CM/Custom Shader Patch giving better frame rates with CPU/GPU optimising

[Mascot]

I'm not sure this is common knowledge and thought it deserved its own thread.
With a recent CM/Custom Shader Patch update we were given some experimental CPU and GPU optimising options.
They can be found in Content Manager's Settings > Custom Shader Patch > General Patch Settings

...and these are the options you need to tick.

Brief descriptions from the coder are (remember - these are still in development):

CPU options:
Merge meshes and Flatten nodes: should give improvement on a few unoptimized tracks, might screw up lighting configs

GPU options:
Optimize draw order: screws up online (will be fixed in next release), currently doesn't do anything when motion blur is enabled, should be safe to use and boost fps with AI and in cockpit view.
Optimize meshes: safe to have enabled, should give some improvement generally.

I've been doing some testing and just got a whopping 20fps increase in frame rate with all four of these options activated, hot-lapping at Zandvoort in the Lotus Evora GTC '14 (Kunos track, Kunos car for best benching). That basically means the difference between ASW and native 90fps in VR for me at high settings, which is pretty bloody impressive (980Ti/6600k). YMMV of course but there are definite gains to be had.

 

[Cote Dazur]

I run AI races with 10 opponents mostly. See my actual AI race vid in the Road Atlanta thread. This was done with all maxed out settings. I only leave out FXAA since I use the SMAA overwriter feature from CM. And, of course, with 4x AA and 16x AF.

You might want to try without SMAA, I like it better that way, much sharper, SMAA makes everything softer, looks blurry too me.
The new performance improvement settings in light patch are amazing. I feel like having my cake and eating it too. Early Christmas from @henter

 

[Ryno917]

I run AI races with 10 opponents mostly. See my actual AI race vid in the Road Atlanta thread. This was done with all maxed out settings. I only leave out FXAA since I use the SMAA overwriter feature from CM. And, of course, with 4x AA and 16x AF.

Do you run at 45FPS or 90?

I should do some more fiddlin'

That being said, I do really like running in larger fields, so I'll have to make some other concessions I'm sure.

 

[RMR1]

Still have the problem not being able to run the latest patch in VR, it just does nothing. On a single screen everything works as intended.
Anyone?

 

[Mascot]

You might want to try without SMAA, I like it better that way, much sharper, SMAA makes everything softer, looks blurry too me.
The new performance improvement serving in light patch are amazing. I feel li heaving mycake and eating it too. Christmas from @henter

Do you mean MSAA, multi-sample anti-aliasing?

 

[Cote Dazur]

Do you mean MSAA, multi-sample anti-aliasing?

Not at my PC, so not 100% certain, if it is Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing or multi sample anti aliasing, but it is the one we can use in CM instead of fxaa.

 

[Mascot]

Not at my PC, so not 100% certain, if it is Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing or multi sample anti aliasing, but it is the one we can use in CM instead of fxaa.

Only MSAA has a tick box on the Video settings screen - is there a tick box elsewhere to use SMAA instead of FXAA?

 

[Billy Pilgrim]

I re-tested with the latest build as of yesterday (v0.1.25-preview32).

I'm getting the same results: losing 15% or more of my fps with the latest build. And using the CPU and GPU optimisations appears to make no difference to that loss.

So, again, I've gone back to the last stable build: 1.24

I wonder why I'm getting these bad results and not others.

 

[Mascot]

Only MSAA has a tick box on the Video settings screen - is there a tick box elsewhere to use SMAA instead of FXAA?

Ah, found it:

Settings > Custom Shader Patch > Graphics Adjustment

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Neither FXAA nor SMAA work in VR, correct?

 

[Cote Dazur]

Neither FXAA nor SMAA work in VR, correct?

Not correct, they both work but as with any setting they have + & -, you need to choose what you prefer. I came to the conclusion that with super sampling we do not need any in VR.

 

[apex11]

If i install this latest one via CM but don't like it will i lose the current shaders i have installed?

I'll be honest its the added graphic options i would like rather than the shaders

 

[Johnr777]

I believe some of the added graphic options are CM, but the fancy stuff is tied to the new rewritten shaders, if I’m not mistaken. Don’t think it overwrite anything, or remove anything. Just use what is packaged with the patch.

 

[Sascha Guenther]

Do you run at 45FPS or 90?

I should do some more fiddlin'

That being said, I do really like running in larger fields, so I'll have to make some other concessions I'm sure.

60 FPS since my screen is a 60Hz one. I have also activated the option to lock the 60 FPS @ CM.

 

[manc0ntr0]

I touched something -I want to believe- and now the beautiful loading screen, with all piled at the right, is gone. Now all the "items" were placed on the bottom of the screen, like the old one. In fact, no matter if I disable/enable the extension in the config, nothing changes.
That's weird.

Maybe that's not the right place to put it, but I know all of you touched things in the mod. Maybe you know what happens

 

[apex11]

I believe some of the added graphic options are CM, but the fancy stuff is tied to the new rewritten shaders, if I’m not mistaken. Don’t think it overwrite anything, or remove anything. Just use what is packaged with the patch.

OK, my AC is already modded with shaders which make it really crisp and i love the look already, not overly bothered about night racing but love the idea of further graphical tweeks which mascot speaks of.

 

[Ryno917]

60 FPS since my screen is a 60Hz one. I have also activated the option to lock the 60 FPS @ CM.

Ahhh, sorry I thought you were running in VR. Could have sworn I read it in your original post

OK, that makes more sense

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Not correct, they both work but as with any setting they have + & -, you need to choose what you prefer. I came to the conclusion that with super sampling we do not need any in VR.

Vanilla FXAA never worked in VR ( or so I read ), was it changed due to custom shaders.

 

[Cote Dazur]

FXAA as always worked for me in VR, I can easily see the difference with the different settings.

 

[apex11]

ok i bit the bullet....and its awesome!!!

 

[apex11]