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Is there a point in replacing my UT AI models with another set ?

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Hi folks,I read somewhere that the F1 UT models are not the most efficient for AI. There was a recommendation to replace them with AI Aardvark models.Can anybody shed some light on this issue ? Seems like a very tedious job but if it is FPS-worhty nothing is too tedious.Thanks for any input.

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You cannot replace all the models with AIA - many but not all. You will endup with several different models from several sources/ modelers.Don't look at it as a massive project - but a series of small ones.Pick an aircraft model or an airline and make the change. Then another, then another. It will get faster as your get more practice.Use UT's excellent aircraft assignment feature to change the models over and recompile your flight plans.Not only will your FPS improve steadily but you will normally find the repaints are much better.Just don't get so caught up in the process that you forget to fly!!!

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>Just don't get so caught up in the process that you forget to>fly!!!Thanks for the reply. So...just to confirm..AIA is the way to go ?Not Project AI ?********************************************************************I guess I will start with the 737 and A320 series. Then on to the 747, 757 and 767.I fly mostly in the US and Europe. Some in South America and Japan.Just want to make sure I start with the changes that make the most difference first.Any other suggestions-opinions welcome.Thanks

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In my personal opinion - the repaints in the PAI Official packages are superior to the repaints in the Ultimate Traffic release.Short answer - there will be some benefit to replacing the default UT repaints with aircraft from a PAI package.But you will gain the best benefit by replacing the models with better generation models.You will also want to replace all of the UT Dash-8, Saab 340, ERJ 135 & 140 repaints with repaints from the PAI packages / or PAI library. Though some repaints for the Saab made with Tony Fosler's excellent repaint kit are available here. In fact any PAI model repaint can be hosted on any web site - just the model files are not to be hosted / included.For those aircraft - you can actually just replace the texture in the folder for the repaint - you will not have to use the aircraft assignment utility to get the better repaints. There are no better models for these aircraft.Ultimate Traffic also includes an option which saves hundreds of megabytes of disk space which most manual AI install folks waste. Aircraft are able to use common textures from the main FS texture folder. For the Ultimate GA (not associated with Ultimate Traffic) Cessna 550 Citation package - using one light map file in the main texture folder saved almost 200MB of disk space.Don't think you have to add a _L.bmp file to every texture folder. Now you will want a cargo aircraft light map if the repaints for the aircraft are mostly pax - but overall most people waste a couple GB of disk space and slow down texture loading by having multiple copies of the same file.Just think about it - which is less load on the computer when displaying 100 A320 aircraft - 40 different repaints. Displaying 40 different copies of the identical _L.bmp file - or using one copy 100 times.Some of the newer PAI packages have better versions of some of the models - but if you're going for model replacement - start with the EvolveAI A321, the AIA B737 series aircraft, the AIA B747's.Basically - look at your favorite airport - which type / model of aircraft is most common - try to replace that model with the most efficient possible.That's the best use of your time.

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Thank you VERY much. Sure helps to do some research before embarking on a project like this.

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OK. Reinstalled UT. Will start reassigning the airlines in the following sequence:First round :BAAir FranceLufthansaUnitedAmericanI am guessing these are the biggest five. I have no FPS issues with my Japanese sceneries so I will skip the Japanese carriers for now.--------------------------------------------------------------------Second round :SoutwestKLMSASContinentalNorthwestIberiaAlitalia--------------------------------------------------------------------A separate question: If I added an l_ file in the main FS9 texture folder and took it out of individual aircraft texture folders would this file still be read by the simulator ? For example if I had 10 727 textures I would have all 10 read the l_ file from the FS9Texture folder. Do I understand this correctly ?Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Yes, you correct on the lightmap file.I'll use my AIA B727-200 folder as an example:First I create a new folder within the aircraft folder named LightMapsIn that folder I put the MASTER / BEST passenger light map file - aia_727_200_l.bmp from the original paintkit install is excellent.I put a COPY of that file in my main Texture folder off the root of the Flight Simulator 9 folder.I remove the aia_727_200_l.bmp file from the folder of all PASSENGER aircraft repaints - saving about 40 mb of space on the approx 150 repaints.I also keep a master CARGO light map which I have named Cargo_aia_727_200_l.bmp in the LightMap folder. A copy of that file - renamed aia_727_200_l.bmp - is placed in the texture folder with each CARGO repaint - about 35 of them.So I have 186 AIA B727-200 repaints on my computer - about 150 of the folders do not have a light map and the FS program will pull the light map from the main Texture folder.I have about 35 AIA B727-200 repaints with a light map in the texture folder and those cargo aircraft all use the light map in their individual texture folder - not the one in the main texture folder.Clear as mud now?

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Roger that. My AI is beginning to look very pretty now. And in some locations (KPHX with replaced SW and AW aircraft) I have picked up a couple of FPS too. :-)Pity the only nice Airbus model is from Evolve AI. Currently most of my Airbuses are 321s :-(Is there a nice Dash 8 model around ? (nicer and nore efficient than the UT model).Thanks for all your help Reggie.

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The only Dash-8 is the FSP/PAI model used by UT.I don't like the UT/ PAI flight dynamics for the Dash-8 - preferring to use Jan Martin's - http://de.geocities.com/janswebsites/flightsim/index.htmlI'd recommend replacing the America West and other repaints for the Dash-8 - run the appropriate PAI airline package in the manual mode - and just copy the textures over the ones used by UT.As far as the other Airbus aircraftFSP has some descent models though ARNZ-AIS are the lowest polygonsThe A320-200ARNZ-AIS - 5 LOD - 2,086 LOD1 - http://www.flightsim.co.nz/ - not many repaints but most majorsDee Waldron - 5 LOD - 2,602 LOD1 - not many repaintsFSP A320 v2 - CFM Engines - 5 LOD - 6,150 LOD1FSP A320 v2 - V25 IAE Engines - 5 LOD - 6,102 LOD1PAI A320 v2 - CFM Engines - 3 LOD - 5,038 LOD1PAI A320 v2 - IAE Engines - 3 LOD - 4,738 LOD1PAI/UT A320 v1 - 3 LOD - 7,012 LOD1The ARNZ-AIS models will give the best performance - but not many updated repaints available - especially new UAL or USA/ America West repaints.While the PAI models have lower polygon counts at LOD1 - they have higher polygon counts at LOD2, and drop to almost nothing at LOD3Some people complain about the nose shape on some of the models - you'd have to judge yourself.(Polygon counts taken with ACM - Aircraft Container Manager v2.3)

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Reggie:A question about the Aircraft Container Manager :Are you using the demo or the registered version? The product is almost impossible to find at Simmarket.com. I can only find it if I use the link from the developer's web site.There is only one BAD review at Simmarket.What I like about it is the ability to view a model without starting FS9. And of course, the poly count. Also, adding smoke effects without using trial and error also seems neat. I tried zooming in but could not do it in the demo.Thanks.

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