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Main => General Discussion Board. => Topic started by: zillmer on February 02, 2020, 01:49:42 AM

Title: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: zillmer on February 02, 2020, 01:49:42 AM
All,

I have now released these programs in beta form, and they can be obtained from this link:

Sync1.zip (https://thebeeches-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/simon_theknellers_net/EapF6Kr4kXhOp4jLaTvbLDABhepw-GZhpTH5C-mNNCtpoA?e=HFOROR)

There is a PDF file included that contains some basic instructions.

There is very little in the way of error-checking or idiot-proofing in the code, so if you do something silly, such as setting values for options in the ini file that aren't supported, it may well crash P3D depending on the exact issue. The solution here is to simply delete the relevant ini file, and let the app rebuild a new one.

I have only tested this software on my specific setup, so it may be that the software won't work at all, or doesn't perform in the same way on other setups.

Please post back to here with any questions, or to report your experience. If doing so, please provide some details of the setup of your system.

Regards

Simon.

Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on February 17, 2020, 04:25:54 PM
Hi Simon

I am very excited about the possibilities with SimSync.

I have been away the past couple of weeks, but SimSync is on the docket for me to evaluate tomorrow. I will report the results of course.

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on February 18, 2020, 06:35:58 PM
First Report.....

Simon - I think you are on to something here!

Setup was simple.  No issues whatsoever. Took less than 10 minutes.

Did a test flight KSFO->KLAX, mild weather conditions.

Overall performance was buttery smooth for both the flying aircraft and AI aircraft.  Better than WideView!  This was particularly so for spot plane view which for me has always been a weak point for WV (gets me thinking about setting up another channel dedicated to spot view).

For WideView I always found that locking the Server at 30fps with the Clients at unlimited worked the best. So this was my starting point as a comparison. Using those settings I found that smoothness of the flying aircraft was fine, but AI traffic stuttered somewhat.  So I reset the Server frames to unlimited (as suggested in your instructions) and smoothness for both was really excellent. I am going to explore locking fps for the Clients (also suggested in your instructions) to see if that yields some extra P3D performance overhead.

I found that AI traffic populated much faster than for WV and was 100% stable (that is, occasionally some AI traffic planes "flicker" in WV). Lights and flight control animations for AI aircraft worked fine.

My setup is as follows:

Server: I7-7700K / GTX980
Clients(3): I7-8700K/GTX1080Ti

I have two additional computers that run SimA.

I use "FS Global Real Weather" for weather generation and distribution to the Clients.

Concerning "Animations"....Is this specific to the ProSim model?  The SimA model which I am using does have customized lighting features, but those extra lighting features do not work in the Clients for WV. It would be nice to have them.

Simon - Excellent work! And many thanks for making SimSync available to others....and for taking the time to write the Instructions PDF which is well done!

Other multi-channel users really should check this out.

Let me know if you need a beta tester....happy to help!

Will comment more as I further explore.

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: zillmer on February 18, 2020, 10:17:34 PM
Fred,

Thanks for the feedback and glad you are finding it a positive experience. In terms of the lighting, the implementation isn't specific to Prosim, but on reflection I might need to do some additional configuration, depending on how lighting is implemented in the SimA model.

Is the model you are using supplied by SimA, or is it a separate freeware or payware model?

Regards

Simon.

Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on February 19, 2020, 07:31:22 AM
QuoteThanks for the feedback and glad you are finding it a positive experience. In terms of the lighting, the implementation isn't specific to Prosim, but on reflection I might need to do some additional configuration, depending on how lighting is implemented in the SimA model.

Is the model you are using supplied by SimA, or is it a separate freeware or payware model?

The 737 model I am using is supplied by SimA and integral with its software.  There are separate lighting functions for fixed landing lights, retract landing lights, runway turnoff lights, and taxi lights that are defined by SimA offset values.  With WideView only the default landing lights can work.

One other thing to note.....I have a dual network setup arrangement ("192.168.1.1" and "10.0.0.255").  I have found that for WideView this arrangement improves overall performance by keeping avionics data traffic isolated from visuals data traffic.  SimSync works fine using this arrangement isolated to the "10" network..

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release (Updated version linked)
Post by: zillmer on February 23, 2020, 09:56:44 PM
All,

Attached is a link to an updated version which corrects a bug in the previous version reported by FredK that meant that lights in the SimA model failed to sync.

Thanks to FredK for testing this.

Regards

Simon

Sync1.zip (https://thebeeches-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/simon_theknellers_net/EapF6Kr4kXhOp4jLaTvbLDABhepw-GZhpTH5C-mNNCtpoA?e=HFOROR)
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on February 24, 2020, 05:12:09 AM
The customized landing/taxi lights for the SimA 737 aircraft model work just fine now with the updated code! I could never get those to work with WideView.....only the default lights. So another plus for SimSync!

