ShaderFX, Fresh From the Oven
by Logan Foster · 11/28/2006 (10:37 pm) · 21 comments
Today marks a pretty important day with regards to tools development and the creation FX format shader files for both indie and AAA game developers. Why is that? Well a fantastic tool that has been in development below the radar has finally been released to the general public to mass consume. That tool is ShaderFX!
Why am I so excited about a tool I have had 0 involvement in creating, and why should you be excited too? The answer is quite simple, a tool like this hasn't existed on the market for well over a year (not since RTZen/Ginza was bought out and taken away by Havok). ShaderFX finally delivers what every artist has needed, a visual schematic shader generation tool that allows us to setup various pixel shader effects with ease. Be it the need to create an effect to show your programmer what you want, or to go all the way with creating a DXSAS standard FX file for your game (unfortunately this will mean you will need to massage the FX files a bit to get them into TGEA).
The tool is well worth checking out and IMHO well worth the investment price as well to get a gem like this. Remember, good tools help make the creation of good games a hell of a lot easier.
Note: For those artists out there who are looking to learn more about shader creation. CGAcademy will soon have available a HLSL Shader Training DVD (announcement post link) from one of the guys who created ShaderFX. Likely another great addition to pickup when its released.
edit: fixed image tag
Why am I so excited about a tool I have had 0 involvement in creating, and why should you be excited too? The answer is quite simple, a tool like this hasn't existed on the market for well over a year (not since RTZen/Ginza was bought out and taken away by Havok). ShaderFX finally delivers what every artist has needed, a visual schematic shader generation tool that allows us to setup various pixel shader effects with ease. Be it the need to create an effect to show your programmer what you want, or to go all the way with creating a DXSAS standard FX file for your game (unfortunately this will mean you will need to massage the FX files a bit to get them into TGEA).
The tool is well worth checking out and IMHO well worth the investment price as well to get a gem like this. Remember, good tools help make the creation of good games a hell of a lot easier.
Note: For those artists out there who are looking to learn more about shader creation. CGAcademy will soon have available a HLSL Shader Training DVD (announcement post link) from one of the guys who created ShaderFX. Likely another great addition to pickup when its released.
edit: fixed image tag
About the author
Torque Owner Adrian Tysoe
Here's a video of shaderFX in action, you can see the 3dsmax DX9 render in the lower right viewport and the ogre viewport in the bottom left. The ofusion exporter lets you see see your scenes directly in 3dsmax and even the shaders in realtime :) very cool indeed.
www.tysoes.com/shaderfxsupporttest16.avi