Shadows

[Lockheed Martin-ch 0]

Hello all

I created a model with several resolution LODs and according to them, several shadow LODs with the same resolution (see picture).

Still, when I have the model ingame, only the first shadow LOD is taken. If I look at the model out of the distance of the first shadow LOD, the blured shadow (default one) is taken, not the sharp one I created in the next higher shadow LOD.

According to the biki, I use SBShadow=ShadowVolume as named property in the geometry. But still it doesn't show me the sharp shadows.

I think that I have to put SBShadow=Explicit in the resolution LODs to give the engine a clue about what shadow LOD needs to be used while rendering the seen LOD.

But I'm missing a third column where I can state the resolution or how to do this?

I hope, I made myself understandable since it's early in the morning

Regards

Lockheed Martin$ch

[armored_sheep 56]

ArmA engine uses Shadow Volume 0, Shadow Volume 10 and Shadow Volume 1000. Different values than that are not used.

Shadow volume 0 is the main stencil shadow. It shuould have less than 1000 triangles.

Shadow Volume 10 is optimised stencil shadow LOD with as few triangles as possible.

Shadow 1000 is special for trees, it uses alpha transparent textures to be calculated using GPU shadow buffer.

For more check BI model examples or http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Oxygen_2_-_Manual#ShadowVolume_LOD

[Lockheed Martin-ch 0]

Thank you for your answer Armored_Sheep.

Still even when I create a ShadowVolume 10 LOD, I don't get it ingame. I turn down the details, but I only see the 0, the high poly ShadowVolume. And in some distance away, the shadow starts to get blured...

In the geometry I have the two entries SBSource=ShadowVolume and PrefereShadowVolume=1 but I can't get rid of this, at some models, ugly blured shadow.

Is it to be like that or do I do something totally wrong?

[Lockheed Martin-ch 0]

Another thing regarding shadow are proxies. I have a proxy, of course it has a shadow volume. In Bulldozer the shadow of the proxy gets casted, but not ingame.

Please help with these questions

[Linker Split 0]

Another thing regarding shadow are proxies. I have a proxy, of course it has a shadow volume. In Bulldozer the shadow of the proxy gets casted, but not ingame.

Please help with these questions

did you check if in the shadowVoulme LOD there's not the proxy itself?

[Lockheed Martin-ch 0]

But yes I do use the proxy in the shadow volume, refering to the Biki it should be possible.

But in a way, even if I delete all shadow volumes (in proxy and the main model) I get this blurred shadow created due to the proxy in Bully, but not even then it will be casted ingame... It starts to get very strange, since Bully and ArmA is "the same" (or should be)?!

[earl 0]

You shouldn't need to use any such named properties, because default behaviour is to use stencil shadows from SV LODs. At some distance, I think the engine will always switch to shadow mapping (the blurry kind) because only this type of shadow can be faded, and all shadows fade away in the distance. That's how I understood it.

The only named property that should always be used is "LODNoShadow=1" on all visual LODs which are >400 faces.

Default behaviour should be:

*Use high detail SV lod to draw stencil shadow

*At distance use lower detail SV lod to draw stencil shadow

*At greater distance, use last or lower visual lods for shadow map source, and start to fade that shadow away.

[Linker Split 0]

You shouldn't need to use any such named properties, because default behaviour is to use stencil shadows from SV LODs. At some distance, I think the engine will always switch to shadow mapping (the blurry kind) because only this type of shadow can be faded, and all shadows fade away in the distance. That's how I understood it.

The only named property that should always be used is "LODNoShadow=1" on all visual LODs which are >400 faces.

Default behaviour should be:

*Use high detail SV lod to draw stencil shadow

*At distance use lower detail SV lod to draw stencil shadow

*At greater distance, use last or lower visual lods for shadow map source, and start to fade that shadow away.

sorry if i ask you earl, but I read you are a BI developer... so tell me if I'm wrong, but can't you be more accurate in the description of those shadows?

You answered: "...I think the engine will always..." or "...That's how I understood it...." But you are a Bi developer, so you should know how the engine work, shouldn't you?

Sorry if it's a senseless question, just to point out.

[Lockheed Martin-ch 0]

And there is a point which my ArmA doesn't do:

Quote[/b] ]*At distance use lower detail SV lod to draw stencil shadow

It uses the high SV LOD and after about 30m it switches to the blurry shadow.

The other thing I couldn't solve till now is the "proxy create shadow" thing.

[simba 0]

on normal settings, even BIS units switch to sharp shadow (below 30m).

on high settings, blurred shadow is permanent.

as pointed out by xav in troubleshooting thread, only air vehicles have blurry shadows.

quite strange if you ask me... blurry shadow should put less strain on GPU, but why then is it permanent on high settings ?

I made shadow volume 0.000, and the model doesn't cast any shadow on itself on normal settings,

do you have the same prob Lockheed ?

what's the point of making several Shadow Volume, while the unit shadow you watching disappears after 50 m or so ?

does binarysation influence shadows ?

a BIS reply about this would be very appreciated.

[earl 0]

You answered: "...I think the engine will always..." or "...That's how I understood it...." But you are a Bi developer, so you should know how the engine work, shouldn't you?

Because I don't work directly with BIS right now and my Czech isn't perfect ;-)

[Linker Split 0]

You answered: "...I think the engine will always..." or "...That's how I understood it...." But you are a Bi developer, so you should know how the engine work, shouldn't you?

Because I don't work directly with BIS right now and my Czech isn't perfect ;-)

thanks for the answer m8