Misc Sol 2.2.9

[Cohen Singh]

@AlleyViper I tried disabling interior masking and then the entire Reflection FX feature but both didn't seem to resolve the issue. Do note that the interior is dark and shiny in the vanilla game (did a clean install without CSP) and is also dark and shiny with CSP enabled. It's only after manually installing SOL 1.2.4 that I'm experiencing the matte finish.

I'm also using CSP Preview 140.

 

[AlleyViper]

@Cohen Singh OK, thanks for checking. I pointed that option as in the image bellow all round dials borders where showing sky reflections, which probably wouldn't happen with that masking feature enabled.
Try going into Graphic Adjustments and disable "Allow to use new experimental PBR shaders". This is how it'll look on mine (Sol enabled on both). Specular on that material will change, even if interior will still be brighter than on your non-Sol pic. Also, keep in mind that sun position will be different if you disable Sol. images and comparison

 

[Peter Boese]

Excellent work on this mod! I'm really enjoying it
One slight issue though, I've noticed that when using SOL the interiors of some cars are no longer shiny when they should be. Example, the dark, shiny plastic on the wheel of the Supra becomes a matte cloth-like finish.

TOP is SOL enabled, bottom is disabled.

Is there anything I can do to remedy this problem?

You could also leave "Allow to use new experimental PBR shaders" activated and use ExtraFX:

Then you have the shining and the darker look:

 

[DavidOne87]

Hi to everyone. I'm using this mod since the first release and never had a problem. but now i'm having a lot of troubles to get Sol and custom shaders patch working properly after the last update. I succesfully updated shader patch to version .140, then manually installed SOL copying the files in the main directory, but all i get is a crash when launching the game via CM. Tried to delete shaders patch and installing again, tried installing both with drag 'n drop method, tried to copy everything in the MODS folder and then activating by JSGME, but i always get "race cancelled" message. If i remove both, the game starts correctly. If i just install SOL, the game runs correctly. Anyone can help please?

 

[Cohen Singh]

@AlleyViper @Peter Boese disabling the experimental PBR shaders resolves it! Thank you!

 

[Peter Boese]

Hi to everyone. I'm using this mod since the first release and never had a problem. but now i'm having a lot of troubles to get Sol and custom shaders patch working properly after the last update. I succesfully updated shader patch to version .140, then manually installed SOL copying the files in the main directory, but all i get is a crash when launching the game via CM. Tried to delete shaders patch and installing again, tried installing both with drag 'n drop method, tried to copy everything in the MODS folder and then activating by JSGME, but i always get "race cancelled" message. If i remove both, the game starts correctly. If i just install SOL, the game runs correctly. Anyone can help please?

if you install CSP 140 and disable weatherFX (which is the new graphics engine and the base to get Sol working), what happens then?

 

[Alex Harkett]

Well. I now have Sol installed and working and WOW. Awesome awesome work! It really transforms the game.

The only issue I seem to be having is that I can’t activate the weather FX app in the apps tick box area. They just don’t appear. I only see the regular in game apps and a couple of others that I downloaded, yet the sol shaders and lighting all seem to work.

Can anyone shed any light on what I’ve done wrong?

 

[DavidOne87]

if you install CSP 140 and disable weatherFX (which is the new graphics engine and the base to get Sol working), what happens then?
View attachment 315309

nothing changes: after a long loading time i get "race cancelled" message....

 

[Jempy]

Hello Peter,
I finally had time to test your SLP settings for Sol according to this message:
https://www.racedepartment.com/threads/sol.163844/page-123#post-3003281

That's in fact a very good result indeed
But there's a but

For mid or lower configs that means a rather important loss of FPS, for me that's -30
Coming from 85fps or more to less than 60 at its best and 52 at its lowest.

Could you point out which settings are the most fps eaters, so that I might tweak those in order to have the best view possible with a better fps level.

Thanks in advance.

My config: I5 4670k - Ram 8GB - GPU MSI GTX1060 6GB OCV1 on a 34" Ultrawide curved monitor 3440*1440.

 

[AlleyViper]

@Jempy Meanwhile, and until Peter gets back to you, if struggling with fps, you can start with completely disabling Extra FX. That should be, by far, the most taxing. On particles FX disable "Smoke (WIP, slow...)", it's a experimental feature under optimization.

If you get frame drops when there's smoke (or water spray on wet track mods), keep smoke at "minimum" on regular video settings, and disabling also "sort particles before drawing" and "draw shadows on particles" on particles fx might help with draw calls. Some frames can be gained if you disable "Real Mirrors" (not to be confused with Smart mirrors) so the car interior isn't drawn on mirrors.
Ensure on regular video settings that you're not using a very high faces per plane setting on reflections nor max resolution for that.

Just for the RSS GT pack, you should also disable custom LOD settings ("Force low res..." under graphics adjustments), might eat some fps, but you can get glitches with the 57 with those options enabled.

 

[Peter Boese]

Well. I now have Sol installed and working and WOW. Awesome awesome work! It really transforms the game.

The only issue I seem to be having is that I can’t activate the weather FX app in the apps tick box area. They just don’t appear. I only see the regular in game apps and a couple of others that I downloaded, yet the sol shaders and lighting all seem to work.

