Render improvements

[frustum]

I have some thoughts about current render development. Some features will be removed, if you don't use it. Migration on full Direct3D11/OpenGL4.0 render will happen next year.

• impostors will be removed
  
• parallax mapping will be removed
  
• translucent shadows will be refactored to support color shadows from the particles (depth information will be removed from the translucent shadow map)
  
• SSDO will be removed, SSAO will be improved and will be moved at the end of ambient pass as before
  
• deferred lights will have access to specular textures
  
• new mesh and mesh skinned formats with seamless tessellation, seamless surface connections and vertex color
  

[steve.brodie]

What will be the preferred alternate method for parallax mapping? as we use parallax extensively through our scenes.

 

A new SSAO will be good

[ulf.schroeter]

• impostors will be removed
  
• parallax mapping will be removed
  

 

What would be the benefit of removing these optional features ? For sure there are still usefull special use-cases.

 

 

• translucent shadows will be refactored to support color shadows from the particles (depth information will be removed from the translucent shadow map)
  

 

I still would suggest regular shadow refactoring for improved long-distance/high-altitude-support (e.g. bird-eye camera/flight simulators) including soft distance fading to avoid clearly visible shadow edges as with current shadow implementation.

[frustum]

What will be the preferred alternate method for parallax mapping? as we use parallax extensively through our scenes.

 

A new SSAO will be good

 

Tessellation is faster on modern hardware.

We can improve the quality of deferred lights if parallax mapping will be removed.

[frustum]

What would be the benefit of removing these optional features ? For sure there are still usefull special use-cases.

 

Impostors require additional support time. And we don't use impostors in our projects. Forest system is based on different approach. Moreover impostors don't cast shadows.

 

Parallax mapping can be replaced by tessellation.

 

I still would suggest regular shadow refactoring for improved long-distance/high-altitude-support (e.g. bird-eye camera/flight simulators) including soft distance fading to avoid clearly visible shadow edges as with current shadow implementation.

 

I will add soft distance fading for the world lights.

[ulf.schroeter]

I will add soft distance fading for the world lights.

that's great ! Knowing your reservation against it but still I am impressed by SDSM shadows by their much reduced artifacts on camera movement/zoom in/out. Based on the provided videos this seems to be a real new level of quality compared to standard PSSM..

[frustum]

impostors have been removed