I have completed several flights now with no other issues to speak of and with noticeably improved performance, particularly for AI traffic.

I'm loving it!

Fred K

Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: KyleH on February 24, 2020, 06:08:19 AM
Do all machines have to be the same version of P3d?
Could I run P3D on my visuals machine and FSX on a server machine for instruments?
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: zillmer on February 24, 2020, 08:43:26 PM
Kyle,

The program won't work with FSX ; it utilises the Lockheed Martin PDK interface which provides better performance than SimConnect, but isn't compatible with FSX.

I haven't tested the program with different versions of P3D at the same time, but it is 64-bit code, so limited to P3D V4 onwards. The code has only been tested (at least by me) with the latest version of P3D (v4.5 HF2).

As long as the code runs OK on different versions of P3D V4 (which I can't test here) there's no reason that it needs the same version to be present on each machine. However given that it needs to be P3D V4, and upgrades are free and generally a good idea as they fix bugs and improve performance (IMO) I can't see why running different versions of P3D V4 would be a sensible idea.

Regards

Simon.

Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on March 26, 2020, 06:02:10 AM
Bump on this.....

I just want to report on my experience using SimSync for over a month now.  That includes over 20 flights, mostly on VATSIM.

I run a multi-channel visual setup and have been using WideView for well over a decade now as the basis for operation.  I can confidently report that SimSync is a better choice, particularly for handling AI traffic.

SimSync is very easy to setup (takes less than 10 minutes), is 100% reliable (no program crashes etc.), and runs noticeably smoother than WideView (particularly for AI traffic).  It also appears to reduce CPU utilization overhead.  For example, using WideView I get the best performance running my visual clients FPS at "unlimited".  With SimSync I can lock FPS at 30 with smooth performance even at heavy airports.  In this regard I have been able to increase settings for AI traffic numbers significantly.

So...If there are any multi-channel users out there that have not tried SimSync I strongly encourage you to check it out. Non multi-channel users may want to think about moving in this direction.

I want to again thank Simon for making this program available.  It is incredible to me that he has delivered a better program than what the commercial vendors offer.....That includes WideView, Opus FSI, and even LM's own multi-channel offering!

I have removed WideView from my system and am never looking back! Hopefully this program will be applicable for MSFS20 for the future.

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: sagrada737 on March 26, 2020, 07:12:14 AM
Hi Fred,

I see the link for SimSync has expired.   Can you provide a new link?

Mike
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on March 27, 2020, 01:51:22 PM
Mike - Simon needs to renew the expired link.

Otherwise I will figure out a way of sending you the files.

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: navymustang on March 27, 2020, 03:31:46 PM
There is a second link in later text you can use. I just used it yesterday. Look forward in time with the messages and you will find it.
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: sagrada737 on March 27, 2020, 03:54:54 PM
Thanks for the heads up...   I found the link you mentioned, and it downloaded fine.

Mike
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: zillmer on March 31, 2020, 12:13:59 AM
All,

Glad to hear people are trying this. Please do report back with any feedback. I've updated the link in the original post so that it points to the correct version.

Regards

Simon.
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on March 31, 2020, 04:34:18 AM
Hi Fred,

Our setups are identical save I'm using (5) 60" TVs.

>>I can lock FPS at 30 with smooth performance even at heavy airports.<<
Server, IGs or both?

Tkx sir!
Doug
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on March 31, 2020, 06:35:18 AM
I followed all directions down to "There will have been created, in the %programdata% folder...SimSyncMaster.ini or SimSyncClient.ini". Forgive me for being stupid but where might I find %programdata%. I did a Search under Computer for both .ini files but none were found.

I've (6) clients but am doing only (1) to see if I can get things working.

Tkx so much!
Doug
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: zillmer on March 31, 2020, 12:13:07 PM
Doug,

If you are using Windows 10, press the windows key and then just type %programdata% and it should provide a link to it.

The %xxxxxx% format is used by Windows to provide a link to system folders that can have different actual locations depending on how Windows is installed.

In a normal install of Windows, it will point to C:\ProgramData

Regards

Simon.
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on March 31, 2020, 01:19:20 PM
Quote from: 09RKC on March 31, 2020, 04:34:18 AMHi Fred,

Our setups are identical save I'm using (5) 60" TVs.

>>I can lock FPS at 30 with smooth performance even at heavy airports.<<
Server, IGs or both?

Tkx sir!
Doug

Server should run "Unlimited", my clients are locked at 30fps. I have over 100 airport scenery add-ons.  I get perfectly smooth performance even at the most demanding like Fly Tampa Toronto and Aerosoft Heathrow.  I have weather set at 90 miles with detailed clouds. AI Traffic is set at 80 planes.  Sliders are generally set at 65-90%. I keep shadows off.  I find hyperthreading off works better with the latest P3D versions. Small/Medium sized stock P3D airports would run nicely with pretty much everything maxed I would think.

