What makes my AI traffic drag FSX FPS down so much?

[HUSSAR 272]

Hi Bill,The way I manage my AI is that I add my traffic in specific folders within the SimObjects folder in FSX. I can name the AI folders anything I want provided it is reflected in the fsx.cfgFor example here is how my SimObjects folder looks:AIaircraft_AirCanada_NCAIaircraft_CommercialAIaircraft_RATSAirplanesAnimals BoatsGroundVehiclesMiscRotorcraftIn your fsx.cfg scroll down to "main" and you will find the default list for the SimObjects. For example my custom .cfg looks like this, notice I have the "custom" AI contained within the command structure and as you add each one you place a number in order to sequence them:[Main]User Objects=Airplane, HelicopterSimObjectPaths.0=SimObjectsAirplanesSimObjectPaths.1=SimObjectsRotorcraftSimObjectPaths.2=SimObjectsGroundVehiclesSimObjectPaths.3=SimObjectsBoatsSimObjectPaths.4=SimObjectsAnimalsSimObjectPaths.5=SimObjectsMiscSimObjectPaths.6=SimObjectsAIaircraft_AirCanada_NCSimObjectPaths.7=SimObjectsAIaircraft_CommercialSimObjectPaths.8=SimObjectsAIaircraft_RATSSo now you can add AI specific period aircraft, create a folder within your SimObjects folder and name it "1960 Aircraft" and put all the aircraft from the '60's inside that folder. Then just make sure to duplicate the entry in your fsx.cfg, and for example if you would like to fly within that specific period with say 60's era aircraft all you need to do is modify your fsx.cfg by removing the command line that would include the other unwanted aircraft. Accordingly make sure to keep the number sequence in order. When I want to add the aircraft back into the fold all I do is add the line back to the fsx.cfg (I keep a text file with the paths for all my aircraft folders so I can copy and paste easily and it is error free.I would love to see someone write a program that could add or remove AI without having to modify the SimObjects and fsx.cfg manually, any takers?Hope that helps.*Edit* When you add or remove aircraft from within the fsx.cfg you will not see the changes until you have restarted FSX, unless of course it has not been started which then you can ignore this remark :-)

[tf51d 284]

There is one issue in doing this. Most AI uses the default AC for sound by aliasing in the sound.cfg file (or soundai.cfg) If you move the AI to another folder, it won't find the sound files it needs. So if you want sound in your AI aircraft, you either have to modify the config files to alias back to the airplanes folder, or copy the default sound files in the same structure to your new AI folder. Example AIAircraftB737_800sound and AIAircraftB737_800soundAI.

[Guest baksteen33]

Alternatively, If an AI AC 'exits' section looks like this: 'exits' (should be square brackets)number_of_exits = 2exit.0 = 0.4, 42.1, -7.9, 10.5, 0 exit.1 = 0.4, -48.5, 6.0, -0.0, 1 Change the last digit in exit.0 from 0 to 3 That will de-activate the jetways and traffic around the individual AI aircraft. Kind regards Jaap

[Bryn 72]

Well, I've achieved a notable increase in performance. Here is everything I've done: - removed sound= and panel= from AI aircraft cfg files (I used a free multi-file find and replace program I found - mreplace.zip)- removed all of the panel and sound directories from AI aircraft (simple search and delete in windows)- created a texture.cfg in every single AI texture folder that pointed fallbacks to the fsx/texture folder and the fsx/scenery/global/texture folder. Apparently there is a bug with FSX that means a development directory instead of the fsx/texture directory is the automatic fallback, or something like that (I wrote a little program in c++ that went through and wrote the 5000 or so texture.cfg files that were needed!)- turned off aircraft shadows (this has a notable impact anyway, but doing this alone did not fix my AI fps problem)- converted all of my textures to DDS DXT1 with no alpha and with mips (I think the mips are really necessary in FSX). This can be done in batch mode using the imagetool software that comes with the FSX SDK.Now I get a pretty flat 20-25 fps sitting at KJFK in my level d 767 with full airline and GA AI turned on and scenery settings at an acceptable level. I've also got road, boat and ship traffic at about 25% and airport vehicles turned off.Installed Mega Heathrow and, with full airliner and GA AI, 15 fps on finals in the 767, 10-15fps taxiing.Now things look better than FS9 and perform about the same as FS9. My conversion to the dark side could be almost complete.Bryn.

[RFields5421 1]

>Historical Schedules & Customizing with MTX>>Thanks so much--I visited the MTX site, but could not find any>discussion about historical traffic use.Which site?The My Traffic Support forums on the simFlight Network site are very active and filled with many people who know alot about how to tweak and get the very best out of MTX.You'll even probably get answers directly from the developer.http://forums.simflight.com/viewforum.php?...d20cd45b951ad81

