KarraSue Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 I have the latest Firestorm viewer, and the last 2 times I've been in certain sims, the viewer freezes, screen goes black and it kicks me off. I asked some friends and they have noticed the same thing. What is going on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 bigmoe Whitfield Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Hi karra how much vram do you have? the only time I ever see this issue is when shadows are running and the viewer is having the draw way way high. I stopped running shadows years ago and that prevents me from getting that, also running out of vram can happen, as more than just SL is using the video card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Chic Aeon Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 This has been happening to me for a long while. I am on the BOM FS viewer so it isn't a "new viewer" issue as far as I can tell. I explored OH SO MANY things over the last six months and yesterday (serendipity perhaps) I pretty much feel that I have an answer. It is obviously a graphics issue, that has been clear for a long while. It most often happens to me when I am in a heavy mesh and texture area. Yesterday I was trying to take a photo. I had learned this last month or so that I crash less often when out and about if I turn OFF Advanced Lighting Model. With that off, texture load is cut dramatically assuming you are in an area where materials have been used. THREE TIMES I set up my shot and was ready to take a photo. Each and every time and INSTANTLY the minute I turned on ALM (increasing the texture download) the viewer went black, froze and caused a need for a reboot. I have the newest driver, my computer is not overheating. I can go MANY places including busy venues (mostly posters and not examples of the heavy mesh sold :D) as long as I have avatars turned off. I do fine at my own sim (I am picky about what I buy so far as "game asset" quality and don't use materials in the items "I" make. ). This COULD be a combination of the migration to the cloud -- or not; I don't have the technical knowledge to say. But is is happening and part of me is happy to know it isn't JUST ME. I am also figuring that if my graphics card was a fault it would have died several months ago. So that's my input. Not helpful, but at least another case of the problem. Anecdotal evidence which some folks on these forums SO VERY MUCH HATE LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 KarraSue Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Chic Aeon said: This has been happening to me for a long while. I am on the BOM FS viewer so it isn't a "new viewer" issue as far as I can tell. I explored OH SO MANY things over the last six months and yesterday (serendipity perhaps) I pretty much feel that I have an answer. It is obviously a graphics issue, that has been clear for a long while. It most often happens to me when I am in a heavy mesh and texture area. Yesterday I was trying to take a photo. I had learned this last month or so that I crash less often when out and about if I turn OFF Advanced Lighting Model. With that off, texture load is cut dramatically assuming you are in an area where materials have been used. THREE TIMES I set up my shot and was ready to take a photo. Each and every time and INSTANTLY the minute I turned on ALM (increasing the texture download) the viewer went black, froze and caused a need for a reboot. I have the newest driver, my computer is not overheating. I can go MANY places including busy venues (mostly posters and not examples of the heavy mesh sold :D) as long as I have avatars turned off. I do fine at my own sim (I am picky about what I buy so far as "game asset" quality and don't use materials in the items "I" make. ). This COULD be a combination of the migration to the cloud -- or not; I don't have the technical knowledge to say. But is is happening and part of me is happy to know it isn't JUST ME. I am also figuring that if my graphics card was a fault it would have died several months ago. So that's my input. Not helpful, but at least another case of the problem. Anecdotal evidence which some folks on these forums SO VERY MUCH HATE LOL. Yep, pretty much what happens to me, I was in a couple sims, my frame rates were over 35, but after a while viewer would freeze, then whole screen went dark and then back to the Windows 10 screensaver. I know it's not a card issue as it doesn't affect anything else I do in SL or on my PC. Does not happen when I am in my home sim. Thanks for the info on turning off ALM, I will do that next time I am on my Win 10 machine. Any other things I should turn off?? The Firestorm I have is 6.4.12 62831 Edited March 12, 2021 by KarraSue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Chic Aeon Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 19 minutes ago, KarraSue said: Yep, pretty much what happens to me, I was in a couple sims, my frame rates were over 35, but after a while viewer would freeze, then whole screen went dark