FSX radius=-1

[soulmaril]

Hi,

What is "radius=-1" meaning for? what does it effect?

Best Regards,

 

[n4gix]

The radius= entry defines the maximal size of the effect. A negative value of -1 means effectively "no limit," meaning the effect will be displayed at any distance.

 

[soulmaril]

Thanks for the tip;

I changed all the effects radius to "-1" but still they do not show up while only fx_forestfirehuge does.

I spend the whole day to fix this but still nothing,
any tip will be highly appriciated.

Besides sounds do not work either in the scenery, but I am able to test them with fx tool. So they should work.

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

You may wish to check out this thread on placing sounds in FSX:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?p=124738#post124738


Hope this helps !

GaryGB

 

[soulmaril]

Thanks for the information you Gary,

Now I have another issue. When I get in the perimeters of a sound fx the simulator gets jerky. It looses its fluency. What can I be missing?

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

That sounds like a computer system which may be unable to keep up with the demands of FSX due to older hardware, improper setup configuration, coincidental use of certain other legacy FS Effect files such as "Nick's Prop Dust v2.0 with Nick's ALL WET for Watercraft!" (a set of FS9 Fx files which are not yet updated for compatibility with FSX which kill FPS in their current file format), or (more likely) improper use of parameters in your Fx files for placing and calling your FSX sounds.


PS: What are your computer system specifications ?


GaryGB

 

[soulmaril]

PS: What are your computer system specifications ?


GaryGB

That is a Core2 Duo 2.2 Ghz with 4 GB Memory, Ati Radeon Mobility HD2600 256 DDR3 mem running on a Windows7 x64.
I don't have same problem with other's effects but my effects.

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

I'd recommend going back and re-checking the parameters used in your Fx files.


If you look once again at the info in this thread:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?p=124738#post124738

...aside from the option to change (2) parameters for Cntl_*.Fx and (4) parameters for FX_*.Fx files, all other text in the FSX "Sound Fx" files normally is always the same.


So if the "standard non-changing text" is not the problem, try different (smaller) "Radius=" and "MinAttenuationDistance=" values, and verify file path locations for file names used in your Fx files, so FSX does not spend time searching for files listed in the Fx files (file I/O is a FPS killer for FSX).


Also, verify that you have not "placed" the BGL file which calls the Cntrl_*.Fx file more than one time, as this could overload the integrated sound sub-system of a laptop or other motherboard based sound system, and consume CPU clock cycles that would otherwise have been used to render the overall FSX scene.


FYI: Wherever possible, it is best to use a separate add-in sound card with FSX so an embedded sub-system is not competing with FSX to get its rendering done.

Perhaps assigning FSX to the 2nd CPU core would allow the motherboard integrated sound drivers to work separately on the main CPU core ?


PS: If you otherwise are able to achieve reasonable performance with FSX by running that computer system in a highly optimized configuration, and if by testing other people's Fx files to verify they run OK, it certainly implies something may need to be changed in your "own" Fx files.


Hope this helps !

GaryGB

 

[soulmaril]

Hello:

I'd recommend going back and re-checking the parameters used in your Fx files.

So if the "standard non-changing text" is not the problem, try different (smaller) "Radius=" and "MinAttenuationDistance=" values, and verify file path locations for file names used in your Fx files, so FSX does not spend time searching for files listed in the Fx files (file I/O is a FPS killer for FSX).

GaryGB

Thaky you Gary,

Yes it definetly causes disk I/O. I will focus on the parameters in my files as you suggest. (PS: My radius=-1 and MinAttenuationDistance=200)

 

[rhumbaflappy]

If a scenery BGL is in a scenery folder that many files ( especially if they are not close geographically ), then you may have disk access problems.

For example, it's not a good idea to have a BGL for Hong Kong and one for Lisbon in the same folder, as this mwy cause access timing problems.

The SDK warns us that file locations are our responsibility now. Something to consider.

Dick

 

[GaryGB]

Hello:

Dick makes an excellent point (as does Fr. Bill above)... so I'd be concerned as to the impact of using "Radius=-1" with sound parameters.

That being said though, I note on a file search that "Radius=-1" is used successfully in many default Fx files, but none are specific to placing sound effects .


FYI: When I monitored FSX using Mark Russinovich's "Process Explorer", I noticed that as I flew around in the Trike inspecting my scenery project, FSX was continually loading and unloading the specific *.Wav files for my designated sound effects in an area where I had placed some such Effects files to run.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx


BTW: Monitoring using a filter for just "FSX.EXE" with Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell's Process Monitor v2.8 can be very informative as well:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx



Take a look at these threads to see if there may be some additional insights that might help (...the "Search" feature at FSDeveloper is our friend !)

