Disappearing carts and containers

[crauds]

Hi Umberto!

    Still experiencing invisible carts and containers when loading/unloading the PMDG B747 v3 even though I had everything else turned off including Windows firewall.  Only FSX was running with aircraft at YBBN (default, minimum scenery).  I do have the special FSX Win10 version of FSUIPC loaded but not being used.  That is required to prevent CTD when I use the 747 on my high end system so not an option.  Look closely at the two pictures I have included.  When you said you could not duplicate the issue are you testing with the PMDG 747 v3 and on Win10?  I wonder if having SODE active has any bearing on this.  I have no use for SODE since all my airports are default and all jetways animate.  And BTW, there is nothing else running on my computer other than FSX at the time this images were taken.  (NOTE:  move images over to the right to see the missing parts)

[virtuali]

When you said you could not duplicate the issue are you testing with the PMDG 747 v3 and on Win10?

Of course I do. Not use FSX that often, and using the PMDG 747 in FSX it's enough of a challenge per se, but I'll check it in FSX too.

[virtuali]

Here's a test with the PMDG 747, at default YBBN ( Gate 78 ), in FSX:SE. Everything's normal.

One thing I've noticed, you have a much higher frame rate than I have (I was at about 45 fps).

Simconnect related to animations happens at each frame, and developers cannot choose the update frequency with much flexibility, it's either every 4 seconds, every second, 6 times per second, or every frame so, in order to have smooth animations, we don't have any choice other than working at every frame, otherwise animations at 6 fps would look very bad.

Now, with your very high frame rate, it's *possible* you are putting too much strain on Simconnect so, all your apps that use it (which includes GSX, but also every other installed app, like SODE, FSUIPC, etc.), will be *forced* to talk with the sim at 100+ fps, all of them.

Try to *limit* your frame rate, and see if this makes a difference. Our animations are made at 30 fps so, anything higher, it's just overkill and you won't see any difference.

We don't have this problem in P3D V4 anymore, since we don't subscribe to Simconnect visual frame events anymore, but we use a more "native" and "low level" API, called PDK, which skips Simconnect for this feature, so we put less strain on the sim in P3D V4. But in FSX, there are no alternatives.

[crauds]

     That actually could make some sense.  The image I sent you was with UT2 and ASN not connected and they eat up frame rates.
 When I have UT2 and ASN connected the frame rate drops down to about 45-50 fps in a more dense scenery environment but that probably increases the strain on simconnect.  Now what about SODE?  I have no need of it with the airports I use since all the gates I use are already animated by FSX.  Can I remove it from my exe.xml file without messing anything up?  And of course this is not the original PMDG 747 but the new one and it also has RAASPRO module which uses simconnect. 

  There was an article put out by Lefteris (Flight Sim Labs) back when these real high performance processors first came out.  The problem of missing textures within the ConcordeX panel was corrected by a small program that he wrote and made available to us.  It corrected the issue.  I have that program and ran it after I first installed FSX and it eliminated all of the issues except this one I am now having.  I did try limiting the FPS within FSX to 30 fps but one or more artifacts were still missing.  Isn't it strange that it only happens with the cargo loading carts and not any of your other animations?

Craig

[virtuali]

When I have UT2 and ASN connected the frame rate drops down to about 45-50 fps in a more dense scenery environment but that probably increases the strain on simconnect.

Depends on what they do. Yes, of course, it's not automatic that a single addon running at 110 fps would cause less or more strain on Simconnect than 3 running at 45 because, even if they are called less frequently (because of the lower fps), they would add their own commands so, it's entirely depending on how many they use.

Note that, even GSX is *called* by Simconnect at every frame, it doesn't normally sends back any commands for the animations, since Simconnect cannot be used for that so, of the addons you have, GSX is the one putting less strain, because it doesn't send back many commands.

Now what about SODE?  I have no need of it with the airports I use since all the gates I use are already animated by FSX.  Can I remove it from my exe.xml file without messing anything up?

It's not strictly required, but some sceneries use it for jetways.

And of course this is not the original PMDG 747 but the new one and it also has RAASPRO module which uses simconnect. 

I'm not sure what you are referring to with "the new one" vs "the original". You said I should have tested it with the PMDG 747 v3, and I have the very latest version of it. But I don't have RAASPRO installed.

The problem of missing textures within the ConcordeX panel was corrected by a small program that he wrote and made available to us.  It corrected the issue.  I have that program and ran it after I first installed FSX and it eliminated all of the issues except this one I am now having.

That's because you don't have an issue of "missing textures". If you were missing textures, you would see the object with black or some transparent parts, not just missing.

Isn't it strange that it only happens with the cargo loading carts and not any of your other animations?

More than strange, it's almost impossible, which is why I'm 100% sure it's nothing related to GSX or that we can fix: of all the vehicles you see, the carts are the ones with LESS chances to disappear. They have only *one* animation ( the wheels ), and use a single texture. Compared to other vehicles like the Cargo Loader, for example, which has several different animations for the two platforms, the wheels, the different linked legs that move the platforms, and several different textures in the same object so, they should be more complex to render.

[crauds]

 Good Morning, Umberto!
 

I'm not sure what you are referring to with "the new one" vs "the original". You said I should have tested it with the PMDG 747 v3, and I have the very latest version of it. But I don't have RAASPRO installed.

Yes, from the image you sent me in a previous post, seems you have the same latest PMDG 747 version.  Strange that you wouldn't automatically have RAASPRO in your addon menu, but I digress.

I will edit my exe.xml to eliminate SODE being loaded and I will also limit my frame rates to 30 fps from within FSX to see if that will make a difference.  I don't know what else to do.

Craig

[crauds]

OK. Today I did two things:  I eliminated installing of SODE, and I set my frame rates down to 30  fps within FSX.  When I unloaded at NTAA, the tractors were fine but both trains had their tires partially buried in the tarmac and the forward cargo hold unloaded one invisible container.  But when the trains departed the missing container in the forward train suddenly appeared as the train passed by my viewpoint.  Later I unloaded at Seattle and everything this time appeared perfect.  All carts, tires, and containers were visible.  This is the first time it has worked.  I think the theory that simconnect is overloading with the 747 since is has ACARS and RAAS that are communicating in addition to traffic, weather, and GSX.  Also the speed at which my high performance equipment runs FSX is usually in the 100's of fps so slowing it down perhaps works better for simmconnect while still giving me smooth performance.  It needs more testing.

Craig