Interactive Smoke

[bigpickle 0]

Hi Devs,

Will the smoke in A3 be interactive? Ie if i fly my jet or helicopter through it, will the smoke react to this like in RL?

[Gunter Severloh 4070]

Even a smoke grenade would it move a bit if I ran through it?

Details bake the cake, good question Bigpickle.

[PuFu 4600]

doubtful....

[AlexVestin 24]

Not really doubtful I'd say. A maybe. It's just a matter of making particles float in a different direction to keep it short.

Doesn't have to use physics or anything. Altough if they'll implement it is another thing.

[james2464 177]

Well with Physx integrated it would have to be quite easy to implement?

[PuFu 4600]

not when you are NOT using Physix for particle simulation, no, it isn't...It isn't all that easy to implement without a real FPS hit even if a physix engine is there to do this job either...

[dm 9]

not when you are NOT using Physix for particle simulation, no, it isn't...It isn't all that easy to implement without a real FPS hit even if a physix engine is there to do this job either...

Still not sure where the i in physX or the x in physiCs is coming from...

But VBS has been doing this for aaagggeeeessss (fly a chopper through smoke, the downwash will blow the smoke around). Do it right and its even possible to make vortex rings...

[Black Cat 10]

I believe that PhysX is being used for particle simulation:

2:10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mts2aCSu0y4

Obviously I could be wrong, but it sure looks like it to me.

[PuFu 4600]

Still not sure where the i in physX or the x in physiCs is coming from...

My sincere apologies for misspelling. I promise on my mother's virginity that it won't happen again.

OnTopic: i wasn't aware of that VBS feature...but i guess it is related to the downwash on only this (similar to A2 that allows grass to be levelled). I might be pessimistic about particle improvements in the next RV iteration i guess..

I believe that PhysX is being used for particle simulation:

2:10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mts2aCSu0y4

Obviously I could be wrong, but it sure looks like it to me.

I think you are wrong and it's only due to the wind (a feature that is already available in A2/OA) + a bit different particle layout for that nade explosion

[james2464 177]

I think you are wrong and it's only due to the wind (a feature that is already available in A2/OA) + a bit different particle layout for that nade explosion

You might be wrong, if you look closely it seems that the smoke is bouncing or colliding off the fence/wall... 2:11

[antoineflemming 14]

They are different particle effects. It's stated in the video... So it is possible that they are PhysX particles.

Edited April 1, 2012 by antoineflemming

[b00ce 160]

Volumetric smoke would be nice to have, but I don't think it should be REQUIRED. At the very least, I'd like to see rotor/jet-wash blow smoke; Right now it looks silly to see dust flying away and trees/bushes bend over but smoke do nothing.

[noubernou 77]

I'd like it so at least when you are inside a smoke cloud its impossible to see out... Right now its almost impossible to create that effect with out resorting to lots of really small particles that tear through the particle systems limits (also creating massive FPS drop, I am amazed how much FPS is killed by simple 2D billboard particles in this engine).

[dmarkwick 261]

I'd like it so at least when you are inside a smoke cloud its impossible to see out... Right now its almost impossible to create that effect with out resorting to lots of really small particles that tear through the particle systems limits (also creating massive FPS drop, I am amazed how much FPS is killed by simple 2D billboard particles in this engine).

Yep this is really the only major particle improvement I'd like to see, the removal of the overdraw measure that prevents particles from expanding past a set absolute size. This causes the apparent "shrinkage" when you move through, or zoom through, a particle cloud.

Aside from that (quite major IMO) improvement, sure I'd also like to see PhysX augmented particles. But, people would need to understand that it's a strictly client-side effect only. OK that's no biggie, but when you're talking about affecting smoke grenade particles it becomes an MP issue also. But, I'd still like to see it at least possible. Perhaps a kind dev could leave open the possibility of applying PhysX to particles somehow :) would be good for fuel spill fires etc.

[Choki 10]

would be a great effect, but not a priority for Bis I think

[Opticalsnare 12]

Depends really, all it requires is some form of collision system. Particles are just .p3d planes with a texturemap "billboard" and other stuff like rocks are solid objects "spaceobjects" < these could be made to work with physics quite easy i would think. As for the billboard types which are your general smoke,fire and pretty much everything else proberly would need a bit more complex implementing although seeing as i said before its just a .p3d plane with a texturemap it might be as simple giving it a simple collision system so it interacts with buildings & hills. Who knows quess were have to wait and see.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

"My mothers virginity" :D It's funny how smoke is completely unaffected by everything but wind, yet the grass on an airport will actually flatten as aircraft take off. That said, it's not (to me) what makes or breaks a simulation of this kind - there are more important stuff to focus on.

I guess one of the problems is the size of these billboards being so varied. Rotating the huge billboard of a WP smoke would yield grossly different results compared to the tiny one from a regular smoke grenade.

[Opticalsnare 12]

Talking about billboards im hoping they fixed the issue with the size + camera direction. When i had my one of my billboards really big because i wanted to use a animation made via 3rd party particle program for example some kind of explosion, the pos of the particle changed with my direction/angle making it look odd. I had some really awesome explosions is well i could have used but coudnnt get them to be big enough to actually make them work because it kept messing up the pos with angle. :(

If BIS fixed this you could use a 3rd party program to make all particles and then have the game only have to play one single particle you could make a few differnt ones for random effects but the MAJOR thing it would FREE up an enormous amount of resources and the particles could be made however you want in the particle program or you could even use real explosions.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Opticalsnare

[-=seany=- 5]

I would love to see this effect in game. Would add a lot of atmosphere in battle.

[purepassion 22]

Opticalsnare, would you like to make a ticket for that on the Arma 3 CIT?

[Sleep 10]

would be a great effect, but not a priority for Bis I think

Sounds like a great warfx style mod feature to me.

[wipman 1]

Hi, would be the 1St game that i know with such feature, and everyone will be talking about it and doing things like pimp videos and taking screenshots, in other words... possitive feedback = good publicity = more customers = more money; the BIS CEOs could drive M5s instead rusty skodas or damn golfs, it's up to 'em but i think that's late for this feature. Let's C ya

[purepassion 22]

hehe well in fact it is a PhysX feature and being used in e.g. Batman AA:

watch from 0:23

This is however on a very small scale.

[FallujahMedic -FM- 867]

Thanks for the comparison video! A lot of nice features there. I especially liked the cloth banners. I can see flags fluttering properly on a flagpole now or the material at an agora billowing in the breeze. :)

[pathetic_berserker 4]

Well I'm going to be positive about the idea and dream that BIS has already set someone to the task. Just last night I was flying choppers over the smoking debris of vanquished enemies and couldn't help but feel the love drop just a little as I passed through the smoke. Any improvement at all wil benifit BIS across the board.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Pathetic_Berserker