Normalmapping (in development)

no, no. A static shadow can be made like a soft shadow with more than one light source. There is no problem. I made a few levels before with the current static lighting system and I like it so far. Only blocks are not flexible enough. Static meshes solve this issue.

Please do, this would help so much.

Hi JCL

This is what I did:

1) Copied the shader code and save it as normalmap.fx

2) In Med the textured skin is set to Skin0 and the normal map is set to Skin1, attached the normalmap.fx file using the Med’s Skin settings.

3) Load the model in to WED.

4) Include default.fx into the project.

I have the latest version.

What’s going wrong

Test it this way:
Copy the full text into SED and save it as mat_bumb.WDL for example. Then include it in your main wdl and add it by material in the model properties in WED. Compile your level and then it must work.

I´m not a shader specialist but i think you can save it too in a fx file, but then you have to script a material in SED and load from there the fx. I must test it myself, i have it made like i said and was happy that it works!!

A MATERIAL and a shader are two different things. Materials can contain effects and effects can contain shaders, but not vice versa.

The .fx format was defined by Microsoft for effect files. Microsoft does not know about Acknex Materials. So if you want to create an .fx file, you need to copy the effect out of the material (between but not including the "" quotes).

I do not want to add 2.0 shaders to A6. A6 was intended to run on 1.0 hardware completely - 2.0, 3.0 and above are for A7 only.

However, maybe I'll attempt to implement specularity and dynamic lights also for 1.0. This is a little challenging, like a puzzle, but I think its doable.

You are the best ever

This engine would be so kool, if you add specularity and dynamic lights for 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 with fall back

I think this is a big selling feature if you add shaders like the one above and make it easy to add to projects.

Yeah, alternative shader code would solve this, at least, that's how I set up my game. Water for example, starts at 2.0, then goes to 1.1. The 2.0 takes more resources, but you can change quality settings in the menus if you need.

But I guess A7 will be released this year, and possibly the 2.0 version of this code as well. I'm looking forward to this shader code; JCL's past shaders worked great.

@Frank - I don't see any reason why that scene wont eventually be possible with the new FBX importer. Basically you'd just save your lightwave scene as FBX, import that scene in WED, and put your lights in. Hopefully though, the importer will also import omni lights from such programs as Max and Lightwave, then you can set your lights in your modeling program and just use WED for building and setting paths.

This is the promised specular bumpmapping:

Code:

---

 MATERIAL mtl_bumpspecular
{
	effect=
	"
	#include <transform>
	#include <fog>
	#include <pos>
	#include <normal>
	#include <tangent>

	float4 vecSunDir;
	float4 vecColor;	

	texture entSkin1;	// texture
	texture entSkin2;	// normal map

	sampler sBaseTex = sampler_state { Texture = <entSkin1>; };
	sampler sBump = sampler_state { Texture = <entSkin2>; };

	struct out_specular
	{
    	float4 Pos:     POSITION;
    	float  Fog:		FOG;
    	float4 Color:	COLOR;
    	float2 Tex:   	TEXCOORD0;
    	float2 Bump:   TEXCOORD1;
    	float3 Normal:	TEXCOORD2;
    	float3 Halfway:TEXCOORD3;
	};

	out_specular vs_specular(
		in float4 inPos: 	POSITION, 
		in float3 inNormal:	NORMAL,
 		in float2 inTex: 	TEXCOORD0,
 		in float3 inTangent: TEXCOORD2)
	{
		out_specular Out;

		Out.Pos	= DoTransform(inPos);
		Out.Tex	= inTex;
		Out.Bump = inTex;	// different coordinates required for ps_1_1
      Out.Color = float4(1.0,1.0,1.0,1.0);
		Out.Fog	= DoFog(inPos);
		
