Torque 3D Development - Soft Particles
by Brett Seyler · 03/09/2009 (9:42 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.
#22
EDIT: Btw... it really looks awesome :-D
03/10/2009 (11:24 am)
If this is a "sweet little addition", why not put it in TGEA? EDIT: Btw... it really looks awesome :-D
#23
I've been implementing my own deferred rendering system using TGEA 1.8.1 and implementing my own SSAO system using it. However, as time goes on and I see more and more of your stuff available out of the box in Torque3D it's getting harder to continue on my path with TGEA :).
But never the less, I shall continue on and see how far it takes me, all the way up till Torque3D :).
Can't wait to see more!
-Brandon
03/10/2009 (2:23 pm)
Awesome stuff Gerhard !! I'm quickly becoming a fan of your work, not up to stalker level yet mind you ;pI've been implementing my own deferred rendering system using TGEA 1.8.1 and implementing my own SSAO system using it. However, as time goes on and I see more and more of your stuff available out of the box in Torque3D it's getting harder to continue on my path with TGEA :).
But never the less, I shall continue on and see how far it takes me, all the way up till Torque3D :).
Can't wait to see more!
-Brandon
#24
03/11/2009 (1:27 am)
This is awesome and all the stuff in your blog are insane I'm quickly becoming a fan of your work TOO, I need to see more more more more :)
#25
1) Pass a texture containing the scene depth to your particles.
2) Sample the depth texture using screen coordinates.
3) At each fragment, calculate the difference between the particle's depth and the value stored in the depth texture.
4) Use the depth difference to fade out the particle as it gets closer than a maximum distance.
The only issue is that there is no depth texture that can be used by shaders in stock TGEA. The SSAO resource adds this (because SSAO needs a depth texture), and thus makes a whole bunch of depth-based effects (like soft particles and depth-of-field) possible.
03/11/2009 (3:26 pm)
Softparticles are very, very simple to do and have nothing to do with DirectX 9 (they should be possible even with SM 1.4): 1) Pass a texture containing the scene depth to your particles.
2) Sample the depth texture using screen coordinates.
3) At each fragment, calculate the difference between the particle's depth and the value stored in the depth texture.
4) Use the depth difference to fade out the particle as it gets closer than a maximum distance.
The only issue is that there is no depth texture that can be used by shaders in stock TGEA. The SSAO resource adds this (because SSAO needs a depth texture), and thus makes a whole bunch of depth-based effects (like soft particles and depth-of-field) possible.
#26
03/14/2009 (2:31 am)
I am sorry, but what is this? Soft particles? I don't really noticed that much of a difference between on and off besides some kind of small alpha adjustment. Anyone tell me what this is? 
#27
Skin shader (Subsurface skin scatter simulation)will this be add into T3D?
thanks your one of the reason why I'm going to purchase T3D
03/14/2009 (4:45 am)
I remember on your site, in one of your blogs you where working on a Skin shader (Subsurface skin scatter simulation)will this be add into T3D?
thanks your one of the reason why I'm going to purchase T3D
#29
03/14/2009 (4:14 pm)
Ahh, I understand now. I think this would be fairly good for a particle update.
#30
07/03/2009 (3:03 pm)
good job !
Torque 3D Owner Joe Melton
Now where are the terrain modifications? I want to see terrain like that in the game Fuel, currently in development by Asobo Studio, published by Codemasters. =D