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FPSC Classic Models and Media / Planar Projected Character Shadows - Teaser

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bond1
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 17:31 Edited at: 12th Nov 2010 07:04
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I thought I'd torture you guys with my new character shader - will be saving this for my new model pack I'm working on. Dynamic character shadows! Watch : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azv8O3IYKS4

EDIT: Big visual update, the shadows can now be transparent! Watch here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5a9Q0c5RHA

EDIT2: Further improvements giving the option to skew the shadow longer or shorter. Here is a side-by-side comparison with old blob shadow versus new projected shadow with skew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09z6dEz_S3o

Requires nothing on the part of the user, totally shader based. Can be assigned to ANY character for instant dynamic shadows!

"bond1 - You see this name, you think dirty."
SPECS: Windows7 x64, Intel Core i7 920, Geforce GTX 580, 6GB RAM
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Lewis
VBOTB Developer '10
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 17:32
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Wow, you did that with a shader? Brilliant work mate.

Keep up the good work!

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bond1
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 17:39
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Quote: "Wow, you did that with a shader?"


Yep, all the work is done through the shader. No source code additions needed. One of the most requested features is dynamic shadows, and projected planar shadows work well without the complexity of stencil shadows - which have their own drawbacks as well (like requiring a completely watertight character mesh).

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"bond1 - You see this name, you think dirty."
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Marc Steene
FPSC Master
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 17:41
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Wow, looks great. With a shader like that, you're guaranteed to get mass sales, and it uses PS2.0 as well!


[b]FPSC MIGRATION: http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=142497&b=21
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Pirate Myke
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 18:15
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Say good bye to the blob. Very nice work bond1.

Nothing but coffee in my veins
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Zay
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 18:16
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Cool,but aren't real dynamic shadows scheduled for the 1.18 update?

Contact me in Skype,name- nejcplan
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2 Rogues
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 18:16
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This is incredible! Excellent work!
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charger bandit
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 18:17
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Yeah! Great shadows,I hope you still remember the email from me


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DarkJames
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 18:17
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This dish comes with fries? because it looks delicious

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bond1
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 18:35 Edited at: 18th Aug 2010 18:45
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Quote: "Cool,but aren't real dynamic shadows scheduled for the 1.18 update?"


I haven't seen anything definitive promised by Lee or anyone else working on the migration. I think it would be quite a task to get real dynamic shadows working that actually pulls light location. The feature was dropped from X10 during the betas for simple planar floor shadows, so I'm doubtful it will be in X9 anytime soon.

This is a nice alternative that is totally GPU based, so it doesn't burden the engine at all. Definitely a nice improvement over the blob shadow.

I use a matrix that discards the Y-dimension to project a sillouhette of the character downward. I MIGHT be able to also use the average lightsource direction to skew the matrix so that the shadow reacts to light direction. But even so, simple planar projection is pretty nice.

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"bond1 - You see this name, you think dirty."
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Marc Steene
FPSC Master
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 18:55
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Quote: "I haven't seen anything definitive promised by Lee or anyone else working on the migration."


I agree. While Lee has said dynamic shadows may be added to a future update, until we see some code being added we should not expect it. For now, these are great and as you said, don't burden the engine.

Quote: "I MIGHT be able to also use the average lightsource direction to skew the matrix so that the shadow reacts to light direction."


Now THAT would be awesome.


[b]FPSC MIGRATION: http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=142497&b=21
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Scope
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 19:14
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Excellent work Bond1.
Scope.
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Mr Game
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 19:19
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At long last forever - God bless U Bond1

Insomnia is coming...
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Wraith Staff
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 19:30
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Give this man 300CCs of VIP badge... STAT! (and 200CCs of Valued Member to Hockeykid and Plystire while you're at it ).

I now dub you bond1 the innovator! Lord of this land

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bruce3371
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 19:46
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Quote: "I now dub you SIR bond1 the innovator! Lord of this land"


Fix'd

I game therefore I am.
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Soviet176
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 20:05 Edited at: 18th Aug 2010 20:07
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SIR Macarthur Gregory Benjamen the third bond1 the innovator! Lord of this land"


Fix'd

but seriously nice job Bond1, will this pack feature dark voice technology? I would love to see more of this being used, as I can't use the colonel x all the time for lip sync lol.

Putting fear back into sliced bread since 4th May 2010
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Red Eye
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 20:30
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Hm... No words... Awesome!

