Optimized Graphics Settings

To-Do

• Explain graphics settings in terms of system resources consumed and impact experienced by the user
• Provide a Problem & Solution Q&A that quickly identifies the graphics settings most likely to be related to a problem

Resources

• Optimal Graphic Settings for Automobilista 2

Terms

Image Terms

• Framerate (FPS)
  • Frames Per Second ie. how many images are being rendered per second
• Frametime
  • Time to render each frame (usually in milliseconds)
  • Smoother frametimes (less variability) improves visual fluidity
  • Rougher frametimes (more variability) causes choppier fluidity
• Jitter
  • Inconsistent frametimes
  • May not be noticeable if frametimes durations and variability are low enough
  • However, even low frametime with high relative variability can harm the user experience ex. target 8ms frametimes with sporadic 20ms+ spikes will feel like a poor experience
• Judder
  • Choppy visual fluidity due to jitter ie. inconsistent frametimes
  • Can also be due to framerate vs display refresh rate mismatch
• Stutter
  • More severe form of judder, visually noticeable
• Hitching
  • Momentary freeze or lag
  • Hitching is longer and more severe than stutter
• Freezing
  • Significant freeze or lag
  • Freezing is longer and more severe than hitching
• Ghosting
  • Pixels staying lit even after they should have been dark, due to pixel response times eg. an object moving left to right leaves ghosting behind it
• Persistence Blur
  • An optical illusion that can visually 'persist' an image due to how it's presented
  • TestUFO.com Persistence Demo - This animation creates a persistence-of-vision effect by panning an image behind tiny slits, like walking along a picket fence and staring through, or scanning through through the crack of a door.
• Overshoot (Overclocking pixels)
  • Pixel colour transition 'overshoots' its target colour and 'bounces' back to its correct colour, creating visual artifacting

Graphics Settings Impact

• Display
  • Resolution
    • GPU, Framerate, frametime, jitter, judder
  • Refresh Rate (Monitor)
    • Judder, Onscreen visual fluidity
  • Framerate
    • GPU, CPU, frametimes
  • Vsync
    • Onscreen visual fluidity
  • Gsync/FreeSync
    • Onscreen visual fluidity
  • Window Mode
    • User experience interacting with Windows ie. alt-tab, possible mouse focus issues in Windowed vs Borderless Window vs Fullscreen modes
• Graphics
  • Anti-Aliasing
    • Framerate, frametime
  • Post Processing
    • Framerate, frametime
  • Textures
    • Frametime, judder
  • Reflections
    • Framerate
  • Motion Blur
    • Framerate
  • Detail / Level of Detail
    • Framerate, frametime, judder
  • Shadows
    • Framerate, frametime, judder
  • Particles
    • Framerate, frametime, judder
• Rendering
  • Render Frames Ahead
    • Lag
• Visual
  • Filters
    • Framerate
  • Light Flares
    • Framerate
  • Bloom
    • Framerate
  • Heat Haze
    • Framerate, frametime, judder
  • Exposure Compensation
    • Framerate
  • Vignette
    • Framerate
  • Crepuscular Rays
    • Framerate
• Sim Racing
  • Track Reflection Detail
    • Framerate, frametimer, judder
  • Vehicle Reflection Detail
    • Framerate, frametimer, judder
  • Pit Crew Detail
    • Framerate, frametimer, judder
  • Rain Drops
    • Framerate, frametimer, judder
  • Screen Dirt
    • Framerate
  • Cockpit Mirrors
    • Framerate, frametimer, judder
  • Mirrors
    • Framerate, frametimer, judder

Graphics Performance Engineer

Solutions to performance issues presented in a question and answer format:

• Low framerate
• Inconsistent frametimes
• Judder
  • Stutter
  • Hitching
  • Freezing