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Newcomers DBPro Corner / skyspheres

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Bishop
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2003 09:02
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what is a skysphere or skycube? What do they do?

Bishop
"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live so when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."
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Misanthrope
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2003 09:13
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Skyspheres and skycubes are 3D models with inverted normals textured to look like a sky, and they usually envelop the entire game level. Skyspheres are, well, spherical. Skycubes are boxes.

Both have advantages and disadvantages...the skyspheres tend to look smoother and more "correct", but they also use a lot of polygons and have glaring texture problems at the poles. Skycubes use far less geometry and can do a pretty good job of representing basic skies, but they also have some slight perspective errors at the corners when using overly detailed sky textures.

Basically it's a cheap way to do skies.

-Misanthrope
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indi
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2003 12:50
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geospheres dont suffer that problem Misanthrope.

http://www.lunarpixel.com

http://www.lunarpixel.com/dt/
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Misanthrope
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2003 13:46
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Indi,

Yep, geospheres have the texturing artifact problem too. Wanna see for yourself? Fire up Ultimate Unwrap3D, make a new geosphere, and assign a checker map to it. You'll see some major texture artifacting not just at the poles, but along the "seam" as well.

Standard spheres only have artifacting at the poles, and that's easily compensated for by not having any detail at the poles.

Either way, you still have to do some UV and/or image editing to get rid of the artifacting.

Or if you mean geospheres have fewer polygons than a conventional sphere...well, the difference is trivial and still greater than the 12 triangles in a cube.

-Misanthrope
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indi
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2003 15:12
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maybe its the program your using to acheive it.

I never saw this issue in a milkshape geosphere.

http://www.lunarpixel.com

http://www.lunarpixel.com/dt/
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Misanthrope
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2003 15:35
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Maybe. I've never seen a Milkshape-generated geosphere...

-Misanthrope
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indi
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2003 17:14
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try this hemisphere and use lithium to wrap it if u want a nice texture on it.

I saved polys by making a hemisphere that overlaps the center halfway point.


http://www.dbtoolz.50megs.com/tutorials/skyball/

the alternative is a skybox and a tute is found here

http://www.darkbasic.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=80

http://www.lunarpixel.com

http://www.lunarpixel.com/dt/
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Hilmi2k
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Posted: 2nd Feb 2003 20:23
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What is the maximum texture size you can use for a skybox without your graphics card keeling over?

I read that there are limitations on texture sizes. if the limit is lets say 500X500, thats a seriously limited skybox... it would look very pixelated at the size required to cover the whole sky
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Bishop
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Posted: 3rd Feb 2003 01:19
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thanx all

Bishop

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live so when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."
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Epidemicz
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Posted: 3rd Feb 2003 03:05
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@ Hilmi2k:

I don't think there is a limit to the size of the texture...

I use a 1024x512 .jpg for the game I am working on right now. I think it actually looks good - not much slow down either, only when my comp has been pushing other memory eating programs.

I am the very disease you pretend to be.
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Eddie Gordo
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Posted: 3rd Feb 2003 03:21
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actually geopheres make problems for skyspheres
plain spheres work best

If His Sword Falls And Gaurdian Lies Slain,
His Blood Was Not Spilt On Dirt In Vain,
So Let That Be a Lesson And Rest For The New Day
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indi
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Posted: 3rd Feb 2003 03:28
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plain sopheres with capped ends? I think not mate.

http://www.lunarpixel.com

http://www.lunarpixel.com/dt/
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Arrow
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Posted: 5th Feb 2003 11:04
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I think their is a limit to texture size, but it has to do with your graphic card, nor DB.

Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man?
Or a bowling ball dreaming I'm a plate of samishi?
Never assume that what you see or feel is real.
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Arrow
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Posted: 5th Feb 2003 11:05
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I wish I could edit these posts.

...card, not DB.

There, is it just my or is all text here in italics?

Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man?
Or a bowling ball dreaming I'm a plate of samishi?
Never assume that what you see or feel is real.
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Richard Davey
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Posted: 5th Feb 2003 12:09
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It's not all italics here. And you're right, texture size is controlled by graphics card, not DB. My card can do 1024x1024 textures, others only 256x256.

Cheers,

Rich

"Gentlemen, we are about to short-circuit the Universe!"
DB Team / Atari ST / DarkForge / Retro Gaming
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actarus
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Posted: 5th Feb 2003 17:02
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-My card can do 1024x1024 textures, others only 256x256

Mine 2048x2048,beat you rich(oh great who's got a Wildcatvp now??)

Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour!
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Arrow
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Posted: 5th Feb 2003 18:34
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I got 2048x2048 too, but no volume shading or anti-aliasing, go figure.

Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man?
Or a bowling ball dreaming I'm a plate of samishi?
Never assume that what you see or feel is real.
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Richard Davey
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Posted: 5th Feb 2003 20:08
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What card do you have? I have to admit I've never tried a 2048x2048 texture on mine, but I'll be fascinated to see what it makes of it. Hell.. time to try it

Cheers,

Rich

"Gentlemen, we are about to short-circuit the Universe!"
DB Team / Atari ST / DarkForge / Retro Gaming
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The Scorpion
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Posted: 9th Feb 2003 16:16
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I have this same kind of thing. High resolutions are excepted but I don't have those features. I am using a nVidea TNT2 . That is the reason.

Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?
- William Shakespear (genious)
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Pyromaniac
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Location: United Kingdom
Posted: 9th Feb 2003 23:39
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do sky spheres follow the player? or do they just stay still?

ive seen this effect in half-life where the sky kinda "moves, but doesnt," it looks realistic and gives some depth. anyone know what im on about?

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Richard Davey
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Posted: 10th Feb 2003 04:10
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The sphere itself could be set so that the texture rotates (or animates) very slowley on it which is probably what you're talking about. Another thing to bear in mind is that the sphere doesn't have to cover your whole map, just the player and his visible area (draw distance).

Cheers,

Rich

"Gentlemen, we are about to short-circuit the Universe!"
DB Team / Atari ST / DarkForge / Retro Gaming
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