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LEBB - Dynamic Lighting kills performance


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I've had this airport for a while and whilst it looks wonderful the performance has been dreadful. I have a system more than capable of delivering 30fps at many large airports but at Bilbao it cannot get beyond 23fps at what is a tiny airport.

 

I've discussed this in another topic and other users also complained of poor performance even with a 2080Ti which is ridiculous. That topic is marked as resolved so I've started this one because I've discovered what the problem is. DYNAMIC LIGHTING! With it turned on fps struggles in the low 20s but crucially the GPU is running flat out at 99%. There are continuous stutters and trying to taxi or take-off and land is awful.

 

I disabled Dynamic Lighting in P3D v4.5 and the performance is transformed. 30fps can be maintained, there are no stutters whatsoever either on approach or taxiing around the airport and the GPU load drops to 70-80%. Surely this has to be a problem in the files for this airport? I can keep Dynamic Lighting on for all other airports without the problems I'm seeing at Bilbao.

 

A response from the developer or other owners of LEBB would be appreciated.

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I've just completed a flight from LEBL to LEBB. Perfectly smooth all the way including the approach and landing on Rwy 30.

 

To prove my earlier comment here are two screenshots - one with DL on and another with it off. Look at the GPU load. 98% with DL on but 69% with it off. Something in these scenery files are making demands of the graphics card it cannot deliver. But what? Whilst the readings show 30fps for DL on there is a great deal of stuttering when flying and taxiing so don't take that reading as gospel.

 

I'm running at 3840*2160 with the monitor set to 30Hz. You can see the demands on CPU1 (the primary logical processor) are well below maximum proving this is not a demanding scenery for the CPU. But for the GPU the demands are exceptional with DL enabled. Only the developer can answer why.

LEBB_DL_On.jpg

LEBB_DL_Off.jpg

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Hi Ray,

 

Just had a quick fly around LEBB but I'm afraid I don't see the dramatic change you are seeing when using dynamic lighting.

Frame rates are 20 to 30 - seem a bit lower when using DL but nothing dramatic.

GPU usage is around 50 to 60% with little apparent change when using DL. I am, however, running at a much lower resolution - 1920 x 1080 - on a much smaller monitor so maybe that could be part of the reason for the difference in what we are seeing.

 

Sorry I can't be of more help,

 

All the best,

 

John

 

 

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59 minutes ago, John Burgess said:

Hi Ray,

 

Just had a quick fly around LEBB but I'm afraid I don't see the dramatic change you are seeing when using dynamic lighting.

Frame rates are 20 to 30 - seem a bit lower when using DL but nothing dramatic.

GPU usage is around 50 to 60% with little apparent change when using DL. I am, however, running at a much lower resolution - 1920 x 1080 - on a much smaller monitor so maybe that could be part of the reason for the difference in what we are seeing.

 

Sorry I can't be of more help,

 

All the best,

 

John

 

 

 

Hi John, thanks for your feedback. Did you try taxiing around the airport? The performance is very different in the air to that on the ground. If you did and it’s still okay then your resolution could well be the difference between our systems.

 

43 minutes ago, Nick Cooper said:

Hello Mr Proudfoot,

can I clarify if you want to continue with product support or whether, as you requested in

another topic on the same subject, you in fact want a refund?

 

Hi Nick, it would be helpful if the scenery developer could comment on this problem. As I said earlier I have lots of far larger airports with many more Ai and the performance is far better at those than at Bilbao.

 

If you or others who run at UHD could try with DL on/off and see if the change is as dramatic as I describe it would help enormously. I’m less inclined to request a refund now as I’ve found a workaround.

 

But as I always fly in daylight I’m perplexed why DL for this airport and surrounding area would have such an impact. What is using DL other than my aircraft which doesn’t exhibit this problem at any other airport?

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Nick, you’ll see I was heavily involved in trying various settings to try and resolve the problem in that topic. Many others have reported problems but it’s curious that no support staff have the problem. Why is that?

