Version 4.1

[jmig]

Is there an idiots guide to adding Aircraft and AI to this v4 somewhere? It's all been changed and I'm confused.

The 'idiot' guide says, "Just add it the way you have always added an airplane, i. e., aircraft in SimObject folder, effects in Effects folder, and Gauges...well gauges usually go in the main aircraft folder these days with the panel.

There are two ways to add aircraft Naismith. The xml method and the Simobjects methods. So far, all aircraft I have seen have gone in the SimObjects folder. They may be some using the xml technique, but I don't know of them.

 

[Dimus]

So far I know only two developers that install their aircraft outside the main folder, A2A and Anthony (Ant's aeroplanes). Ant also gives you the option in the installer. I have installed many of them outside by manually making an appropriate xml file. There are nice instructions for this in the A2A forum. All my JF planes and all freeware planes are in folders outside the main one. It helps to save space in the P3D SSD. Milviz, SSW and SWS ones are inside because I could not install some needed modules outside the main P3D folder.

 

[Naismith]

Really? I've been reading about having to make up XML files and they are stored in documents as opposed to the cfg. I tried importing my FSX AI e.g. and it won't show up. Aircraft are in a new folder under Simobjects and their bgls are in scenery global. Perhaps I won't bother and just await Ultimate Traffic Live coming out.

Edit this was in direct response to an e-mail by ncooper and seems to be out of sequence - sorry about that. Just ignore.

 

[Dangerous Beans]

Really? I've been reading about having to make up XML files and they are stored in documents as opposed to the cfg. I tried importing my FSX AI e.g. and it won't show up. Aircraft are in a new folder under Simobjects and their bgls are in scenery global. Perhaps I won't bother and just await Ultimate Traffic Live coming out.

Edit this was in direct response to an e-mail by ncooper and seems to be out of sequence - sorry about that. Just ignore.

What AI is it ?
Older FS9 models wont work in v4 like they did in v3 and will just be invisible.

 

[falcon409]

Really? I've been reading about having to make up XML files and they are stored in documents as opposed to the cfg. I tried importing my FSX AI e.g. and it won't show up. Aircraft are in a new folder under Simobjects and their bgls are in scenery global. Perhaps I won't bother and just await Ultimate Traffic Live coming out.

Edit this was in direct response to an e-mail by ncooper and seems to be out of sequence - sorry about that. Just ignore.

Since early FSX I have always held to the normal way of addon (aircraft) installations. . .aircraft install to the SimObjects/Airplanes folder. I have continued that method into P3D_V4.1 and have never seen any adverse reaction when running the Sim. The airplanes still load, there are no problems such as missing textures, gauges, aircraft parts, etc. I have gone over an outline of how the xml style of handling aircraft is supposed to work and decided that the old adage. . ."If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applied here and stayed with what has always worked.

 

[LouP]

Well I discovered by chance that once you create the folders outside P3D along with the .xml file to activate the folders, the Carenado stuff installs there just fine once you redirect the install. The only real reason I see to do this is that it makes things easier and smoother when updating the sim to a new version. The update to 4.1 spurred me on to setting things up like this:

 

[jeansy]

each to their own, for me creating external folders doesnt give me a warm and fuzzy I prefer the method of everything in one location

its easy to track and less xml codes to go wrong

but like i said everyone has different ways of doing things

 

[SkippyBing]

I've started keeping everything in stand alone SimObjects, Effects, Gauges etc. folders outside the Sim's folder structure since P3D2. It was just a case of updating the relevant cfg files when P3D4 came out, so effectively three versions of the sim are all using the same scenery, aircraft, effects etc. The XML method is good for add-on developers as it makes things simple but for legacy stuff is more complicated than just editing a cfg file.

 

[blanston12]

i have adopted a system where I have separate folders for testing, payware and freeware outside of the main folders, each with an effect, fonts, gauges, simobjects and sounds folders. If you go into "C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4" there are a series of .cfg folders for effects.cfg, fonts.cfg, gauges.cfg, simobjects.cfg, sounds.cfg etc. you can open them up and create new Entries for each of the different folders.

FSX you could do it with simobjects in the right cfg file but with P3D they took it to the next level where everything has it. I really like having an external testing so I can download and install new aircraft into the testing folder before I copy it into the main folders, that way if something is not right it is super easy to purge it all out before anything gets moved into the main folders, it also makes re-installing easier since most of the add on's are outside the main folder.

It has worked with most aircraft, a few payware aircraft it does not (Milviz especially) but after testing with in the external folder if it does not work its easy enough to install into the main folder.

 

[Naismith]

Thanks Joe I think I will your route a whizz.

 

[Stickshaker]

I backed up all of my usual stuff, effects, in sim aircraft, gauges...all the usual bits. Turned out I didn't need it, but I like having things backed up anyway.

Downloaded the whole kit and archived it for posterity.
I opted to do the client install only after doing a bit of research.

