Why the FRICK is it doing this now?!!

[visualchaosfx]

Here's a problem I'm running into with the PMDG 747-400 for FS2004

http://www.visual-chaos.com/fs9problem.wmv

Its a 30 second clip showing you this stuttering problem I'm getting. I've also tried the default 747 and I'm not running into this type of problem as showcased in the clip. Its done this before and I had to reformat the hard drive and reinstall everything and it worked but now its doing it again. Last night no problems, a week ago no problems. Now, its come back again. This is happening during my flight from Heathrow to San Fran.

Even with every setting turned all the way down in FS2004, I still have this problem with the PMDG 747 only. Anyone have any suggestions? Funny thing is, FS2004 is installed on a 3 week old, brand new machine that runs excellent!!

And I know its not limited to that machine because I just tried it on my Compaq editing PC and its doing the samething!!!

I've also posted this at the PMDG support forums and I'm awaiting an answer but I thought I would post this on here too because maybe someone on here has some sggestions.

[eno]

The stuttering is caused by your graphics card struggling to render so many polygons. The PMDG 747 is a hugely detailed model and the VC adds even more detail.

[visualchaosfx]

Yeah but it wasn't doing this the night before or when I first bought it. Since my last reformat this wasn't happening until last night. Now my graphics card decides to have a brainfart?? Another thing I'm finding out this morning is that, this problem only happens when I load a saved flight such as the Heathrow to San Fran flight I was doing last night. I loaded another save flight and it doesn't happen to that one. So I'm thinking that my Heathrow saved flight is corrupted.

I'm flying this flight again to see if the problem occurs once more.

[Alonso]

Hmmm I can give you a recommendation.... when you are goning to be at the Outside View, wait a few seconds until it loads, and when you change to VC, also wait a few second with "Pause" until it loads and then you can move normally. I think that might work.

[visualchaosfx]

Well now its doing the samething on my new flight from EGLL to KSFO

Hmmm I can give you a recommendation.... when you are goning to be at the Outside View, wait a few seconds until it loads, and when you change to VC, also wait a few second with "Pause" until it loads and then you can move normally. I think that might work.

That doesn't work either. But thank you for your suggestion. I just sent an email to PMDG support on this matter and hopefully they can help. If they can't I'm gonna get my money back because I'm not spending anymore money upgrading or buying a new computer. I bought this computer to be able to play Medievel 2 Total War, which by the way is way more graphics intensive than anything PMDG and I don't have any problems playing M2TW, and to speed up the process of video production because I do alot of particle effects, and video editing.

EDIT: Ok I take that back. Its working. I tried it on last nights saved file. I'm gonna keep the VC view instead of going to either panel view or spot view for now and see where this leads me. I was switching to panel view because I'm using TrackIR and gets alittle annoying when I turn away to to something else and I can see it in the corner of my eye. But it seems to be working. I just don't understand why my graphics card decides to have a brainfart last night when I've been playing this thing hardcore for the last 2 weeks??

EDIT AGAIN: Oh another thing I wanted to ask, what do you guys think of the image quality of the video? Looks pretty good to me from positioning the camera and zooming in onto the LCD screen. I captured it like that so I wouldn't have Fraps running in the background.

[born_2_fly]

Heya,

Just out of curiosity, have you installed the PMDG Interim Patch, or the Patch that upgrades the aircraft to version 1.1? I know that both of these updates were released to help with some other users problems with stuttering. Other than that, I suppose it could be a general PC clean up, I strongly suggest that you read this post, as it can dramatically increase performance in XP.

All the best,
Alex

[visualchaosfx]

Thanks for the link man but I shouldn't have to tweak anything. Everything was running perfect up until last night. I'm done for tonite though. I wasted a whole days off trying to get this thing to work.

[Mees]

Is it not doing that with other planes?


Try shutting down ALL programs you don't use, that's VERY essential when using PMDG 747, defrag, anything to decrease processes.

Mind you, my rig is doing that too, makes me sick...