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=830&highlight="Radius=-1"

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6631&highlight="Radius=-1"


The "Lifetime=" parameter can complicate matters as well; the FSX SDK "Creating Special Effects" document says:

"Many of the effects file parameters require two values separated by a comma. The first value is the minimum number that the simulation engine will use; the second value is the maximum number. Every second, the simulation engine randomly chooses a number somewhere between these two values, thus randomizing effects. For example, if you have a lifetime of 5.00, 7.00, some particles will live for 5 seconds while others may live for 6, 7, or 5.2 seconds. The first number must be less than the second number, or the effect will not work."

I wonder if a longer *.Wav sound file could also get out of synchronization with an Effect cycle intended to display / play it repeatedly ("Looping=TRUE") ?

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=830&highlight="Radius=-1"&page=2


I suppose they can, and that's why, for sound effects, the "Lifetime=" parameter(s) must be set as shown in Joe Watson's example Fx files in this thread:

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8781


Hope this helps !


GaryGB

 

[rhumbaflappy]

sfx_Chickens.fx

[Library Effect]
Lifetime=5
Version=2.00
Radius=-1
Priority=0
[Sound]
FileName=barn_fx.wav
MinAttenuationDistance=50.00
Looping=TRUE

[Properties]
Spot=1
Tower=1

[Emitter.0]
Lifetime=0.00, 0.00
Delay=0.00, 0.00
Bounce=0.00
Rate=0.01, 0.01
X Emitter Velocity=0.00, 0.00
Y Emitter Velocity=0.00, 0.00
Z Emitter Velocity=0.00, 0.00
Drag=0.00, 0.00
X Particle Velocity=0.00, 0.00
Y Particle Velocity=0.00, 0.00
Z Particle Velocity=0.00, 0.00
X Rotation=0.00, 0.00
Y Rotation=0.00, 0.00
Z Rotation=0.00, 0.00
X Offset=0.00, 0.00
Y Offset=0.00, 0.00
Z Offset=0.00, 0.00
Pitch=0.00, 0.00
Bank=0.00, 0.00
Heading=0.00, 0.00

[Particle.0]
Lifetime=0.01, 0.01
Type=19
X Scale=0.01, 0.01
Y Scale=0.01, 0.01
Z Scale=0.00, 0.00
X Scale Rate=0.00, 0.00
Y Scale Rate=0.00, 0.00
Z Scale Rate=0.00, 0.00
Drag=0.00, 0.00
Color Rate=0.30, 0.60
X Offset=0.00, 0.00
Y Offset=0.00, 0.00
Z Offset=0.00, 0.00
Fade In=0.30, 0.30
Fade Out=0.71, 0.71
Rotation=0.00, 0.00
Ground Normal=1
Face=0, 0, 0

[ParticleAttributes.0]
Blend Mode=1
Texture=fx_aurora.bmp
Bounce=0.00
Color Start=255, 255, 255, 1
Color End=255, 255, 255, 1
Jitter Distance=0.00
Jitter Time=0.00
uv1=0.00, 0.00
uv2=1.00, 1.00
X Scale Goal=0.00
Y Scale Goal=0.00
Z Scale Goal=0.00
Extrude Length=0.00
Extrude Pitch Max=0.00
Extrude Heading Max=0.00

c59_Sounds.xml

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<FSData
     version="9.0"
     xmlns:xsi='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance'
     xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd" >

<SceneryObject
      lat="42.6290609797942"
      lon="-88.6016821024028"
      alt="0"
      altitudeIsAgl="TRUE"
      pitch="0"
      bank="0"
      heading="4.56788923858157"
      imageComplexity="SPARSE">
		<Effect effectName="sfx_Chickens" />
</SceneryObject>

</FSData>

This loops the barn_fx.wav over and over and over....

It does not stutter on my machine.

c59_Sounds.zip

It doesn't use any controller... just place the effect.

Dick

 

[GaryGB]

Thanks for sharing that example, Dick !

BTW: Gawd, that's funny (especially in 5.1 surround sound)... my colleague and I never heard "that" when we flew into Lake Lawn for a "$100 burger" ... er, buffet.


I must digress briefly to share something personal here...


