High Speed Rotor Shadows

[Highwayman-Ed]

I'd like to request that the way shadows are drawn for rotors and prop blades at high speed is changed so that rather than each blade generating an independent shadow that is cast, a blurred effect is cast instead.

 

The human eye cannot see a distinct individual rotor shadow from a rotor blade or prop that is travelling at high speed, and it breaks the immersion somewhat to have a sharp dark shadow flickering across your view when in flight. Instead I'd like to request that a new effect is created for these items that has an umbrella type effect and casts a single circular shadow when the blades / rotors pass a certain threshold. To add to the immersion, maybe the effect could pulse slightly in how much shadow it casts to give an illusion of movement based on RPM or perhaps a single shadow is drawn and rotated with a blurred effect to represent the individual prop or rotor blades. This may even help with frame rates given that DCS will no longer be tracking individual objects and casting shadows for them at very high speeds?

[DaveRindner]

In RW blades, obviously, do cast shadows, and do create a flickering effect. This was/is a serious problem for rotary flight crews/ So much that in 1950's DOD issued a RFP for technology or process to minimize the effect. It became safety issue, with bright sunlight or exceptionally bright moon. The effect is something like an epilepsy sufferer, getting a seizure from bright strobe lights. Now pilots did not go into seizure, but they experienced spots, and spatial disorientation.

The solution was some kind of polarization on for crew window 'glass'.

[Highwayman-Ed]

Thanks for the input Dave,

 

Whilst I don't dispute that humans are effected by the flickering of the shadows cast by the rotors, we don't actually see a sharp edged distinct shadow in the cockpit of a rotor blade, more that we interpret the rapidly changing light conditions.

 

It's the removal of these distinct sharp edged shadows that I'm suggesting.

[DaveRindner]

Well if we compare effect in DCS to RW, then DCS is correct. No change needed.

If we compare DX11/Game engine shading to what we see in movies and TV, then DCS rotor disk needs a motion blur FX, or a textured rotor disk. In VFX world , when we do heli rotors or propellers, at a given RPM, we turn off accurate geo and replace it with circular textured geometry, as it renders faster and looks better on screen. But in DCS, with Shark and UH1, and Gazelle, there simulation of blades, with asymmetric lift, advancing/retreating blade, precession, coning, blade stall due to Vne. All the juicy rotary wing goodies, including damage.

If anyone is interested, the best motion blur artifacting is done on Autodesk's (former SolidAngle) Arnold Renderer. Soon Arnold will ship with all GPU renderer. I think we may start seeing blending fusion of game GPU and pro-GPU, as well as combined GPU/CPU.

[Highwayman-Ed]

Thanks Dave, it's interesting to hear how you've experienced rotor shadows, which differs from my own. In my personal experience flying Gazelle's, I never experienced a sharp edged distinct rotor shadow in the cockpit once the rotors were up to speed, it's not something that my eye could discern, same with props over cowlings of the fixed wing aircraft that I have flown, but we're taking this off on a tangent here.

 

The request is purely that rather than a sharp distinct solid shadow being drawn, could there be an alternative that is more fps friendly and less distracting in DCS.

Edited April 12, 2018 by Highwayman-Ed

[Khallimero]

Maybe with the new WW2 propellers technology used in 2.7, we may have a chance to get this.

The flickering is very ... annoying.