[Guest drawlins]

fps fps>That was true in FS2002 and FS2004.>>However, the Microsoft default aircraft have always been very>LOD friendly aircraft, better than almost all AI specific>aircraft.>>But after all the default aircraft visual models were revised>in SP2 of FSX, their FPS impact is now lower than many AI>specific models.That sounded so unlikely that I just had to check it out. In the past (FS8 & FS9) the default Microsoft aircraft have always been framerate sinkholes compared to aircraft designed specifically for AI. And as I suspected, it's still not any different in FSX, at least with the default 737-800, which seemed like a good "typical" jetliner for testing. Maybe the other default aircraft are better than the 738.I used my fps testing bgl from FS9 in FSX, which fills all the KORD parking with a single aircraft.I tested 3 aircraft: The original default FSX 737-800, the SP2 FSX default 737-800, and the FS9 AIA 737-800 (winglet).I used a saved viewing position so I always tested from exactly the same spot. Anyway, the results from my fps test:Original default FSX 737-800 = 3.9fpsSP2 default FSX 737-800 = 3.8 fpsAIA (FS9) 737-800 = 7.0 fpsNo Aircraft = 17.5 fpsSo, filling KORD with the AIA 738 makes FSX unusable for me. Filling it with default 738's just makes it doubly unusable. :)David R

[Guest baksteen33]

Thanks Reggie, Please allow me to add, that's the support forum for the simMarket (download) MTX version. We cannot and by definition do not support Aerosoft/DVD versions at simFlight. That is, with the regular exceptions... :-) Each branch uses its own installers and has/pays their own support setup. The content varies slightly too. FWIW, Aerosoft's support forums are here: http://www.forum.aerosoft.com/viewforum.php?f=22Cheers and kind regards Jaap

[Guest Lith1um]

I'm not particularly sure exactly what vintage aircraft are included. Here is a shot of the MTX Communicator interface. It shows where you select which decade and the option to install historic models.It also shows the way you can select performance/quality models and animations.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/186583.jpg

[Guest baksteen33]

Hi there, We took a couple of models out of the newest schedules to benefit load times a little. If you are going to use the older schedules, please install the aircraft for historic flights. It's ca 10 models or so, they usually have a MTM bit in the file name (instead of MX) or are for example the Caravelles. Please note the MT-Board will not show in the same, complete manner as with the default 2008 schedules, the underlying database is missing for the older schedules. Cheers and kind regards Jaap

[Guest wcs33]

Thanks for the help and responses on the "historical" type AI elements in MTX folks!So, for example, if I am interested in Eastern Air Lines 1970 schedules, particularly that they include the Shuttle, or in Reeve Aleutian Airway 1990's schedules, would they be available?Is the Electra L-188 part of the modeled aircraft set? If not, I suppose I could add that traffic on my own-via TTools to supplement?ThanksBill

[Guest S1mPilot]

As far as I can tell the Electra is not present. (correct me if I'm wrong?)Adding your own aircraft and schedules /flight plans should be very easy using MyTraffic Editor. I've never done it though.The Electra is one beautiful bird. It would be very cool to see it in fsx airports.Edit:You got me curious so I checked the avsim library. There are 2 flyable L-188's for FSX, none for FSX AI. One includes your Reeve and PSA livery.There are several AI L-188's for FS9 AI.You should be good to go.

[mjrhealth 820]

aRe you using FRAPS and dual monitors to measure you fps it wont give true reading. if i had a constant 30 fps id be happy as a baby in a bath.

[Dirk98 354]

>- created a texture.cfg in every single AI texture folder that>pointed fallbacks to the fsx/texture folder and the>fsx/scenery/global/texture folder. Apparently there is a bug>with FSX that means a development directory instead of the>fsx/texture directory is the automatic fallback, or something>like that (I wrote a little program in c++ that went through>and wrote the 5000 or so texture.cfg files that were needed!)>Could you pls elaborate this texture.cfg and fallbacks part. What did you do exactly in this part?Thanks.

[Bryn 72]

Dirk,As I understand it, fallbacks are where FSX looks for textures if it cannot find them in the directory it is already looking in. For AI textures, this might be a lightmap that you've put in FSX/textures, or a number of environmental textures that FSX uses.The texture.cfg file therefore has the following lines...[fltsim]fallback.1=..texturefallback.2=........SceneryGlobalTexturefallback.3=........textureThe first line says to FSX to look in the aircraft's standard texture directory first, then look in possible other standard FSX locations for the texture thereafter.Again as I understand it, there should be a texture.cfg file in every AI texture directory. So, if you're like me and have a gazillion AI textures, this could be pretty laborious to do manually.That is why I wrote a small program that just went through looking for texture directories and writing appropriate texture.cfg files where it found them.Hope this is useful!Cheers,Bryn

[Dirk98 354]

>Dirk,>>As I understand it, fallbacks are where FSX looks for textures>if it cannot find them in the directory it is already looking>in. For AI textures, this might be a lightmap that you've put>in FSX/textures, or a number of environmental textures that>FSX uses.>>The texture.cfg file therefore has the following lines...>>[fltsim]>fallback.1=..texture>fallback.2=........SceneryGlobalTexture>fallback.3=........texture>>The first line says to FSX to look in the aircraft's standard>texture directory first, then look in possible other standard>FSX locations for the texture thereafter.>>Again as I understand it, there should be a texture.cfg file>in every AI texture directory. So, if you're like me and have>a gazillion AI textures, this could be pretty laborious to do>manually.>>That is why I wrote a small program that just went through>looking for texture directories and writing appropriate>texture.cfg files where it found them.>>Hope this is useful!>>Cheers,>>BrynThanks, Bryn, appreciate your time. Are you going to sell or share your little smart proggy? I've got hundreds of AI texture folders with no texture.cfg files inside. Also, which utility did you use to batch-convert bmp to dds files? I know you did the right thing.