		CreateTangents(inNormal,inTangent);
		float3 N = matTangent[2];
		Out.Normal = DoTangent(N) * 0.5 + 0.5;

      float3 P = DoPos(inPos);
      float3 EyeDir = normalize(vecViewPos - P) - vecSunDir;
      Out.Halfway = DoTangent(EyeDir) * 0.5 + 0.5;

		return Out;		
	}


    float4 ps_specular(out_specular In): COLOR
	{
		float4 base = tex2D(sBaseTex,In.Tex);
		float3 bumpNormal = tex2D(sBump,In.Bump);
		float light = saturate(dot(In.Halfway*2 - 1,bumpNormal*2 - 1)); 
		light *= light;
		light *= light;
		light *= light;
		light *= light;
		return base *2*light;
	}

	technique specular
	{
		pass One
		{		
			VertexShader = compile vs_1_1 vs_specular();
			PixelShader = compile ps_1_1 ps_specular();
		}
	}

	";
} 

---

However, here's indeed the shader 2.0 model a better solution - either that, or two passes. Due to the limitation to 4 texture coordinate sets under 1.1, I can not transfer the light coordinates to the pixel shader, which limits the specular shading to a "metal" effect.

You can play with the "2" factor in the pixel shader, or return base + (0.1 + 2*light) for brightening the dark parts of the model.

Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

Thanks for 1000 times JCL. That all makes GS better and better. Everything works great!

Thanks VERY much JCL, you are the best

Thanks JCL it looks and works so GOOD

Sweet thanks!

Cheers

Thank you.

Well after more testing the shader does not react to any lights. Can you change it so it does, if my level is blue and the model with the shader is white just looks wrong.

There's a 'CreateTangents' function missing, or is that one of those things that can be found inside default.fx ? I could be doing all sorts of things wrong, however, I've got default.fx included, but this shader doesn't work here 'out of the box' I think,

Cheers

Phemox: You need the current Gamestudio version for this shader.

MaxF: Here's an indoor version that supports the static environment light and one dynamic light:

Code:

---

 MATERIAL mtl_bumpspecular
{
	effect=
	"
	#include <transform>
	#include <fog>
	#include <pos>
	#include <normal>
	#include <tangent>
#define INDOOR
#ifdef INDOOR
   #include <light>
#else
	float4 vecSunDir;
	float4 vecSunColor;
#endif
	float4 vecLight;	

	texture entSkin1;	// texture
	texture entSkin2;	// normal map
	
	const float facAmbient = 0.2; // factors to play with
	const float facBump = 0.5;
	const float facSpecular = 2.0;

	sampler sBaseTex = sampler_state { Texture = <entSkin1>; };
	sampler sBump = sampler_state { Texture = <entSkin2>; };

	struct out_specular
	{
    	float4 Pos:    POSITION;
    	float  Fog:		FOG;
    	float4 Color:	COLOR0;
    	float4 Ambient: COLOR1;
    	float2 Tex:   	TEXCOORD0;
    	float2 Bump:   TEXCOORD1;
    	float3 Light:	TEXCOORD2;
    	float3 Halfway:TEXCOORD3;
	};

	out_specular vs_specular(
		in float4 inPos: POSITION, 
		in float3 inNormal: NORMAL,
 		in float2 inTex: TEXCOORD0,
 		in float3 inTangent: TEXCOORD2)
	{
		out_specular Out;

		Out.Pos	= DoTransform(inPos);
		Out.Tex	= inTex;
		Out.Bump = inTex;	// different coordinate sets required for ps_1_1
      Out.Ambient = facAmbient*vecLight;
		Out.Fog	= DoFog(inPos);

      float3 P = DoPos(inPos);
#ifdef INDOOR
      float3 LDir = normalize(vecLightPos[0].xyz - P);
      float fDist = length(vecLightPos[0].xyz - P)/vecLightPos[0].w;
      if (fDist < 1.f) 
         fDist = 1.f - fDist;
      else
         fDist = 0.f; 
      Out.Color = facSpecular*fDist*vecLightColor[0];
#else
		float3 LDir = -vecSunDir;
      Out.Color = facSpecular*vecSunColor;
#endif
		
