Aircraft self shadow, what now !

[michael davies]

Guys, it used to work, but now it doesn't, any one experiance this before and Know of a fix.

It was like this with the old 8.65 drivers, still the same with the 10.1 drivers, tried a new FSx cfg and still the same, I seem to recall this happening before and a fix, but for the life of me cannot recall what, where ,when or how...what day is it today ? :isadizzy:.

Kindest

Michael

[bazzar]

Hello Michael,

Yes I have had this problem. I seem to recall it had something to do with thevolumetric shadow option in the model misbehaving. I thought it had been eliminated with SP2 patch.

Any model built with volumetrics turned on in the roll out will do this and worse!
:engel016:

[michael davies]

Hello Michael,

Yes I have had this problem. I seem to recall it had something to do with thevolumetric shadow option in the model misbehaving. I thought it had been eliminated with SP2 patch.

Any model built with volumetrics turned on in the roll out will do this and worse!
:engel016:

Hmm interesting, I did reinstall last year some time, generally I never fly with aircraft self shadows so dont know how long it has been like this, maybe the SP2 and Acc didnt install correctly ?, its the default aircraft I've tried, didn't think to try something not from Redwood !, you'd just assume that default was right as that was what was shipped with the product LOL.

I'll try some other 'non' default aircraft tomorrow, maybe a new install...again <sigh>.

Kindest

Michael

[Lionheart]

I would reboot, let the rig cool down, then start up FSX at that point again.

Oddly, FSX does wierd things. I think it reuses some RAM deposits in memory land, and when high settings max out, it starts doing odd things. I have seen it reboot with the same issues before, and the next day, it was fine again.


Also, make sure you have your Max / Gmax off.. That seems to really tug at resources with huge models booted up in RAM pools when FSX is running.



Bill

[michael davies]

I would reboot, let the rig cool down, then start up FSX at that point again.

Oddly, FSX does wierd things. I think it reuses some RAM deposits in memory land, and when high settings max out, it starts doing odd things. I have seen it reboot with the same issues before, and the next day, it was fine again.


Also, make sure you have your Max / Gmax off.. That seems to really tug at resources with huge models booted up in RAM pools when FSX is running.

Bill

Bill, this has been going on for weeks now, its not a one off. My rig is big and powerfull enough to run FSx and Max and other applications easily so that shouldn't be a factor here, least, its never been a factor before LOL.

The image above was with just FSx running and only 32 other PC services about as lean and CPU free as I can get XP to go really. Yor right about FSx caching files and faults, its terrible for setting up FDEs, you make tweaks and it just plain ignores them, much prefering the older chached files it has, same for textures when you do work with them, I've found that selecting three other different aircraft is often sufficient to clear the cache.

Now that Baz mentions SP2 I got an ugly feeling I didnt add that step in the last reload, some vague recollection that I reasoned the Acceleration update would have it on instead, ie the latest patch also including the previous patches. Reloading FSx isnt an issue, its a virtual stock set up anyway, very little added, just a modified cfg which I can save out elsewhere.

Its a rather bizzare effect I must say LOL.

Best

Michael

[Lionheart]

Yes, it is a wierd effect..

Because its a pattern, it definately makes me think FSX is losing it somehow in memory..

Crazy..

All the RAM sticks are in tight? One or two may be loose. Box could be hot from a bad fan or dust. But if its always the same, then that cant be it..

Try different airports to see if the shadows go with the plane...



Bill

[warchild]

i've seen this problem as well, but only after i installed ultimate traffic. once i uninstalled it, the problem went away..

[michael davies]

Seems my installation is a little wacked, reloaded and all fine upto SP1, tried to install SP2 and it said it was already there with Accel, S'cuse me !, so installed Accel again and shadows went to pot.

Took it all off again, installed to a new named directory on D:\ and got SP1 and SP2 in and aircraft shadows ok, decided then to take it all off and put it on the C:\ drive which is SATA and faster (usually I only have the OS on C:\ and nothing else, no games, nada).

Also turned off all my anti virus programs for this and the previous install, lets see how it goes now but definately looks like an Accel installation problem so far ?.

Kindest

Michael

[bazzar]

Yes it is a pain Michael but unless you follow the cronological progression of service packs,the sim will not install properly.

If you have Acceleration though, a clean install with FSX then stir in Acceleraion will make the cake...:engel016:

[michael davies]

Baz,

Ohh its worse than that LOL, if you uninstall then it also has to be done in order, Accel first, then SP2 and then base FSx, other wise when you come to reinstall you'll add SP1 and then try SP2 and it'll say its still already there, its not, so you opt to uninstall and reinstall and it wipes the base install, taking Accel out also ruins the base install, its quite a mess really ?.

I've got to a clean base + SP1 and SP2 and its ok right now, cant install Accel as the tower is here at work with no internet connection to activate the base set up, until thats done Accel wont go in. My gut feeling is that Accel will again mess the self shadows up, if so it'll be a toss up between self shadow or carrier ops, neither of which I use very much or at all, just would be nice if it worked just once in a while LOL. I'll soon be runing out of install activations next I suspect !.

The clean install does seem to be much smoother on FPS, significantly smoother I might add, haven't messed with the cfg yet so some of those tweaks might be more harmfull then previous imagined.

I am begining to wonder if there is ever a bottom to this can of worms we all love and call FSx :).

