X.1502-1548: Signal lights flicker

[Christian Sorenseen]

At first. I have tested this on two different computers, one with an NVIDIA Graphics Card, and this one, with an ATI Card.
Both Cards has the latest drivers installed

Problem is persistent and is also present on the latest build x-1548. (So I have almost ruled out a driver issue.)

Route: Trollhättan2 and Stockholm Regional, avail. at Banbyggarna.se.

They use Sweedish signals. These are excellent, they can be clearly seen from far away, so all should be good, but not quite.

Example, I have these warning aspects shown in the pictures. The left one shows 3 steady orange lights, the two on the right should show 3 orange lights flashing. In the first picture they show correct, but in the second some of the lights are missing, I just needed to move the cam a few inches to one side.

This strange behavior results in the following:

When I drive towards the signals they flicker like there is a loose connection in the light sockets.

This is always the case when more than one lamp of the same color is in a signal. This is important.

An aspect showing one steady green and one flashing yellow light works flawlessly.
A signal that has only one red or one green lamp lit, also works without a hitch.

But:

An aspect that can show 1 or 2 green lights or one red light looks like this:

Red light only: OK

Top Green light only: Shows top green OK, but lower green light flickers (should be off).

2 Green lights: Both lamps flicker when I move.

Just like the aspects shown in the pictures, where all three lamps either show steady light or flashing light.

Take a ride out of Göteborg C towards Oslo, and You will soon see the defective aspects.

I have reported this as accurate as I can, but I will be glad to help investigating further, if You want me to.

ChrisD

[Christian Sorenseen (box1-5)]

pics to illustrate, here is the first one. The left of the three signals should have shown 3 steady orange lights

[Christian Sorenseen (box1-5)]

Same 3 signals, I have just moved a bit to the right.

[James Ross (twpol)]

I notice you've customised the viewing distance to 4KM:

ViewingDistance = (registry) 4000

Could you retry without this customisation? In general, increasing it may cause issues like this, but I can't to confirm/deny that here first. It would be good to know if you've ever seen this working (i.e. it has broken at some point), or if it's always been like this.

[Christian Sorenseen (box1-5)]

ViewingDistance at 2000. No Change. (I knew that already, I just forgot to mention that, sorry.)

[Christian Sorenseen (box1-5)]

X-1467 is the oldest I´we got, same result.

Stable release 0.8.0.1251 can not be tested, route will not load.

[disc (disc86543)]

I think this is what called as "z-fighting" :) When two surfaces are too close to each, because of the z buffer is floating point (so it have finite precision), in some situations the 3d engine can't decide which is to be rendered, so it's start flickering. The best solution for this is to edit the model, and move the light surfaces further from the body of the signal.

[Christian Sorenseen (box1-5)]

I could buy that it was a fault in the shapes, if all lights in the signals are affected, but this is not the case.

Not just the aspects shown in the screenshots are affected.

How will You explain that one lantern, works OK when it is lit alone and there is no other lantern in the same signal with the same color.

A signal with one red, one yellow and one green lantern, works flawlessly. The same shape with 2 green and one red light malfunctions.

ChrisD

[Carlo Santucci (carlosanit1)]

Reading that I can confirm that I noticed this in Italian shunting signal lights (2 or 3 white lights) since many ORTS versions ago.

[Carlo Santucci (carlosanit1)]

Look at the shunting signal at the right.
In the first picture it has two lights on, as it should be.
In the second one (viewing point slightly moved to the right) it has only one light on.
This is release 1390.

[Christian Sorenseen (box1-5)]

milestone: 0.9 - none.

???

[Cédric GNIEWEK (sharpeserana)]

Does the problem still happen with version 1.4?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Open Rails because there has been no activity for 60 days.]