Understanding and Resolving Visible Anomalies Under Bridges in MSFS 2020

Pro Member Trainee
gwb202 Trainee

Question. Ever since first playing MSFS, I have found that many but not all of the bridges worldwide, have dark skirts hanging down under them to the water or the ground below as the case may be. They appear as solid non-see through walls.  In NYC for example, several bridges, but again not all, have this issue in my installation. If I try to fly under such a bridge, the aircraft will sometimes crash as if running into a solid wall.  Has anyone else experienced this anomaly or is this a glitch perhaps unique to my installation?

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Pro Member Captain
Ian Stephens (ianstephens) Captain
Ian Stephens is an expert on this topic. Read his bio here.

Your observation about the 'dark skirts' under bridges in Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) 2020 is quite intriguing and indeed a point of discussion among many simulation enthusiasts. What you're encountering seems to be a graphical rendering issue where the textures of bridges aren't properly displayed when viewed from certain angles or at specific distances.

Possible Causes:

  • The most common reason for such anomalies is related to how the game engine renders objects and textures in complex environments. MSFS 2020 uses advanced rendering techniques, but sometimes, graphical glitches occur due to the immense detail and scale of the environments.
  • Another possible cause could be the level of detail (LOD) settings within the simulator. These settings adjust how detailed a scene appears at various distances. Lower LOD can result in less accurate rendering of objects like bridges.
  • Graphics driver issues or outdated graphics drivers can also contribute to such anomalies. It's crucial to keep your graphics drivers up to date to ensure optimal performance and visual rendering.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Check Graphics Settings: Begin by adjusting the LOD settings in MSFS. Increasing the LOD for scenery might help resolve the issue by rendering the bridges with greater detail, even from a distance.
  2. Update Graphics Drivers: Ensure that your graphics card's drivers are up to date. Visit the manufacturer's website to download the latest drivers.
  3. Modify In-Game Graphics Options: Experiment with different graphics settings within MSFS, such as texture resolution and quality. Sometimes, tweaking these can lead to improvements in how objects are rendered.
  4. Reinstall Scenery Packs: If you use third-party scenery packs, consider reinstalling them or checking for updates from the developer. Sometimes, these packs can cause conflicts or not mesh well with the base game's rendering engine.

Further Investigation:
If these steps do not resolve the issue, it could be beneficial to reach out to the community or the support forums for MSFS. Other users may have encountered and resolved similar issues, and developers often monitor these forums to provide assistance.

Finally, ensure your system meets the recommended specifications for MSFS 2020, as the simulator demands significant hardware resources to render its detailed environments optimally.

Hopefully, these tips help you get a clearer and more accurate flying experience under those bridges! If you need further assistance or have more specific queries, feel free to ask.

Safe flying!

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