Prepar3D 2.0 shadow test (huge pics)

[Guest]

This post is an addendum for this post: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/427529-simple-solution-for-shadows-and-loss-of-fps-or-the-tweaking-has-begun/

 

1. The distance of the shadows by default

 

As you will see the differences are very obvious.

 

Ultra

 

High

 

Medium

 

Low

 

2. The distance of the shadows all set to 12000 in the cfg

As you will see the differences are far less obvious. Performance goes up though with each lower setting!

 

Ultra

 

High

 

Medium

 

Low

 

3. The distance of the shadows above New York

As you will see there there seems to be no difference at all. You will have to download the pictures and view them one after another to see the differences. However, on my PC the fps above this spot with Ultra was around 14 while at Medium it was around 24! A nice and noticable difference at almost no cost. (This of course depends on your PC specs: see the topic I linked for further discussion). I btw use Medium because of the slightly more obvious difference in other situations, like above.

 

Ultra

 

High

 

Medium

 

Low

[Nyxx 6,993]

what shadows have you turned on?

[Guest]

what shadows have you turned on?

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/427529-simple-solution-for-shadows-and-loss-of-fps-or-the-tweaking-has-begun/

 

All airplane shadows and Buildings (Cast), Vegetation (Cast) and Terrain (Cast and Receive).

[DAL1850 51]

You're gonna have to help me with the differences Apart from shadows looking progressively darker, I can't see any "obvious" difference between the images.

[Guest]

You're gonna have to help me with the differences Apart from shadows looking progressively darker, I can't see any "obvious" difference between the images.

 

If you don't see differences, that's good LOL. You shouldn't notice too much difference in the 2nd series of 4 and almost nothing in the 3rd series of 4. You will see clear differences in the 1st four though, but maybe you will see it more clearly when you download the four pictures and watch them in Windows imageviewer (or whatever is it called) and switch between them: you will see an obvious animation of the shadows.

But to help you out a little: on the 3rd screenshot, look at the right: you will clearly see where the shadows end on the hill on the other side if the little river. On the 4th screenshot you will see that hill has no shadows at all anymore.

 

The difference between the distance of the shadows is also far more obvious when you fly because the distance changes when you look around: it's very annoying to constantly see the edge of the shadows move. BTW The setting of 12000 doesn't eliminate the problem but simply pushes it into the distance where it is less annoying.

 

EDIT

Here you go, Jason. The pics are smaller but you will clearly see the differences! In this animated gif you will see the default distances of the textures. WIth the edit in the post I linked too the distance of the terrain shadows will stay at Ultra but the distance of the shadows of buildings and vegetation will be as you can also see in this gif. It's a great compromise and in a lot of situtation you will not notice any difference apart from a higher fps.

 

[DAL1850 51]

 

 

Here you go, Jason. The pics are smaller but you will clearly see the differences! In this animated gif you will see the default distances of the textures. WIth the edit in the post I linked too the distance of the terrain shadows will stay at Ultra but the distance of the shadows of buildings and vegetation will be as you can also see in this gif. It's a great compromise and in a lot of situtation you will not notice any difference apart from a higher fps.

Awww, you're killin' me here. I was locked away, happy as a clam, in my own little bubble of ignorance until you had to do an animated GIF :lol:

 

Thanks for putting that together. That really shows the difference in a big way. Seems like the biggest difference, as you mentioned, is the distance (and by association, the number of shadow-casting objects in the scene). What I take away from this is that the higher shadow settings really don't make much sense unless you're enabling terrain shadow casting.

[cenkcnk 24]

thanks for the review. can you make this review with big paywares like ngx (i saw it works somehow) or airbus extended and in big airports?

[Guest]

 

 

Awww, you're killin' me here. I was locked away, happy as a clam, in my own little bubble of ignorance until you had to do an animated GIF :lol:



Thanks for putting that together. That really shows the difference in a big way. Seems like the biggest difference, as you mentioned, is the distance (and by association, the number of shadow-casting objects in the scene). What I take away from this is that the higher shadow settings really don't make much sense unless you're enabling terrain shadow casting.

 

Sorry!!!

 

Well, while the higher settings with terrain set to off DO make a difference (you might see buildings and vegetation shadows pop up nearby with lower settings) you could indeed say that biggest difference can only be seen with terrain shadows on. The tweak only has an effect of the terrain shadow distance: the building and vegetation shadows stay close on Low and far away on Ultra but it's less noticable.