Can anyone shed any light on what I’ve done wrong?

You installed it manually?
1. Open the Sol zip.
2. In the zip, go into the folder /MODS and then /Sol
3. Copy the folders apps, content, extension and system to AC root folder
4. Confirm overwriting existing files

 

[Jempy]

@Jempy Meanwhile, and until Peter gets back to you, if struggling with fps, you can start with completely disabling Extra FX. That should be, by far, the most taxing. On particles FX disable "Smoke (WIP, slow...)", it's a experimental feature under optimization.

If you get frame drops when there's smoke (or water spray on wet track mods), keep smoke at "minimum" on regular video settings, and disabling also "sort particles before drawing" and "draw shadows on particles" on particles fx might help with draw calls. Some frames can be gained if you disable "Real Mirrors" (not to be confused with Smart mirrors) so the car interior isn't drawn on mirrors.
Ensure on regular video settings that you're not using a very high faces per plane setting on reflections nor max resolution for that.

Just for the RSS GT pack, you should also disable custom LOD settings ("Force low res..." under graphics adjustments), might eat some fps, but you can get glitches with the 57 with those options enabled.

In fact, that's more a general result than a special fps eating effect ... like smoke or Real Mirrors which were already activated before ....

Thanks for pointing the Extra FX ... as I'm nearly sure that one was not activated before and now that you mentioned it ... I'll make a next test after disabling this one.

If it's not enough, I'll have a look at what was changed in the different settings in order to post the ones which I modified.
Rather easy as those changes in CM are marked in red color ( I had some already modified but they will easily be noticed among the red ones ... as most were unchanged and remained genuine SLP. )

 

[Peter Boese]

In fact, that's more a general result than a special fps eating effect ... like smoke or Real Mirrors which were already activated before ....

Thanks for pointing the Extra FX ... as I'm nearly sure that one was not activated before and now that you mentioned it ... I'll make a next test after disabling this one.

If it's not enough, I'll have a look at what was changed in the different settings in order to post the ones which I modified.
Rather easy as those changes in CM are marked in red color ( I had some already modified but they will easily be noticed among the red ones ... as most were unchanged and remained genuine SLP. )

ExtraFX eats nearly the most fps. So i just use the HBAO+ for better Shadows. Some interesting thing is, it has less fps with it (before i had 130+, and now 110-120), but it feels smoother, because the fps fluctuating less, they are very stable.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Also on General Patch Settings there are 3 sections for optimization.
I personally check them all.

 

[Jempy]

I already tested after unactivation of the ExtraFX ... and everything was at it was before ... always above the 80 fps ....
But I just noticed 1 setting was active in the ExtraFX which should have been unactivated:
Resolve MSAA for color ..... and the mention in the tooltip is: Disable to get extra fps on NVIDIA GPUs.

Now I see it ... I'll make a new test in the evening, reactivating ExtraFX but unactivating this annoying option for Nvidia .... maybe that was what was eating more !?

More when test is done ... it might help other users.

Also on General Patch Settings there are 3 sections for optimization.
I personally check them all.

Thx Andrew ... in fact, in version 164 ... there are 4 sections now.
I'll try it also.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Thx Andrew ... in fact, in version 164 ... there are 4 sections now.
I'll try it also.

Right, 4 with custom fonts rendering.
- Custom fonts rendering
- Optimization
- CPU optimization
- GPU optimization

There are also some additional optimization options outside General Patch Settings for individual FXs.

 

[Jempy]

Results of the new test:

- reactivating the ExtraFX and unactivating Resolve MSAA for color .... had a good result and Resolve MSAA for color has to be unactivated for Nvidia GPUs ( anyway in case of low-mid configs ).....
Tested on 2 tracks ( Tor Poznan and Donington 1938 ) with 15 Ai and starting last on grid with the same car ( Alfa GTA ).... just 2 or 3 Fps lost but smoother as @Peter Boese mentioned above ( except just the race start as mostly usual ) .... and it looks prettier.

- adding the missing Optimizations didn't nearly change anything

Now, it was also tested with another car ( Skoda 130RS ) at Poznan .... +- 15 fps less.
Noticing this fps loss ... the same test was done with the Audi TTCup .... return to normal.
And a third test with another modded car ( Ford Sierra ) ... same as Audi: normal

This last test seems to point out that a fps loss might be more due to some cars than track in some cases ??

 

[DavidOne87]

i finally get it work again, but using the CSP version 0.1.25preview49, so a really old version of the CSP. Any other version seems not working anymore for me...anyone can help with this? Really weird as long i always used til the last update and not a problem......

 

[xopotl]

Right, I'm not sure this is a CM issue or a Sol issue, so I apologize if this is somehow in the wrong placen, but as of late, my "real conditions"-option isn't working anymore.
It doesn't actually change from the weather I selected to anything else. The only thing that still works is the time of day. Any ideas?

 

[Alex Harkett]

You installed it manually?
1. Open the Sol zip.
2. In the zip, go into the folder /MODS and then /Sol
3. Copy the folders apps, content, extension and system to AC root folder
4. Confirm overwriting existing files

That worked. Thank you