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[FSXA] Custom GP Flicker
- Thread starter nzeddy
- Start date
Eddy, I am unable to induce flickering at ay altitude.
I've never seen an instance of ground polys flickering. I wonder of you have some other scenery at that location active that's interfering.
If you can't find anything else, I'm happy to take another look. But you'll have to provide me with specific instructions as to how to induce the flickering.
Don
I've never seen an instance of ground polys flickering. I wonder of you have some other scenery at that location active that's interfering.
If you can't find anything else, I'm happy to take another look. But you'll have to provide me with specific instructions as to how to induce the flickering.
Don
tgibson
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Different video cards may have different results with things like flickering, etc. The fact that you have to be very high to get this flickering suggests that it is due to *very* small elevation differences.
Do you have a flatten polygon covering that area? If this is part of a default airport it should have the default flatten if that area is part of the default airport.
Do you have a flatten polygon covering that area? If this is part of a default airport it should have the default flatten if that area is part of the default airport.
Yip, I have a flatten poly covering the whole airport.
I'm not sure why it flickers as it flickers sometimes and sometimes it doesn't flicker at all. Maybe something to do with difference video card like you said?
I've checked out the elevations for the airport and flatten and they're exactly the same.
I'm using the GTX580.
I'm not sure why it flickers as it flickers sometimes and sometimes it doesn't flicker at all. Maybe something to do with difference video card like you said?
I've checked out the elevations for the airport and flatten and they're exactly the same.
I'm using the GTX580.
Unfortunately, Eddy, there's nothing I can do about it. ADE_GP's job is to generate ground polys (that avoid Z-fighting) in place of standard polys ( which would certainly flicker if placed on the ground. How those ground polys are processed is up to FSX and your video card.
Ground polys are an FS8 "invention" that continued to work in FS9. They were to be replaced in FSX by a native capability, but MS never got around to implementing it. Fortunately, FS8-style ground polys work in most situations in FSX, but you seem to have found one in which they don't.
Looking carefully at your airport, your ground polys - at least the ones you see flickering - are over parking spots that have oil stains and other markings that appear to relate to the jetways. I wonder if it is those things that are the source of the flickering. Can you eliminate those markings (perhaps by eliminating the jetways - at least for test purposes to see?
Don
Ground polys are an FS8 "invention" that continued to work in FS9. They were to be replaced in FSX by a native capability, but MS never got around to implementing it. Fortunately, FS8-style ground polys work in most situations in FSX, but you seem to have found one in which they don't.
Looking carefully at your airport, your ground polys - at least the ones you see flickering - are over parking spots that have oil stains and other markings that appear to relate to the jetways. I wonder if it is those things that are the source of the flickering. Can you eliminate those markings (perhaps by eliminating the jetways - at least for test purposes to see?
Don
Over the past few days, I've been re-building one of my airports by importing about 1000 ground poly objects into the ADE file. There objects were created initially using FS8 MakeMdl and "tweaked".
As I've reported in the forum, I found and fixed a couple minor issues. Now I've found a couple bigger ones.
I don't yet "have a handle" on the latter. But the flickering issue in both FS versions is caused by the "autogen fix". As you know, all layers are compiled into a single .bgl. If I put the autogen fix at the end of the file, there is no flickering but autogen is suppressed for all layers but the last in the file. If I apply the autogen fix to each layer, there is no autogen suppression but the flickering returns.
I've got a couple things left to try, but I'm not hopeful. I suspect I'll have no choice but to create a separate .bgl for each layer. This won't affect you in any way save that you'll have several ADE_GP .bgl files in your designated scenery folder and a slight overall increase in file size. In the meantime, you can eliminate any flickering by turning off ground scenery and aircraft shadows.
Don
As I've reported in the forum, I found and fixed a couple minor issues. Now I've found a couple bigger ones.
- In FSX, building/airplane shadows flicker when they fall on GP objects. In FS9, the ground poly objects themselves flicker. (Eddy, the flickering in your case may be due to shadows cast by the jetways.)
- There is also a problem in the compiler whereby certain polys appear to have been imported properly but do not render in FSX or FS9 as expected. This may be a limits (i.e., too many of something) issue since I've not seen it before nor has anyone else reported it.
I don't yet "have a handle" on the latter. But the flickering issue in both FS versions is caused by the "autogen fix". As you know, all layers are compiled into a single .bgl. If I put the autogen fix at the end of the file, there is no flickering but autogen is suppressed for all layers but the last in the file. If I apply the autogen fix to each layer, there is no autogen suppression but the flickering returns.
I've got a couple things left to try, but I'm not hopeful. I suspect I'll have no choice but to create a separate .bgl for each layer. This won't affect you in any way save that you'll have several ADE_GP .bgl files in your designated scenery folder and a slight overall increase in file size. In the meantime, you can eliminate any flickering by turning off ground scenery and aircraft shadows.
Don
I am happy (sort of) to report that I have found the real cause of flickering on my system. I say "sort of", because I've spent a large part of the last two days "chasing my tail".
There is no need for me to split the GP files. All I need to do to eliminate the flickering of the shadows in FSX is add a single instruction to the generated .asm code. As far as FS9 is concerned, there never was a problem; turns out I had imported the same file twice.
I can now report that the display is "rock solid" for both FS versions.
I'll re-release tomorrow with the fix. In the meantime, I've got to be sure I've undone all the changes over the past day or so.
Don
There is no need for me to split the GP files. All I need to do to eliminate the flickering of the shadows in FSX is add a single instruction to the generated .asm code. As far as FS9 is concerned, there never was a problem; turns out I had imported the same file twice.
I can now report that the display is "rock solid" for both FS versions.
I'll re-release tomorrow with the fix. In the meantime, I've got to be sure I've undone all the changes over the past day or so.
Don
