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Author Topic: Shadowmap update  (Read 29514 times)

angrypig

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Shadowmap update
« on: November 20, 2010, 09:22:23 am »
When i saw our last screenshots with apache there were a lot of noise caused by self shadowing which made me little bit angry :). So I started to looking for a problem and I made some improvements to filtering algorithm. The new algorithm removes all undesirable noise which you can see on all previous screenshots. I also used Nvidia's hardware 2x2 PCF extension to raise number of random samples from 8 to 32 which makes transition between light and shadow more smooth. The final performance hit was little surprise for me because it was slightly faster than previous version with 8 samples which is probably caused by better cache utilization.

Detailed algorithm description will come later when we will have a little more time...

Finally here are a few screenshots with results.

new version of old screenshot :)

and one detailed shot

it also helps to remove the noise from curved surfaces


I almost forgot video :D
[youtube2]9_UyXHUd9gk[/youtube2]
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halobungie

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Shadowmap update
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2010, 09:44:42 am »
Hello,
the Pictures are UNCREDIBLE GOOD - ONLY FANTASTIC!!!
Greetings,
halobungie
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RaikoRaufoss

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Shadowmap update
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2010, 09:53:38 am »
Great work on improving the image quality!
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Abc94

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« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2010, 02:47:34 pm »
Haha it's getting harder and harder to tell if some of these images are real or not!

I especially like the 4th shot (the one of the top of the Cessna).  Was the screenshot taken from 'in-game' (such as how it would look if you were actually flying the Cessna) or did you have to do some extra rendering to get it to such a high quality?

(Crossing fingers hoping it's an in-game image)  :D
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angrypig

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« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2010, 03:21:23 pm »
Quote from: Abc94
I especially like the 4th shot (the one of the top of the Cessna).  Was the screenshot taken from 'in-game' (such as how it would look if you were actually flying the Cessna) or did you have to do some extra rendering to get it to such a high quality?

(Crossing fingers hoping it's an in-game image)  :D

Every picture and video that we are presenting is directly from game. We have no extra settings for screenshots or videos. Our philosophy is WYSIWYP... :)
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Abc94

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« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2010, 03:46:14 pm »
I am guessing that is an acronym for What You See Is What You Play?  Well then I must say that Outerra has the best looking graphics (and not just terrain) of any game/simulator I have ever seen, and that's no joke!  :cool:

But what did you mean by "and one detailed shot" above the fourth image?

BTW I completely agree with WYSIWHP.  Too bad some developers don't.
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angrypig

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« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2010, 04:40:19 pm »
Quote from: Abc94
I am guessing that is an acronym for What You See Is What You Play?  Well then I must say that Outerra has the best looking graphics (and not just terrain) of any game/simulator I have ever seen, and that's no joke!  :cool:

Yes it means exactly "What You See Is What You Play".

Quote from: Abc94
But what did you mean by "and one detailed shot" above the fourth image?

That detailed shot means only closeup look on shadows casted by antennas.
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C. Shawn Smith

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Shadowmap update
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2010, 05:20:06 pm »
Quote from: Abc94
Haha it's getting harder and harder to tell if some of these images are real or not!
I agree!  Very nice images, and a lot better.  The video of the Apache shadows ... man, it was hard to tell it was computer generated :).  I usually don't quibble on shadow detail too much, since my computer system has never been able to render them that well anyway (even though I plan for 2-3 years of usage, I always seem to fall behind by a year), but even the ones a few were complaining about weren't bad at all.  I probably wouldn't have noticed if someone hadn't pointed it out.
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ZeosPantera

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« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2010, 08:50:04 pm »
This thread has been approved for all audiences and it rated awesome.
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Michal

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« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2010, 08:19:36 am »
Wow, there is no gap between antenna and the shadow! Impressive :)
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angrypig

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« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2010, 08:40:26 am »
Quote from: _michal
Wow, there is no gap between antenna and the shadow! Impressive :)

Good point. This algorithm doesn't need shadow map offset so there are no gaps. :)
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Michal

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« Reply #11 on: November 21, 2010, 08:44:56 am »
Awesome. FSX self shadowing is terrible, there is almost 15 - 20cm offset, and no shadow dithering at all. New Flight video showed how low is the exterior shadow resolution. Selfshadowing in Outerra looks much better.
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OGREMAN

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« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2010, 07:41:35 pm »
OMG... I am wallowing in a pool of green drool ..... anticipation of this engine being adopted by a mainstream Combat flight sim developer is reducing me to tears of joy.  Shine on you crazy DIAMONDS! I love this..
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ddenn

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« Reply #13 on: November 22, 2010, 03:22:12 am »
That's very impressive!

Is it possible to make shadows a little bit blue, after the sky color? It could make picture even a bit more realistic

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angrypig

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Shadowmap update
« Reply #14 on: November 22, 2010, 03:30:38 am »
Quote from: ddenn
Is it possible to make shadows a little bit blue, after the sky color? It could make picture even a bit more realistic

They are already little bit bluish but that color is not taken from sky yet.
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