and then back to the Windows 10 screensaver. I know it's not a card issue as it doesn't affect anything else I do in SL or on my PC. Does not happen when I am in my home sim. Thanks for the info on turning off ALM, I will do that next time I am on my Win 10 machine. Any other things I should turn off?? The Firestorm I have is 6.4.12 62831 You can lower your draw distance so the viewer doesn't have to download so much. My FPS are also good and I always have shadows on (for almost a decade now) with previously no issues so not that. I don't go back to Windows after blackscreen. I have to physically reboot the machine; I just get a "no signal" message on the monitor. Once I figured out it "wasn't me" I don't mind so much. I was worried my card was dying. And it might but that really can't be the answer. I can go weeks with no issue and then have a cluster of them when "I" haven't made any computer changes. That doesn't mean Win10 hasn't of course. I have Win10pro so that might make a difference with what happens. No clue. One reason for the ALM turn off (there may be others) is that when you have a bunch of 1024 normal and specular maps on an object that GREATLY increases the stress on your computer. Some of the places that I crash (well most) all make or use heavy mesh and way too many big textures and plenty of materials. This is getting worse and worse and that might be the reason the incidences are increasing along with the carefree use of "very pretty" mesh (yes, it it gorgeous, no argument). I have a little bit of that on my sim but not much. That seems to make a huge difference. But we can't stay home ALL the time :D. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 KarraSue Posted March 13, 2021 Author Share Posted March 13, 2021 On 3/11/2021 at 6:41 PM, Chic Aeon said: You can lower your draw distance so the viewer doesn't have to download so much. My FPS are also good and I always have shadows on (for almost a decade now) with previously no issues so not that. I don't go back to Windows after blackscreen. I have to physically reboot the machine; I just get a "no signal" message on the monitor. Once I figured out it "wasn't me" I don't mind so much. I was worried my card was dying. And it might but that really can't be the answer. I can go weeks with no issue and then have a cluster of them when "I" haven't made any computer changes. That doesn't mean Win10 hasn't of course. I have Win10pro so that might make a difference with what happens. No clue. One reason for the ALM turn off (there may be others) is that when you have a bunch of 1024 normal and specular maps on an object that GREATLY increases the stress on your computer. Some of the places that I crash (well most) all make or use heavy mesh and way too many big textures and plenty of materials. This is getting worse and worse and that might be the reason the incidences are increasing along with the carefree use of "very pretty" mesh (yes, it it gorgeous, no argument). I have a little bit of that on my sim but not much. That seems to make a huge difference. But we can't stay home ALL the time :D. Good luck. Thank you. My current draw distance, is 32m, should I try something lower? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 Rowan Amore Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 32 is what I normally have mine at inside a building with a lot of people. It's usually more than adequate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 KarraSue Posted May 6, 2021 Author Share Posted May 6, 2021 On 3/11/2021 at 5:15 PM, bigmoe Whitfield said: Hi karra how much vram do you have? the only time I ever see this issue is when shadows are running and the viewer is having the draw way way high. I stopped running shadows years ago and that prevents me from getting that, also running out of vram can happen, as more than just SL is using the video card. 2 GB DDR3 Vram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 bigmoe Whitfield Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 3 hours ago, KarraSue said: 2 GB DDR3 Vram sounds like a 6 or 7 series nvidia card, you will need to lower your draw, turn shadows off, make sure your lod is at 2. and start adjusting the other settings if you want a good experience with SL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0 KarraSue Posted September 8, 2021 Author Share Posted September 8, 2021 (edited) On 5/6/2021 at 6:32 PM, bigmoe Whitfield said: sounds like a 6 or 7 series nvidia card, you will need to lower your draw, turn shadows off, make sure your lod is at 2. and start adjusting the other settings if you want a good experience with SL. Edited September 9, 2021 by KarraSue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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KarraSue
I have the latest Firestorm viewer, and the last 2 times I've been in certain sims, the viewer freezes, screen goes black and it kicks me off. I asked some friends and they have noticed the same thing. What is going on?
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