 

It’s very simple to try my test. Three settings:-

  • Monitor set to 30Hz
  • Resolution of 3840*2160
  • Dynamic Lighting off.

If anyone could try those settings with a 1080Ti or better they should be able to replicate the problem. Settings in the config for the airport such as 3D grass have no appreciable impact.

 

I have to ask one question and I hope the developer will not take offence. Is this airport 100% compatible with the SDK. I ask because it’s unique in having such severe performance issues.

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3 hours ago, RayProudfoot said:

Did you try taxiing around the airport?

 

Hi Ray,

 

No I didn't, just took my favourite helicopter for a flight round! Went back and taxied from one end to the other (in the default cessna) half at day, half at night then took off runway 30 (DL enabled). Had frame rates 30 to 40 with little or no stutters. Neither CPU nor GPU seemed over exerted.

cpu.jpg.9e603cef7f6b6aae740166036a07c1ea.jpg

GPU.jpg.87606b94b9ee315be2e417abc74c31f2.jpg

 

Doubt there's any more I can do to help I'm afraid.

 

All the best,

 

John

 

 

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Hi Ray,

 

did you try to put these two files to ".off" as described in the thread mentioned above:

 

"LEBB_2018_PLC_Windturbines_Approach.BGL   which creates fps and stutters losses on the landing path from about 4 miles up to runway 30   
LEBB_2018_PLC_CityLightFog.BGL    which creates fps and stutters leaks in the runway 12 take-off area

After putting .OFF these two files  I have not encountered any problems  of  fps or stutters."

 

I have not been to Bilbao for a longer time, but perhaps i have time this week and give it a try - also with the deactivation of these two BGLs.

 

Keep us updated,

 

Greets,

Markus

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2 hours ago, RayProudfoot said:

Nick, you’ll see I was heavily involved in trying various settings to try and resolve the problem in that topic. Many others have reported problems but it’s curious that no support staff have the problem. Why is that?

 

 Perhaps their PCs do not share the specification, configuration or settings that yours features.

Those are the main contributors to different experiences with the same files.

This seems to be your last post in the first part of the topic.

It appears to suggest that there will be another reply.

 

 

2 hours ago, RayProudfoot said:

It’s very simple to try my test. Three settings:-

  • Monitor set to 30Hz
  • Resolution of 3840*2160
  • Dynamic Lighting off.

If anyone could try those settings with a 1080Ti or better they should be able to replicate the problem.

 

 

I cannot replicate these settings, as my PC and its monitor are far too inferior.

 

2 hours ago, RayProudfoot said:

I have to ask one question and I hope the developer will not take offence. Is this airport 100% compatible with the SDK. I ask because it’s unique in having such severe performance issues.

 

I am sure that the developer will not mind you questioning his competence at all.

 

 

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Hi Marcus, I moved those files out of the scenery folder which has the same result as setting extension to off. Still horrendous stutters and GPU close to 100% even when sim locked to 30Hz. That suggests something is making extreme demands on the GPU when Dynamic Lighting is enabled in UHD.

 

Are you able to run at UHD? That’s important.

 

John, the penny has just dropped. Many happy days with RC4. I still use it. Hope you’re keeping well.

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1 minute ago, Nick Cooper said:

I am sure that the developer will not mind you questioning his competence at all.

Nick, when all other options are exhausted whatever remains, however unlikely, could be the cause. It isn’t a case of questioning the competence of the developer but asking if any non-standard coding has been used.

 

When a problem exists at one airport that doesn’t exist in any of the other 30+ I have it’s not an unreasonable question to ask.

 

I had a different problem at Canberra airport (also Orbx) a year or so ago when the airport ICAO shown in a moving map program (EFB) changed half-way from the terminal to the runway. Turns out it was something in the installed files. That’s why I asked the question. Orbx airports do seem to have issues I don’t get with FlyTampa, UK2000, FSDT and Flightbeam.

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Have a look at the two attached screenshots. This is with a resolution of 1920*1080.

 

The first is with DL off, the second is with it on. The differences are minimal. This problem only occurs with a resolution of 3840*2160. That's probably why so few are reporting it. I guess all support staff also run at 1920*1080.

