Textures appearing black

[BWBriscoe 124]

I have an issue in v5 where some textures appear black. If I change views and change back, they appear as they should instantly with no FPS hit. Is there a way to ensure when P3D loads them it loads the textures as well? I'm constantly changing to wing view and back to get some textures.

Edited August 6, 2021 by BWBriscoe

[pgde 571]

If these are ORBX textures, do a search here on Black Textures and there have been a number of posts about this. I am not an ORBX user so I don't have the answer at my finger tips....

[BWBriscoe 124]

It's not just ORBX textures, I also have it with SimWings EGLL as well?

[IanHarrison 527]

Could it be that your RAM is a bit under-powered?

[BWBriscoe 124]

20 hours ago, IanHarrison said:

Could it be that your RAM is a bit under-powered?

I've got 64GB of RAM

[Rogen 1,102]

1 hour ago, BWBriscoe said:

I've got 64GB of RAM

Oooooh, sorry... latest versions of software require 128 GB

Heh, in actuality though, 64 GB quite a lot, have you configured to aggressively fetch textures?

E.g. in the prepar3d.cfg (settings in spolier).
 

Spoiler

[GRAPHICS]

// MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE There's no cap on this value itself because it's intended as a limit.
// If you want textures requesting aggressively, you can set it something very high like 1000000. Units are memory allocation units (not distance).
// There are two other checks that must pass before textures are requested:
// 1) Object is within the far clip distance. This varies by altitude.
// 2) Object pixel size at a given distance passes min radius check. This we made configurable in 4.3 using RS_MIN_OBJECT_PIXEL_RADIUS. (default is 2.0px)
RS_MIN_OBJECT_PIXEL_RADIUS=2.000000

//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000.000000  // default value, 1000000.000000 is max I've tested.
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=180000.000000
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=320000.000000
MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=640000.000000
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000000.000000

I have mine set pretty high and I've just forgotten what a black texture even is cause i never see one.

Cheers

[BWBriscoe 124]

On 8/8/2021 at 8:59 AM, Rogen said:

Oooooh, sorry... latest versions of software require 128 GB

Heh, in actuality though, 64 GB quite a lot, have you configured to aggressively fetch textures?

E.g. in the prepar3d.cfg (settings in spolier).
 

  Hide contents

[GRAPHICS]

// MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE There's no cap on this value itself because it's intended as a limit.
// If you want textures requesting aggressively, you can set it something very high like 1000000. Units are memory allocation units (not distance).
// There are two other checks that must pass before textures are requested:
// 1) Object is within the far clip distance. This varies by altitude.
// 2) Object pixel size at a given distance passes min radius check. This we made configurable in 4.3 using RS_MIN_OBJECT_PIXEL_RADIUS. (default is 2.0px)
RS_MIN_OBJECT_PIXEL_RADIUS=2.000000

//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000.000000  // default value, 1000000.000000 is max I've tested.
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=180000.000000
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=320000.000000
MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=640000.000000
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000000.000000

I have mine set pretty high and I've just forgotten what a black texture even is cause i never see one.

Cheers

I've not changed anything in the .cfg myself (I never have!)

[Dirk98 354]

On 8/8/2021 at 10:59 AM, Rogen said:

Oooooh, sorry... latest versions of software require 128 GB

Heh, in actuality though, 64 GB quite a lot, have you configured to aggressively fetch textures?

E.g. in the prepar3d.cfg (settings in spolier).
 

  Hide contents

[GRAPHICS]

// MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE There's no cap on this value itself because it's intended as a limit.
// If you want textures requesting aggressively, you can set it something very high like 1000000. Units are memory allocation units (not distance).
// There are two other checks that must pass before textures are requested:
// 1) Object is within the far clip distance. This varies by altitude.
// 2) Object pixel size at a given distance passes min radius check. This we made configurable in 4.3 using RS_MIN_OBJECT_PIXEL_RADIUS. (default is 2.0px)
RS_MIN_OBJECT_PIXEL_RADIUS=2.000000

//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000.000000  // default value, 1000000.000000 is max I've tested.
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=180000.000000
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=320000.000000
MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=640000.000000
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000000.000000

I have mine set pretty high and I've just forgotten what a black texture even is cause i never see one.

Cheers

Could you share your final specific settings that made you forget what a black texture even is?

Thank you.

[Rogen 1,102]

5 hours ago, BWBriscoe said:

I've not changed anything in the .cfg myself (I never have!)

Then you're missing out on some sweet settings.

Think of the default prepar3d.cfg as a minimum set of configurations, a lowest common denominator for even the most lowly of machines.

Yes there are sliders, but if that's all you stick with then you're missing out on some of the more advanced capabilities.

