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Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Graphics issues like: bad framerates, weird colors, OpenGL errors etc. Bad graphics ar usually the result of bad graphics cards or drivers.
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In order to help you, we need to know a lot of information. Make sure to include answers to at least the following questions in your initial post.

- what OS (Windows Xp/Vista, Mac etc.) are you running?
- what FlightGear version do you use?
- what graphics card do you have?
- does the problem occur with any aircraft, at any airport?
- is there any output printed to the console (black window)?
- copy&paste your commandline (tick the "Show commandline box on the last page of FGRun or the "Others" section on the Mac launcher).
- please upload a screenshot of the problem.

If you experience FlightGear crashes, please report a bug using the issue tracker (can be also used for feature requests).
To run FlightGear on old computers with bad OpenGL support, please take a look at this wiki article. If you are seeing corrupted/broken textures, please see this article.

Note: If you did not get a reponse, even after 7 days, you may want to check out the FlightGear mailing lists to ask your question there.

Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby Galloglas » Sun Aug 24, 2008 2:29 pm

This comes up about every day it seems. So here are some links to possible solutions for you to try first! :D

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2031

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1799

Good luck!!

Galloglas
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards look here first!!

Postby Gijs » Sun Aug 24, 2008 2:46 pm

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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby argyle » Mon Sep 01, 2008 12:33 pm

A shame that there seems to be no cure for the problem I've been having with the CVS version. I still haven't had a chance to test it because it has never worked (been trying constantly for months now). It doesn't matter what settings I put it to, there seems to be no fix. Basically after loading, the menu comes up, but the rest of the screen doesn't change from the loading splash. You can see all of the 2d overlays though, like onscreen red text and the menu (which is fully operational), I even hear the sounds, it seems to just not render the 3d portion.


CPU - P4 - 3 ghz (single core)
Ram - 1GB
Graphics - ATI Radeon x800 (updated drivers, not overclocked)
Operating system: WindowsXP SP3
Binaries - From the frequent win32 build FTP that is advertised in the wiki
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby rawlins » Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:25 pm

Success!

I used the Restricted Drivers Manager to install the proprietary ATI driver from Ubuntu repositories. During the installation my xorg.conf file was modified correctly. All seems to be working fine. I'm getting frame rates of 60-70 FPS. I'd say FG is running as smoothly now as it ever did in previous installations on machines with NVIDIA cards. It has been over a year since I've had FG running on linux. Now it's time for a yoke and pedals!

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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby xsaint » Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:48 am

Good to hear that your problems are solved and you are back in FG....welcome back :)
Ubuntu generally supports well for Nvidia and ATI. I had two diff Ubuntu machines with two diff graphics card and both worked well in the past. For ATI obviously i needed to tweak some settings...what are those setting? gee i can't recall now. But i posted some solution using the same nick on Ubuntu Forums.

Having said that, at times customized graphics card can be a problem. Now i have a new laptop with Nvidia card. Even in windows, i am not able to download and apply the latest drivers from Nvidia. Nvidia complaints that this Nvidia card was tailored made for the manufacturer of the laptop and i should seek for updates from the manufacturer :( and now, i am having problems with FG in linux as well. Ubuntu Hardy does not fully support these customized cards i believe. Having the latest system with a good graphic card does not mean FG works out of the box when you have manufacturers customizing the cards... :(

With time i know i will find the solution.Soon i will update you folks on any solution...

Cheers and happy flying.
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby sirlancelot » Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:09 am

Hi everybody,

Speaking about ATI video cards, I have an HD RADEON 2600 AGP 512 Mb. (Yes, I know, since I haven´t updated my GIGABYTE MB yet, I´m making use of its 8x AGP port, and everything is working fine). However, after installing FGFS 1.9.0 I get the plane 2D cockpit, BUT, outside scenery is shown as collection of polligons. Please your help ... !!!

DANIEL

Galloglas wrote:This comes up about every day it seems. So here are some links to possible solutions for you to try first! :D

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2031

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1799

Good luck!!

Galloglas
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby screwbottle » Mon May 11, 2009 7:40 pm

Hello to the Forum

I would like to have this answered if possible, by one of the FlightGear team please, but all posts are welcome. I have gone through all of your threads on the ATI video card problems, and I am fortunate to have not experienced any of these issues. BUT, and there always is a but, I now have hit a problem. I am not sure if this lies at the door of ATI (I suspect ATI first) or of the FlightGear program.

Version 9.3 Catalyst drivers were working fine, but 9.4 (launched about three weeks or so ago) have broken FlightGear, giving the "error in main loop aborting" message in the text box. This happens all the time with the JBSIM models of the aircraft. FG loads the YASIM models, and they can be flown, but it hangs on exit of the SIM, literally hanging Windows, and the program cannot be forced closed by CTRL ALT DEL. If I revert back to 9.3 all is well again. I have updated all of the 200 plus aircraft models I have, with the latest available, but it does the same whether the model is a month old or two years old.

The SIM starts with the splash screen and the familiar startup sounds (sounds like the resetting of the flaps) happen with the full screen HUD (if this option is checked) visible, and then there is a brief few seconds of view of the selected airport/runway/taxiway, and portions of the cockpit before the SIM resets back to the main screen. On checking the text box, the given message above can be seen. This is with the Windows XP SP3 version of O/S. All other hardware specs below.

