Jaggy deep shadow maps in hardware.

Sentinel-3

I have no problem with shadows in software, but in hardware, the shadows are blocky, even when softened. I don't remember it always being this way. Does anyone have a fix for this? Using an Nvidia GEForce 8400 GS

mjc1016

What versions of software are you running?

Sentinel-3

It happens in DS3A as well as 4.5

mjc1016

What Nvidia driver version?

Sentinel-3

9.18.13.697

2012/10/02

mjc1016

Try rolling back to the previous driver version...or to the latest. (I'd try the earlier one, first.)

Sentinel-3

I just rolled up. The previous version was the start of my troubles. For a while, maybe a year, no matter what I did, it said I had a problem with the driver. It seems like my display just doesn't look as good all around lately. Maybe it's the card.

But I went to my nvidia settings and pushed everything up to quality, plus set the render settings in Daz. It got a little better.

Sentinel-3

Crap! And in the very next render it's back to full jaggies!

I'm buying a new card tonight!

Sentinel-3

I re-installed the drivers and there were errors it found problems with OpenGL three times early on and interrupted the installation, but once it was done, it didn't mention any error. I was thinking of uninstalling my card and trying the motherboard card before making a purchase. I know it's slower, but it's faster than software, and at least on the Nvidia, I think I can cope with the render quality -- but I think I remember hating the anti-aliasing of the hardware render.

In the video below, which I made over a year ago, you can see the jaggies also flicker in places.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9aGowUcOwQ[/youtube]

mjc1016

Almost a year ago now, I grabbed a cheap GT430, it's an OpenGL 4 and has OpenCL/CUDA capabilities...and I haven't had any DS problems with it...Newegg has the same model (the 1 GB version) for $40 right now. I do a lot of stuff in Blender and use the GPU rendering in the Cycles render engine, along with playing around with Luxrender.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130656

I think most if not all the problem IS the card...and while you may not get the 'jaggies', using the onboard video is going to eat into your system RAM, too...so if that is 4 GB or less you chance running into out of memory conditions for DS.

But a couple of other things...go into to Nvidia controls and make sure that everything is set to the 'application'...AA. anistropic and so on. Also over-ride the refresh rate and 'unlock' it...

Sentinel-3

Well, I bought a GEForce GT610 with a 2 GB frame buffer. Same thing.

Ripped out both cards and used my motherboard and got flawless shadows. I'm done. No more cards until my next computer. Returning the new card.

Sentinel-3

Hah! I actually like the card renders now, but Hitfilm won't run with my motherboard card. Says it doesn't meet the minimum requirements. I'll have to reinstall the original GE Force -- at least when it comes time to edit. Time for a new computer. I bet that card would have worked in another computer

Sentinel-3

I don't believe it! I had to place the card back in because of the computer's slowness without it. The single setting I had not tweaked down to zero was the pixel buffer. I turned it off and now I get decent shadows with the card.