"Model Visibility"

Hello all,

Can someone clarify the different options under the model visibility setting? These are the following options: Off, Normal, and Enlarged.

The default seems to be off. Does this mean that it simply does not display models or what? It is a little confusing to me.

I would assume I should keep it on normal, but I don't really know what each of these options do. Can someone clarify this? Thank you.

This has been answered many times, try a forum search.

Off - Normal visibility of 3D models.

Normal - 3D models enlarged when they drop to near 1 pixel monitor size.

Enlarged - Same as normal, but the models are made even larger.

The effect changes with resolution, the goal is to make visibility the same no matter the screen resolution.

Not quite true, below a certain visibility the model is overlaid with a 2D sprite that is larger than the actual model would appear to be.

This has been answered many times, try a forum search.

 

Off - Normal visibility of 3D models.

 

Normal - 3D models enlarged when they drop to near 1 pixel monitor size.

 

Enlarged - Same as normal, but the models are made even larger.

 

The effect changes with resolution, the goal is to make visibility the same no matter the screen resolution.

Thanks, with enlarged and normal, do the models appear larger even when flying very close to them? (E.g. Formation)

Thanks, with enlarged and normal, do the models appear larger even when flying very close to them? (E.g. Formation)

No, or at least. They should not.

Its a new feature so there might be bugs.

Thanks, with enlarged and normal, do the models appear larger even when flying very close to them? (E.g. Formation)

No, another poster answered your question a little better. When they are further away, there is a "sprite" around/over the aircraft so you can see where they are.

I don't have 1.5 installed.

So I assume the sprite isn't visible through the cockpit itself or clouds etc the way an icon would be.

Also the sprite only appears when the distant model is below the size of a pixel, right? So it wouldn't have any effect on models which are close enough to actually be rendered?

I don't have 1.5 installed.

So I assume the sprite isn't visible through the cockpit itself or clouds etc the way an icon would be.

Also the sprite only appears when the distant model is below the size of a pixel, right? So it wouldn't have any effect on models which are close enough to actually be rendered?

That is pretty close to how it is. Wags explained it, briefly, in one of the videos.

That is pretty close to how it is. Wags explained it, briefly, in one of the videos.

Yes, that's all the explanation I'd seen so far. People keep calling it "scaling" but it's not. The way Matt described it, The models aren't actually being drawn larger.

This is probably VERY low on ED's priority list, but a little description of each graphical option would be nice. Maybe when you hover over the setting a description would show up? I know Wags has explained this feature many times but not everyone has kept up on the videos and forums.

This is probably VERY low on ED's priority list, but a little description of each graphical option would be nice. Maybe when you hover over the setting a description would show up? I know Wags has explained this feature many times but not everyone has kept up on the videos and forums.

Is there an updated manual for 1.5? It could be explained there.

Is there an updated manual for 1.5? It could be explained there.

the manual will be out once 1.5 becomes public release not current openbeta

Off is the old rendering, plain and simple.

Normal and enlarged both do the same thing, but with slightly different settings.

When an object reaches a certain size on your screen, the game will draw an imposter sprite over the object. This sprite scales with distance until it reaches a minimum size where it stops getting smaller. That the sprite doesn't go below the minimum size is why you can see planes further away than before.

The only difference between normal and enlarged is that enlarged has a slightly larger minimum size.

Here's a comparison with Normal and Enlarged at 2560x1440 with 2X AA. There are F-15s at 2.5km, 5km, 10km, 15km, and 20km. I didn't take any screenshots with it off, but just pretend the planes aren't there if you want to know what it looks like on normal.

It's important to note that what the settings look like will depend on your resolution. The lower your resolution, the larger the dots will appear compared to a larger resolution. The most "realistic" setting will depend on your resolution. I recommend just setting up a simple scenario like below and testing each setting to see which looks best to you.

Enlarged

Normal

Smart Scalling

I put together a couple of shots to demonstrate the new Smart Scaling feature in DCS 1.5. Keep in mind that models are not enlarged across the board, but are at a certain distance replaced with an obj to represent Aircraft/Vehicles to make them a bit easier to see.

