Is it possible to have a script to have dynamic LOD in the sim in real time? They had something like this available for X Plane from the community downloads. Basically, you’d set your target framerate range and the LOD would change on the fly to try to maintain the target framerate. Let’s say you wanted a your framerate to go from 30 (low end) to unlimited (high end). You’d set your low target to 30 and your high target to 100. I don’t know how to code, but that’d be a welcome addition.
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I suggested something similar to this a while ago. You might be able to find the post and the replies.
Cheers.
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That would be cool too. The reason I’m wondering if there’s something that can be made for LOD specifically, is a lot of folks seem to be main thread limited. This would free up some CPU resources.
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I think that would work poorly if you don’t couple it with something to keep the GPU busy, e.g. Render Scaling. Otherwise, you’d still get stutters.
But generally I like the idea of letting the system make sure you’re never mainthread limited. Few people understand how to tune their system themselves, and many absolutely refuse to acknowledge that re-tuning may be necessary after an update, not least because certain slider settings may now mean something else. It goes something like this:
The sim worked perfectly before SU7, but now it’s a stutter fest. I didn’t change anything, so I must be the update and a hotfix is required!
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“I think that would work poorly if you don’t couple it with something to keep the GPU busy, e.g. Render Scaling. Otherwise, you’d still get stutters.”
Could you please explain this in more detail?
“Few people understand how to tune their system themselves…”
Tune their systems?
I suggest you read this thread if you want to know more. In particular the posts by @Grabber523
In essence it’s about using the Developer Mode frame rate tool to ensure that you (almost) never become CPU-bound.
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its no fun to go again and again after these things, should not be neccesary.
It’s in the nature of things that when Asobo increase the number of LOD levels and the distance at which they kick in, e.g., to reduce the much criticized “morphing” in mountains (an improvement in SU7 that everybody seems to neglect), your finely tuned Terrain LOD slider may have to be moved a little to keep the sim from becoming CPU-limited.
Anyway, you just proved my point. Your feeling on the matter is the prevailing one, which is why I think some kind of auto-tune feature sounds like an interesting proposal. How feasible it is, I don’t know.
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But that would be the point wouldn’t it? Allowing the GPU to go max blast. Since most folks are CPU limited, the GPU is only working at say, 80%. By dynamically reducing the LOD, you’d always be GPU limited.
The scenery is streamed over the internet so generally it’s not going to happen … Offline with large caches might be a possibility but IMO not before multithreading is optimized a whole lot better than it is now … Would be just more work for your overly tired CPUs
Ever played around with your GPU drivers? Or played around with HAGS?
Yes, I would like to see that. LOD can be low on the ground and getting higher as you climb…
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I suggested much the same thing. I fly with LOD 500 for both via configuration file edit.
At some busy airports, and inexplicably some outback strips, the frame rate takes a hit. More than enough to taxi, takeoff, and land but the difference is notable.
Hmmm difficult as I think the final unpacking is done in vram (or will be in future with DS) and I’m not really sure just how familiar Asobo are with CUDA programming … maybe Nvidia or AMD could chip in?
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I think it could since you’d really only be culling autogen density. The stream still brings in the same resolution images.
Not necessarily.
If you set a target FPS of, say, 30 in such an auto-tuner, you need to ensure that the GPU takes ~32ms to render a frame. Otherwise, the CPU will not be given the necessary breathing room to do other things between frames and be ready with data for a new frame when the GPU is ready for it. Reducing the LOD will in itself decrease the GPU latency because there is less data to render.
Seems to me that this will have only a marginal effect depending on the type and amount of scenery detail. If you want to reduce stutters, get a more powerful computer. I got so sick of stutters and other issues, I saved my money and bought a dream machine. Now, instead of adjusting and cussing, I just fly.
Many of us have suggested this, as we are often main thread limited on the ground while taxiing and don’t need long range Lod anyway. I guess there’s a reason they haven’t implemented it
As I said probably because much of it’s streamed to and unpacked in vram, I have no doubt it is possible but apart from the coding differences there is also space and timing requirements for the routines involved which probably are best tuned in a Nvidia or AMD lab. Anyway it would make sense to wait for Direct Storage to be in place first or they’d just be making extra work for themselves.
If I understand correctly the op as asking if the LOD slider could be changed crudely and automatically via a mod - at its most simple example, a toggle to automatically set LOD to 100 when your radar altimeter reads 0 and setting it to 300 when altimiter reads 200ft or above. There is likely some pause/freeze as you transition these altitudes but it might be worth it for some users , to have the smoothness of 100 on the ground. Are you saying that due to streaming this pause would be ridiculously long?