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Nbt
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 21:35
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These are so cool

I want to use them with invisible characters to get the shadow demons from hell effect from the movie Ghost

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mgarand
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 22:26
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why, why are you torturing me

Looks really good bond1, your the master of shaders (M.O.S).
What kind of Pack will you make



Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.
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Roger Wilco
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 22:35
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You keep impressing me more and more, excellent work!
The only thing about it that's not pure awesome is that they're kinda strong, in the sense that they look fully black. Other than that, it's awesome.
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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 22:39
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Not bad, is it a hard coded point light with a plane added to the character mesh?

I had a similar idea a while ago, where by adding a plane underneath a character in it's mesh, you could use bumpbone's own self shadowing system to project a shadow based on light.

Sadly FPSC's box collision killed that dream, and it only worked on flat ground in empty rooms - something I tried to stay away from in my designs. If you are adding a plane under the mesh, how is the collision going?

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rolfy
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 22:40
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Yet another inspired work from you
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bond1
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 22:54 Edited at: 19th Aug 2010 01:25
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Quote: "Not bad, is it a hard coded point light with a plane added to the character mesh?"


no, No, NO! It will work with any character without any alteration to the mesh. It's a two pass shader (like any shadow algorithm). The first pass uses a projection matrix to flatten the silouhette of the character to the floor. The second pass renders the character as usual with normal mapping, etc.

Like I said, no art-hacks, it's all shader. This is actually an old technique in the case of real-time shadows, used extensively before stencil shadows and shadow maps. And it's much better than a semi-transparent disk stuck to the character's feet, like the blob shadow.

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Kravenwolf
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Posted: 18th Aug 2010 23:48 Edited at: 18th Aug 2010 23:49
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Yet another shader to look forward to from bond1. Does this shader only work on characters, or can we slap it onto any dynamic object? It would be pretty sweet to add it to every dynamic box, crate, and door in a level to pull off the full illusion of dynamic shadows without the performance drop.

Kravenwolf

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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 00:42
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Is it similar to modulated shadows then? I know that's the system UDK uses as default for character shadows, except with general light source info going into the shadow's projection...

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bond1
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 00:57 Edited at: 19th Aug 2010 00:58
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Quote: "The only thing about it that's not pure awesome is that they're kinda strong, in the sense that they look fully black"


HUGE update for this shader, it now supports TRANSPARENCY, independent of the character! Of course I will expose a transparency slider in Dark Shader for editing.

Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5a9Q0c5RHA

This is a huge visual improvement, now it's much more suitable for outdoor scenes and brightly lit areas as well!

Quote: "Is it similar to modulated shadows then?"


From what I read it sounds similar - although I'm not pulling any light info from FPSC (yet). Just straight down. Again, it requires nothing on the part of the user, just assign the shader to any character, tweak to your liking in Dark Shader, and you have nice transparent projected shadows.

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"bond1 - You see this name, you think dirty."
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Nbt
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 01:16
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Damn bond1!! give me some of your brain cells NOW!
That looks amazing man and they move so fast and fluid

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Brunopark09
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 01:33
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I'm gonna cry

-Why didn't God take gaga,justin bieber or kesha instead of Randy Rhoads, Cliff Burton or Dio?
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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 01:43
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I like how you always conjure a new essential shader for every pack, you ingenious businessman you!

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bond1
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 01:48 Edited at: 19th Aug 2010 01:49
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Quote: "I like how you always conjure a new essential shader for every pack, you ingenious businessman you!"


That's the plan, try and make something revolutionary for FPSC that people absolutely CAN'T do without, or be at risk of being "left behind"

Then I put on my top hat and monocle and start laughing maniacally as I wring my hands.

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"bond1 - You see this name, you think dirty."
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Nomad Soul
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 02:16 Edited at: 19th Aug 2010 02:20
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Bond1

Seeing dynamic character shadows in FPSC is just legendary. It was a real pleasure watching these videos and now I have to break the news to my girlfriend I have to purchase another model pack.

It doesn't get more must have than this and the fact it is entirely shader driven is the icing on the cake.

Edit - Just one question. Will the shader take into account weapon meshes characters are holding? Not a huge issue if not.

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Wraith Staff
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 02:17 Edited at: 19th Aug 2010 02:20
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Quote: "That's the plan, try and make something revolutionary for FPSC that people absolutely CAN'T do without, or be at risk of being "left behind"

Then I put on my top hat and monocle and start laughing maniacally as I wring my hands."


I KNEW IT! YOU BRILLIANT, SINISTER MAN, YOU! I guess you should be called:

Dr. Sir Macarthur Gregory Benjamen the third bond1 the innovator! Lord of this land, esquire (because there is nothing more in this world more evil than doctors and lawyers) but anyway... You never cease to amaze me. Any word on cost (if I haven't missed that)?