• Want to line those tree placements up to .5 of a metre accuracy ? it's a config setting (default is 80 metres).
• Want to agressively fetch textures to avoid black ones ? it's a config setting (default is 1000 memory units and you can go to 1 million or even more).
• Want smoother cockpit shadows ? it's a config setting (defaults give pretty jaggy shadows).
• Want to max out autogen past the capability of the sliders ? it's a config setting (think double the max of the sliders).
• Want to place the main CPU thread on your strongest CPU core ? it's a config setting (an affinity mask).

Up to you though I guess...

Cheers

[Rogen 1,102]

3 hours ago, Dirk98 said:

Could you share your final specific settings that made you forget what a black texture even is?

Just click the "Reveal Hidden Contents" spoiler option and all will be revealed 🙂

It is a pity LM don't provide some more customised cfg files for high performance PC's and up the base features a little, even the now defunct Flight Sim World included Orbx Global and A2A's Accu-Feel as default, LM just seem to leave it all up to the end user to add their own features and adjustments but mostly end users don't do that and we end up seeing screen pics of things like the horrible lime green trees because users simply often don't know about turning them off or using alterantives. Plus LM's official docos are lacking in the prepar3d.cfg option descriptions which means hunting all over the place to find.

But with the right collection of addins and settings the P3D experience can be quite good.

Cheers

[BWBriscoe 124]

18 hours ago, Rogen said:

Then you're missing out on some sweet settings.

Think of the default prepar3d.cfg as a minimum set of configurations, a lowest common denominator for even the most lowly of machines.

Yes there are sliders, but if that's all you stick with then you're missing out on some of the more advanced capabilities.

• Want to line those tree placements up to .5 of a metre accuracy ? it's a config setting (default is 80 metres).
• Want to agressively fetch textures to avoid black ones ? it's a config setting (default is 1000 memory units and you can go to 1 million or even more).
• Want smoother cockpit shadows ? it's a config setting (defaults give pretty jaggy shadows).
• Want to max out autogen past the capability of the sliders ? it's a config setting (think double the max of the sliders).
• Want to place the main CPU thread on your strongest CPU core ? it's a config setting (an affinity mask).

Up to you though I guess...

Cheers

Would you mind sharing where these settings are in the config file and what you think I should be using?
Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9900K CPU @ 3.60GHz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s) / 65GB RAM / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

Thanks
 

[G-RFRY 1,743]

MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000.000000

This is the default P3Dv5 config setting. Try increasing the setting this is mine. 

 MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=32000.000000

 

 

[Rogen 1,102]

11 hours ago, BWBriscoe said:

Would you mind sharing where these settings are in the config file and what you think I should be using?
Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9900K CPU @ 3.60GHz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s) / 65GB RAM / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

Well.. remember the settings are for tuning P3D, they all have a default value and you can always revert back to the default.

The settings are placed under the heading as shown in square brackets, and added to the existing settings unless the setting already exists, in which case update the existing value with the new value.

Before adding any settings make a backup of the prepar3D.cfg and name along the lines of prepar3d.default.cfg that way you've an easy fall back to the defaults, or as a reference if things get out of hand.

Settings are in the spoiler.

Spoiler

[GRAPHICS]
// MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE There's no cap on this value itself because it's intended as a limit.
// If you want textures requesting aggressively, you can set it something very high like 1000000. Units are memory allocation units (not distance).
// There are two other checks that must pass before textures are requested:
// 1) Object is within the far clip distance. This varies by altitude.
// 2) Object pixel size at a given distance passes min radius check. This we made configurable in 4.3 using RS_MIN_OBJECT_PIXEL_RADIUS. (default is 2.0px)
RS_MIN_OBJECT_PIXEL_RADIUS=2.000000

//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000.000000  // default value, 1000000.000000 is max I've tested.
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=180000.000000
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=320000.000000
MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=640000.000000
//MAX_TEXTURE_REQUEST_DISTANCE=1000000.000000

// Defaults - note if changing these values in a profile, saving the profile in P3D will overwrite back to default and the settings will need to be manually updated.
//OPAQUE_SHADOW_TEXTURE_SIZE=2048
//TRANSLUCENT_SHADOW_TEXTURE_SIZE=512
//OPAQUE_SHADOW_DRAW_DISTANCE=2000
//TRANSLUCENT_SHADOW_DRAW_DISTANCE=2000

// Less jaggy cockpit shadows - just a doubling of the default settings above.
OPAQUE_SHADOW_TEXTURE_SIZE=4096
TRANSLUCENT_SHADOW_TEXTURE_SIZE=1024
OPAQUE_SHADOW_DRAW_DISTANCE=4000
TRANSLUCENT_SHADOW_DRAW_DISTANCE=4000

//ENABLE_MEMORY_OPTIMIZATION Performs periodic cleanup of the geometric cache which stores buffers used for batched buildings and is either OFF (value = 0) or ON (value = 1) if you have VRAM to spare, there is no need to attempt any memory optimization so set the value to 0 (zero).
//ENABLE_MEMORY_OPTIMIZATION=1
ENABLE_MEMORY_OPTIMIZATION=0

 

[SCENERY]

//Also of interest is that Orbx night lights are basically a Tree in the shape of a light and increasing these tree values will subsequently increase the nightlighting range.

