Prepar3D 4.4 May Have Rendering Changes

[AerialShorts]

https://fselite.net/news/prepar3d-v4-4- ... -with-pbr/

FSElite has obtained verified documents that suggest that Lockheed Martin are preparing to release Prepar3D V4.4 in Q4 of 2018. Even more exciting is the fact that these leaked documents point to version 4.4 being the first step to enabling Physically Based Rendering (PBR) textures in the simulator.

What is PBR? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicall ... _rendering

It’s the kind of rendering used in Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, etc. and has a very different quality and feel to it from the basic shading that has been with FSX/P3D for a very long time.

Who knows if this rumor is true or not but if it is, with a fundamental renderer change, the workflow used to render the world in P3D could fundamentally change. This could be very big for P3D and may move the workload from the CPU to the GPU and lift a lot of the performance issues that we've had to deal with. It would also let P3D use the features and hardware in modern video cards.

[patful]

Can you turn it off? I only have a GTX 1060, and am very happy to get my 40 fps with nearly every slider maxed out. I don't want to lose performance to have things prettied up a bit more. I may stop at 4.3 if that's the case.

[stephan.cote.1]

This doesn’t sound like a mid version iteration to me... I would see a rendering change as part of a new version V5?


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[CAPFlyer]

PBR isn't really a major change on the user end, it's just enabling a new layer type.

As for performance - PBR shouldn't be a problem for a GTX 1060. StarCitizen uses PBR very heavily and even on my older 950 I have no issues with performance due to rendering. In fact, as was suggested, PBR should increase performance as it removes more of the rendering from the CPU. I doubt your GPU is running anywhere close to 100% capacity.

[patful]

In fact, as was suggested, PBR should increase performance as it removes more of the rendering from the CPU. I doubt your GPU is running anywhere close to 100% capacity.

Thanks for the response. It usually runs around 50-60% until I hit dense forests and heavy clouds together, then it can run 90-95%. The CPU (i5 7600K OC'd to 4.8 ), though, never goes past 65%. The 1060 prevents me from moving a couple of sliders to 100% and enabling building/vegetation shadows. Trees really seem to be the 1060's kryptonite. A GPU upgrade is WAY down the road.

[AKar]

In fact, as was suggested, PBR should increase performance as it removes more of the rendering from the CPU. I doubt your GPU is running anywhere close to 100% capacity.

Thanks for the response. It usually runs around 50-60% until I hit dense forests and heavy clouds together, then it can run 90-95%. The CPU (i5 7600K OC'd to 4.8 ), though, never goes past 65%. The 1060 prevents me from moving a couple of sliders to 100% and enabling building/vegetation shadows. Trees really seem to be the 1060's kryptonite. A GPU upgrade is WAY down the road.

Are you by chance using speedtrees? I'm running 1070, and find no issues with tree settings maxed using good old vegetation with Orbx trees addon. (My CPU is an ancient i5 2500K.)

-Esa

[avduarri]

I hope all these new features are GPU dependent because my i7-6700 CPU is running at 80-100% while my GTX-1060 6gb is running around 50%
And there isn't money to change the CPU and all the associated components.

[patful]

Are you by chance using speedtrees?

I turned those off the first time I ran P3D. I do use Orbx trees, and their NZNI and NZSI have some seriously-dense forested areas. It's fine (GPU around 80%) as long as the weather's decent, but the combination of dense trees and heavy clouds in ASP4 really gums it up. I turned cloud layers down to 4 to keep the 1060 away from 100%. But I hate moving the vegetation slider down. I'm horribly spoiled.

[AKar]

Are you by chance using speedtrees?

I turned those off the first time I ran P3D. I do use Orbx trees, and their NZNI and NZSI have some seriously-dense forested areas. It's fine (GPU around 80%) as long as the weather's decent, but the combination of dense trees and heavy clouds in ASP4 really gums it up. I turned cloud layers down to 4 to keep the 1060 away from 100%. But I hate moving the vegetation slider down. I'm horribly spoiled.

Yea, I do get some very noticeable impact from the weather when there are overcast layers, but vegetation really leaves me unaffected. Actually, the larger cities are what brings my performance down more than the vegetation. But assuming, say, Orbx SAK Anchorage, some overcast layers, AI traffic enabled and using FSL A319, I generally manage about 30 FPS. The vegetation settings make no real difference, but lightning and shadow settings - and also the weather settings - do have some impact.

BTW, have you disabled the setting of trees casting shadows? It probably makes a hit if enabled.

-Esa

[patful]

Actually, the larger cities are what brings my performance down more than the vegetation. But assuming, say, Orbx SAK Anchorage, some overcast layers, AI traffic enabled and using FSL A319, I generally manage about 30 FPS. The vegetation settings make no real difference, but lightning and shadow settings - and also the weather settings - do have some impact.

BTW, have you disabled the setting of trees casting shadows? It probably makes a hit if enabled.

Yes, I only enable aircraft, cloud, and terrain shadows, not buildings or trees. As for cities, I chose New Zealand deliberately, not a lot of big cities. Auckland and Christchurch knock me down to ~32 fps when cloudy (28 on the runway), but that's with 100% AI traffic enabled (road traffic only at 15%). No hit from the rest of their urban areas. Forests have no effect on my fps, just GPU usage. If it hits 100%, then I finally get stutters.

Pat

[WB_FlashOver]

New technology being used in our simming is always a good thing .

I find these numbers being posted of % of CPU and GPU usage interesting. They all look similar to my FSX-SE which runs around 50-60% CPU and 30-40% GPU while my P3Dv4.3 is running 45-60% CPU and 90-100% GPU. My sliders are not super high (at or above ORBX recommendations) but I do have lots of objects casting/receiving shadows and Dynamic & HDR Lighting enabled. Overcast and one or two other layers really hammers my frames as well as large cities but my settings keep me at 40-60 FPS normal and 20+ at the lowest.

Plans are for a new GPU soon and with the rumor of new rendering coming it may need to be even sooner. (System specs in signature.)

Cheers
Roger

[Paughco]

I wonder how this new rendering technology will affect ORBX and Active Sky?

Seeya
ATB

[n421nj]

If true it will be cool. X plane 11 used pbr and looks amazing and also runs great on my machine.

[Gabe777]

https://fselite.net/news/prepar3d-v4-4- ... -with-pbr/

FSElite has obtained verified documents that suggest that Lockheed Martin are preparing to release Prepar3D V4.4 in Q4 of 2018. Even more exciting is the fact that these leaked documents point to version 4.4 being the first step to enabling Physically Based Rendering (PBR) textures in the simulator.

What is PBR? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicall ... _rendering

It’s the kind of rendering used in Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, etc. and has a very different quality and feel to it from the basic shading that has been with FSX/P3D for a very long time.

Who knows if this rumor is true or not but if it is, with a fundamental renderer change, the workflow used to render the world in P3D could fundamentally change. This could be very big for P3D and may move the workload from the CPU to the GPU and lift a lot of the performance issues that we've had to deal with. It would also let P3D use the features and hardware in modern video cards.

Hi all.

So what is the consensus on how PBR affects performance with a good GPU ?

I have a very under-utilised GTX 1080 but am still on 4.3.

Does PBR reduce performance ?

[AKar]

In P3D so few addons use PBR as of today that the effects on performance are effectively nil. It remains to be seen if any noticeable performance changes will occur when the first complex sceneries start to employ PBR.

-Esa