Dense forests in my Torque? How absurd...
by Tuomas Kaukoranta · 05/12/2009 (6:54 am) · 7 comments
Hello GG community, this is my first blog now, I got my TGE licence last december and I have played around with it.
First I wanted to create trees to create forests, tried the same method as in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, having the leaves as billboards to decrease the polycount.
I tried it, all the 20 billboards in my tree were a one big billboard, eh, no thanks.
Then I tried mounting 20 billboard shapes to my tree model with StaticShape::onAdd function. It looked right but the framerate was awful.
Now my tree is back in one shape and it works, no billboards and three LOD stages.
Here are the pics:
(The rocks came with TGE and I took the Swarmgun from TGEA demo, pic is from TGE 1.5.2)
First I wanted to create trees to create forests, tried the same method as in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, having the leaves as billboards to decrease the polycount.
I tried it, all the 20 billboards in my tree were a one big billboard, eh, no thanks.
Then I tried mounting 20 billboard shapes to my tree model with StaticShape::onAdd function. It looked right but the framerate was awful.
Now my tree is back in one shape and it works, no billboards and three LOD stages.
Here are the pics:
(The rocks came with TGE and I took the Swarmgun from TGEA demo, pic is from TGE 1.5.2)
#2
It won't help you much at the moment, but I am in the middle of development on several new content packs, at least one of which includes a forest solution that works in TGE, and TGEA.
I won't show it off yet, but if you email me and describe in more detail how you are trying to use a forest in your project, I can at least give you some feedback on whether my method will fit your needs.
05/12/2009 (8:22 am)
Toumas,It won't help you much at the moment, but I am in the middle of development on several new content packs, at least one of which includes a forest solution that works in TGE, and TGEA.
I won't show it off yet, but if you email me and describe in more detail how you are trying to use a forest in your project, I can at least give you some feedback on whether my method will fit your needs.
#3
@Steve:
I tried having the last LOD as a billboard, it has some lighting problems, so I have to use twice as many faces (OMG 4 FACES) to get better looking option.
@Todd
The forest I've been making now doesn't really relate in my project, I just started to create it, I just thought that it would be cool.
Anyway good luck with your content packs!
05/12/2009 (8:27 am)
Thanks for the positive comments so far guys.@Steve:
I tried having the last LOD as a billboard, it has some lighting problems, so I have to use twice as many faces (OMG 4 FACES) to get better looking option.
@Todd
The forest I've been making now doesn't really relate in my project, I just started to create it, I just thought that it would be cool.
Anyway good luck with your content packs!
#4
Steve offers very good advice for when using Blender. I've been mucking around with it for years, yet still learn something new about it when he posts suggestions.
If you want to carry your forest experiment to whole new level, and since you're using TGE, you might be intersted in Ben Garney's Forest Pack. It had a few issues with fog and lighting, and some trees just didn't work, but when it worked it worked beautifully. Instead of just a few hundred or a thousand trees, it allowed upwards of 20,000 - 30,0000 trees with much less overhead than you would expect. There's a "Questions & Answers" thread about it, in which you can find a few fixes for it that people have offered over time, if you're interested in trying it out.
05/12/2009 (8:32 am)
Very nice indeed. Hopefully you're using shape replicators and not placing individual trees, right? Steve offers very good advice for when using Blender. I've been mucking around with it for years, yet still learn something new about it when he posts suggestions.
If you want to carry your forest experiment to whole new level, and since you're using TGE, you might be intersted in Ben Garney's Forest Pack. It had a few issues with fog and lighting, and some trees just didn't work, but when it worked it worked beautifully. Instead of just a few hundred or a thousand trees, it allowed upwards of 20,000 - 30,0000 trees with much less overhead than you would expect. There's a "Questions & Answers" thread about it, in which you can find a few fixes for it that people have offered over time, if you're interested in trying it out.
#5
Yes, I do use the replicator, I cant even imagine the fps without it.
And about the forest pack, 20,000 - 30,0000?!? I'm using about 700 trees in my scene with decent fps!
I gotta try it...
Again thanks for the comments!
05/12/2009 (8:52 am)
@MichaelYes, I do use the replicator, I cant even imagine the fps without it.
And about the forest pack, 20,000 - 30,0000?!? I'm using about 700 trees in my scene with decent fps!
I gotta try it...
Again thanks for the comments!
#6
...Define the gameplay; on paper or in a document; then you'll need precisely what it will exist in your level;
...Define the level design and overall look; this will give you a good idea about the ppov-active-area (player point of view); in other words, make a few trees around the edges where the player will walk and the rest of them, plain billboards (fxFoliage or fxShape will help there)You don't have to put real objects where the player will never set foot; treat your level like a theater stage (hence the billboard cheat).
The most important perhaps is to document yourself on the alternatives. Once you know how each work, you'll make a right decision without even noticing.
Hope this helps a bit.
05/12/2009 (11:35 am)
Your benchmark was correct but it had a fatal flaw Tuomas. You're supposed to take into account everything that will be in the final level, whatever that is, shape, interior, effects, etc; Throwing in there a lot of trees won't give you good fps.....Define the gameplay; on paper or in a document; then you'll need precisely what it will exist in your level;
...Define the level design and overall look; this will give you a good idea about the ppov-active-area (player point of view); in other words, make a few trees around the edges where the player will walk and the rest of them, plain billboards (fxFoliage or fxShape will help there)You don't have to put real objects where the player will never set foot; treat your level like a theater stage (hence the billboard cheat).
The most important perhaps is to document yourself on the alternatives. Once you know how each work, you'll make a right decision without even noticing.
Hope this helps a bit.
#7
05/12/2009 (5:21 pm)
This looks good!
Associate Steve Acaster
[YorkshireRifles]
Try making your last LOD a billboard (as in a billboard picture of the whole tree), it should help give you more performance.
As I remember you have to name the billboarding LOD mesh [/i]yourmeshname_BB[/i] and you must include the BB texture in the other LODs or it won't work (I hide my BB texture in the trunk on a tiny poly - though this might all be Blender specific).