Random Flashes of Square artifacts

[David F Zambrano]

I've made a preset for the PMDG 777 for the first time using FSLSpotlights Using v2.0.0.9 on P3DV4.3. While it's certainly looking good, There is a major annoying issue which never presented itself in the previous version on 4.2...

At night, It seems that I am getting intermittent flashes of black, white and colored squares all around the VC. These squares show up randomly and seem to have nothing to do with dynamic lighting as I have tested with the option both enabled and disabled. The weird thing is that it seems to get way worse with cloud shadows disabled. When I disable Spotlights, The flickering stops, so clearly it has something to do with it.

I have an empty NV inspector setting, and Use a basic PTA setting.

 

 

FSLSpotLights.ini

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

Hi David,

can you run a GPU profile to see if your card is maxed out at 100% when this happens? I am thinking it is pushed too hard and those are card artifacts...

[Abe Abrahamian]

Hello all. I am happy to test any scenarios as well. This also happens to be. I no longer use NVidia inspector. I am just stock with my GTX1080. Card is set at Maximum performance setting in NVIDIA Control panel.  I do see that my GPU is using about 3.5GB of RAM from the 8GB of ram available when this happens. I also tested this Pre-Pta and Post-Pta. I see the same flashing of square blocks. However, I see them in colors. I see red  and green mostly. 

P3DV4.3

A320X .260

 

Thanks!

 

[David F Zambrano]

15 hours ago, Lefteris Kalamaras said:

Hi David,

can you run a GPU profile to see if your card is maxed out at 100% when this happens? I am thinking it is pushed too hard and those are card artifacts...

I Have MSI afterburner and I monitor it all the time. It happens regardless of gpu usage. In my case, it's below 90% (70-85). BUT...2 I found 2 things out...

If you disable cloud shadows, The flickers are TWICE as frequent. I have no idea why. I've tried replacing the REX cloud textures and no change.

 

I found something interesting during testing. It seems to happen when I use a certain amount of effects. In my INI file, I use a lot of lamps. Once I get to a certain amount,( around 45-50 Lamps), These flickers occur. It could be a hard limit of lamps that you can use before the artifacts appear. However as stated above, it seems cloud shadows alleviates this almost completely.( random black flicker every minute or so on the panel). Why could this be?

[David F Zambrano]

11 hours ago, Abe Abrahamian said:

Hello all. I am happy to test any scenarios as well. This also happens to be. I no longer use NVidia inspector. I am just stock with my GTX1080. Card is set at Maximum performance setting in NVIDIA Control panel.  I do see that my GPU is using about 3.5GB of RAM from the 8GB of ram available when this happens. I also tested this Pre-Pta and Post-Pta. I see the same flashing of square blocks. However, I see them in colors. I see red  and green mostly. 

P3DV4.3

A320X .260

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, Sometimes they appear colored as well for me too, but mostly black squares. 

 

15 hours ago, Lefteris Kalamaras said:

Hi David,

can you run a GPU profile to see if your card is maxed out at 100% when this happens? I am thinking it is pushed too hard and those are card artifacts...

I should mention I tried using both the newest NVIDIA driver, as well as two previous versions and no joy. 

Tip to test this, Use my .ini file on the 777-200LR by PMDG. At night,  pan the camera towards the pedestal. This seems to induce the flickers more so than looking out the window of the cockpit. 

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

David,

would you be willing to temporarily revert to P3D v4.2 and let us know if that still occurs? It's a simple client uninstall / reinstall of 4.2, should not affect anything else.

[Hugo Bicho]

1 minute ago, Lefteris Kalamaras said:

David,

would you be willing to temporarily revert to P3D v4.2 and let us know if that still occurs? It's a simple client uninstall / reinstall of 4.2, should not affect anything else.

Hello Lefteris,

I'm having this issue and I'm on 4.2

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

Hi Hugo,

FSLSpotlights uses P3D effects directly nowadays and does not work around any internal code. Those artifacts might be induced by the graphics card overloading, hence my inquiries above.

[Hugo Bicho]

1 minute ago, Lefteris Kalamaras said:

Hi Hugo,

FSLSpotlights uses P3D effects directly nowadays and does not work around any internal code. Those artifacts might be induced by the graphics card overloading, hence my inquiries above.

Strange, could it be possible if this issue appear since the latest big windows update also ?

[NilsUnger]

Keep in mind that big windows updates can bring in new video drivers. Windows 10 has done this to me AGAIN (unwillingly). 

[David F Zambrano]

2 hours ago, Lefteris Kalamaras said:

Hi Hugo,

FSLSpotlights uses P3D effects directly nowadays and does not work around any internal code. Those artifacts might be induced by the graphics card overloading, hence my inquiries above.

Installing right now, I'll let you know. 

[David F Zambrano]

@Lefteris Kalamaras Here is footage from downgrading to 4.2. As you can see for some reason, turning off cloud shadows induces these artifacts. In this clip, the flickers are black. and although not shown, even with cloud shadows on, eventually you'll get occasional flicker of a square here or there. Note: This happens regardless of clouds in the sky or not. The video was recorded in clear skies.

The GPU usage in this clip never passed 76%. I'm certain it has nothing to do with it. VRAM use was at 2GB out of 6GB. 

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

Hi David,

I appreciate the video.

I can only say that we've never seen this issue here and all we're doing is enabling dynamic lights with effects as per the Prepar3D SDK.