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on March 31, 2020, 04:31:31 PM
Tkx Fred, I'll look at the sliders.

I have Sync working on the Server & TV-01 complete with auto-start. Nice! Though I did the same setup steps on TV-02 as I did on -01, P3D crashes each launch. It won't go into P3D at all. I think it has to do with the auto-start function, not sure. More testing  tomorrow, I'll keep you informed.

Tkx!
Doug
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on March 31, 2020, 05:29:14 PM
BTW Fred, I left the Port at default, 23332. The Server and IG#1 work using 23332 so it must be OK. I know the manual says use 23340.

Your opinion?

Doug
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on March 31, 2020, 05:50:28 PM
The port number can be any be any unused port.

Regarding the crashes....If you had been using another multi-channel program be sure that it is removed or at least that it is not running.  For example WideView automatically launches two booster apps when P3D starts.  Those remain active in the background even if you turn WideView "off".  So be sure to close each of them.

I have my clients on autostart, but I launch SimSync on the server using the "modules" drop-down menu after P3d is running.  Have not had any problems.  That is the way I did it with WideView also.

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on March 31, 2020, 07:02:22 PM
>>...WideView automatically launches two booster apps when P3D starts. 
 Those remain active in the background even if you turn WideView "off".<<
Ah, I didn't know that. My WV & WT are still installed but of course I disabled auto-start. I'll look for the boosters tomorrow. That's probably the issue.
 
>>...but I launch SimSync on the server using the "modules" drop-down menu...<<
Why? Why not Server auto-start?

Doug
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on March 31, 2020, 07:20:22 PM
Tkx Simon!!

Doug
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on April 01, 2020, 11:01:29 AM
Hi Fred!

Progress - I've got all IGs working in as far as SimSync. The crash problem's got to do with TrafficSync. If I enable auto-start, or even if I don't and start it manually, crash. Every time.

But in as far as SimSync,  I think I'm going to have a serious problem with scenery alignment from TV to TV and unless someone has a magical solution, I may be forced to stay with WV/WT. I can see where this would be perfect for a projector user but not for TVs. I hope I'm wrong!

1 - My IG visual's aren't lining up. To make them line up I'd have to have a several inch overlap of 2 TVs and might even have to move each TV up/down, left/right. Extreme cumbersome.

2 -  At the very least, even if all did line up,  I end of with an approx 1", maybe 1.5" bezel, black dead area. You know what I mean. I see no way using Sync to make adjustments for this thus I'll never be able to have the view-able picture be seamless like I can with WV.

Anyway, your thoughts?

Doug
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: zillmer on April 01, 2020, 11:28:38 AM
Doug,

Not sure if you're confusing people here, but I'm the developer of SimSync/TrafficSync so I'll reply to your last post, Fred is someone who has been testing it since I released it.

In terms of the visuals lining up, SimSync doesn't do anything to 'adjust' the camera view that is being used by each IG. It sounds as if you have been using some functionality in WideView that creates/adjusts cameras on the clients so that the images are aligned. Is that correct?

There are other approaches to addressing the camera alignment issue; there are payware solutions that make it relatively more user friendly (such as FlyElise), but I think it is also possible to sort this using the ViewGroups in Prepar3d. With these (and they can be edited and previewed on the fly), you can create a custom view for each IG and align them as you choose, including addressing the bezel issue.

In simple terms if you imagine the complete view outside the cockpit as being a sphere centred on the pilot, ViewGroups allow you to define what specific subsection of that sphere you want to P3D to render for each IG independently. You can adjust the size of the view, the X, Y and Z coordinates and the Pitch, Bank and Heading of the view. It might take some trial and error to get things going, but it should be possible to do it just using the ViewGroups functionality in P3D.

In terms of the crashes with TrafficSync, if you would like to persevere, could you edit the TrafficSyncClient.ini file and set the Log option to Log=Normal, and then try again. This should create some log files in the %programdata%/SimSync directory. If so could you give that a go and post them here that would give me a start in figuring out what the issue might be.

Could you also confirm what Port settings you are using for TrafficSync, and the Prepar3d version you are using both for the Server and the IG's.

Regards

Simon.

Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on April 01, 2020, 12:34:09 PM
>>...you have been using some functionality in WideView that creates/adjusts cameras on the clients so that the images are aligned. Is that correct?<<
Yes sir, correct.

>>...ViewGroups in Prepar3d...<<
I've not heard of this, will look at it.

>>Could you also confirm what Port settings you are using for TrafficSync, and the Prepar3d version you are using both for the Server and the IG's.<<
I'm using 23332 for all (6) cmptrs both Sim & Traffic. P3Dv4.5 on all. If I need to set a Port in P3D I wouldn't know how.

