Installation Of Version 3 - AddOns List

[sab12 6]

Hi Steve,

 

When installing the Fixer, there are choices for Add-ons.

 

I have just upgraded to Active Sky 16 from Active Sky Next. Assuming I want to select Active Sky Next ?

 

Also, have PMDG 737 NGX installed so selecting this. Does this also cover the PMDG 777?

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

[SteveFx 258]

Yes select Active Sky Next - I will update the text in the next release.

 

No special settings are required for the PMDG 777 on its own - however as you have the 737NGX you should still tick the 737NGX option.

I hope that makes sense

[sab12 6]

Steve,

 

Setting 737 NGX makes perfect sense

 

Really liking what I'm seeing from the Fixer - esp the fog. It happens that the first flight I tried was into Nantucket which was partially fogged in this morning. Haven't ever seen anything that realistic in FSX before.

 

Another question - In the Fixer there is a setting for DX10 Anti-Aliasing. Is this advisory or does something actually get set? It looks like that In order for this to do something I have to go into Profile part of Nvidia Inspector and put the setting in my Microsoft Flight Simulator 10 profile. It also appears (e.g. Flight Sim Labs 320 forum) that folks are making .nip profiles and making them available.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

[SteveFx 258]

Hello Steve

 

Thanks for that, the fog and sunset changes are things you don't see often get mentioned.

 

Ok let's explain AA.

 

In dx9 the norm is not to set AA in fsx but to force it on from Nvidia inspector which is (just) a very nice editor for Nvidia profiles. You then select the AA level in Nvidia inspector.

 

As well as the base AA level you also set whether you want super sampling or not in Nvi.

 

In dx10 this simply doesn't work. You instead have to turn AA on in fsx settings and then you set the level (4x, 8x CSAA , 8x) by some settings in fsx.cfg. Called something like Multi samples per pixel and multi sample quality

 

When fsx connects to the gpu. It tells it the dx10 AA level to apply.

 

These settings weren't documented and so no one knew of them. This led to lots of people believing that AA didn't work in dx10 preview.

 

I read the app spec and realised that there ought to be two values, level and quality and hunted through lists other people had compiled of all the strings in fsx that might be parameters and found their names.

 

The "setting" in the fixer therefore just edits fsx.cfg. But it does what it says - it changes the AA level which Nvi doesn't for dx10. So yes you must use the fixer to set the base AA level ( I use 8x CSAA on a 970). Alternatively you need to edit the settings in fsx.cfg but it's much easier to use the fixer.

 

However what does work in Nvi is all the other filtering options and vitally the smart grid super sampling AA options which you really want on. So the nip profile matters but it isn't setting the base AA level.

 

Does that help?

[sab12 6]

Hi Steve,

 

Yes - this helps a lot although I had no idea how complicated the story of DX10 Preview is.

 

I have installed the .nip and .dfp profiles that Flight Sim Labs provided in their OOM and Performance Issues thread on the A320. Having the AA setting in DX10 Preview plus the .nip setting of other parameters makes a big difference in the legibility of all my cockpits.

 

Question: Regarding the .dfp profile, I didn't back up your installer's My Settings profile before I loaded it. In looking at what they did, are the settings in your User Manual your My Settings recommendations?

 

Question: I have a 680 and the FSL .dfp uses 8x. What would I look for in the sim to see if 8x CSAA might be more appropriate?

 

Thanks again for all your help,

 

Steve

[SteveFx 258]

My settings profile is called Steve, it's a dfp file you can switch to, but I would actually suggest you stick with theirs as they may have a keener eye for graphics than me. I will download theirs and compare at some point.

 

The decision about 8x CSAA and 8x comes down to performance in clouds, if your clouds performance is OK stick with it. Winding back will lose some quality in the VC. The same is true in dx9 btw.

[Tigerhawk 3]

Yes select Active Sky Next - I will update the text in the next release.

 

No special settings are required for the PMDG 777 on its own - however as you have the 737NGX you should still tick the 737NGX option.

I hope that makes sense

 

Steve,

 

I recently installed the fixer, but without ticking the ASN box. ( I too have AS16)

I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling it, but didn't get the option box.

How do I activate the ASN?

 

Regards

 

Dave

[SteveFx 258]

That's a first time easy setup dialog so you don't see it again. There are 3 settings relevant to asn to do with missing textures - 2 are in cloud dialog and one in rain dialog - the manual explains which ones they are.

[Tigerhawk 3]

Ok, cheers Steve.

[sab12 6]

Hi Steve,

 

Re: 8x CSAA versus 8x

 

Just to make sure I understand - 8x CSAA will look better when I'm flying in clouds but at the expense of some performance (frames, micro-stuttering, etc.). The VC will also have somewhat better quality.  If I drop back to 8x, clouds and the VC will look somewhat worse but performance will be somewhat better.

 

This is consistent with what I see as the Flight Sim Labs focus on insuring that A320 customers get good performance and avoid oom problems. Although I am interested in that I also want to get the best performance (= best graphics I can get without losing smoothness) across all my other add-ons.

 

BTW - Does TriLinear versus Anisotropic filtering have any effect on or require different settings in DX10 Preview or is it just a graphics quality versus performance tradeoff?

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

[SteveFx 258]

 

 

No 8x CSAA sits between 4x and 8x in quality, it's less of a hit in clouds than 8x would be.

 

The place 8x will look better is zoomed out in the VC especially with e.g MFDs.

A useful test is this.

 

1. Load a complex aircraft (pmdg,fsl) at a complex airport. Compare fps with AA off, and at various levels. You will probably find the AA level has little impact as your frames are limited by the CPU.

 

2 do the same test in heavy clouds in the air (so not near an airport). You may find that in this scenario that the AA level makes more of a difference.

 

It's a case of finding the right balance for visuals versus performance.

[sab12 6]

Steve,

 

Thanks again for your explanations and advice on how to test.

 

Probably going to stick with 8x Anti-Aliasing and 16x Anisotropic filtering as those look good to me and look elsewhere (e.g. Water Effects, Traffic, and Scenery Autogen settings) for performance and oom relief when I need it.

 

Steve