Prepp3d Views: Peripheral Distortion Correction

[denali 74]

Just to say, pr3sid3nt3 has been chatting with me about these ideas for weeks now and is helping out.  I am under a lot of stress lately (my mother having stage 4 small cell carcinoma (malignant lung cancer - 4 - 8 months) and other people also failing health here, along with a 7mo making unreasonable and successful demands for my attention; it's yin and yang.  So distractions are the rule now.  

 

[denali 74]

New Version:    https://www.dropbox.com/s/lz420p88z9rsucd/Prepp3D%20Views.exe?dl=0

 

This one has a more robust way of finding the P3D main window.

[denali 74]

It seems to work well, at least for me, I've gotten very little feedback.  I can tell you that with DSR much of the graininess that can be seen is done away with.  Downsampling is what is needed for this and it's problem of graininess; it is effectively using a downsampling method as it is with the oversizing and clipping.  Oversizing a view, even with downsampling, doesn't affect FPS because a modern card knows to only direct it's computing relevant to the size of the view/display, and it dumps the work from the previous buffer bit by bit (AFAIK), so memory use is also not affected much.

 

I've done some work within P3D with Simconnect, but P3D doesn't respond to window resizes in a very stable way (It handles the "window has been resized" message from Windows for some reason and resets the size the view to the display size). This is why I've been doing it from outside of P3D.

 

Please try the new app found in the first entry of this thread.  There are now 3 views; I have added a cockpit view, and an uninstall for the views.

 

I really believe everyone should try this if they are using DSR because it will correct the distortion for any large display as well.  It's not intrusive, meaning  you can "set it aside and just not use it" without uninstalling if you're not sure you like it, or you can uninstall it as well.  

 

I use it and I could never go back.

[GSalden 4,655]

Tomorrow I will try it.

Hopefully DSR is working with NVSurround as I remember reading that DSR did not wotk with it.

[denali 74]

I don't use NVSurround.  It doesn't really seem to add anything for me, even performance wise.  I think it's for programs that can't stretch beyond the single monitor, which P3D can.   

[Tommi333 0]

Hi Denali,

 

I tried out your latest Views.exe and have an issue.

 

1 - It recognizes my resolution (5888 x 1080, bezel corrected, NV surround, 3 Monitors) but when I push the button "Install Lens Corrected Cameras" obviously nothing happened.

 

2 - I checked then the cameras.cfg - No new camera was installed 

 

3 - But in the LM PostProcess folder I could find both, the Prepp3D View 140x50.psh and .xml docs.

 

4 - I tried then to manually create a custom Camera in PP (right click) and add this effect. I got the same results as Mike did before.

 

Don't know how to solve this problem. HELP

[denali 74]

That view/display is what you want to see if the shader is working.  The last thing you need to do is to use Prepp3D Views to resize P3D's window/view to be larger than your total display resolution.   You can get an idea of what is going to happen by looking at the red rectangle over the virtual cockpit image in PrepP3D Views.  The red rectangle represents your total display resolution, and the virtual cockpit image represents the P3D window in the over-sized dimensions that you need in order to not see the black ellipse area.  The idea is to re-size it to be large enough that you clip out the ellipse area.

[Lurk 3]

FSX?

[fulcrum_64th 9]

Dear Denali,

 

First thanks for your work. Distortion has been an issue since ages. I'm using nvidia surround 3 screen step up for the outside view of my home cockpit. The view is not a virtual cockpit. The app recognize my bezel resolution. Yet in the sim I have impression then when I go to the custom cockpit view it reduces the picture resolution. Maybe I'm doing something wrong and need to correctly calibrate the view.

 

Kind regards

 

Karim

[denali 74]

FSX?

I believe this may work in FSX, with a little more hacking, like writing the shader into an existing FSX postprocess shader.  You could manually install the psh, xml, and edit the cameras.cfg file yourself, and it actually may work,  But I do not YET have FSX reinstalled to try it.  It's on my list.

Dear Denali,

 

First thanks for your work. Distortion has been an issue since ages. I'm using nvidia surround 3 screen step up for the outside view of my home cockpit. The view is not a virtual cockpit. The app recognize my bezel resolution. Yet in the sim I have impression then when I go to the custom cockpit view it reduces the picture resolution. Maybe I'm doing something wrong and need to correctly calibrate the view.

 

Kind regards

 

Karim

Karim, The graininess/loss of resolution/unsharpening whatever you want to call it is something I am aware of and it is a result of having to compress certain areas of the original view as well as stretch some other areas of the original view.  I am basically just doing a remapping of the pixels from the original cockpit, spot or virtual cockpit views, and while there is not much loss of information for a realistic perspective, it causes a graininess because there is pixel information taken out of the original to get the correct perspective in some places.

 

 I've thought about a few ways to work this out that I can do, and one you can try.  The new DSR filter mentioned in another popular thread here does help.  other smoothing filters help, anti-aliasing etc.  For me, as it is right now, even with the slight graininess, I am much more satisfied.  But I very much understand the concern for smoothness.  I plan to ask LM as a developer for some ideas on this, it's on my list.  

I use photoscenery more often and I guess it is not as visible in there.

 

If you want, to be certain I understand, a screen shot would help.

[Lurk 3]

I believe this may work in FSX, with a little more hacking, like writing the shader into an existing FSX postprocess shader.  You could manually install the psh, xml, and edit the cameras.cfg file yourself, and it actually may work,  But I do not YET have FSX reinstalled to try it.  It's on my list.

 

great news, thx denali, I need to reinstall fsx as well.

[whitav8 98]

@Denali,

     First off let me say that all of us simmers who have seem your superior work on this distortion reduction post process and all the other times you have supplied your thinking,  hope and pray for improvement in your personal struggles - we all know life can be difficult at times!

     I have been able to have success with your latest version of the application and think it is very helpful. I typically run three separate windows - a left/center/right - set of views to get minimal distortion for a very wide field of view maybe 200x45 or so with Zoom set at about .62 for each view. Of course, the performance is about 40% of that with a single view (three separate 3D renders plus all the increased pixels) and also has the problem with the horizon angle on the two side views angling up or down depending on pitch angle. It is nice though to see the runway when I am on base to final. Your approach doesn't have the horizon issue but as yet has somewhat reduced field of view, but somewhat improved performance (on my 660ti) in comparison to the three separate views. Thanks much for your providing to us three-monitor folks an alternative that really has promise!

 

Thanks

Dave

[denali 74]

@Denali,

     First off let me say that all of us simmers who have seem your superior work on this distortion reduction post process and all the other times you have supplied your thinking,  hope and pray for improvement in your personal struggles - we all know life can be difficult at times!

     I have been able to have success with your latest version of the application and think it is very helpful. I typically run three separate windows - a left/center/right - set of views to get minimal distortion for a very wide field of view maybe 200x45 or so with Zoom set at about .62 for each view. Of course, the performance is about 40% of that with a single view (three separate 3D renders plus all the increased pixels) and also has the problem with the horizon angle on the two side views angling up or down depending on pitch angle. It is nice though to see the runway when I am on base to final. Your approach doesn't have the horizon issue but as yet has somewhat reduced field of view, but somewhat improved performance (on my 660ti) in comparison to the three separate views. Thanks much for your providing to us three-monitor folks an alternative that really has promise!

 

Thanks

Dave

Dave, Thank you for the kind words.  It has actually not been easy for a while around here, but slowly I'm able to deal with things more every day.

 

Your method is the way I've done 3 screens in FSX from the start.  FPS killer.  But I just tollerated it because I wanted to see what was out the side windows.  Framerate isn't affected as much by photoscenery, and it may be another reason why I am such a fan of it.

 

FOV is limited to a glitchy 179 degrees.  But I am a pretty stubborn person and I feel I may be able to make that a nice full 179 some day, or possibly hack two views together.  Time is still kinda limited for now, but as P3D is pretty much the only thing I get around to doing to chill out lately (which one shouldn't feel sorry for me about), I try to take a bite out of the project apple every now and then.  I'm probably going to add FOV control in there soon because I'm curious about how DSR is affecting the wider resolutions.  As it is my monitors are at 126 degrees FOV and that is what the current shader ends up at after clipping.

 

I'm trying to be as verbose as possible about what this is because someone may have an idea I have missed.   I am curious to know if you are bothered by the graininess that some others have reported.

 

Thank Dave.

John

 

[whitav8 98]

@denali,

     No, I don't see any graininess at all - looks normal. I don't really notice any distortion.

 

     I would prefer about a .8 zoom so I could see the panel and outside a little better - I tried moving my seat back but I run into the 3D seat. Can I adjust that in the postprocess code or is it more complicated than that?

Thanks

Dave

[denali 74]

@denali,

     No, I don't see any graininess at all - looks normal. I don't really notice any distortion.

 

     I would prefer about a .8 zoom so I could see the panel and outside a little better - I tried moving my seat back but I run into the 3D seat. Can I adjust that in the postprocess code or is it more complicated than that?

Thanks

Dave

I'm happy you don't notice the graininess.  It is there however, but like microstutters some notice some don't.  I don't, it even took a bit of honesty with myself to see it, it's my baby.   But I just don't care, and DSR along with some aa methods will clear that if I can take time to tune them in.  Then there may be an actual fix along in the future.

 

When you set FOV, zoom is disabled.  zoom is actually an adjustment of FOV, but locked together horizontal and vertical.  You can eyeball them for a match, and then set them in a new entry in Cameras.cfg and new psh and xml.   When you make a new entry into cameras.cfg,  Just copy my entry, make some changes where appropriate.  FIND A GUID GENERATOR AND USE IT for the GUID.  http://www.guidgenerator.com/  don't know about that one but my friend Google told me about it.  He's doesn't always have the best ideas, but always has one to consider, which makes him a great friend.

 

It makes me happy that you're trying it.  I am having a pretty decent day today too for a change.