Kindest

Michael

[Wozza]

Hi
I was always under the impression that you install sp2 or acel never ever both.We are talking fsx the sim here not the sdk
install fsx out of the box then sp1 then either accel if you have it, if not you install sp2.
Wozza

[michael davies]

Hi
I was always under the impression that you install sp2 or acel never ever both.We are talking fsx the sim here not the sdk
install fsx out of the box then sp1 then either accel if you have it, if not you install sp2.
Wozza

That might be where I'm going wrong, but I didn't buy my discs, there courtesy of MS Beta so who knows what way your supposed to load them :). The Acceleration disc does have SP2 on it as well, it even has files for what looks like SP1.

Your theory sounds right but what of those that have SP2 for a time then upgrade to Accel ?, do they have to uninstall their original and start again and miss out the SP2 step before loading Acceleration ?, lots of people currently running FSx + SP2, it would be a little too much to ask them to go through all that, maybe the Acceleration disc looks to see if SP2 is already there and bypasses that stage ?.

I'll find out shortly as I'll be home and will authenticate what I have and then add Acceleration, if it doesnt work I'll try your method and miss the SP2 step and see what happens, may well be just the ticket to getting all this sorted LOL.

Kindest

Michael

[Wozza]

Your theory sounds right but what of those that have SP2 for a time then upgrade to Accel ?, do they have to uninstall their original and start again and miss out the SP2 step before loading Acceleration ?, lots of people currently running FSx + SP2, it would be a little too much to ask them to go through all that, maybe the Acceleration disc looks to see if SP2 is already there and bypasses that stage ?.


Thats what I had to do uninstall the lot and start from fresh base install then sp1 then accel...I tried to install accel on my orig install it all went pair shaped.To be honest after I did that fsx ran the best it ever did on this old clunker.The sdks are just as much fun to reinstall and I love talking to My FSX guru in India.....NOT! :mixedsmi:
Wozza

[michael davies]

Success !, it does help if you load the right version of Accel (palm slap), I'd been using the beta DVD but got home and whilst looking at the SP files noticed another copy of Acceleration with later date stamps than the DVD ?, and then it all sort of came flooding back, Seem to recall that the DVD was just beta and once that was over a link was given to the RTM version...rather than send out more DVDs...same authentication and codes, just a software copy as opposed to hardware.

The newer version installed right over Base + SP1 + SP2 no problem, I've also got night textures back on the Airbus and B737 which I had lost before.

It does seem slightly smoother than the previous incarnation, but not as smooth as at work, sort of stuttered more when I plugged the joystick in, might look into that, I've heard of external stuff causing problems now and then but never seen it personally.

Just need to add my few FSx cfg tweaks, some replacement textures and everything will be tickity boo, thanks to all for their input, a most information exercise, if somewhat tiring (now 27 hrs without sleep and counting as a new day dawns here), I'll leave the SDKs for later, as you say, another right pain to contend with.

Kindest

Michael

[guzler]

Strange. I have just experienced this after installing Mallorca X by Aerosoft. WOAI aircraft aren't showing up, but UT2 are but without ground shadows. Their shadows are flying formation with me along the ground ! I moved to Malaga with stock scenery and the AI were reunited with their shadows. This is the first problem I have come accross on my new set up other than screen tearing.

[Wozza]

LOL stop being a cheap sod and go out and buy the boxed or gold ver ...you know Msoft needs the money :D
Ive got my orig IL2 beta discs sitting in a safe spot....one day..... one day they will be worth a mint lol
glad its sorted... nothing worse than trying to get a project working right with the main sim causing grief
Wozza

[michael davies]

LOL stop being a cheap sod and go out and buy the boxed or gold ver ...you know Msoft needs the money :D
Ive got my orig IL2 beta discs sitting in a safe spot....one day..... one day they will be worth a mint lol
glad its sorted... nothing worse than trying to get a project working right with the main sim causing grief
Wozza

Buy FSx Gold !, cough, splutter, why have a dog and bark yourself LOL, besides for that price I could get 1/2 ton of seasoned wood or 50Kg of smokeless fuel, right now the latter are far more important...according to SWMBO....mind I did manage to get a new camera and lens under the fence last month so a game on top might just bring down the wrath and scorn to uncomfortable levels, coupled with chores like washing up and scrubbing floors no doubt LOL.

Serioulsy, I do know what you mean, a shop copy in years to come will be a good investment, if not for posterity but for longetivity of playing the sim.

Kindest

Michael

[michael davies]

Strange. I have just experienced this after installing Mallorca X by Aerosoft. WOAI aircraft aren't showing up, but UT2 are but without ground shadows. Their shadows are flying formation with me along the ground ! I moved to Malaga with stock scenery and the AI were reunited with their shadows. This is the first problem I have come accross on my new set up other than screen tearing.

I've come across that too, and Bill did note above that it might be system related, I've had in the past on the old PC that struggled with FSx due to low spec hardware, but the new PC has run fine for months until just now, well on reflection its been broken for months, just never turned on self shadow since the last install last year. FSx is certainly fickle, I've had odd problems with the menu bar (I fly in windowed mode all the time) in the past, lettering becomes blocky and then disappears, turned out to be some addon aircraft coupled with the Bufferpool tweak.

I had WOAI in FS9, havent got round to adding them to FSx as yet, one of the many chores stacked up to do when time permits :). Best of luck with your problem, couldn't begin to advise other than perhaps a hardware problem or settings too high for that scenery and thus loading up the CPU, as Bill and others suggested above.

Kindest

Michael

[Wozza]

pmsl.... your attacking this from the wrong end....its an investment in your future not another game ;)
beside you could always burn the nice shinny box and covers the discs come in,that should keep ya warm :icon_lol: