Can you show both side by side? With post processing effects enabled, we do have some effects that simulate what a camera lens would show. I don't think we're "overdoing" it, but I'd like to first understand what you mean exactly.
Currently I have all graphics settings maxed out (both in launcher and in game options). I am trying to see how I can have rF2 look as close to reality.
The effect I refer to is resembling what aperture blade refraction artifacts would look like yet it's implementation is physically incorrect and completely overdone.
I would prefer to have control over this effect (I would completely disable it) rather than having to disable ALL post processing effects in order to get rid of it (I searched the files in the installation folder up and down and could not find any option to disable just this effect).
I explained the background behind this effect already a few times too many on this forum, so I won't go into much detail.
In short:
The star shaped lighting effect is created in reality by very strong light (such as very bright, direct headlights, emphasis is here on VERY bright, such as full on endurance lights directed STRAIGHT at the camera lens) refracting at the straight portion of the closed down (stopped down) aperture blades (only with straight bladed diaphragm designs).
High quality optical designs do reduce or entirely eliminate this issue (it is an optical artifact, optical engineers, photographers and cinematographers try to avoid except for specific artistic use such as in 1970's soft porn movies were cinematographers would even utilize star-filters to further increase this effect).
This effect physically does only occur when lenses are stopped down (closing the aperture past ~f4-f5.6 and steadily increasing towards smaller apertures with most lens designs that suffer from this aperture blade design insufficiency).
One thing (which is my major cause for annoyance) that is NEVER happening as it is physically impossible is that these artifacts rotate as it is implemented in rF2 currently.
In order for these artifacts to rotate in the way it is currently implemented the aperture assembly of the lens (read: the entire lens assembly) would have to by physically rotated in relation to the recording sensor which is not only impractical but completely unwanted and such a situation does not exist in regular broadcasting camera equipment.
Examples are more helpful, as you can imagine the whole testing team and myself have driven quite a few laps at Sebring, under different conditions and with different graphics settings, and you are the first to report that the lights are blinding. So please illustrate what you mean with a few screenshots so we can discuss them.
I really wish I could make a screenshot but in fact I cannot :-(
The way rF2 runs on my setup I cannot access any of the screenshot tools and somehow I seem also not being able to use the Steam screenshot function with rF2.
I think though that everyone who uses the current rF2 build with post processing at it's highest setting knows precisely what effect I am referring to.
The image in the opening post is a screenshot I found on the net probably from an earlier DX11 build with graphics that look much more likely as reality would look like compared to the current implementation of effects.
If the star shaped diffraction artifacts could be removed or could be aligned with reality (I doubt this is even possibly in ANY of the current generation 3D engines as these aperture diffraction artifacts are constantly changing in extension, strength and shape definition as the subject (car) with it's headlights is moving in relation to the camera, hence the intensity of light is constantly changing, hence the shape of the artifacts is constantly changing (they are never as static and perfectly pointed as it is currently rendered in rF2 - it would take extremely small apertures such as f16 or f32 in order to get such sharp extensions which in exchange is extremely unrealistic as then not enough ambient light would be able to expose the sensor and all you would see in the image would be a dark, muddy and clipped image with just a few refraction stars.
Btw - in relation to broadcasting equipment diffraction stars can be seen in a mild shape from the brightest light sources around the track (very bright endurance head lights in full trim), less strong lightsources though such as position lights, rear lights, even brake lights and certainly not backfiring flames usually DO NOT have sufficiently strong illumination to create diffraction artifacts at same exposure settings on the camera - which is another major issue I have with the implementation in the current rF2 build - it does look like a 1970's softporn movie with the cinematographer sufficiently high to have the audacity to use vaselined star shape filters on his camera lens ;-)
Please give us the possibility to specifically disable this effect as an immediate workaround, and better for the future provide the ability to fine tune the effect (level of light sources to cause the effect, no more rotating patterns, shape of pattern adjustable to resemble reality, etc ...
