FSX & P3D stutter in VisualFSX

[Michel Vandaele]

Hi Jeroen,
Also on my site,  FSX - PSX Server and Visual PSX are running on the same pc.
Actually another PSX client is running on my laptop - connected via wire.  On laptop  Yoke/trotles/Rudders are connected

FSX is normally running very smooth on that PC ( when running pmdg B744) .

B. Rgds
Michel

[Phil Bunch]

The only other thing I can think of to do is to activate one or more of the available PC resource monitors.  The built-in "Windows Resource Monitor" app that is in Windows 7 has a ton of submenus and options, and should reveal what's stealing the PC from PSX.  

Have you tried this sort of investigation technique?

[martin]

It has been mentioned above (by Kurt), but just to make sure: all anti-virus / anti-malware stuff has been disabled* ?
It would so nicely explain various things if those were active...

Also, perhaps triple-checking is indicated for any other processes running in the background? There's always lots more of them than one knows about until one has a look (e.g. with ProcessExplorer)...

Cheers,
Martin

* temporarily for testing. In the long run, only an exception ("don't monitor this") for the applications involved would be acceptable, of course.

[Chris Stanley]

Hi,
I just tried disabling AVG but no difference; stutters over the network but works great on FSX with the PMDG 744 at 38 fps, WX included, when running on the same PC. The candy is sweet.

Have not tried P3D but read on a parallel post that there are WX problems there.

Sitting back it's just great that through all this those familiar with the isms of FSX and P3D are having to "fiddle" again while PSX just keeps going and doing what it says it does on the box.
Masterful Mr. Hardy!

[jb747]

Another thought...  I have found on several installations that for synchronizing multiple views that the onboard Ethernet port is often rubbish.  By adding a outboard network card the issues have been resolved an smooth operation is achieved.  These were wideview applications where the server was one one PC and the IG's on three different pc's.  Anyway, something to try if all else fails.  

I am running the PSX server and my P3D server on the same PC and operation is smooth but my three IG's are doing the heavy lifting regarding scenery generation, not the server.

Cheers,

Jon

[markwise]

just an observation:
I run PSX, VisualPSX & FSX/P3d on the same machine with PSX as server and 2 clients on different PCs.
When you connect a client P3D starts "loading scenery" again and after that performance is worse (noticable more stuttering).
Does the client send somehow position data? Why does P3D reload scenery when a client connects to PSX?
thx, br
mark

[Garry Richards]

Hi Mark,

That's an interesting observation. VisualPSX must be interpreting the PSX client initialisation data as a situation reload and so is reloading P3D. I don't know whether I can filter that out or not.

I also don't know why stuttering should increase, or even occur, when a client is added but I shall investigate when I have access to my system again.

Cheers,

[markwise]

thx Garry,

and thank you also for the efforts you invested in this great tool!
br
mark

[Britjet]

I have been getting stutters -  they manifested themselves in the P3D cockpit as well, with some of the (default) instruments "twitching". I restarted VISUALPSX and the stutters went away. Have you tried that?

[dts]

Also seems that every time a client joins, the outside visuals seems to almost i would say pause, so the position that you were initially looking at for example dead in line with a taxi line, moves to the left more and more,so eventually you are not in the position that you would expect.  One thing i am going to try is to get all the clients to join and then connect up visualpsx last so maybe it will be aligned

[Zapp]

I have been getting stutters -  they manifested themselves in the P3D cockpit as well, with some of the (default) instruments "twitching". I restarted VISUALPSX and the stutters went away. Have you tried that?

Confirmed on my side: Restaring PSX improves the situation.

Andrea

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Is that restarting PSX or restarting VisualPSX? Big difference.

[Phil Bunch]

I am reminded how surprised I sometimes am when I open up a system resources monitor and take a look at all the apps and so forth that are using my hard drive(s), my network, my RAM, etc.  

My Apple gadgets are even worse than my Windows PC in that each app I buy installs itself with full "Notification" privileges, full "know my location" privileges, and each one promptly begins sending information to its "Mother Ship" in the Cloud.  The only solution I've found is to systemtically monitor the thing and what is using its resources and to take corrective action, shutting down almost all Apps' privileges since few of them really need it for a purpose that I would knowingly support.

My PC also prone to these and other problems.  Some software just use resources inefficiently and indiscriminately, and others is probably engaging in "spyware" for commercial or government or hacking agencies.

Have those who are experiencing stutters used their system resource monitor(s) to see what is in use when PSX is forced to stutter by something?  This is how I've caught many things interfering with my PC as well as my Apple iGadgets.

[Britjet]

Is that restarting PSX or restarting VisualPSX? Big difference.

Restarting VISUALPSX...


Brit

[Joe Corrigan]

Hi Treebeard et al,

The visuals on P3D are working perfectly. What I have noticed, however is that the audio seems to cut in and out very rapidly, almost like a stutter. Is there any way to get around this? Reason being it makes P3D impossible to use as an engine sounds generator if this is the case.

Cheers,

Joe.

[Garry Richards]

Hi Joe,

I haven't experienced audio stutter in FSX, but you don't need to use it anyway as PSX provides excellent audio.

Cheers,

[ahaka]

I only just now saw there's this separate thread for the stutters.  :oops:

Could there be any difference if one buys a separate ethernet card instead of using the one that comes with the latest motherboards?

Also, in a software called "Wideview", which can connect two copies of FSX/P3D over a network, there's a function called "intellismooth" that creates missing "frames" to smooth out the experience. By adjusting that setting I can get a perfectly smooth visual over network with two FSX/P3D with unnoticable lag.

[jb747]

Hi,

I have turned up several Wideview systems over the past few years and found that a separate ethernet card has helped eliminate all of the past stutter issues between the server running FSX/P3D and the clients.  What I have not been able to validate is that the separate card adds anything to the equation when interfacing PSX with FSX/P3D.  It might help but I haven't been able to validate that.  Then again, the only system I have been using PSX with is my own.

I had stutters between PSX and FSX when running on separate PCs and in this particular case using an outboard ethernet card did not help.  I am now getting smoother performance by using PSX and FSX/P3D on the same PC.  The same with PSX and XP10.  Although the smoothness I am getting is not quite as good as running FSX or P3D alone with Wideview.

Cheers,

Jon

[ahaka]

That's interesting, so the ethernet card can make a difference, but with PSX to FSX connection there might be something else in play that causes the jittery stuttery behaviour. I confirmed this too by running the software on one PC at a time; still stutters way too much. My other PC is a very latest i7 4970k Haswell system, so it should perform well, but it doesn't.

I also notice that at times the "simulation paused" -message flashes quickly in FSX/P3D.

[ahaka]

I'm even more convinced now that the stutters have nothing to do with my system. I tried xview with x-plane and the result was very smooth, especially with the extrapolation option, but even without it. Since my FSX/P3D alone are super smooth, and PSX obviously is super smooth, all I can think of is that somehow the position information from visualpsx is "noisy" or something else strange is happening in the process... I know this is a free Software so we cant expect Garry to spend long days fixing things for us, but on the other hand I'd gladly pay for it to get a smooth visual experience. I'll be happy to assist in any testing, if needed.