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Model Complexity and frame rates....

lionheart

lionheart

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us-arizona
Hey guys,


So.. I am making a model in FS2004 Gmax format first, then will export to FSX and compile proper FSX models then.

FSX requires/runs best with DDS textures. Ok.. FS usually runs fastest with DXT3 in FS9, and DXT5/DDS in FSX. Ok...

With FSX, the thing that hurts a model worst is 'draw calls', (amounts of Materials or textures). Ok...


So, in FS9, my present model with 888-8 format 32bit textures (all of them) is running at full sliders, full frame rates in the sim, (set low at 20 FPS, but running quite smoothly, and thats at Seattle international facing downtown).

Now, same plane, in FSX now, in FS9 MDL format, with flipped DDS textures, runs at 7 to 9 FPS (frame rates), and again, thats FSX.. That is with simpler DXT5 low rez DDS textures as well. The Maule runs at 20 FPS, and I have FSX locked at 24FPS.

To see if it was a gauge issue, which can cripple frame rates, I took out the panel folder. That did nothing. So its definately the model.


I am afraid that if I compile it in FSX format, it will be only about 2 FPS faster. That is not good.....


There's no way that a FS9 model can pull down frame rates that much in FSX... Surely my draw calls are overwhelming.


<--- applies medicinal anti-aging compounds to graying, pre-aged eyebrows




Bill
 
Bill, if you are doing a model for both versions I would say that planning ahead is essential. Since texture usage is directly tied to drawcalls it is important that you minimize the number of textures used in FSX. That means you must maximize the use of area on each sheet used. If you do that during the development of the FS9 model then the shift to FSX should be fairly painless ;)
 
Hi Bill,

I would try to run it as a FSX MDL indeed. I don't think your statement that you expect that to be even slower is true, I expect better performance than with the FS2004 MDL file.
 
Thanks guys for the positive encouragement.

I was a bit worried.

I'll compile a FSX model and see what happens. It should be interesting.



Bill
 
Already the FS9 format was faster than the FS8 format - but both cannot be directly displayed by FSX, but are emulated.

FSX format is native on the grafics adapter, and with SP2/Acceleration SDK the models get largely optimized, so in average you should see the same model to be 5 to 10 times faster compiled with FSX SDK.

I looked around a bit the last days what has been done meanwhile in FSX format by others, looking around under Flightsim and Avsim, and must say that I was shocked that there are almost no FSX model out there, most that claims to be FSX has mdl files starting with MDL8...
 
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