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Outerra Tech Demo download. Help with graphics driver issues

Author Topic: Postprocessing (fancy visual stuff)  (Read 15861 times)

Derelict83

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Postprocessing (fancy visual stuff)
« on: December 12, 2010, 12:44:11 am »

I'm pretty sure that you have in mind, at some point, to began to develope the postprocessing and visual stuff, so my question is: wich priority do you assign to that stuff? how many things do you want to do before to go deep in to that?

I mean, things like:

-Motion Blur
-Depth of field
-Soft Shadows
-Normal, paralax, bump mapping, etc.
-HDR rendering
-Glare, Bloom, Flares, etc...
-Ambient Occlusion (screen space, horizont based, whatever, something like that)
-...

I'm specially interested in the last two ones, since, for instance, when I see the Tatra truck with that kind of flat, stright shadows (even without a simple drop diffuse shadow just beneath it), that gets me off of the 'magic' of your, now I have to say, really really wonderful engine, wonderful world. I think that things like SSAO and HDR visuals will do a great improvement on your work, and as far (and little) as I know, that is easy to implement.

What do you think about that?

Cheers guys, really really amazing work, keep it up, this makes me dream high :)
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cameni

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Postprocessing (fancy visual stuff)
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2010, 08:19:33 am »

Many of the effects have pretty low priority, unlike other engines we don't have to boast with all the effects we support. Also because we despise the constant overuse of these effects, rather turning it off in other games, we are not hurrying to implement them.

AO and HDR are important for us too. We are encountering large differences in the levels of lighting when running around the planet, so an HDR management is a necessity. Less so all the HDR based effects.
AO will be really enhancing the scenes as well, but obviously it has a lower priority than many open tasks like 3D trees and climate support and others, so it will have to wait.

Shadows need a blurring pass, and an implementation of terrain self-shadowing awaits us as well.

Motion blur and depth of field are quite far in our imaginary list, and lens flares are at infinity :)
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Derelict83

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Postprocessing (fancy visual stuff)
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2010, 08:57:11 pm »

I'm happy to hear that (and for your quick answer :) ), mainly about the ambient occlusion (I've already noticed that you've implemented some kind of AO noticeable in the deepness of the forest).

And I understand and even agree with you that the other effects souldn't be a high priority, (anyway I'm curious about how the engine might look with all that stuff), I've already read in another thread your opinion about lens flares: yep, the philosophy of this engine is to be as naturalistic as possible, so you don't want to add things that only happen through the lens of a camera.
But yourself recognised that not only the atmosphere, but the proper eye, through the lens and the vitreous humor creates a noticeable ammount of dispersion. I'm also against the overuse of many things in videogames, but I think that a small, elegant ammount of dispersion would work great with your engine (I dont know wich is the proper name, glare, or bloom, or flare, english is not my mother language). I have in mind a few of those effects we saw at that impressive demo now 7 years ago...
http://www.daionet.gr.jp/~masa/rthdribl/
(specifically the 'natural bloom' effect, none of those socalled 'cheap camera lenses' :D)

Anyway, I've understood that the door is open to add those features in a future, so it's enough for me :)
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razgriz 53992

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Postprocessing (fancy visual stuff)
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2010, 12:54:23 pm »

Quote from: Derelict83
I'm happy to hear that (and for your quick answer :) ), mainly about the ambient occlusion (I've already noticed that you've implemented some kind of AO noticeable in the deepness of the forest).

And I understand and even agree with you that the other effects souldn't be a high priority, (anyway I'm curious about how the engine might look with all that stuff), I've already read in another thread your opinion about lens flares: yep, the philosophy of this engine is to be as naturalistic as possible, so you don't want to add things that only happen through the lens of a camera.
But yourself recognised that not only the atmosphere, but the proper eye, through the lens and the vitreous humor creates a noticeable ammount of dispersion. I'm also against the overuse of many things in videogames, but I think that a small, elegant ammount of dispersion would work great with your engine (I dont know wich is the proper name, glare, or bloom, or flare, english is not my mother language). I have in mind a few of those effects we saw at that impressive demo now 7 years ago...
http://www.daionet.gr.jp/~masa/rthdribl/
(specifically the 'natural bloom' effect, none of those socalled 'cheap camera lenses' :D)

Anyway, I've understood that the door is open to add those features in a future, so it's enough for me :)

That effect you linked to is stunning. I know a lot of HDR effects that look good and improve the look of a game a bit, but aren't very realistic; that however, is. It looks lifelike.

Just out of curiosity, if we had Outerra and would like to add that effect, how hard would it be to implement it for someone without a massive amount of knowledge in this area? Would it be doable? This applies to most things that could be added, not just a bloom. It would be interesting to know whether someone like I could add it.
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cameni

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Postprocessing (fancy visual stuff)
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2010, 03:45:38 pm »

No, such effects have to be a part of the core engine. Besides, one thing is a demo and entirely another thing is getting it to work in such extensive environment as in here ..
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