ChasePlane sorted out a tiny syntax bug today, so now they are up to speed.
Active Sky automatically pointed me to the update...that went perfect.

FSUIPC installed fine.

I haven't gotten to my ORBX FTX Global stuff yet, so I can't comment there.

The only glitch was last night when I was doing the 5+hour download of the 12gig LM package.

Windows crashed the party like the obnoxious drunk who lives next door, and commandeered my system for one of their routine invasions. It borked the download, so I re-booted the Win10 update and started the LM download over at 2:00 AM. Second try got it.
Big shout out to my good friends over at MS. KMA

The install
That went as smooth as honey butter.

Right off the bat I went and looked at some of my 4K VC textures in the F7F Tigercat. I built these in 4K knowing that we would eventually get 4K in the office.
After I got back up off the floor, I spent quite a bit of time panning and checking light and bump mapping. Holy cow.
Even the single pixel bumps were phenomenally clear.

If nothing else, the 4K option for the VC is worth every penny of stepping into P3Dv4.1.
Performance is mind numbing with the new GTX 1080 TI card managing data like a terminator. Testing...I'm seeing solid 90 to 125 FPS...with all the candy sliders far right. When LM suggested an 8gig card, they knew what they were talking about. I opted for the 11gig, and don't regret the $$$ outlay.


BTW...I ran the latest NVIDIA driver update yesterday, I swear it took the whole thing completely off the charts.

All in all...I'm giving the update

Tweaks

I've put a ton of time in chasing P3Dv4 tweaks. There are a handful that neutralize the performance killers, and produce big gains in FPS and smoothness.
These are also the tweaks I've used for video work and screen caps I've been posting most recently. I thought it would be helpful for some if I shared these.

First, I'm running the CPU and GPU at stock curves. NO OVERCLOCKS. I went that route before had had too many black screen and driver crashes. At the performance levels I'm seeing, overclocking would just be for bragging. I'm happy where I'm at, so I'm saving the equipment.

I turn off Dynamic Lighting and Reflections for most flights. DL is a Frame Killer, but very nice when you don't mind.

I spent a lot of time with Affinity mask. This is a huge performance booster, but finding the blurries threshold takes some experimenting.
Right now I'm using (no blurriness or stutters):

[JOBSCHEDULER]
AffinityMask=116

I set NVIDIA to let the 3D Application choose it's settings via the control panel.

In P3D I do the following.
I've found that higher settings produce negligible visual improvements, but hit FPS significantly. This is my personal preference.
Note: I use ChasePlane, so the wide angle mode is enabled. This is highly recommend by ChasePlane for best performance.

Hello Gman,
Thank you so much for your valuable tips to get more performance out of P3Dv4! I followed them all and they gave a huge improvement. Except one: the affinity mask setting under the jobscheduler header. I searched the P3D.cfg file but I could not find this header. My P3D file is in the folder user/app data/roaming/lockheed martin. Can you tell me where I can find the Affinity mask setting?
Thanks and best regards,
Stickshaker

 

[jmig]

Hello Gman,
Thank you so much for your valuable tips to get more performance out of P3Dv4! I followed them all and they gave a huge improvement. Except one: the affinity mask setting under the jobscheduler header. I searched the P3D.cfg file but I could not find this header. My P3D file is in the folder user/app data/roaming/lockheed martin. Can you tell me where I can find the Affinity mask setting?
Thanks and best regards,
Stickshaker

I am pretty sure that Affinity Mask needs to be added to the cfg. It is not there by default. I tend to save and then reuse my cfg files, so it has been there for as long as I can remember (which so so long these days).

 

[gman5250]

Thank you so much for your valuable tips to get more performance out of P3Dv4! I followed them all and they gave a huge improvement. Except one: the affinity mask setting under the jobscheduler header. I searched the P3D.cfg file but I could not find this header. My P3D file is in the folder user/app data/roaming/lockheed martin. Can you tell me where I can find the Affinity mask setting?

You will need to add that to the P3D config file. I don't get any negative artefacts at that setting, but if you do, try going down to 84. Glad I could help with the performance!
Be sure to back up the config file as a precaution.

Example:

[FACILITIES]
COUNTRY=
STATE=
CITY=
GTL_BUTTON=4096

[MISC]
Com_Rate=7
[FlightPlanMap]
LineWidth=2

[BUFFERPOOLS]
UsePools=0
PoolSize=0

[JOBSCHEDULER]
AffinityMask=116

[DEBUG]
ScenarioErrorReporting=0

[MOUSE]
EnableGestures=True
[NavigationVisuals]
EnableFacilityVisuals=False
ShowAirportVisuals=False
ShowVORVisuals=False
ShowNDBVisuals=False
ShowTACANVisuals=False
ShowILSVisuals=True
ShowAirspaceBoundaryVisuals=False
ShowWeatherStationVisuals=False
ShowWaypointVisuals=False
ShowVictorAirwayVisuals=False
ShowJetAirwayVisuals=False

[DISPLAY.Device.NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.0.0]
Mode=1920x1080x32

 

[Stickshaker]

Thaks, Gman, going to give it a try!

