,

 

 

 

[Manny 1,293]

Adding to Paul's post. I had the same concerns the OP had.

 

The only thing that needs changing back and forth (going from DX10 and FS9) are the NVedia Inspector settings (Which you can back both version by exporting and then importing) and the fsx.cfg

 

These are the only two files I believe.

 

When I first hesitantly went to DX10, I was not happy. I had stutter issues and so I went back to DX9 (Thats when I realized it was easy to go back but for the nVidia inspector settings were slightly different). But then I was getting so many OOMs in DX9 to the point I couldn't even complete many flights..so I went back to DX10... and while all this was happening my Stutter issue went away in DX10.

 

 

So now I am comfortably sitting in DX10 enjoying my FSX. I have a slight AA issue but that's a minor issue for now.

 

 

And yes I love my SweetFX. It's solid! However, If I have to use my 4th monitor for my Garmin GPS, I have to turn off SweetFX. I hope that SweetFX would support pop up Windows within Games/FSX

[nrunning24 151]

 

 

- all "incompatible", but the Version of the Shader patch which I have fixes these perfectly. Stever's DX10Fixer (which is undergoing tests right now) also fixes these, plus many - or most - of the Aerosoft airport problems.

 

Is there an ETA on this new fix?  Uncompatable airports have been the only thing keeping me in DX9.

[Paul J 349]

No ETA at this moment, Nick, Steve being "otherwise engaged" for the early months of the year, but  I've just successfully completed a series of tests on the latest version, using "old aircraft and modern, but "non-DX10-compliant" scenery" which now display all 24 hours better than all previous tests. Here's the one of the BirdDog at Elstree, day only, but all night textures work perfectly. I'll take some more shots today.

 

By the way,  if anyone's interested - there's a new release of SweetFX out, courtesy of Guru3d.