		CreateTangents(inNormal,inTangent);
		
// transform the output values into the 0..1 range
		Out.Light = facBump*DoTangent(LDir) * 0.5 + 0.5;

      float3 EyeDir = normalize(vecViewPos - P) + LDir;
      Out.Halfway = DoTangent(EyeDir) * 0.5 + 0.5;

		return Out;		
	}


    float4 ps_specular(out_specular In): COLOR
	{
		float4 base = tex2D(sBaseTex,In.Tex);
		float3 bumpNormal = tex2D(sBump,In.Bump);
		float light = saturate(dot(In.Halfway*2 - 1,bumpNormal*2 - 1)); 
		light *= light;
		light *= light;
		light *= light;
		light *= light;
		light += saturate(dot(In.Light*2 - 1,bumpNormal*2 - 1));
		return base * (In.Ambient + light*In.Color);
	}

	technique specular
	{
		pass One
		{		
			VertexShader = compile vs_1_1 vs_specular();
			PixelShader = compile ps_1_1 ps_specular();
		}
	}

	";
}

---

WOW JCL you are ACE, so I'll just use the other one for outdoor (works with the sun then) and this for indoor.

So kool will test it later

Hi JCL




On the left the old outside code, looks ok does not react to lights

On the right the new one you just posted, it does not matter how many times I play with the following:

const float facAmbient = 0.8; // factors to play with
const float facBump = 0.8;
const float facSpecular = 0.8;

Does not change anything, I would like it to look like the one on the left but work with (I like the specular highlights) with color level / dynamic lights.

I must be doing something wrong

If "#define INDOOR" is outcommented, the shader reacts on the sun, otherwise on dynamic lights. So the object must be in the range of at least one active dynamic light with CAST flag, or else you'll see no reflection.

If you have only static lights in your indoor level, outcomment the "#define INDOOR" line, and set the sun color to the color of your static lights.

Hi JCL

My lights are dynamic and are sat right next to the boxes the CAST flag is on and I get what you see in the picture.

Then I have to look into this. The shader works in my test level, but there could be something else I haven't thought about. If you upload your level, I'll check why the shader doesn't work.

Thanks JCL will upload it tonight

OK I sent you the level by email. to jcl conitec

Hi,

I rendered a texture for you to play around with normal-mapping shaders with and without specularity. You can add the spec-map into the alpha channel if you need it.

Download: http://www.dexsoft-games.com/freebies/textures/freecrate.zip

Preview:


This is a gift for you. Use it!

Maybe it is a good idea to put the finished version of the JCL-shader into the WIKI as an alternative to the 2.0 shader from Matt.

Best regards,
Frank

Hi Frank_G

Thanks so much

Hi JCL

Can you post your screenshot so I know what it looks like, I still can't get this shader to work. Plus I can't get the other 3light shader by xXxGuitar511, the objects just look black and it does not matter how many time I change any of the variables nothing makes them lighter.

@MaxF: I can send you the environment I used for testing the shader if you want. Also, Are you sure you have a grafix card that supports VSPS 2.0?

Hi xXxGuitar511

That would be GREAT

My card supports VSPS 3.00, its probably me doing something wrong.

Send me a PM for my email address

Sorry to bring up this old thread. I run into problem when apply
this shader to my model :

Malfunction W1550
-----------------
normalMapping(4): error X3000: syntax error: unexptected token 'mtl_bump'
(15):error X1005: string continues past end of line
(16):error X1507: failed to open source file: 'fog'

>MATERIAL mtl_bump<

Any ideas?

That's just a syntax error. Maybe you attempted to put a material into a .fx file. Material definitions belong into script files (.wdl), .fx is for the bare effects only.

Ah yes, that's my fault, it works great now.
Thank you.

Can someone send a test level to me to learn how to use it?

Yes is there a test level for this ? I learn more by a example then looking at the stuff on a forum or site