Frame rate questions

[sr01]

#1 - I'm testing my KPMD for frame rates .My FS9 is locked @ 25 frames/minute and I'm getting a regular 24.9 with 86 AI , one user A/C and no LODs on the Hangers. Would this be an acceptable #?
#2 -Is there a way to unlock frame rates ?

[John Young]

That sounds absolutely fine Brian, but if you want to explore performance further, here's something that might be of interest.

Your actually measured performance will depend on what mode you are in - windowed or full screen and of course how far right your quality settings are. You also need to pick the right point for the measurement. You've also capped the result, so you don't know what the scenery with and without AI can actually achieve. You unlock frame rates in the same way you locked it at 25 fps - on the slider in the sim settings.

This is the test I always use:

- Windowed mode

- Frame rate set to unlimited

- No clouds and no autogen

- Quality settings to max

- Default aircraft in cockpit mode

- Measured at about half a mile from touchdown on the approach to each runway. That's probably the most critical point for frame rate as you are juggling to keep your aircraft on the runway heading, particularly in a cross wind.

- Two measurements - one with AI on, one with it off.

It's useful to be able to measure min, max and average frame rate, particularly if the result is bouncing around. 25 fps is fine as an average, but if that jumps around all the time and your minimum cycles below 10-15, then something in the scenery, or AI needs smoothing. A building coming into sight without a LOD or a group of objects that haven't been minimised for draw calls for example.

FS9 and FSX do not display min, average and max frame rates by default, but you can modify the .cfg files for each sim to do it:

For FS9:

Add the following line to your FS9.cfg file (first entry in the [MAIN] section

AVE_FRAME_RATE_DISPLAY=1

For FSX, it's more complicated. These are what the 3 key sections of the FSX.cfg file should look like (make a back up copy first):

[TextInfo.1]
Latitude=1,1
Longitude=1,2
Altitude=1,3
Heading=1,4
AirSpeed=1,5
WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6

[TextInfo.2]
FrameRate=1,1
AverageFrameRate=1,2
LockedFrameRate=1,3
GForce=1,3
FuelPercentage=1,4

[TextInfo.3]
Latitude=1,1
Longitude=1,2
Altitude=1,3
Heading=1,4
AirSpeed=1,5
WindDirectionAndSpeed=1,6
FrameRate=2,1
AverageFrameRate=1,2
LockedFrameRate=2,3
GForce=2,3
FuelPercentage=2,4

For both sims, pressing Shift ZZ will now display the min, average and maximum frame rate. Put the view as suggested in slew mode and keep it stationary. Give it 30 seconds to settle down and enough time for the sim to calculate the true value of the average.

You can also fly a circuit and see how the values change reliably as you go round.

John

[sr01]

Thank's John . I'll try a normal CCT per your settings .So far I've been upping everything and using WX at "Approaching Cold Fronts ",doing aerobatics in a Tigermoth LOW and close to gnd.