SkyMaxx Pro 2.0 Has Been Released!

[Tony Moore]

I have a ghosting issue with SMPv2 that I didn't have with v1.0 or v1.1. The issues are:

• Vertical bands (alternating between light and dark) from the horizon up
  
• A diagonally divided screen background (from top left-hand corner to the bottom right-hand corner) with the background image being lighter above the line and darker below the line
  
• When on the field (when viewed from inside or outside the aircraft) the ghost seems to repeat field objects (e.g.: wind sock), buildings, trees on the horizon alternating in the bands from a negative image to a positive image (all ghost images are featureless--a filled-in outline)
  
• In the air from behind the aircraft (pictured), part of the wing, the winglets, the undercarriage, and the empennage are ghosted
  
• Repeating patterns that do not seem to be related to the scene
  
• Geometric forms that do not seem to have any relationship to the scene
  
• The bands seem to vary in size from the left to the right (accompanying picture does not show this because I cropped the picture to focus on the elements and to stay within forum size requirements)
  

 

I'm using XP 10.30, but I had the problem earlier both with the latest versions of XP beta and with XP 10.25. When I disable SMPv2, all problems disappear. 

 

I am concerned because I got an error message that one SMP file appeared to be corrupted. When I downloaded it a second time, I got an error message that multiple files may have been corrupted.

 

I wrote to both email addresses that the user manual said should be used for product support issues--weeks apart. It's been several weeks since my last try and I have yet to get a response from either of those emails. I'm reluctant to download SMP a third (and LAST allowable) time until I find out what I'm doing wrong.

 

At this point, any help from anybody would be received with gratitude. I love flying among SMP clouds. The thought of going back to XP clouds is depressing. :-(

[sundog]

Tony, I haven't seen any other reports similar to yours - so unfortunately the most likely explanation is that your system is having problems. What you're describing is consistent with a corrupt file system and/or a failing video card.

 

If I were you, here's how I'd proceed:

 

- Scan your system for viruses and malware. That could be the root cause - I'd use a scanner that wasn't previously installed on your system, as some malware will cripple whatever detectors exist on your system if they can. If your email account has been compromised, it might also be causing your emails to support to get filtered. (You really should have gotten a response to your emails by now.)

 

- If that comes up clean, run whatever disk diagnostic application is appropriate for your OS. If you're lucky that will identify the issue.

 

- If not, it's probably time to do a clean re-install of X-Plane and your plugins, to a different hard drive if possible.

 

- Updating your video drivers is also a good idea, in case they too are corrupt.

 

This sounds to me like a computer that's on its last legs, I'm afraid.

[Tony Moore]

Thanks for the quick and comprehensive response, Frank. I'll start the process this afternoon and hope I find the solution before I get to the last line in your response.

[mrene]

Hello

 

Thank you for a great add-on to X-Plane.

 

I just flew the Embraer 145 with cloud shadow ON and get a pixelated fuselage. This disappears when turning off cloud shadow.

Any ideas? (see pictures below)

This problem does not appear with other planes.

Mac os X (Maverick), X-Plane 10.25.

 

Cloud Shadow ON:

 

Cloud Shadow OFF:

[sundog]

I don't have that particular aircraft nor seen something quite like that before. However, there is a known issue where plane shadows can do odd things if you have cloud and plane shadows on, HDR is on, and the plane happens to be underneath a cloud shadow. So, it may have more to do with being on top of a cloud shadow than the plane itself.

 

It's on our radar as something we want to fix for SkyMaxx Pro 2.1, but so far we haven't found a solution. We'll probably have to ask Laminar for guidance on it. Meanwhile the only workaround is to disable HDR, but I wouldn't give up HDR for an issue that happens only under rare circumstances.

Edited September 24, 2014 by sundog

[mrene]

Thank you for your quick reply.

In fact, HDR was off, and the problem went away with HDR on.

Hope this helps troubleshoot.

Not a big issue for me, it only happens with this plane (so far) and will be turning on HDR, or cloud shadows off as options.

Michel.

[basswatson]

I have posted this in SkyMaxx support but have had no reply so have reposted it here.

 

Since uploading ver 2.0 I have had some scenery problems. I have attached some screenshots. The problem is some blue hatched areas in the UK photo scenery and the lights, airport lights, PAPI etc appearing as white squares. 

 

I have reordered the custom scenery file as suggested on the X-Plane forum but the problem persists. I reloaded x-plane several times with a variety of planes including the default Cessna 172 as also suggested but still no joy.

 

I have since uninstalled SkyMaxx Pro and the problem disappeared. I then loaded ver 1.3.3 in and that works fine. I upgraded again to ver 2.0, doing the proper uninstall of 1.3.3 and the problem returned to that shown in the screen shots. I am now flying with ver 1.3.3 with no problems. I think this is a problem with the UK photo scenery or X-Plane 10.30 or both.

 

Any comments or ideas welcome.

 

[sundog]

Sorry we missed your original post.

 

Honestly I've never seen this issue happen or heard of it from anyone else, so I'm not sure what could be causing it other than some odd interaction between plugins or a bad graphic driver.

 

If rolling back to SkyMaxx Pro 1.3.3 seems to help - try disabling cloud shadows and cloud reflections in the Skymaxx Pro 2 configuration. If that clears it up, let me know. If not, try disabling SkyMaxx Pro 2.0 from the plugin administration menu and confirm that makes a difference (if not, we may be chasing the wrong thing here.)

 

Posting your log might help others spot what might be the issue.

[basswatson]

Thanks for your swift reply Frank, I have all my drivers etc kept up to date and am not experiencing any other graphic issues on my relatively new iMac. I will do as you suggest and report back with the log text, probably next week

 

I-Mac, 3.4 ghz i7, 16gb ram, AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2048 MB, CH Eclipse Yoke, GB Photo Scenery

[sundog]

OK. If problems persist, it would be good to know the exact scenery you're having this trouble with and where you got it from. It could be they're using some unusual, poorly supported light type in X-Plane or something.

[basswatson]

Hello Frank, 

 

Have done as you suggested and have attached a picture of the result and the log.txt. The scenery package is VFR Photo Scenery for X-Plane 10 purchased from RC Simulations in the UK. Disabling ver 2.0 did not make any difference. I shall now uninstall and reinstall 1.3.3

Log.txt

[sundog]

 Disabling ver 2.0 did not make any difference. I shall now uninstall and reinstall 1.3.3

 

It's hard to imagine how SkyMaxx Pro could interfere with your scenery while it is disabled. You should probably try disabling other plugins, such as XFMC, as well.

 

Your sim appears to be in a very bad state - for example I can't explain why the clouds are black there. 

 

Does this describe your system? It could even be a hardware problem, unfortunately: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5167

 

It's also possible that you are simply running out of memory on your GPU due to the photoscenery, which is causing anomalies to appear elsewhere in the sim. Maybe try turning off HDR in your rendering options to conserve memory...

[basswatson]

Running perfectly with 1.3.3 after updating X-Plane again. Good frame rates, no problems. Plenty of memory left and no other video card symptoms of any sort. I will continue to experiment when time permits of if inclination is there. I would rather just fly as it is without ver 2.00, Thanks for the heads up about the video card but as I say, I don't have any other symptoms. Thanks for your time Frank