System
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3GHZ 1333MHZ FSB CPU (Processor)
MSI X-38 Diamond motherboard / Intel X-38 Crossfire Chipset
2GB DDR3 1333MHZ Super Talent RAM
2 x 400GB SATA 2 Hitachi HDD's
2 x TSSTCorp (Toshiba/Samsung) SATA DVDRW's
ThermalTake Toughpower 750Watt PSU
Zalman CNPS9700 LED CPU Cooler

Although I have asked for the FlightGear team to respond, I would like to know if anyone else is experiencing this. If the above problem does point to the ATI drivers, I want to submit the error on their site, for fixing in the next release of the Catalyst drivers.

Regards
Screwbottle
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby Gijs » Mon May 11, 2009 8:24 pm

screwbottle wrote:I would like to have this answered if possible, by one of the FlightGear team please

Eh, since when do we have a FlightGear team? I always thought this was Open Source... :D

If the above problem does point to the ATI drivers

There can be a lot of causes for such an error to be displayed. Not necessarily graphics card problems. Though it sounds likely as you state that it only happens after updating the catalyst drives. Have you checked that you have installed the correct ones for your system (not that I think you have not, but just to make sure)? And, do you got problems with software other than FlightGear after updating? If yes, then it is possible not a problem of FlightGear...

Another usefull thing to do would be to increase your log-level and see if that displays some more (usefull) errors. A computer telling us that it has to abort isn't a usefull problem solver :(
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby screwbottle » Tue May 26, 2009 6:35 pm

Hi Gijs

Errmm yes well done I do understand it's opensource but there is always project starters etc. :D

Anyway, here is what I was getting in the Catalayst 9.4 drivers, see "FlightGear Failure JSBSIM.jpg", using the alert log option
FlightGear Failure JSBSIM.jpg


And here is "FlightGear Failure JSBSIM warn.jpg", using the warn log option
FlightGear Failure JSBSIM Warn.jpg


I also tried the other log options, but with the same single line result, no other indication is given as to why the program was failing, except this "Unknown exception in the main loop. Aborting....". I have since downloaded the latest Catalyst 9.5 drivers and everything is back to normal.

So again as to my original post, I suspected the drivers. And yes I am installing the right drivers for my OS and card (been in IT since 1981 so this should be a good credential), and no I don't have problems with other OpenGL games and SIMS, e.g. TORCS, RACER, X-Plane etc. I have a few commercial games that can be switched between DirectX and OpenGL, and testing them in both modes did not create any errors or video tearing/anomalies either. So for me this matter is closed, until ATI mess up again in their drivers.

Regards
Screwbottle
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby Gijs » Tue May 26, 2009 8:18 pm

Try launching FG with: --prop=/sim/traffic-manager/enabled=false (you can use the Advanced > Properties on the last page of the Launcher for that).
It looks like there's a problem with the Interactive Traffic. By switching it off we can test if that problem is the actual problem...
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby lqiyun » Wed May 27, 2009 3:09 pm

Gijs wrote:It looks like there's a problem with the Interactive Traffic. By switching it off we can test if that problem is the actual problem...

Yeah, i think so too. I had the same problem till I disabled the AI-traffic....
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby screwbottle » Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:17 pm

Hi Gijs and Iqiyun

"It looks like there's a problem with the Interactive Traffic. By switching it off we can test if that problem is the actual problem..."

Thank for the advice from both of you, I'll try this. Been away on business and now have some free time (Family man and all of that), Sunday, so will try this out and come back to you on my success or not.
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby screwbottle » Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:48 pm

Hi Gijs

Man I am not winning :( . I tried your line in the "Advanced - Properties" section of the launcher and this is the error I get. I suspect an underscore needs to go somewhere in this command line. This is with the "warn" option of the debugging enabled.
FlightGear Failure JSBSIM Warn 02.jpg


So I take the line out, and now I am back to square 1, I am getting the same error, as with the Catalyst 9.4, now 9.5, so my reprieve was short lived in that I thought it was fixed with the new drivers. This is in two parts as it scrolled for a while. I am using a fresh install now of FlightGear 1.9.1, and the Cessna 172P at KSFO.
FlightGear Failure JSBSIM Warn 03.jpg
FlightGear Failure JSBSIM Warn 04.jpg


Regards
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby screwbottle » Sun Sep 06, 2009 2:07 pm

Hi Everyone listed on this post.

Well just to report back as I see no replies or any more advice. So far so good, FlightGear has been working OK, since Catalyst 9.6, 9.7 and now the latest 9.8. No video glitches and no errors as previously reported.

Cheers
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Re: Problems with graphics using ATI cards: Look here first!!

Postby gral » Thu May 20, 2010 8:52 am

Some of the "older" graphics cards/drivers like my Radeon ATI x1600 have problems with recent shader code of FlightGear 2.0.0 (or should I write recent shader code has problems with some old hardware? ;-) ). May card and OSX works with OpenGL 2.0/2.1 and GSLS (used in the new shaders of FlightGear) but there are some known issues. Maybe some of the shader code is also not very strict and older ATI drivers (and some OS and at least me) like strict OpenGL.

One of the problems is that the driver may not handle "gl_FrontFacing" the way it is used in FlightGear effects. A possible solution at the moment for this is to check all the .frag files in the folder "data/Shaders" for lines like "if (!gl_FrontFaccing)". You can try to replace this code with [EDIT: see below!] .

-gral
Last edited by gral on Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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