It looks better (light, shadows, mood, realism) but other than that the only advantage right now is that it's still being worked on... ^_^

 

Sorry, looks like I gave you a "Disagree" rating for this post. It was an accident, I removed it.

It would seem turning off the popup-free autogen does not fix the root cause of OOM's, which is that the terrain engine fails to unload scenery data when it becomes overloaded.

 

One cannnot actually ever unload data from used VAS and free up VAS space (a common misconception, one that even I had until a few days ago when I consulted a forum member who is a software engineer). That would require "packing" VAS memory continually, much like defragmenting your drive. Although much faster, it would really cause stutters while your program, in this case P3D, waits for the OP system (Windows) to re-organise and pack VAS nice and tightly).

 

Instead, used-up VAS memory no longer needed is merely flagged as free for re-use (addresses of blocks in the memory stack and their size are noted for reuse by the program, and these "please re-use" notes are sent to the OP system so it knows that that space can be re-allocated, but it is not deleted). If new blocks of say veg autogen data can go into that space (overwrite it), they will re-use that flagged space, and VAS usage will stabilse. If not all the incomming data blocks fit into flagged, used space, the OP will simply use new space, and VAS usage will go up, possibly leaving some small parts of VAS flagged for re-use unused (fragmentation - liitle bits of left-over, flagged space that nothing is small enough to use).

 

That seems to be the main problem with Veg AGN - these are highly variable sized data blocks coming in, because different Land Classes and their associated, annotated texture sheets have very different quantities of Veg, and they are also much bigger blocks than building AGN because trees are more complex to process than buildings, and there are also thousands more trees than buildings.

 

Under certain circumstances, this complex VEG data just cannot fit into used memory (flagged for re-use), so it continues to load into never- used free VAS space, until you may have an OOM (at dense and very dense VEG AGN, a a dead certainty in certain world locations).

 

As regards popup-free AGN off, that also makes sense as a helper to avoid OOMs, because to enable popup free the system has to load memory with even more blocks of AGN ahead and to the sides of your position (in case you make a 90 degree turn), so that it can gradualy fade those blocks into view. With popup free off, it has to load LOD blocks of AGN only immediately around you,as it is  now free to process and pop-in autogen on an "as-required-right-now" basis (hence the pop effect as this takes a small finite time to do).

 

My detailed testing, which I am now writing up a hefty report on, shows no fault with P3D V2.1 memory handling. If LM made any "mistake" it was to allow P3D to process and render significantly more VEG AGN than FSX, plus the popup free autogen option that uses yet more VAS. That choice they made is progress to me, and when we get to 64-bit it will cease to be problematic.

 

For now, self regulation in sticking to normal VEG AGN settings will keep you out of OOM terittory in many VFR scenarios, but in some areas of the world you may still be forced to go sparse VEG (highly detailed Land Class add-on areas - MegaCity-type stuff, London X etc, or if using FTXG Vector in densely populated, well-mapped areas of the world)

 

Rob

Edited February 22, 201412 yr by geolpilot

All the more reason for a 64 bit sim?

It was always my understanding the FSX and P3D were meant to be set up for individual systems ... no two systems would have the same settings.

 

And, option "sliders" and settings were not meant to be maxed out on any system.

 

If a pilot has poor performance or errors, try backing off some sliders and optional "eye candy"  .. that sort of thing, until you find what is just right for your own system.

 

It is hard for me to track how the PC handles all this .... backing off sliders is just easier, for me.

Too often we have an "I paid for it I want it" approach when the hardware/wallet of the complainer is a limiting factor. As one person said, managing the larger sets of trees in a fluid(no opoup) manner is a problem. Eventually you will run out of memory as P3D attempts to store ahead groups of trees that will appear should you stay on course. Naturally people "fly around" so trees to the side have to be loaded as well. This is why the vendor provided sliders. Unfortunately, a strong relustance to reduce the autogen results in complaints.

All the more reason for a 64 bit sim?

 

But Prepar3d v2.1 is 32-bit so that's not helpful.

Hi all,

 

I un-installed FSX about a week ago,,,,I have now,,,re-installed it, and will keep it, and use it, until I see that P3d v2.? can use addon's the same as FSX, and will run as FSX does. I still have P3d on my computer, and as I get pointer's from people like you, and try them, such as the autogen.

I do believe that P3d is the future, but for now, it's not ready for primetime.

 

I haven't tried the update software for dx-10, but I'm looking into it. If anyone has it, can you recommend it?

 

Larry

 

PS, we need a 64 bit flight sim, other than X Plane, which I tried and couldn't even understand how to get it set up like FSX or P3d.

Edited February 22, 201412 yr by larsumm