MSFS Adaptive LOD

[javelina 56]

54 minutes ago, GSalden said:

I have 4000 cards but still use this mod. I now can add extra AI traffic ac  😎

I have a 4090 (and Varjo Aero), and love this mod.  Works great!

[mryan75 281]

4 hours ago, Reset XPDR said:

I'll put out a test version tomorrow then. It'll be good to see what others think of it.

I’m game. 

[Reset XPDR 1,371]

Thanks everyone for your interest. Here is a link to the LOD Step Max test version.

LOD Step Max will initially set to a value of 5 (per second), which I have found to be a good compromise between maintaining smoothness and a reasonably timely change to new LOD levels. The lower you go the smoother it should be but also it take will take longer, and vice versa. If it isn't working for you or it is causing stutters every step change let me know and include your broad system specs (eg. CPU, GPU). You can effectively disable this new function by setting a very high LOD Step Max like 400 and the app will work as before as it chooses the lesser of LOD Step Max or the actual step change between table levels.

This test version also includes all other changes I have made since Fragtality's 0.3.2 release, and are summarised as follows:

• Cruise LOD Updates, when checked, will continue to update LODs in cruise but only if your AGL changes enough to put you at a new LOD table value and even then only if you cross it by a +- 5% null zone. This generally only activates when cruising at MSA over varying terrain and mostly lays dormant otherwise.
• PC and VR LODs are changed at the same time, meaning it is not necessary to select whether a profile is PC or VR as LODs will change whether you are in PC or VR mode. As a result, the VR checkbox has been removed and an additional 3 profiles have been added, totaling 6, to give you more choice for the type of flying you do.
• There are also a few fixes to fix minor issues I came across while digging through the code and testing and some small UI changes to accommodate the changed and removed features. 

Edit: Note minor bug found with one of the fixes I did to stop users selecting a value of 0 for any of the integer inputs, like the new LOD Step Max, so that functions don't get stuck in infinite loops is that it inadvertently restricted the Reduce only Pairs/Indices equal to or higher than # to not allow 0 as an changed input (although it will stay at 0 if it already is as long as you don't try to change it higher then back to 0 again). I have fixed it and updated the installer. If you have already experienced this problem because you've already downloaded the test version, just download it and install again as I have updated the installer. 

 

 

Edited January 21 by Reset XPDR

[Reset XPDR 1,371]

One, what I consider positive, side effect of the new LOD Step Max functionality I am trialing, is that it also applies to FPS Adaption LOD changes. Previously I stopped using FPS Adaption because in order for it to have meaningful FPS improvement, I had to drop TLOD in particular by at least 50, but the issue was when it deactivated that the sudden increase of LOD by 50 and new textures loading in often caused a brief FPS drop back down below the FPS Adaption trigger FPS and it would trigger again even if the steady state FPS was now above that trigger level. This caused FPS Adaption to be constantly activating and deactivating when it didn't need to be so I gave up on it.

Now, with LOD Step Max in use, the engagement and disengagement of FPS Adaption works as you expect it would because the LOD changes are much smaller and have less of an FPS impact when changing, which is especially noticeable on the disengagement action. As such I am now using FPS Adaption again quite successfully, so if you too had given up on it, perhaps give it another go now. I'm also interested to hear whether people think that the FPS engagement LOD decrease should be instant rather than stepped as I have it now, so you get the FPS improvement sooner but perhaps at the expense of a mild stutter and possibly doing so on a transient FPS drop like with a view change or panning where you don't really want it to react so significantly, and leave disengagement stepped as that is smoothest and avoids false re-triggering of FPS Adaption. It's a fairly easy change to make if people think that would be better.

Edited January 21 by Reset XPDR

[Divij 11]

Just gave this 3.5 test version a go and things are looking promising. Thank you for your continued development of this fantastic utility!  I might give FPS Adaption another go after you have changed it to step up / down. One request that I have for FPS Adaption is, would it be possible for it to work only on the ground? I do not want the LOD changes to happen in the air due to frame rate hiccups.

I need it mainly on the ground for the occasions when landing in a heavy airport with lots of Vatsim traffic. If that could be done (with a checkbox) then I would happily give FPS Adaption another go.

Edited January 21 by Divij

[Reset XPDR 1,371]

42 minutes ago, Divij said:

One request that I have for FPS Adaption is, would it be possible for it to work only on the ground? I do not want the LOD changes to happen in the air due to frame rate hiccups.

I suggest you first try the new version as is because the stepping reduces frame rate hiccups significantly, especially if you have a low LOD Step Max value like 2 and a very short timeout like 1 second. eg. if you are flying along at LOD 200 and have FPS Adaption set for 50 LOD reduction and the aforementioned values, if your flight experiences a brief FPS dip that triggers FPS Adaption, then in that next second it will drop LOD to 198 (200 - 2) and, since the FPS drop was transient, your LOD will go back up to 200 after 1 second and I doubt you will even notice it. If you have a persistent FPS drop then your LOD will continue working down to 150 (200 - 50) over the next 25 seconds (25 x 2 steps) and if that changes then within 1 second it will turn around and start marching back up at the same rate.

