[Metro4001]

I'm having issues with LOD popups/disappearing, sometimes right in my face. I have LODs set to maximum viewing distance but this doesn't seem to do a thing. Any help would definitely be appreciated. I'm using X1931

[roeter]

On the main menu, select "Options", then in the options menu, select "Experimental".
Check if you have selected the option "Automatically tune settings to keep performance level".
If this option is selected, the program will continuously adjust viewing distance and object settings in order to maintain an optimum frame rate.

Regards,
Rob Roeterdink

[captain_bazza]

Hi Jason,

Please let us know the result, thanks.

Cheers Bazza

[Metro4001]

Using those settings creates a fog, sometimes dense. I adjusted my viewing distance and lowered the FPS goal from 120 to 60 and the fog was in the distance. After switching a few cars however the fog got very dense so I just cut the feature off. A couple of other things, I had a teleportation event backing into the IAS(?) yard. The switches are extremely close together and if you set the wrong switch your train will jump tracks. A freight car disappeared on me as well and left a gap in my train. A restart fixed that one.

[Metro4001]

The LOD issues are almost an obsession at this point. I didn't even notice LODs until a couple of years ago but they have never been this prominent until recently. Nothing I do alleviates the issue. I would be able to accept this if the LODs effected the rolling stock once it got several hundred meters away but the pop-ins right in front of me are "immersion breaking."

[markus_GE]

Maybe it´s something to do with you computer. If you could post some stats (CPU, GPU, RAM,...) maybe somebody can tell something of that...

Cheers, Markus

[Genma Saotome]

If you uncompress a copy of the .s file of the offending model and pull the readable text into an editor you can manually change the LOD values.

The first thing you look for is this (search for "lod_control"):

	lod_controls ( 1
		lod_control (
			distance_levels_header ( 0 )
			distance_levels ( 7
				distance_level ( 
					distance_level_header (
						dlevel_selection ( 65 )
						hierarchy ( 2 -1 0 )
					)

In this example the file says there are 7 different distance levels and the order in which they appear will be shortest distance to longest. The line you want to hand edit is "dlevel_selection". The number that follows is the distance in meters (in this case, 65m). Change that to something else and moving on to the next "dlevel_selection" (which may be many, many lines below). You want that one to be anything greater than the value you entered previously. IOW, after you are done, all of the "dlevel_selection" values have to have increasing distance values.

Save the file. Put the original .s file someplace safe and move your edited copy into the correct folder for its type. Run the sim and review your work.

[Metro4001]

markus_GE, on 24 January 2014 - 02:08 PM, said:

Maybe it´s something to do with you computer. If you could post some stats (CPU, GPU, RAM,...) maybe somebody can tell something of that...Cheers, Markus

Intel i2500k 3.30
8.00gb of memory
GTX 570

An aging but still decent PC.

Genma Saotome, on 24 January 2014 - 02:27 PM, said:

If you uncompress a copy of the .s file of the offending model and pull the readable text into an editor you can manually change the LOD values.The first thing you look for is this (search for "lod_control"):

	lod_controls ( 1		lod_control (			distance_levels_header ( 0 )			distance_levels ( 7				distance_level ( 					distance_level_header (						dlevel_selection ( 65 )						hierarchy ( 2 -1 0 )					)

In this example the file says there are 7 different distance levels and the order in which they appear will be shortest distance to longest. The line you want to hand edit is "dlevel_selection". The number that follows is the distance in meters (in this case, 65m). Change that to something else and moving on to the next "dlevel_selection" (which may be many, many lines below). You want that one to be anything greater than the value you entered previously. IOW, after you are done, all of the "dlevel_selection" values have to have increasing distance values.Save the file. Put the original .s file someplace safe and move your edited copy into the correct folder for its type. Run the sim and review your work.

I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks for the advice.

[Genma Saotome]

p.s. Is this problem for cars and/or locomotves?


If so, things will be a bit more complicated... the editing process is as I described above but with cars & locomotives you also have to deal with the named subobjects... stuff like bogie01.

I'm not as familiar with how those .s files are organized but I THINK what you want to do is edit the dlevel_section() values for similar things (wheels to wheels, bogoes to bogies, etc, etc) identically.

Also, I THINK the values you change within several similar subobjects are not relevant to the values in any others... IOW you can have long distance values in one type and very short ones in a different type, w/o regard to where the two different types are found in the .s file. BEST to experiment and verify that.

[roeter]

In "Options" - tab "Experimental", there is an option : "Set highest LOD to maximum viewing distance".
If you check that option, the highest LOD value for any object (and that includes trains etc.) will be automatically extended to the maximum viewing distance. No need to edit any files.

The problem seems likely to be something in your settings.

The following options might effect the appearance of objects and trains :
"Options" -> "Video" : Viewing Distance (value depends on route object density - start at 2000m and see if you can expend).
"Options" -> "Experimental" : Automatically tune settings to keep performance level (make sure this is switched off).
"Options" -> "Experimental" : Set highest LOD to maximum viewing distance (make sure this is switched on).

If the route allows, I set these values to "viewing distance" = 6000m, "tuning" off and "highest LOD" on.
Occasionaly the FPS may drop a bit depending on the area, but everything there is to see is generated before it comes in sight. Nothing just 'pops up' - not even high rise buildings or power pylons - these latter really strectch away into the distance as far as can be seen.

Regards,
Rob Roeterdink