Curious how you tested.. ie: in a thick cloud, screen paused, note fps or fraps fps and repeat and rinse etc? Or some other method..

No high sophisticated test. Started my default flight at KHQM. Not in paused mode. Without ASN etc. Clouded sky, no rain. Outside view, slowly turned the view around 360 degrees. Switched to inside view on some different views and ended P3D. Got the average FPS from FSUIPC4 logfile. I did this with DX5 and also with 32bit clouds. No FRAPS etc. used. Was a short and quick check only. That's all.

Spirit

Go back a page or so in this thread to Arwen's post where she quotes Beau from LM. The quote explains how to make the change.

 

I see it now, thank you.

Have to report that the opposite happens. Loosing about 8 - 10% FPS with 32bit clouds. That's what we should expect, isn't it?

Compression/Decompression is used to improve available bandwidth by over 4:1. :smile:

@Rob Ainscough: on your settings screenshots I see you have cloud density at Medium. Did you ever check what happens with that slider full right? Just with performance in general (in or near clouds) but also when using that fix? A lot of people compare their performance to yours and turn to you for guidance but maybe they are using different settings (I think a lot of people have cloud density full right) so to make sure they aren't comparing apples with oranges, it might be interesting to see how things perform with the highest density setting.

For those of you using ASN and having trouble in overcast conditions, you may also want to uncheck the enhanced overcast option in the cloud settings menu. Made quite the difference for me while visuals where still stunning!

Did you ever check what happens with that slider full right? Just with performance in general (in or near clouds) but also when using that fix?

 

Hi Jeroen, glad you're still with us on the sim front

 

I have not tested that yet ... and I'm not sure I need to ... did some more testing last night and all of a sudden my cloud FPS is dropping drastically -- as in 8 fps ... this wasn't happening a couple of days ago (per my Q400 video from KTVL).

 

My initial hunch was a possibly ASN problem, but I've eliminated that by disabling ASN and not running it and just using P3D Weather ...  a little better performance with P3D weather but still very low 12 fps (I was able to maintain 30 fps a couple of days ago, same recorded flight and weather).  I've done the shader file edit, 512 textures, DX5, 32bit, etc. etc. and problem remains ... so now I need to do some diagnostics to figure out what's going on ... something has obviously changed. 

 

FYI, going back to a base P3D V2.3 (no add-ons) and everything is fine, no significant performance change when flying thru clouds, a little lower but not much lower.

 

Cheers, Rob.

Would you mind pointing me to the volumetric cloud shader fix? If it's in this thread I've somehow missed it. Thanks.

 

OK... well I've read the instructions, but where is this ShadersHSL location? I'm not finding anything to that affect on my system?

P3D Main folder

Rob, this was my experience, too. When I first fired up P3D2.3 I was blown away, it was completely stutter-free even with the quite detailed scenery on ground in the speedy fighter with 20 fps, which I could crank up far without a penalty. I can reproduce this, just cleaning the config directory. In this sense I do understand testers (internal as well as external ones) did not observe any stutters.

 

Trouble started after I returned my config files. However, contrary to what many people suggest, I am under the impression most performance drop does neither come from slider settings nor from prepar3d.cfg entries. Sure, AA and shadows draw fps, but I observe P3D remains essentially stutter-free as long as there is no exe.xml, dll.xml, and simconnect.xml. And this is on a system which many would call weak today.

 

There are exe.xml/dll.xml entries lowering fps, such inducing stuttering and such making both (or none). I am not on a final conclusion, thus would not accuse any specific entries/tools, but one definitely inducing bad stutters are the Saitek FIPs drivers (which can be cured to a degree by an AM mask entry). On the other hand, UT2 while drawing fps quite an amount, does not introduce essential stutters (raise variance) on my system. I'd just suggest switching them True/False one by one and observing the result, and of course any system is different, as we know.

 

Firsthand, this does not help much, as all these entries are for a reason. However, there might be tools which can be substitued by different ones, such which can perhaps run networked via Simconnet or WideFS, and others you might want to dispense of for performance.

 

Kind regards, Michael

 

2) Made the volumetric cloud shader fix - this improved performance almost back to 2.2 levels.

 

++++1

 

This mod and removal of the shader folder has TOTALLY changed my P3D. From stuttering mess into a beautiful smooth sim experience. I hope it continues!

 

I am also able to run with tessellation ticked OFF without getting the R6025 error (also..for now). But I can finally run with tessellation ticked ON and still get a good smooth performance even with low 20s FPS. Am running with V SYNC enabled and unlimited frames selected.

 

Do try the mod if you're suffering with stutters and low FPS especially in weather!

I don't seem to have any major stutters, and I'm not using FSUIPC at the moment. Anyone here NOT using that AND getting stutters?

 

 

Rob, this was my experience, too. When I first fired up P3D2.3 I was blown away, it was completely stutter-free even with the quite detailed scenery on ground in the speedy fighter with 20 fps, which I could crank up far without a penalty.

 

I went back to my test location, Langley - went back to 1024 textures, REX 4 1024 textures (still 32bit), dropped Scenery Complexity to "Very Dense" (it was on extreme) ... and once again very smooth with P3D clouds (not ASN).

 

 

 

I don't seem to have any major stutters, and I'm not using FSUIPC at the moment.

 

That's worth a test, easy enough to do just disable in DLL.XML ... I did just discover I'm running FSUIPC 4.936 and there is a 4.936a out now.  I doubt Pete's FSUIPC would cause any issues, but worth testing without it enabled just to verify.

 

Cheers, Rob.

What's the jury's verdict on ASN clouds : 32bit or DTX5 ?

What's the jury's verdict on ASN clouds : 32bit or DTX5 ?

Follow the recommendations of REX4.

Spirit

Hi Jeroen, glad you're still with us on the sim front

 

Me too! ^_^

 

 

 

FYI, going back to a base P3D V2.3 (no add-ons) and everything is fine, no significant performance change when flying thru clouds, a little lower but not much lower.

 

Hm, odd that you suddenly have those problems too! It seems indeed some addon is causing havoc somehow...? I don't really have problems in clouds (yet :rolleyes: ) and my addons are:

FT PNW

FTX NCA

FTX Global

FTX Vector

FTX OpenLC

ASN

A2A Cherokee 180

HDE v2 clouds

 

 

 

Anyone here NOT using that AND getting stutters?

 

I am NOT using FSUIPC and I don't have any real problems in clouds. Sometimes performance may get a bit choppy near clouds but that could also have to do with the area I am flying in. I certainly am NOT experiencing drops in performance like Rob (fps 8!!!). My limit is 33 and sometimes it dips to low 25 or low 20 but certainly not below 10!

 

Flight sims remain to be mystifying programs...