Cannot find the alternative bloom effect (not the russian ENB)

[Daube]

Hi all,

I'm using the ENB bloom and everything is fine, but it's not that bloom I want to talk about.

I think there was somewhere some files to download that were making the FSX default bloom more FPS-friendly in DirectX9 mode. My problem is that I cannot remember where I saw it. Nowadays, Google will only tell you about ENB when you search for "FSX" and "bloom", but I'm pretty sure there were some alternative files...

Does anybody remember about this ?

[Roger]

I remember reading about it on the Avsim FsX forum a few days ago.

[mikew]

I think this may be what you are inquiring about. I haven't tried it yet myself but here's the link to the download page:

http://www.assembla....nject/documents (http://www.assembla.com/spaces/fxaa-pp-inject/documents)


Mike

[Daube]

No that's not what I was talking about. This is some kind of post-processing module for Anti-Aliasing. But thank you anyway :)

The files I'm thinking about were a replacement for the native bloom, to make it more FPS Friendly. I think it was linked to the shaders somehow, but it was NOT the shaders 3.0 package, it was something else...
I'm also searching on several other forums, with no luck so far....

[Naruto-kun]

IMO ENB just screws the appearances for me. I have tried the setups like the one at REX forums and it doesnt come out anything like they show in the screenshots. And has also caused numerous CTDs for me as well. If there is a alternate bloom out there I would really like to know.

[Daube]

The ENB doesn't screw anything if your video card is recent enough. I started using it with a NVidia 8800GTX. If the resulting image doesn't correspond to what you are expecting, you can always edit the INI file that contains the settings, in order to get a more convincing effect according to your personnal taste. That's what I like with the ENB :)

However, the ENB will not produce the shiny reflections that the default bloom brings. In the past I could activate the bloom AND the ENB at the same time, and the results were spectacular ! Unfortunately, I had to temporarly remove Acceleration in order to get CumulusX to work, then I reinstalled it. This process seems to have destroyed my default bloom performance, so now I'm forced to keep it OFF and use only the ENB.

I checked my harddrives to take a look at all the downloaded archives and unfortunately I could not find anything related to this bloom. That makes me think that is was surely some tweak described on a forum somewhere....

[Bjoern]

<center>FSX - FSX Misc.</center> <center>FSX Sun Tweak For Light-Bloom Disabled
</center> <center> [ Download (http://www.flightsim.com/kdl.php?fid=116981) | View (http://www.flightsim.com/zview.php?cm=list&fid=116981) ] </center>
Name: suntweak.zip (http://www.flightsim.com/kdl.php?fid=116981) Size: 349,231 Date: 10-23-2007 Downloads: 1,528
http://www.flightsim.com/images/fscfiles/m/suntweak.gif FSX Sun Tweak For Light-Bloom Disabled. A tweak for those unable to use light bloom due to its considerable performance hit. By Dave Bolger.





<tbody>
Category: Flight Simulator X - Miscellaneous Files (http://library.avsim.net/index.php?CatID=fsxmisc)


Bloom Enhancement v1
http://library.avsim.net/images/ZipDive.png (http://library.avsim.net/zipdiver.php?DLID=103361) http://library.avsim.net/images/Download.png (http://library.avsim.net/download.php?DLID=103361)

</tbody>
File Description:
FSX Bloom Enhancement v1 This will enhance bloom effekt on runway lights, airport lights, aircraft lights, taxiway lights, etc.. These textures should not decrease any performance but could enhance performance in some computers if lucky. Nevertheless, this enhancement is ment to be an alternativ to the default texture.... " Requires FSX Service Pack 1 "


<tbody>
Filename:
fsx_bloom_enhancement.zip


License:
Freeware


Added:
19th May 2007


Downloads:
10022


Author:
Tom Knudsen


Size:
803kb

</tbody>

[Roger]

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/346461-this-could-be-significant/

[Daube]

Thanks Bjoern, but those are replacement textures to make the various lights (including the sun) look better even if the bloom is switched off. In fact, I do use the sun texture already, it makes the sun look so much better.
But this is not what I was refering to.

Thanks Roger as well, but this is exactely the package that has been mentionned above by Mike.

[Daube]

I think I'm getting closer to the solution.
After checking my archive folders, I have found a backup copy of my original bloom.fx file... which means the tweak I'm talking about is certainly a modification of this bloom.fx file.

After a quick search on the Internet, it appears the only reference to this file is from some "bonus" folder of some AU scenery from OrbX.... And since I don't have this package (I have only PNW, and no bonus folder there), I suppose I got the file from an earlier installation of the AU Tazmania demo...

Does this remind you anything ?

[Daube]

Found it !!!!!
http://fullterrain.com/freebies/TWEAKED_BLOOM_SHADER.zip

It's a replacement "bloom.fx" file. You'll have to modify your FSX.cfg and change the SHADER_VERSION value to force FSX to recompile the shaders.
Now I can activate my light bloom again even in DirectX9 mode :)

[big-mike]

Found it !!!!!
http://fullterrain.com/freebies/TWEAKED_BLOOM_SHADER.zip

It's a replacement "bloom.fx" file. You'll have to modify your FSX.cfg and change the SHADER_VERSION value to force FSX to recompile the shaders.
Now I can activate my light bloom again even in DirectX9 mode :)

This is an exe.file.Is it possible to revert back if i dont like the result?
Thank you
Michael

[big-mike]

Found the answer.
Michael

[Daube]

Ah sorry for the lack of answer Michael.
Actually, you can tell the program to install to a fake folder, as you might have guessed already ;)
And the bloom is not really changed, visually. It seems to me that only the performance is impacted... in a very, VERY good way.

[DarrenL]

Sounds interesting, do have a before & after screenshot?

(I use the ENBSeries bloom at the moment).

[Daube]

Before+After screenshots wouldn't show anything, since the bloom still looks exactely like before. Only the performance is affected.

[Paul Anderson]

Have been looking at that tweaked bloom effect.
Saved a flight at dusk with moon in upper left, sun to my right, external view rear right.
Bloom on - see moon, sun reflection on fuselage.
Bloom off - no moon, no sun reflection on fuselage.
Back to original bloom effect - bloom off, see moon, no sun reflection.

Thoughts:
Tweaked bloom effect on is more subtle and way less frame rate drop, although I did notice momentary fps drops when panning around.
Tweaked effect should be good for those with newer machines.
I've gone back to original effect and will keep it turned off.
Have save the tweaked effect in the event I get a newer machine.