Encountering OpenGL errors?

[Jimmy RFR 406]

The last two nights I've been on longer flights with the Aerobask E1000, when, after about 45 minutes / hour into the flight, I started to get coloured flashing triangles in the sky that sometimes persist - staying in one spot as I pan around.

 

The first time I had seen it, I managed to save my situation, keep flying for awhile more, then have the sim lock up and a windows dialog box pop up saying that the NVidia driver had encountered too many OpenGL errors, and would have to close the application. It also cited 'Error code 1'.  I restarted the sim, loaded my situation (had to start the E1000 in the air, but hey...) and was able to finish the next 1-1/2 hours of flight without an issue.

 

Last night, after reaching cruise, I left it on autopilot and started browsing on a different monitor, so I didn't catch the flashing bits right away.  They caught my eye just before the sim locked up with the same dialog box.  Since I hadn't saved a situation, and it was late anyhow, I just decided to go to bed after a bit of research, feeling a bit annoyed.

 

So, some important bits of info:

 

- Running at 2560x1440 on a 780 ti with 3 GB VRAM

- CPU O/C at 4.2 (been using the o/c for a long time, very, very stable in other games as well as FSX)

- 10.36 XP running full screen, HDR on, 2xSSAA+FXAA, most sliders set at mid to max

- HD Mesh

- SkyMaxx Pro (heavy clouds the first night, completely clear last night)

- both encounters with this were flying over the middle of nowhere, with relatively flat mesh and mostly forest underneath - frame rates were 40's - 50's with the clouds the first time, and 60 in clear weather.

 

Now, I did start up XP afterward, as well as the NvidiaInspector monitor to watch some stuff as I flew around. GPU temp was sitting at the reference set point (82c on a 780 ti) with fan speed at about 55%, but I did notice that my VRAM was near 100%. 

 

Is this sort of an OpenGL error caused by maxing out VRAM for too long? Does anyone have any experience with this? I found zero information on what 'Error code 1' refers to.

 

I tried to do some research on the dot org, but couldn't find anything close.

[fkane 6]

Yes, it sounds to me like you're running out of video memory. You're going to have to turn down some sliders until you can fit all the graphical goodies you want into the confines of your video memory. The HD Mesh can consume a lot of it, so there probably isn't much left for other stuff.

 

It's easy to configure Skymaxx Pro to generate a huge amount of clouds that consume a lot of video memory, so if you've been messing with its cloud draw distance or detail settings, resetting those is probably the easiest place to start.

[Jimmy RFR 406]

 

 

Yes, it sounds to me like you're running out of video memory. You're going to have to turn down some sliders until you can fit all the graphical goodies you want into the confines of your video memory.

 

Well, I appreciate the advice.  I seem to have fixed the problem through the application of sheer brute force: A brand spanking new 980 Ti with 6 GB of VRAM. ^_^

 

It's interesting to note that I've been keeping NvidiaInspector's monitor open while I fly; even flying over relatively flat, featureless areas, I can still hit 4.5 GB of VRAM used.  That's about the max I've seen, so it would appear that a 6 GB card is a decent choice. Oh, and if I lock it to 30 fps, the card's fans barely even turn on! :o