3D Cloud bug: spurious rectangles

[MRC01]

Screenshot:
http://mclements.net/Mike/flightgear-3dcloud-bug.png

I've been running Flightgear for years on Ubuntu, no problems. Recently upgraded to version 4.4 and got a new graphics card, and now 3D clouds are rendering incorrectly.

Ubuntu 16.04
Flightgear 4.4
Nvidia GTX 1050 with binary drivers "nvidia-378'
Problem occurs with all aircraft, all airports, both 1.0 and 2.0 scenery.
No obvious problems in the Flightgear logs.
command line: fgfs --airport=kbfi --aircraft=Long-EZ --enable-fullscreen --aspect-ratio-multiplier=1.6
This problem happens both with & without Atmospheric Light Scattering

Console shows some possibly related errors:
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/nimbus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/nimbus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/cumulus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/cumulus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/congestus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/congestus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/congestus_sheet2.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/congestus_sheet2.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/cirrocumulus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/cirrocumulus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/stratus_sheet1.rgb'
Texture file not found: '/Models/Weather/stratus_sheet1.rgb'

This graphics bug is unique to Flightgear. This graphics card works flawlessly in all other apps including Steam games that use the OpenGL drivers: Trine, Portal, The Long Dark, and many others.

[stuart]

Hi MRC01,

That is very puzzling indeed. The screenshot shows that at least _some_ 3d clouds are loading, but not others.

Do you get the same error using Detail Weather (from Environment->Weather dialog)?

-Stuart

[MRC01]

Here's the fix:
I recently switched to the new set of Models. Fortunately, I kept the old ones. The above missing files are in the old models but not the new ones. I created a new set of Models that starts with the old ones, then copies the new ones on top of, in place. Any that were in both, use the new version, but the old ones are retained.
It's a bit sloppy but it works. I thought the new Models file was supposed to be complete and supersede the old. Apparently not.

[Thorsten]

Could you elaborate on what you mean by 'switched to the new set of Models'? Do you mean static/shared scenery models? They don't contain any clouds and are definitely not intended to replace the Models/ directory.

[MRC01]

My $FG_ROOT has a directory called "Models". I downloaded a file called "SharedModels.tgz", which I thought was a newer version of that. I expanded it into a new Models directory, pointing $FG_ROOT to that. When I ran Flightgear I got the error described here. Apparently, the 3D clouds are in the models and the new models has some of the 3D clouds, but not all of them.
So, I created a 3rd Models directory which starts with my old Models, then expanded these new ones into the same location.
Now I have 3 models directories, can point Flightgear to any of them:
The old one
The new one
The mix (old + new, in that order)

[Thorsten]

Okay, thanks.