//Tree LOD independent of the UI settings - Default 2500.000000 Max 8000.000000, 6500.000000 will match the LOD slider max.
AUTOGEN_TREE_MIN_DISTANCE_TO_LOD=8000.000000
//Max distance allowed 12000.000000 - Default 9500.000000
AUTOGEN_TREE_MAX_DRAW_DISTANCE=12000.000000

// MaxRegionsPurgePerFrame=16 - Default is 16 and relates to purging of scenery items from memory (not textures).
// The higher the value the more items purged and the lower the VAS but is more likely to be stuttery.
// LM originaly had this set to a value of 4 but raised it to 16 to account for slower machines to be able to clear memory when flying faster.
// 8 to 12 seems to be a reliable settings range, and a value of 1 is fine if the machine is fast enough (which mine is).
MaxRegionsPurgePerFrame=1
//MaxRegionsPurgePerFrame=2
//MaxRegionsPurgePerFrame=4
//MaxRegionsPurgePerFrame=8
//MaxRegionsPurgePerFrame=16

//AUTOGEN_BATCH_LOD=2 //Default is 2, setting to 1 will greatly increase the amount of autogen buildings, almost double in some instances and tends to result in too many buildings cramped together, valid values are 1 to 9 with 1 the highest.
AUTOGEN_BATCH_LOD=2
 

[MAIN]

// Scenery loading and processing time slicing - 0.33 is the default. Only has an effect if the P3D frame rate limiter is enabled (i.e. not set to unlimited)
FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.15

 

[TERRAIN]

// P3D maintains a global terrain view for efficiency - if blurries start developing after a period of time try trialling setting to False.
UseGlobalTerrainView=True

// Set the autogen to max per cell that can be displayed
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_BUILDINGS_PER_CELL=6000
TERRAIN_MAX_AUTOGEN_VEGETATION_PER_CELL=6000

// Relates to vegetation and how it is placed along side rivers and roads. The default and minimum is 16 and can be set up to 2048 in double values i.e. 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048.
// The higher the number the more accurately a curved polygon will be rasterised. 16 equals placement accuracy of ~80 metres, 2048 equals placement accuracy of approx 0.5 metres. Higher values come with more performance costs.
// Result will be treelines that accurately follow the curves in roads and bends in rivers as opposed to the old straight lines and angles of before.
// Surprisingly setting the value to 2048 appeared to have little performance impact.
IMAGE_PIXELS_FOR_AUTOGEN_POLYGONS=2048

[JOBSCHEDULER]
// set P3D to run on the cores only (an 8 core 8 thread CPU) and not the threads, see the URL for an easy to use calculator -  https://www.gfsg.co.uk/affinitymask.aspx
AffinityMask=21845

 

 

I'd also look at some overclocking and trialling disabling HT, just to get the base clock speed up and for less heat with HT disabled, my base was 3.8 and I upped it to 4.5 and disabled HT (SMT in my case cause I have a Ryzen), this allows me to run very cool where in my testing I've found P3D runs best when HT (or SMT) is disabled, some say otherwise but it's what I've trialled and found. YouTube is a good source of overclocking info.

Finally one item that allows me to have a smooth sim and high value settings is a vsync @ 30 Hz (because I have a 30Hz capable monitor).

This maintains the sim @ 30 FPS and allows for ramping up the GFX sliders as the load is quite reduced, in fact I have almost all sliders to the far right apart from draw distance @ medium and the couple of sliders based on Orbx recommendations for their scenery.

You can limit via the NVidia Control Panel otherwise (Settings/Manage 3D Settings/Program Settings/Prepar3D) should your monitor not be 30 Hz capable, make sure in P3D you enable vsync and triple buffering and set the sim frame limiter to run as unlimited (or 120, which ever works best for yourself).

Typically it is a matter of testing and trialling one setting at a time and keeping organised notes on the test and results that can be refered back to.

I choose an airport and save a scenario to test consistantly and don't be afraid to change settings.

And most important - enjoy :-)

Cheers