Torque 3D Development - Soft Particles
by Brett Seyler · 03/09/2009 (2:42 am) · 30 comments
It's Monday, and we're already counting down the days to GDC here at GarageGames. GDC is a big event for us, probably the biggest all year, and we're looking to show the most impressive Torque ever seen. We'll be sure to update you on all the happenings and show all of who can't be at GDC what we'll be displaying at the show, right here, in these blogs.
This week is our 4th time looking at Gerhard's work. A short, but sweet little addition that brings much more realistic particle effects to Torque 3D.
Enjoy:
Gerhard still has a lot more to show, but I promise that our next blog is going to be something you've all been waiting for...a look at the new Torque 3D World Editor. For a quick review in case you missed the Wetness & Precipitation blog where he was formally introduced, here's quick backgrounder on Gerhard and his work on Torque 3D.
Gerhard's Bio
"I am the head of software development in South Africa for an England based company developing software and hardware solutions for fatigue testing and structural analysis for the automotive and aerospace industries. My weekend hobby is the development of plugins for 3D Studio Max as well as the development of advanced gaming features and shaders for Torque. I am currently working on some AI and advanced shaders for Torque 3D which includes:
Screen Space shaders (Ambient Occlusion (SSAO), Bloom, Depth of field, Geometry smoothing. Motion blur) GPU cloth dynamics. GPU simulated water effects. GPU soft particles. GPU soft/rigid body dynamics. Dynamically destructible objects. Computational intelligence algorithms for AI usage. Multi-pass deferred CustomMaterial shaders."More development blogs to come. This is post #13.
Torque 3D development blogs:
- Post #1 - Kickoff
- Post #2 - Apparatus and Warrior Camp
- Post #3 - Luma's racing kit
- Post #4 - Josh Engebretson and Web Publishing
- Post #5 - Pricing and Licensing
- Post #6 - Pricing and Licensing CONTINUED
- Post #7 - Wetness & Precipitation
- Post #8 - Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO)
- Post #9 - Matt Langley and the Torque Launcher
- Post #10 - Chris Robertson and Collada
- Post #11 - Depth of Field
- Post #12 - Advanced Lighting
- Post #13 - Soft Particles
- Post #14 - World Editor
- Post #15 - Pricing and Licensing ANNOUNCED!
- Post #16 - GDC Live Edition
- Post #17 - River & Road Editors
- Post #18 - Beta is UP!
- Post #19 - Light Rays, Undercity, Material Editor
- Post #20 - Mass Market Hardware
- Post #21 - Beta: Part Deux
- Post #22 - Marching Towards Beta 3
- Post #23 - pureLIGHT
- Post #24 - Lighting, Terrain, and Cloth
- Post #25 - Beta 3!
- Post #26 - Coming Soon!
About the author
Since 2007, I've done my best to steer Torque's development and brand toward the best opportunities in games middleware.
#2
Re: Mogwai...I heard my first Mogwai track on the Miami Vice movie ("Auto Rock"...I'll use this in a future video...great sound) and it stuck with me. It wasn't until I heard the same track again playing Mirror's Edge (it's basically the title theme in the game) that I took the time to look up more of their music. I absolutely love them now, so I'm glad you guys are digging them too for these videos :)
03/09/2009 (3:03 am)
@Konrad: Good questions for Gerhard...I haven't studied this myself. He just sent me a quick video a couple weeks ago and I was like "wow...hard to imagine how that standard texture sheeting is even tolerable now!" It's a small addition, but adds a lot when trying these kinds of effects. Re: Mogwai...I heard my first Mogwai track on the Miami Vice movie ("Auto Rock"...I'll use this in a future video...great sound) and it stuck with me. It wasn't until I heard the same track again playing Mirror's Edge (it's basically the title theme in the game) that I took the time to look up more of their music. I absolutely love them now, so I'm glad you guys are digging them too for these videos :)
#4
03/09/2009 (3:51 am)
Looks really cool, Btw what song is that? I like it :) 
#5
03/09/2009 (4:11 am)
I was hoping the particle system would get some love. This is really a great addition to torque. :-)
#6
03/09/2009 (4:24 am)
@Tek0: The name of that song is "Xmas Steps" from the EP-6 album. 
