Flicker ONLY on Main Grid

[Chic Aeon]

So I thought this was a graphic's card issue but lots and lots of testing shows it is not.  Here's the scoop.

 

Made some boxes and ornaments. Uploaded to Aditi to test LODs and textures. All great there. Uploaded the exact same file with the same physics model and uploader settings AND textures and got a nasty black flicker thing. There are no wayward vertices or overlapping prims. Good topology. 

 

Later I uploaded the same files to OpenSim. No issues there either. I have rebooted, closed programs etc and I still have a flickr on the main grid. Now I have seen that flicker before -- on my things and ones of other creators but it is disconcerting to find (once again) that the beta grid isn't all that great for testing as there seems to be some very odd things going on and difference between the two grids. 

I vaguely remember making this comment three years ago or so, then things seemed to be pretty equal for a long while. But this last month I have seen so many disparities with the exact same files uploaded in the exact same way that I am beginning to wonder what is going on.

 

If any one has any ideas, let me know. 

 



EDIT: Well I think I answered my own question but leaving this up as it seems pretty imporant. Also going to link to from the MERCHANTS forum as this is pretty important for folks to know.

 

I decided it might possibly be a server code issue. So I went to some other property I have (so for anyone official I was on Swanbridge and moved to Demondrille). Both of those sims had the same flicker. I then went over to PLUM (a LL sandbox) and tested there. No matter how far out I cammed or how much I moved the camera there was NO Flicker.

 



[Whirly Fizzle]

I don't  think the region will matter but altitude &/or sun position/local lighting may.

Does the flicker only happen when ALM is enabled and does it look like this?

BUG-4087 - Some prims have black moire-like patterns when ALM is enabled

 

[Chic Aeon]

No, not that. Bigger patches of blackness that flickers (like single tris or maybe three together).

Happens both with ALM and without.

 

BUT, you are right on the sim thing I think. The reason why it worked at Plum and not on the other sims could have been altitude. No issues at Swanbridge at ground level (at least this morning and it was still flickering up in the sky). So something SIMILAR if not exactly the same. This was on mesh.  

It was also happening the last couple of days on items that had been fine a week or so ago. And, yes, I build on the ground (well my alt does) on the beta grid. 

 

NOT good though and very intermitent it seems which isn't helpful either. 

 

Building pad is at 3000 meters so not near the ceiling. 

 

[Whirly Fizzle]

Are you sure there's no flipped normals on the flickering bits?

[Chic Aeon]

I don't think so; I have had those before and pretty obvious on the raw mesh if we are talking about the same thing.

The fact that it only Flickers like you said up high when it doesn't on the ground or on other platforms seems to suggest it is the altitude thing. AND other things that have been fine since upload (a week or so ago) all of a sudden are starting to flicker (these were ALWAYS up in the air).    Also I haven't had any Windows updates or graphics card updates etc over the last week. Nothing but virus updates which I can't believe would affect anything. 

 

It does seem like I can't do much except wait. This has happened before in the past and rectified itself (with no changes from me) so I am guessing that it isn't the mesh OR my graphics card. Time will tell. 

 

Thanks for your help. 

[Chic Aeon]

Just a followup note. All flickering is gone today at any altitude. I did nothing .  A mystery for sure. 

[Codex Alpha]

I had some flickering yesterday on a few objects and thought something was wrong with the normals or something too.. or LODs... but it seemed to be some clashing of light sources or something. LL released a viewer update today, so maybe that fixed it, as I don't notice/ cant recreate it now.

[Chic Aeon]

Well I use Firestorm and haven't updated that or any software and no autoupdates except for virus database so for me anyway it doesn't seem to be a viewer or system thing. This has happened in the past for me, not just with my things but with other people's meshes. But it SEEMS to be a now and then issue.

 

My fix was on both previous grids up in the air where there had been flickering before. Since down on the ground AND other platforms (opensim) have no issues with the same mesh (granted a different uploader on the OS mesh) it seems like something going on inworld.  Glad it is gone though as it is definitely ugly. 

[Katy Dirkle]

I get exactly the same intermittent issue on main grid only. It happens on thinner elements of the mesh. The black showing through appears to be from the shading of the AO map on the part of the mesh which is below the thinner mesh element which flickers. Like you, Chic, I really wish I could find a solution for this.