[born_2_fly]

Thanks for the link man but I shouldn't have to tweak anything. Everything was running perfect up until last night. I'm done for tonite though. I wasted a whole days off trying to get this thing to work.

Its not just about 'tweaks' its about making you entire system run better. And it will help with the stuttering. Just because it suddenly started happening, it doesn't mean that your computer hasn't slowed down. You may not have noticed it during regular use. You cannot have a more detailed aircraft than the PMDG so it's going to be more susceptible to even the tiniest change.

Don't discredit it if you haven't even tried it. It will improve your whole flightsimming experience as a whole.

Ask anyone who's tried it.

Alex

[visualchaosfx]

Thanks for the link man but I shouldn't have to tweak anything. Everything was running perfect up until last night. I'm done for tonite though. I wasted a whole days off trying to get this thing to work.

Its not just about 'tweaks' its about making you entire system run better. And it will help with the stuttering. Just because it suddenly started happening, it doesn't mean that your computer hasn't slowed down. You may not have noticed it during regular use. You cannot have a more detailed aircraft than the PMDG so it's going to be more susceptible to even the tiniest change.

Don't discredit it if you haven't even tried it. It will improve your whole flightsimming experience as a whole.

Ask anyone who's tried it.

Alex

Holy Bleep!!!

Now before I get into the holy bleep, here's the story. Last night I reformatted the hard drive. Installed FS2004 and redid the flight from EGLL to KSFO. I was mid flight and in the VC my frame rates were averegaing about 28, 29 32. I have set on unlimited. Today I tried out the tweaks that you provided the link to and I'm getting in the VC 21 to 30 to 45 and it fluctuates but I'm getting smooth motion. The 2D panel, the frame rate has gone below 50 and hasn't gone above 85. WOW! Hopefully I won't have any stuttering later on.

I'm a little afraid to install my 3D program and editing programs because everythings running smoothly.

Thanks for the link Alex

EDIT: Here is a shot in spot plane view of my peak frame rate and the PMDG 747



I've never had a spot plane view peak like that. Virtual cockpit view peaked at 56 fps. Now thats cool.

[fighter25]

105 fps!?!?!

[Mictheslik]

105 fps!?!?!

To be fair...it looks like the scenery quality may have been turned down a tad there. Still its good that its now working for you Enjoy the VC!

.mic

[born_2_fly]

Try locking your FPS at around 40  ;)

You won't notice a difference at all, and as your system isn't putting all of its resources into fast FPS, it can 'focus' more on things such a scenery detail, and your sim will look miles better.

Also, turn up your sliders  ::)

Alex

[visualchaosfx]

Well guys, its been 3 weeks since I last posted the image of the great frame rates I was getting.

Guess what.......

The stuttering is back. Frame rates in VC fluctuate between 16 and 19 and have stuttering. Frame rates in spot view fluctuate from 52 to 84 but have the stuttering. 2D panel view the frame rates fluctuate from 30 to 76 but have the stuttering. Funny thing is I have not added any addons other than the PMDG 747 which I have been using since I reformatted everything. I have not changed any of the FS settings since posting the last image, which was 3 weeks ago. About every night after I fly a flight I do the maintenance that was suggested to me by one of the links that was posted in the previous thread before shutting down. The stuttering was beginning to happen last night. Not its getting worse right now.

What gives?

[visualchaosfx]

Well I seem to have fixed the stuttering problem. My assesment was that when I created a flight plan from simroutes and imported the plan into the FMC, and activated the flight plan, thats when the stuttering started. But if I manually enter the flight plan into the FMC, everythings fine.

But

a new problem has surfaced. I no longer have stuttering issues in all views but in the Virtual cockpit view, my frame rates drop significantly when I'm on the ground, like 9 fps. As I gradually climb to higher altitudes, my frame rates begin to improve. But I can live with that and when I start to descent to my destination airport, I'll just switch to 2D cock pit view and take 'er the rest of the way there.