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TeMpLaR1
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 02:21
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To bad you didnt come up with this stuff 4 years ago bond1, I would be able to use your genious ideas and techniques.

Very nice and well done, defiantly putting FPSC to a level close to other game development software.

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Kravenwolf
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 02:24
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@bond1,

Quote: "Does this shader only work on characters, or can we slap it onto any dynamic object?"




Kravenwolf

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The Storyteller 01
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 02:28
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First the Master of Monsters

Now the Master of Shaders

What's next???

Very impressive and very inventive!

In case you find my grammar and spelling weird ---> native German speaker ^^
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Cosmic Prophet
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 02:38
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HOLY...( censord by the ESRB)!
That's incredible. I cant wait for the pack release. Any hints of what it might be?

Great work bro!

For my friend Heltor!
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bond1
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 02:47
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This shader is strictly for characters only. In it's current incarnation, it won't work for dynamic entities. I may try to get a version working for entities in the future, but baby steps, I wanted to nail down characters first. It also will not cast shadows for the weapon the character is holding (unless it's built into the character model itself). Not a huge deal that the average gamer is likely to notice, and still better than the blob!

The shadow transparency is awesome - it breathes new life into old characters even if they're just walking waypoints. God I hadn't realized how lame that blob shadow had become until getting this working.

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"bond1 - You see this name, you think dirty."
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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 02:51
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Got a side by side lameness comparison? Like two identical soldiers walking parallel waypoints, one with blob, other with planar?

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starmind 001
FPSC Reloaded Backer
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 03:52
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Outstanding!! Truly an inspiration for me! I hope I can master dark shader like you, bond1. I have been struggling to write two shaders with no luck. If you have the time, I could use your help on them. No pressure,lol, but I now see why you have seemed to be absent.

Please keep it up, I enjoy seeing a master at work!

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bond1
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 08:33 Edited at: 19th Aug 2010 08:35
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Quote: "Got a side by side lameness comparison?"


Here's a clip of the WW2 Officer with and without the blob shadow walking a waypoint. It pretty much speaks for itself

Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09z6dEz_S3o

In this clip, I've further improved the shader, adding controls to skew the shadows to make them longer/shorter. Which I think looks a lot better than "straight down", as I was doing before. But it's all user editable.

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"bond1 - You see this name, you think dirty."
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Mr Game
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 09:37
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one question
when it will be realised?
It will be with new character pack (any preview or info)?
I am also waiting for next pack with Metro enviroment (asylum, subway) and weapon pack...

Insomnia is coming...
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charger bandit
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 10:15
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Looks epic. Really can't wait to fool around with it.


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vortech
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 11:25
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Only crit that I have is that shadow is always behind charater. I can't see any things about shadows that are affected by light. Anyways it's pretty awesome.


Check for pure horror.
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Juzi
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 12:05
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But it's always better than the boring blop shadows

Deflate the mystery of living in the most heartless fashion I could ever imagine. No pretense of decor.
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da2020
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 13:47
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WOW! that was truly outstanding Bond1 can't wait to put my hands on this!
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GreenDixy
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 16:19
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where can i buy it now LOL looks awesome

======================================

GreenDixy Productions http://GreenDixy.Com
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Nomad Soul
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 19:32
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@bond1

Will there be an option to purchase this shader at the model pack price? That way you don't lose out financially and customers can get the shader earlier or do you have a release date for the pack in mind?

Its great you've managed to add controls for customising the shadow projection and the transparency means we can fake soft shadows. Could you upload a vid of this shader being used with your Dante beast? That would look EPIC.

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ASTECH
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 20:13 Edited at: 19th Aug 2010 20:30
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Hi Bond,

Could you please read your email.

Thanks



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anayar
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 21:08
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Oh my god!!! Bond1, your brain should go in a hall of fame (right next to Einstein )!!

But seriously, amazing work, I'll definately be getting this pack

Cheers,
Anayar


For KeithC
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xplosys
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Posted: 19th Aug 2010 21:30
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OK, it's always the same around here. Whenever some "Johnny-come-lately" shows up with new "bling" we go throwing the old guy to the wolves. The "blob" as you so cruelly refer to him has been on the job for years, faithfully laying himself down below the feet of our characters with never a complaint. Even in the dimmest of lighting he did his thankless job, career shadow that he was. And for what I ask? Do you give him a gold watch? A pat on the back? No! Out in the garbage he goes.

Someone should warn this new shader guy about you people.

"I would rather make a bad model, instead of pirate a great one"... Heltor
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