HDR

[Moose1]

Hello,

In the meantime while I save up for a new computer, my current computer does not handle HDR too well, what would be the effects on the performance if I were to not have HDR on?

[Litjan]

Hello,

In the meantime while I save up for a new computer, my current computer does not handle HDR too well, what would be the effects on the performance if I were to not have HDR on?

 

The effect on performance would be great, because your framerate will actually increase if you don´t have HDR on.

 

But you will miss out on a lot of internal and external lights, non-HDR is really limited in that regard and there is nothing we developers can do about it :-(

 

Jan

[Jah]

Just post your available money up here in the HELP section, and get some good suggestions in terms of your future hardware choice. Maybe hardware for the HDR performance is possible and you dont even know...

[Moose1]

The effect on performance would be great, because your framerate will actually increase if you don´t have HDR on.

 

But you will miss out on a lot of internal and external lights, non-HDR is really limited in that regard and there is nothing we developers can do about it :-(

 

Jan

Ok, but would it still function nicely? Will not having HDR on remove a lot?

[Moose1]

Just post your available money up here in the HELP section, and get some good suggestions in terms of your future hardware choice. Maybe hardware for the HDR performance is possible and you dont even know...

What do you mean?

[Litjan]

The function of the plane is the same, but you would loose some lighting options in the cockpit (like map lights, for example), and on the outside lights (like logo-lights, for example).

 

Jan

[Veace]

How about landing light Jan ? With HDR off can we still get a light?

[Litjan]

This is the way it works: With HDR off, you only get two "illumination beams". Inside the cockpit those are used for the "dome light" and for the "pedestal flood light". Outside the cockpit we use one for "landing lights" and one for "other lights". The other lights will switch and swap dynamically to give you the best possible experience.

 

So in the cockpit you can still use and adjust most of the cockpit panel lighting (they dont use illumination beams), but you will loose map lights, emergency flood lights, emergency exit lighting.

 

Outside you can see most lightbulbs shining, but the visual lighting effect is limited to two beams at the most. One is reserved for the "landing lights", so you will always see those and they light up terrain and stuff. The other one is reserved for other lights, and will be displayed as best possible. If you have one runway turnoff light on, only then that lightbeam is used. If you turn on both, then the lightbeam lights up a broad area in front. If you have only the winglight on, then it will illuminate the wing, but only one side (only one beam, remember?)

 

Now before you start complaining - this is not something we invented to save us work, it is just a limitation of X-Plane. If you want to run a contemporary flight-simulator with an adequate appearance, you need to have the hardware. Buy, beg, borrow or steal. It´s been like that for the last 35 years. I feel sympathetic to anyone pursuing this hobby with a limited supply of resources (been there myself for the first 15 years of my computer gaming), but if we could make this simulation run full bore with 50+ FPS on your 20 year old Pentium 5, then we would be guilty of sorcery and burn at the stake...

 

Jan

[Veace]

Actually Jan I'm running xplane on an imac 27 2011 with a quad core i7 16gb of ram and a 6970 1g. I will not say that I have a slow machine but HDR in x-plane 10 is not the best in term of performance. That is why I can't use HDR with native display resolution and investing in a machine just for xplane is not something that I'm willing to do. If I get one landing light out of ixeg 737 I'm happy because I'm more interested in simulation.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Veace

[Nano]

I don't find HDR to be that big a deal and do 100% of my simming with it off.  You can keep the map light, I'll take the fps.  Also, I can't stand the simulated engine exhaust.  It looks so fake.