Track Ballast/Sleeper Flickering

[aksingha]

Hi,
The Ballast/sleeper flickers a lot and i have been trying to fix it, but still no result. I also posted about it few months back -
http://railworksamerica.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=14937
The track looks great in the 3d modeling program, but don't know why it flickers in game. I guess it has something to do with the textures, i mean like contrast,brightness and all that stuff. I just don't know where to make the changes.
I tried few tips suggested in my previous thread, but that did not work. I did get a slight improvement after redoing the texture but it is not enough. So,Would like some more help from members who have experience in building tracks.

track in 3d program-

[Bananarama]

Since the ties are 3D, I would start by fiddling with your graphic card settings.

[aksingha]

I have a NVIDIA GeForce GT820M which is an entry level card. And my current settings are-

[tg626]

Turn on FXAA and set Anti-Alias to 8x -see if it looks better, AND see if you still have good frame rates.

[aksingha]

Turn on FXAA and set Anti-Alias to 8x -see if it looks better, AND see if you still have good frame rates.

I think there is a little bit of improvement. But it is still present. Is it possible to make it disappear completely or at least keep it to minimum

[Bananarama]

Try turning on vsync and anisotropic filtering.

[aksingha]

Try turning on vsync and anisotropic filtering.

The glitch is still there

[OregonRider]

Try turning on vsync and anisotropic filtering.

The glitch is still there

Try turning off and then back on. If that doesn't work throw the dern thigh out the window light it on fire and drive back and forth over it. If you need any help i am very experienced in this field .

[Bananarama]

What is the error bias for the material in the 3D editor. FWIW, anything more than -1, such as -2 or -3 (yes, less is greater), will cause a moire effect. Personally I use -1, as 0 (default) causes the texture to mip too soon for my tastes.

[OldProf]

Flickering and moire patterns are ubiquitous in TS and have always been so. They appear and vanish in relation to point of view and distance. Over the years, I've tried a myriad of graphics settings to avoid them, but in the end I always end up experimenting with point of view or simply ignoring them. Therefore, my advice is, simply, don't let them ruin your enjoyment.

[SAR704]

That link to a thread I posted doesn't actually provide the solution.

What is the error bias for the material in the 3D editor. FWIW, anything more than -1, such as -2 or -3 (yes, less is greater), will cause a moire effect. Personally I use -1, as 0 (default) causes the texture to mip too soon for my tastes.

Given that I'm not expert on how the TS .ace files work, are mip maps necessary in the .ace files? 3DC has no function to alter the error bias apparently. Sounds like a nightmare getting 3D sleepers to behave.

What's the reason that you haven't used them with Scalerail? Just curious.

[Bananarama]

Given that I'm not expert on how the TS .ace files work, are mip maps necessary in the .ace files? 3DC has no function to alter the error bias apparently. Sounds like a nightmare getting 3D sleepers to behave.

What's the reason that you haven't used them with Scalerail? Just curious.

Mip maps help reduce flickering (pixel bunching), and are automatic unless forced to create without them.

Error bias (EB) is at the model level in the texture slot and tells the game when to switch to a lower resolution image as you move away from the object (halved at each level). EB defaults to '0', but I find '-1' works best (lesser values make the image sharper, but with the cost of additional flicker - higher values tend to make the texture look "mushy").

I opted for an alpha texture for my ties, as I believed I got better visual results with a lower poly overhead. Keep in mind that I designed the track back in 2002 for MSTS when PC power was hardly up to snuff, and the design worked well for Rail Sim, Railworks and TS. I tried 3D ties at one point, but was never satisfied with the results.

If we ever get tools for TSW, the tracks will have to be 3D. TSW is very efficient, and alpha ties would be a waste.

[SAR704]

May I ask, exactly what is the procedure to get custom track rendering like Scalerail? I wouldn't mind adjusting my own track so it has better realism like your does.

And what are these diagonal transparent faces that are adjacent to each other? Never seen them before.

[Bananarama]

And what are these diagonal transparent faces that are adjacent to each other? Never seen them before.

The issue is due to your graphic card settings or drivers.

[sumitsingh]

The issue is due to your graphic card settings or drivers.

I have Nvidia 940M, sometimes I also get this zaggy effects.
May I know what settings must be tweaked?