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FSX scenery objects with mutliple LODs
- Thread starter AeroFiles
- Start date
n4gix
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It's not that difficult, really.
For each LOD you will need a Max/GMax "Dummy" object named with the LOD number you wish to use. For example, in one of my projects I wanted the "light polys" to be switched "OFF" when the user's a/c is at or above an altitude of 4000'. Link the objects to the LOD nodes that you wish to appear at the desired level of detail.
The only "tricky part" is determining which LOD number will give you your desired results!
What has changed from previous FS versions is that the "per part LOD" no longer is supported! For FSX it's all done at the control node level...
For each LOD you will need a Max/GMax "Dummy" object named with the LOD number you wish to use. For example, in one of my projects I wanted the "light polys" to be switched "OFF" when the user's a/c is at or above an altitude of 4000'. Link the objects to the LOD nodes that you wish to appear at the desired level of detail.
Code:
HeloRamp_LOD_10
....HeloRampLightHousing01
HeloRamp_LOD_40
....HeloRampLightHousing
........Cone01
........Cone02
........Plane01
........Plane02
........Plane03The only "tricky part" is determining which LOD number will give you your desired results!
What has changed from previous FS versions is that the "per part LOD" no longer is supported! For FSX it's all done at the control node level...
n4gix
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Thanks, was asking for a person which needed to know.
Will share the info with him.
Just as an addition to the above, the actual "LOD #" is the minimum number of pixels that all the objects are drawn on screen...
So, if the drawing of LOD_40's objects on screen is less than 40pixels, it will then switch OFF and LOD_10's objects will be drawn instead. That's why I said it is a bit of a chore to figure out which LOD_## to use!
In the past, LOD's were "viewing distance based" which really makes more sense...
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Hi Folks
Bill -
Cheers for explaining how the LOD mechanism now works.
Shoorly not.
Distance based was silly for scenery,
(but understandable for hardware limitations at that time),
especially so for large objects,
visible IRL at > 40 miles,
vanishing at ??? 16miles/25km ???
and more so
that they didn't display when you'd zoomed in.
Only wish the same pixel span based mechanism
had been applied to FSX terrain mesh.
600' high objects popping up at 1 mile.
ATB
Paul
Bill -
Cheers for explaining how the LOD mechanism now works.
Nah...In the past,
LOD's were "viewing distance based"
which really makes more sense...
Shoorly not.
Distance based was silly for scenery,
(but understandable for hardware limitations at that time),
especially so for large objects,
visible IRL at > 40 miles,
vanishing at ??? 16miles/25km ???
and more so
that they didn't display when you'd zoomed in.
Only wish the same pixel span based mechanism
had been applied to FSX terrain mesh.
600' high objects popping up at 1 mile.
ATB
Paul
Last edited:
n4gix
Resource contributor
- Messages
- 11,674
- Country
Hi Folks
Bill -
Cheers for explaining how the LOD mechanism now works.
Nah...
Shoorly not.
Distance based was silly for scenery,
(but understandable for hardware limitations at that time),
especially so for large objects,
No problem, Paul. It only took me about two years of reading the same words in the SDK before it finally "clicked" for me.
The only real "problem" with the pixel-sized LOD algorithim is that with so many different monitor resolutions, it makes finding a "sweet size" for the widest possible ranges...
Folks who run at the extreme ends will experience rather different "times" that the LODs kick in!
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Hi Bill,
The advantage of the pixel size LODs is that the screen resolution does not matter anymore. You get the same quality of the image on all resolutions, while with the distance based approach objects might pop up too late on the screen of somebody with a bigger resolution than you designed for.
The advantage of the pixel size LODs is that the screen resolution does not matter anymore. You get the same quality of the image on all resolutions, while with the distance based approach objects might pop up too late on the screen of somebody with a bigger resolution than you designed for.