#7
03/09/2009 (5:08 am)
Quality. ;)
#8
You have to map the particle quad against the plane it intersects so that from your POV it looks like as an intact object. So basically you have to render two quads instead of one if a hit occurs (and probably reiterating all this on the "child" quads if the surface is uneven and the particle is reasonably large). At least I would start it this way...
Imagine a coin folded squarely and put on a desk facing toward you.
Looks great, congrats!
03/09/2009 (6:02 am)
Finally someone did this. It was quite disappointing to see those ugly cut dust trails in racing games and alike for years and years...You have to map the particle quad against the plane it intersects so that from your POV it looks like as an intact object. So basically you have to render two quads instead of one if a hit occurs (and probably reiterating all this on the "child" quads if the surface is uneven and the particle is reasonably large). At least I would start it this way...
Imagine a coin folded squarely and put on a desk facing toward you.
Looks great, congrats!
#9
03/09/2009 (7:33 am)
nice work, looks real great. 
#10
Brett and Gerhard - T3D is looking better all the time! Can't wait to see the new editor.
03/09/2009 (8:56 am)
Peter - that's what I would have done: clip the particle planes against level geometry, and if an intersection is detected, render the particle in two planes, one with an alpha gradient to fade the texture out.Brett and Gerhard - T3D is looking better all the time! Can't wait to see the new editor.
#11
03/09/2009 (10:00 am)
That very cool. Gerhard is doing some awesome work on Torque 3D. 
#12
03/09/2009 (10:39 am)
very very smooth, nice work there :P 
#13
03/09/2009 (10:50 am)
Nice!
#14
This here is where xsi will come in handy the most and its ice technology to make things allot easier. i am still waiting on his cloth dynamics as i have allot i would like to do with the cloth system in my game.
03/09/2009 (11:22 am)
now this makes it even more well worth it theres allot you can do with this and looks allot better then the old way of torque.This here is where xsi will come in handy the most and its ice technology to make things allot easier. i am still waiting on his cloth dynamics as i have allot i would like to do with the cloth system in my game.
#15
Brett and ALL the torque 3d developers keep it up!!!
Can we say 2009 engine of the year!!!!!
03/09/2009 (11:44 am)
Amazing! soft paticles will definitely add unlimited possiblities. Off topic, will there be a post on the AI or is it something that your looking to add if time allowing?Brett and ALL the torque 3d developers keep it up!!!
Can we say 2009 engine of the year!!!!!
#16
03/09/2009 (11:49 am)
Soft Particles is a DirectX 10 thing no?
#17
03/09/2009 (12:18 pm)
@James: You just need access to the depth buffer. Which the new renderer in T3D gives you. Most of the things they sell as "DX10 only features" you can do just fine under a variety of APIs.
#18
03/09/2009 (12:45 pm)
Most impressive. DoF, Occlusion, Lighting, and now that in real time too, it's like all my dreams are coming true. But most of all Gerhard's work, I'm eager to see if GPU cloth dynamics can work on animated character clothes.
#19
03/09/2009 (1:10 pm)
yes they can be done. Doesn't mean they should be done. usually they require more over head and more instructions to create the same effect.
#20
If you like Mogwai (and awesome group) I highly recommend a variety of the following:
Explosions in the Sky
God Is an Astronaut
Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Mono
Silver Mt. Zion
This Will Destroy You
65daysofstatic
03/09/2009 (4:12 pm)
Was that a glow shader on the last particle set, or just emissive blended textures? Shaders on particles too? Very cool.If you like Mogwai (and awesome group) I highly recommend a variety of the following:
Explosions in the Sky
God Is an Astronaut
Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Mono
Silver Mt. Zion
This Will Destroy You
65daysofstatic
Associate Konrad Kiss
Bitgap Games
Oh, and btw.. I am seriously becoming addicted to Mogwai. Great choice of music for the videos.
Edit: Is this a shader changing alpha of particle billboards where they cut into something? Or is the visible part of the particle rendered to a render target and blurred?