I've sometimes wondered, in your numerous "test" endeavors in GMAX and the terrain SDK over the years, if you ever put together a comprehensive "scenery package" for the area between Lake Geneva and Lake Wisconsin (...and specifically Lake Delavan and the Lake Lawn Resort premises) ?

I'm often up that way as my girlfriend lives near the IL-WI state line, and we still "do lunch" at Lake Lawn; I hope the "developers" don't close the RWY there.


I have a lot of pleasant memories of "real world" flying with my colleague in a Lake Amphibian LA4-200 EP (with the "bat-wing" fillets option) in & out of Lake Lawn, Galt (aka "One-Zero Charlie"), Lake Geneva, "Mars Resort" on Lake Como, Baraboo-Dells, Kenosha (for service), and most often to Lake Wisconsin at a condo overlooking the river near Merrimac (for weekends of recreation with friends).


Although I spent my initial years in FS as a "scenery developer wannabe" trying to learn how to create a realistic rendition of my "Wisconsin" adventures in FS, my recent captivation has been with the 2B2 - Plum Island area, and the KEWL - Emma Field area.

(Yep, gone from being another "F.I.B." ...to being a "FBO-monger" in FS !)


But I've always planned to go back and create a worthy tribute to the places I'd visited with my colleague to celebrate and share with others my great memories of the "real life" flying adventures we had... before health issues took their toll on him, and "restricted" the 'joy of flying'... to the "unlimited" world of Flight Simulator.


In our few years of amphibian flights, our farthest adventure took us to 3D2 - Ephraim-Fish Creek Airport in Door County by way of an initial water landing and visit at Chambers Island in Green Bay on an "exceptionally calm water" day; I subsequently made a version of Chambers Island in Ground2K4... not bad for a beginner back then.



If you might happen to have any scenery from those local areas of interest (especially Lake Delavan and the Lake Lawn Resort premises) that you'd consider sharing with the FS Community, I'd welcome a chance to experience some of it.


If not, I'll just say that I really appreciate the many scenery development insights you've long been sharing with us all; and because of you, when I get around to "doing" that flight corridor as scenery for FS, I'll be better prepared to do it justice via the FS SDK.



PS: One more question if I may: In FSX at both C59 and KOSH, I get the intrusive Timmerman ATIS on-screen text & audio; how can I turn that off ?

It's ironic... as I've wished I could tune into that while waiting "bored" in the car for my girlfriend when I drove her to a shopping Mall across from KMWC !


[EDITED]

Found a temporary solution to "turn off Timmerman" in FSX:

Menu > Options > Settings > General - un-check "Auto-open ATC window"

Menu > Options > Settings > Sound - un-check "Voice"


Hmmm... Does one have to copy / edit / exclude / replace the default Timmerman KMWC BGL file with ADE9X to change this at surrounding airports ?

I'd like to fix this properly (...and I wouldn't want to goof and instead unleash a BGL and Fx file into the FS world that plays chicken sounds at every USA airport !)


[END_EDIT]


Regards,

GaryGB

 

[Shaun]

With Radius=-1, does it mean that all of your airport's effects are being displayed regardless of how far the user is flying?

 

[GaryGB]

Hi Shaun (and other interested readers on this subject):

I am just now following up here ( Yikes ...10 years and 3 months later ! ).


I am testing FSX sounds again as FSX continues to be a popular platform for simming and FSX development is ongoing.


On my new computer build that targets MSFS, I may be having 'synchronization' issues with sound Fx.

It may prove to involve the Radius=-1 Effect Parameter, as I cannot seem to get rhumbaflappy's example Fx above to work.


In a FSX flight at c59 (which always worked on my multiple prior computer builds), rhumbaflappy's example Fx above worked.

I cannot get it to trigger and play on my current computer build.

However, I can load and play it via SDK VisualFx.DLL (aka "Fx Tool" on the FSX Menu Bar); it then runs until I end the flight.


I suspect the Radius=-1 Effect Parameter may invoke synchronization issues if Looping=True is configured as well.


I shall post my results here after further testing.


I have not yet allocated time to testing MSFS VisualFX and sound Effects to see if it may also incur synchronization issues.

However, although MSFS is more forgiving on performance compared to some FSX configurations and all versions of P3D, I suspect we may find that Windows' DirectX sound sub-system may still be at risk for synchronization issues in some cases.


While this is an older thread, FSX continues to be a useful test platform for FSX scenery that may be displayed in MSFS as well.


PS: rhumbaflappy's c59_sounds.zip 'link' above is named wrong; I have attached his original 2010 file here for others to test.


GaryGB