Edited January 21 by Reset XPDR

[abennett 177]

Many thanks to all for all your work on this, and @Reset XPDR especially for your antepenultimate post introducing your new version in a manner in which a regular, but proficient, PC user can actually understand!

I will try it out for sure, as I have had serious stutters when changing LODs, but interestingly only in the descent... The climb out has been as smooth as anything, completely unnoticeable, I would have expected the stutters to come when LODs were being increased rather than decreased as I would have thought that was more taxing!

Edited January 21 by abennett

[caneman 91]

Reset XDPR,

Big thanks for all your hard work and energy on this! Really appreciate all your efforts to create something special (as I know so many others do too).  

Very excited to give it a test.

So, quick question. Noticed in your table above you don’t have LOD limiter checked?  Is your system strong enough that you don’t need it, or just don’t find it of value?

Will give you a shout as soon as I have some results for you.

Again, thanks for carrying the ball forward on such an innovative mod.

Well done!

[Reset XPDR 1,371]

1 hour ago, abennett said:

I would have expected the stutters to come when LODs were being increased rather than decreased as I would have thought that was more taxing!

That's a good point and may be the case. As such, I have updated the code to have a LOD Step Increase Only checkbox which, when checked, will direct change down in LOD values but slow step up. Unchecked it will slow step both change directions. Download link is the same here

UI now looks like:

Edited January 21 by Reset XPDR

[Reset XPDR 1,371]

39 minutes ago, caneman said:

Noticed in your table above you don’t have LOD limiter checked?  Is your system strong enough that you don’t need it, or just don’t find it of value?

I do now. See https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/640425-msfs-adaptive-lod/?do=findComment&comment=5056710

[caneman 91]

😄

Outstanding.

[Noel 4,563]

1 hour ago, abennett said:

as I have had serious stutters when changing LODs

I've had this only when using LODs much higher than my hardware and settings can manage.  So my tact, contrary to what I thought was sage advice early on, I set mine up for frequent changes, but only minimal increases in LOD.  IOW, it's not the changing, it's the too large of a jump in LOD for my system to cope with that caused serious stutters.  You could see it not only in the stutter but also in main thread utilization.  For example, one profile does LOD 40 at 0ft, 50 at 300ft, 60 at 600ft, 70 at 900ft, etc, concomitant with being able to see more distant as you ascend.  I discovered w/ my settings I'm only able to manage LOD of 170 and that at 36,000' AGL.  

[caneman 91]

Can you post your settings?

Would be interested in a test and compare.

[abennett 177]

5 hours ago, Reset XPDR said:

I have updated the code to have a LOD Step Increase Only checkbox which, when checked, will direct change down in LOD values but slow step up. Unchecked it will slow step both change directions

Apologies if I have misunderstood, but isn’t this the wrong way round?

Presuming that the LOD Step Max is supposed to increase smoothness and reduce stutters, it needs to be used when descending, as it is the TLOD reducing that causes stutters.

The way you have done it, it is optional when descending (TLOD reducing), but always in use when climbing (TLOD increasing). But climbing is already smooth, and so this is where it should be optional, and it should be in use all the time when descending, as this is where the stutters occur (when TLOD is reduced), and, therefore, where it needs the help of the smoothing?

Of course, choice is no bad thing, and ideally it would be optional in both directions.

Again, apologies if I have misunderstood, and if so, your reply will help my understanding!

[abennett 177]

5 hours ago, Noel said:

I've had this only when using LODs much higher than my hardware and settings can manage.  So my tact, contrary to what I thought was sage advice early on, I set mine up for frequent changes, but only minimal increases in LOD.  IOW, it's not the changing, it's the too large of a jump in LOD for my system to cope with that caused serious stutters.

I would have to disagree here I think. 

The stutters come for me with even a relatively small change in LOD 125 down to 75, maybe this isn’t small, but it’s certainly smaller than when it reduces from 300 to 200 (where I don’t get stutters).

This also suggests that the stutters unrelated to the change being too hard for the system to cope with. Furthermore, before using this mod, I was using 250 TLOD the whole time with no stutters and reasonable FPS (never below 40).

So if my system can cope with that, surely it shouldn’t be giving me a massive stutter/freeze/sound crack, etc., when decreasing during descent from 125 to 75?

By your logic, one would argue that my system is incapable of running at 75 TLOD because the change to that is causing it to stutter, where in actual fact it is capable of 250 TLOD as that is what I was using before without stutters.

Please note, I am disagreeing in the friendliest possible terms. I’m a firm believer that it’s through exchanging ideas and different understandings that knowledge is increased, so I’m more than happy to be wrong, and corrected, in order to learn something new!

Edited January 21 by abennett