So...
Still building my 30 mile track. Everything working well EXCEPT shadows. After a month of trying everything that could be searched / translated from lots of forums (settings, config, video cards, box like shadow casters, size of polys in casting object, texture on inside / outside etc... etc...)....
I have now found how to cause shadow flicker:
With the stock exported settings from BTB, once in rFactor, any shadow casters more than about 2.5km from the track origin point (X=0, Y=0, Z=0) start to flicker. As you continue to move away from the origin this flickering gets much worse. This is also true of under car shadows. Large shadow casting objects (like tunnel shadow boxes) tend to have random shadows (from its various polys) flickering on and off.
My track is roughly retangular (when viewed from a 'God' shot)... although curvy within this basic shape, due to its large footprint, and that it is google earth created from 4 intersecting roads, some of shadows worked, and some did not. I tried everything I could troll off of many forums. Eventually I made a copy, and stripped out everything except the 1st track section where the start finish line was. Then I stripped out everything else (terain, objects, walls...) except a shadow caster. It still flickered (this track section is at about X=5km, Y=5km). Eventually, when about to give up, I moved the whole thing to intersect the track's 0x, 0y, 0z origin, and the flickering stopped!!!
To verify this, I built a new scratch track which was just a 10km road starting at X=5km, Y=0, Z=0 .. and ending at X=-5km (a 10km long track with its center on 0,0,0). Then, I placed 100m tunnel shadow boxes about every 1km along the path. With this test, you can drive along and watch when the flickering stops. Again.. just before the 2km till origin area the flickering stops ... and stays that way until just past negative 2km on the other side of the origin.
I am hoping that someone can tell me some setting in the scn or gdb file or somewhere that can be used to adjust this out to about the 6km range.
Initially you would think that something in the FDirect {...} structure would do it, but I've read that that is no longer used (only a code holder) ..?..
Perhaps the minshadowangle (spelling?) variable..?..
Any way to set the hight or trajectory of the "sun" (FDirect?...)? That is ... maybe it is artificially 'setting' at the 2km radius (<--wild stab at an answer there)??
Could anyone provide details about how or what (if anything) these and any other lighting settings work.
I could start playing with any lighting & shadow oriented parameters, but would rather know what they do first (it's quicker, ya know).
Any other help on this would also be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Still building my 30 mile track. Everything working well EXCEPT shadows. After a month of trying everything that could be searched / translated from lots of forums (settings, config, video cards, box like shadow casters, size of polys in casting object, texture on inside / outside etc... etc...)....
I have now found how to cause shadow flicker:
With the stock exported settings from BTB, once in rFactor, any shadow casters more than about 2.5km from the track origin point (X=0, Y=0, Z=0) start to flicker. As you continue to move away from the origin this flickering gets much worse. This is also true of under car shadows. Large shadow casting objects (like tunnel shadow boxes) tend to have random shadows (from its various polys) flickering on and off.
My track is roughly retangular (when viewed from a 'God' shot)... although curvy within this basic shape, due to its large footprint, and that it is google earth created from 4 intersecting roads, some of shadows worked, and some did not. I tried everything I could troll off of many forums. Eventually I made a copy, and stripped out everything except the 1st track section where the start finish line was. Then I stripped out everything else (terain, objects, walls...) except a shadow caster. It still flickered (this track section is at about X=5km, Y=5km). Eventually, when about to give up, I moved the whole thing to intersect the track's 0x, 0y, 0z origin, and the flickering stopped!!!
To verify this, I built a new scratch track which was just a 10km road starting at X=5km, Y=0, Z=0 .. and ending at X=-5km (a 10km long track with its center on 0,0,0). Then, I placed 100m tunnel shadow boxes about every 1km along the path. With this test, you can drive along and watch when the flickering stops. Again.. just before the 2km till origin area the flickering stops ... and stays that way until just past negative 2km on the other side of the origin.
I am hoping that someone can tell me some setting in the scn or gdb file or somewhere that can be used to adjust this out to about the 6km range.
Initially you would think that something in the FDirect {...} structure would do it, but I've read that that is no longer used (only a code holder) ..?..
Perhaps the minshadowangle (spelling?) variable..?..
Any way to set the hight or trajectory of the "sun" (FDirect?...)? That is ... maybe it is artificially 'setting' at the 2km radius (<--wild stab at an answer there)??
Could anyone provide details about how or what (if anything) these and any other lighting settings work.
I could start playing with any lighting & shadow oriented parameters, but would rather know what they do first (it's quicker, ya know).
Any other help on this would also be appreciated.
Thanks in advance