You will see below I have three screen shots taken. The aircraft groups are separated by 18NM. Here is a good representation of what one can expect with the different settings.

Agreed that it's low priority, but I would love it too.

I like the new concept of the icons and I think they generally work well, is just think that the full 3d model becomes replates juuuust at little early. When flying with a wingman AI in loose formation he is just in the in/out zone of the model/overlapping icon zone, and it is quite visibile in basic 1980 x 1080. I love that I can spot contacts as "dots" sooner, but the icon can at times kill the immersion. Hopefully testing can lead them to finding the sweet spot.

Off is the old rendering, plain and simple.

 

Normal and enlarged both do the same thing, but with slightly different settings.

 

When an object reaches a certain size on your screen, the game will draw an imposter sprite over the object. This sprite scales with distance until it reaches a minimum size where it stops getting smaller. That the sprite doesn't go below the minimum size is why you can see planes further away than before.

 

The only difference between normal and enlarged is that enlarged has a slightly larger minimum size.

 

Here's a comparison with Normal and Enlarged at 2560x1440 with 2X AA. There are F-15s at 2.5km, 5km, 10km, 15km, and 20km. I didn't take any screenshots with it off, but just pretend the planes aren't there if you want to know what it looks like on normal.

 

It's important to note that what the settings look like will depend on your resolution. The lower your resolution, the larger the dots will appear compared to a larger resolution. The most "realistic" setting will depend on your resolution. I recommend just setting up a simple scenario like below and testing each setting to see which looks best to you.

 

Enlarged

 

Normal

Just wanted to also add that in the F4 or F2 external views - the FOV is much greater, so those planes are more visible. If you were to go into the F1 cockpit view I think those planes would be even harder to see.

I like the new concept of the icons and I think they generally work well, is just think that the full 3d model becomes replates juuuust at little early. When flying with a wingman AI in loose formation he is just in the in/out zone of the model/overlapping icon zone, and it is quite visibile in basic 1980 x 1080. I love that I can spot contacts as "dots" sooner, but the icon can at times kill the immersion. Hopefully testing can lead them to finding the sweet spot.

I haven't tried 1.5 yet. But if I understand what you're saying the sprite is getting drawn larger than the distant aircraft. I would hope that if the aircraft is big enough to render on your screen, even if that's very small, then the sprite disappears. That way you wouldn't see the flicker. Right?

So the sprite should be just a single pixel.

I haven't tried 1.5 yet. But if I understand what you're saying the sprite is getting drawn larger than the distant aircraft. I would hope that if the aircraft is big enough to render on your screen, even if that's very small, then the sprite disappears. That way you wouldn't see the flicker. Right?

So the sprite should be just a single pixel.

The system works based on 2 values, a minsize and maxsize.

When a plane takes up fewer pixels than maxsize, it starts drawing the imposter sprite over it. This imposter sprite will scale down with distance as the plane gets smaller until it hits the minsize. When the plane its drawing takes up less than minsize pixels, the imposter no longer scales down, and instead stays at a constant size. This is why you can see the imposter sprite from further away than the model by itself.

The imposter sprites also don't flicker in the same way a model taking up 1-3 pixels would. They're sort of like blurry dots that change opacity instead of flickering.

Are the sprites dots or are they plane shaped?

Are the sprites dots or are they plane shaped?

They're rendered out sprites of the plane in question. If you zoom into the sprite, this is what it looks like. This is why you can still make out the silhouette and aspect of a plane when it's using the imposter sprite.

Note that you won't see this if you zoomed into the plane ingame. If you did, you would make the plane take up more pixels and it would switch back to the model.

Isn't that going to have the effect of making far away planes look closer than they are?

I should try this for myself but I don't have time to try the Beta.

Isn't that going to have the effect of making far away planes look closer than they are?

I should try this for myself but I don't have time to try the Beta.

Not really, because to the naked eye all you can see is sort of a fuzzy dot. Enlarged still means a really, really small contact. At these dimensions the eye can never estimate the distance with any kind of precision.

Can MV be toggled on and off while playing by just pressing a key?

Can MV be toggled on and off while playing by just pressing a key?

I don't think so. It's managed through the options panel.