LOD Bias matters in v2

[styckx 1,871]

For any of you with blurries that seem to clear up shortly after spotting them.. 

 

Are you using 4X SGSSAA?

Is LOD BIAS set to Clamp?

 

Try setting it to Allow and use one of the settings below and see if you notice a difference.

 

In FSX LOD Bias never seemed to matter (it vaguely did with auto-gen). I experimented with different levels of it and never saw it actually affect anything like it should. Everyone just set Clamp and stuck with it.. Because FSX hardware guides told us to.

 

In Prepar3D this seems to be VERY different and is affecting things like I expected it too.

 

LOD +1.0000 - 4X SGSSAA - This is an extreme example to show you what LOD bias does when it isn't "set" right w/ your SGSSAA settings.

 

 

LOD Bias Allowed +0.0000

 

 

 

The general rule of thumb with LOD Bias is 

 

2xSGSSAA       (2 samples): -0.5
4xSGSSAA       (4 samples): -1.0
8xSGSSAA       (8 samples): -1.5

 

You want more information on this you can read here: http://naturalviolence.webs.com/sgssaa.htm

[styckx 1,871]

Note ..  No idea if negative values have any affect in Prepar3D or not..  But setting to Allow instead of Clamp should work if the game was trying to use an LOD bias but your Clamp setting disallowed it. Using one of the above values should rule it out anyway. It's all worth a shot. I'm just flying by the seat of my pants on this one.

 

 

 

Edit: Ok last post on this for now.. Negative values do work.. I set a LOD Bias of -3.0000 and saw shimmering out in the distance and on the leading edge of the wings which is a sure fire indicator it worked.

[learn-by-flying 37]

I'll have to give this a go later tonight.

[charleslee201 19]

+1

[styckx 1,871]

There is no guarantee that it will improve anything you notice, but there is very little to no chance it will make anything worse.. It's just nice to see more change to how  modern engines actually work.  FSX code is shaping up to be like rings in a tree..

[Guest]

Hm, odd, it does nothing on my PC. But NI also does nothing on my PC when I try that Bioshock setting with some other AA mode (I still get jagged runways): it seems as if NI refuses to do anything on my PC...?

[spirit_66 2]

Hm, odd, it does nothing on my PC. But NI also does nothing on my PC when I try that Bioshock setting with some other AA mode (I still get jagged runways): it seems as if NI refuses to do anything on my PC...?

Hi Jeroen,

they heard you complaining too much so they refuse now to work for you.

Spirit

[cthiggin2 3]

Worked nicely for me. Good improvement!

 

Tom

[Guest]

 

 

they heard you complaining too much so they refuse now to work for you.

 

 

BTW LOD Bias 'mattered' in FSX already, at least on my PC. I once experimented with it and setting different values had a very noticable effect in FSX. I went back to clamp though because of (if I remember well) peformance side effects (textures loading late).