Before tackling the Traffic issue I'll look further into ViewGroups and see if there's alignment hope. I wish I had the room for projectors.

Major tkx Simon!

Doug



Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: zillmer on April 01, 2020, 12:59:29 PM
Doug,

You need to use a different Port for TrafficSync. Could you set the Port for TrafficSync to 2 higher than the one you are using for SimSync, and see if that stops the crashes.


Regards

Simon.
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: 09RKC on April 01, 2020, 05:42:11 PM
Hi Simon,

Yep, that did it I set Xfic to 23334. Both SimSync & Traffic Sync auto-starts with no issues.

With high hopes I'll look at " ViewGroups" tomorrow. Is this a feature within P3D? Unfamiliar with this one.

Doug
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: zillmer on April 02, 2020, 01:07:03 AM
Doug,

It's a feature built into P3D. I found this video that explains quite a lot of the info that I think would help you. It takes a little while to get going but he does cover the detail that I think you need.

In this case he has all his displays connected to a single PC so sets up multiple views on one PC. With multiple IG's, the principle is the same, you just set up a ViewGroup on each PC with a single View in the Viewgroup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUCJEPHeB3k

Regards

Simon.

Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on April 17, 2020, 10:13:13 AM
QuoteWith high hopes I'll look at " ViewGroups" tomorrow. Is this a feature within P3D? Unfamiliar with this one.

Doug

Doug....If you are still having problems setting up "ViewGroups" there is one more consideration you might try...

You can try using just TrafficSync with WideView.  That is, launch WideView as you normally would and then launch TrafficSync.  Do not launch WideTraffic (and be sure that the associated WT app is not launched).  TrafficSync will then position your AI traffic accordingly and you will gain the benefit of a much smoother AI experience.  This should work independent of whether or not you are using ViewGroups.

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: Neil Hewitt on January 13, 2021, 02:11:06 AM
Hi. Resurrecting this thread to ask what the current situation is with SimSync and TrafficSync?

I've tried out both and am impressed by how much smoother they are then Wideview / Widetraffic, but this thread went dead and I've seen no more mention of these tools here or anywhere else since, that I could find. Simon / Zillmer doesn't seem to have posted for a while either.

Does anyone know what the plan is for these?
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: FredK on January 13, 2021, 05:22:02 AM
Hi Neil

Yeah....Simon has seemed to have disappeared. The last contact I had with him was about 6 months ago.  He had indicated he was testing SymSync with P3Dv5 but was frustrated with the stability of P3Dv5 for other reasons.  At that point he had not looked at MSFS2020 since it had not yet been released.

I am still using P3Dv4.5 with SymSync and am happy as a clam with overall performance.  I have a lot invested with add-ons for P3Dv4.5 so am not very motivated to even look at 5, let alone MSFS2020 given all the issues there. I am getting too old to go back to the dark days of CTDs along with incessant tweaking to avoid such.  I just want to takeoff with assurance I will land at the other end.

I still do believe that SymSync with ViewGroups is the best option for multi-channel out there....better than WideView, Opus, or P3D Pro.

Hopefully Simon is OK and will reemerge.

Further.....As of early November there is an issue with Navigraph SimLink that causes unflyable macro stutters due to the SimLink module crashing. This has been reported by many and Navigraph is working on a fix.  It seems to be related to a memory leak.  The reason that I mention it here is that it can also cause timing inconsistencies between SymSync client views prior to when SimLink actually crashes. If you start seeing that during a flight simply close and restart Navigraph SimLink when it starts happening.  Navigraph did a TeamViewer session on my system and changed some things that has significantly addressed (but not fully eliminated) the problem.  A permanent fix is in the works I was told.

Fred K
Title: Re: SimSync and TrafficSync Beta Release
Post by: Neil Hewitt on January 15, 2021, 02:33:24 AM
Thanks, Fred. I have to say from my initial testing SimSync works fine with P3Dv5.1 HF1, so I will continue to fly with it for a while and see how it goes. Hopefully Simon is OK, as you say, and will re-surface. He's done a great job and it would be a real shame for it to not be completed.

I am steering clear of MSFS until it has feature parity with P3D in terms of display functionality - that is, multiple asymmetric view frustums that can be individually defined. Let alone any of the other missing / broken features. I think it'll be a good couple of years before that happens, if ever.

I know there's a lot of enthusiasm out there about MSFS and yes, the graphics are amazing (though getting less amazing), but from my POV as a cockpit builder, all MSFS is doing is splitting the market and pushing 3PDs to slow down / abandon P3D, and I see MSFS as a regression in many ways back to the days before we had pro-level sims that could be used to build cockpits. It's very clearly designed for the desktop gamer with a monitor and a couple of controllers and that seems to be the only audience they have considered so far. I think our market segment is becoming increasingly poorly served and forgotten about.