 

[gman5250]

Thaks, Gman, going to give it a try!

Let me know how that works for you. Affinity mask is going vary dramatically from system to system. The two big things are micro stutters and blurries.

My objective was to net a solid 60 FPS while running Shadowplay at 4K with all of the P3D bling turned up, live weather and ChasePlane cameras. ChasePlane has some tiny niggles at some camera angles that will stutter, but it has nothing to do with Affinity Mask.

On my system, with no overclocks on the CPU or GPU I'm getting solid FPS at 100-150 frames with the setup I posted above. Resolution is perfect for video capture, and frames never go below 60, which is what Shadowplay requires, so I'm satisfied with the Affinity Mask 116 on my rig.

BTW, I had another NVIDIA driver update today, so first thing I'll check is for any performance changes. Depending on driver updates, I sometimes see FPS bump up after an update, but I've never seen frames go down.

 

[Stickshaker]

After making a test flight over demanding terrain (FTX England) it indeed seems that performance has markedly improved (even without checking framerates). Thank you for your advice, Gman!

 

[UnknownGuest12]

Funny, inserted (not tried yet)

[JOBSCHEDULER]
AffinityMask=116

as suggested, but

[BUFFERPOOLS],

[DEBUG],

[MOUSE], are missing in my p3d.cfg. Are these lines related to any specific program? Mouse I have....
Thanks​

​

​

 

[gman5250]

Funny, inserted (not tried yet)

[JOBSCHEDULER]
AffinityMask=116

as suggested, but

[BUFFERPOOLS],

[DEBUG],

[MOUSE], are missing in my p3d.cfg. Are these lines related to any specific program? Mouse I have....
Thanks​

​

​

That syntax may or may not be in your configuration file. It won't affect the section you will be adding.

You can insert the JOBSCHEDULER AffinityMask code by itself. I put mine towards the bottom.

 

[gman5250]

Due Diligence:

Affinity Mask is a very system specific modification, and is quite different in P3Dv4 than it was in previous releases. What works on one system, may prove to be wrong for another.

For everyone who is interested in exploring the options offered by this tweak, I strongly suggest taking the time to run the calculations for your specific system through the Affinity Mask Calculator. It will give you a few options, depending on the variables you ask the calculator to profile.

IMO, it is very much worth the invested time.

http://www.gatwick-fsg.org.uk/affinitymask.aspx?SubMenuItem=hardware


I ran some numbers today and came up with two optimum profiles for my system. One is based on a six core CPU, the other based on six core hyperthreaded CPU. The Affinity Mask numbers are different for each. The chart below is based on the hyperthreaded setup, which is default for my system. The chart was constructed with the F7F Tigercat sitting parked, engines idling, avionics on, AS Next P3DV4 live weather, P3D bling set as per my earlier posting here (post 34), ChasePlane cameras enabled.

During the actual flight, over very demanding scenery and autogen, the CPU hovered around 36% and power never really broke a sweat. Checking EVGA Precision X with no overclock the card barely broke a sweat, running around 76 degrees at all of the sensor points. Perfect. The sim made about 80 FPS on the ground and averaged around 120 FPS at cruise altitude. I set tessellation to Maximum for this check ride.

The curve shows core one carrying a specified load, and the rest of the cores very equally distributed with similar curves. I did about an hour flight with the cores balanced very evenly. No blurries or stutters.

Important to note, this curve was created using a number generated by the calculator. I'm running a series of tests today and will share that data later.

BTW, rather than hijacking this thread I can start a dedicated thread if we have enough interest. I can make a video showing setups and performance with optimized Affinity Mask.
Let me know below if that's something we want to see.

 

[YoYo]

[BUFFERPOOLS]
UsePools=0
PoolSize=0

It is unnecessary for P3D, it was good option for FSX I suppose (and only the one, UsePools and PoolSize means the same).
Engine of P3D puts graphics for card memory "as default", not like FSX. It was option to force this in FSX (and case of some artifacts as well).

Only two tweaks are ok for P3D according me:

Fiber frame and Affinity Mask.

Affinity Mask caclulator:
http://store.fsxtimes.com/cal-cam.php

but I personally do not use any.

My settings:



btw.
gman5250 I see You have V-sync off and You wrote about 100 fps, so do You have G-sync and monitor with refresh rate 144? If V-sync isnt ticket You dont see screen tearing on monitor ?
V-sync/G-sync limits fps to refresh rate of monitor, so for example I setup my monitor to 60 Hz, and in P3D I see 60 fps max, not more (so level of Hz of monitor, btw max my is 144). However, Fall Creators Update Windows 10 (3-4 November) causes problems for P3Dv4 with this.