 

But UHD is becoming more common and it's not unreasonable to expect airport scenery to work with higher resolutions. Certainly FSDT, Flightbeam, FlyTampa and UK2000 airports do not exhibit this problem with Dynamic Lighting killing performance with UHD especially when a powerful graphics card is used like the 1080Ti.

 

If anyone else has a UHD monitor perhaps they could confirm my findings.

19801080_DL_Off.jpg

19801080_DL_On.jpg

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Hi Ray,

 

Glad you at least found the reason we were seeing different things. I'd check out a higher resolution if I could but I'm not sure Carol would be impressed with me buying an expensive new monitor just to 'check out a problem Ray was having' :rolleyes:

 

All the best,

 

John

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Hi John,

 

Wives just don't understand. ;) Spending money on better equipment is an investment. You'll get years out of a good monitor. But you would need to change your graphics card and then the whole process starts over again. It's never ending as you well know.

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I feel like I've been abandoned by Orbx. I've spent a considerable amount of time working on this problem and finding what is causing it. Having identified UHD as the issue I would have at least hoped someone from Orbx would have confirmed my findings.

 

Does no-one else run P3D v4 at 3840*2160?

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I can confirm that if I use the Nvidia DSR to replicate 4k on my 2k monitor, the

hardware does not perform as well as it does using 2k.

Like John, I cannot justify the expense of a 4k monitor just for testing purposes.

I am not sure that is the problem, it may well be the cause and I still cannot replicate it

when I use software settings that suit my hardware configuration.

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Nick,

 

I wouldn’t expect anyone to buy a UHD monitor to test something. I’m surprised no one running UHD who has Bilbao hasn’t commented on this post. Surely I can’t be the only person.

 

Whilst you say you’re not sure DL in 4K is the problem I am 100% sure it is simply because that is the only change I made to prove my findings.

 

It would be disappointing not to hear back from the developer since he knows the most about how this airport was designed. I would ask that you bring this to his attention please. 

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Nick, that was when I had no idea what the problem was and we tried different things like removing files and switching options off. Nothing was definitive hence why I gave up with that topic. Despite Marcus's help the problem remained.

 

But on this one I have found the cause. Only one setting was changed to resolve the problem. It doesn't get any clearer than that. Where is @Marcus Nyberg? He is the developer isn't he?

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Hi Marcus,

 

Wow! I'm surprised to see you advise that. You have a powerful system but don't say what resolution you run at. 1920*1080? If so then you cannot replicate the problem.

 

Have you any idea what is causing it? Daytime and Dynamic Lighting puts a huge amount of work on the GPU which it can't cope with. Turn it off and everything is wonderful both airborne and on the ground.

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I've got no idea on what's causing it but as I've not been able to help you I think it's easier for everyone's sake if you apply for a refund, I've got nothing left in my tool box to sort this.

 

Hope you'll have a nice weekend,

If you have any questions on how to apply for the refund I'm sure Nick can help you out.

 

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  • 1 year later...

Hi, 

 

Sorry to bump this old thread up. 

 

I just wanted to explain that I am suffering from exactly the same issue as Ray but instead with Orbx ESSA. I tested my monitor at 1920x1080 and FPS is fine, yet when returning to 3440*1440, my FPS go straight from 30 FPS locked to 6-7 FPS which are making these sceneries unplayable.

 

I am still researching my issues at EFHK, and cannot reach a conclusion yet. But ESSA is definitely bugged. 

 

I tested dynamic lighting at my native resolution at other airports such as FlyTampa EHAM, Aerosoft EDDF & EGLL, Taxi2Gate LFPG and I do not suffer from this issue there.

 

Clearly something is wrong with the lighting effects files? It seems to only affect Orbx sceneries (for some reason LYBE is fine, the only exception). If this could be checked and fixed somehow I would be grateful, but otherwise, I would like to apply for a refund as well... The airports are great, but if you can't fly during night (especially winter time it gets dark early), there is no point..

Edited by Tushka
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