Is it possible that you can repost the video on the LM forum and ask them for possible help?

Thank you!

[Gerald Krutsch]

There are several reports on these artefacts (one opened by myself).

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/519769-p3d-v4-light-flashes-at-night-on-app/

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/520923-p3d-v4-white-red-pixels/?tab=comments#comment-3840019

I think I saw something on LM Forums aswell...not sure.

 

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

So this is confirmed not to be a spotlights issue then?

 

[David F Zambrano]

1 minute ago, Rob Ainscough said:

I've seen the odd lights issue in the upper left corner also and it seems to go away when I disable spotlights.

I'm also seeing a strange issue in the A319 where there is a lower section of the VC front window that appears to NOT get any "glass/tint" ... oddly the issue seems to ONLY happen at ground level (during taxi/takeoff) and one airborne seems to resolve itself.  It's almost as if there are missing "effects" (i.e. fog/icing/condensation) or texture that should be there that isn't being rendered.

I'll try to provide a video tonight if I have time ... you know how to reach me if you want more info.  Otherwise, aircraft is working great!

Cheers, Rob.

Exactly my point. I wan't to say it's something on LM's side, but I have only seen it with Spotlights. I wan't to present it to LM forums, I just don't think they will really act on it unless someone with as much "pull" as yourself  presents it as a real potential problem. 

 

[Randy Reade]

48 minutes ago, Rob Ainscough said:

Let me get a video going first with repeatable steps and present to FSL crew first before reaching out to LM.

Cheers, Rob.

Rob, are you sure this isn't what you are seeing? I believe LM is aware and working on a fix.

 

Randy

[Dave Woycek]

On 7/1/2018 at 5:13 PM, David F Zambrano said:

I've made a preset for the PMDG 777 for the first time using FSLSpotlights Using v2.0.0.9 on P3DV4.3. While it's certainly looking good, There is a major annoying issue which never presented itself in the previous version on 4.2...

At night, It seems that I am getting intermittent flashes of black, white and colored squares all around the VC. These squares show up randomly and seem to have nothing to do with dynamic lighting as I have tested with the option both enabled and disabled. The weird thing is that it seems to get way worse with cloud shadows disabled. When I disable Spotlights, The flickering stops, so clearly it has something to do with it.

I have an empty NV inspector setting, and Use a basic PTA setting.

 

 

 

2018-07-01_11-09-43.flv

FSLSpotLights.ini

 

I have this problem im P3D v4 too.

I've seen that people have been reporting this over at avsim also, with other addons.

Has there been any fix found or has this issue been addressed somewhere?

 

Frankly, it made me freak out at first because I thought that my all-new graphics card was flawed, until I read the report of others having that issue as well.

[Philip Johansson]

I have this problem now in P3D V4 aswell... I have no idea what to do.

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

Easiest thing TO do is report it to LM's forums, no? It's their issue...

[Ciarán Andrews]

Digging this thread up instead of creating a new one on the same subject. 

Has anyone found a potential fix/work around for this issue? I have posted on the LM forums but some seem to think its my GPU which I am starting to think it is myself, although running benchmark programs such as Heaven BM doesn't introduce the artefacts which would lead me to believe that it is only an issue with P3D. The issue also disappears at the disabling of dynamic lighting. This issue has been an ongoing problem for well over two years now. However - it is increased with the use of spotlights which ruins the immersion. 

[Matt Piotrowski]

I think I’m getting the same issue and it only happens with the fslabs a320. When I switch views with chase plane and pan I get a black square that flashes for a brief second and then goes away. I tested the PMDG 747 and I don’t have this issue. I never had this issue before  doing a fresh install of 4.5 and the new fslabs update.

[Ciarán Andrews]

5 hours ago, Matt Piotrowski said:

I think I’m getting the same issue and it only happens with the fslabs a320. When I switch views with chase plane and pan I get a black square that flashes for a brief second and then goes away. I tested the PMDG 747 and I don’t have this issue. I never had this issue before  doing a fresh install of 4.5 and the new fslabs update.

What GPU are you using out of curiosity? 

[Matt Piotrowski]

8 hours ago, Ciarán Andrews said:

What GPU are you using out of curiosity? 

gtx 1080

[Ciarán Andrews]

3 hours ago, Matt Piotrowski said:

gtx 1080

If you can get your hands on one, try a different card in your system. I am running a GTX 1070 and just tried a 1060 and the artifacts did not appear what so ever. I am in the middle of exchanging my card as its still under warranty and since the 1060 worked without any issues then I would have to say that my 1070 is the cause of the flashing artifacts.

[Matt Piotrowski]

1 hour ago, Ciarán Andrews said:

If you can get your hands on one, try a different card in your system. I am running a GTX 1070 and just tried a 1060 and the artifacts did not appear what so ever. I am in the middle of exchanging my card as its still under warranty and since the 1060 worked without any issues then I would have to say that my 1070 is the cause of the flashing artifacts.

It's weird because I don't have a problem with any other plane or game. I think it's chase plane because the black boxes only appear when in the chase plane menu, they only last for a split second and go away. No black boxes otherwise.

[Ciarán Andrews]

2 minutes ago, Matt Piotrowski said:

It's weird because I don't have a problem with any other plane or game. I think it's chase plane because the black boxes only appear when in the chase plane menu, they only last for a split second and go away. No black boxes otherwise.

I don't use ChasePlane, so maybe we're having two separate issues.