Max Distance

GenomaxterGenomaxter Join Date: 2003-10-11 Member: 21597Members
edited April 2010 in Mapping
<div class="IPBDescription">view distance, object shadow distance</div>Engine problem - I hit the max view distance ~ around 3000+ units i believe. (didn't exactly measure). Objects become transparent. (i Barely hit this....)

Engine and Editor problem - Objects don't make shadows if they are over 500 units away from the target light. Big problem for an area I'm creating.. <b>very few</b> lights, except for one bright outdoors light which isn't casting shadow on some objects inside the room.

Anyone else have these problems or similar ones? anyway to correct these using lua or would this be an engine thing?

If i need to post screenshots I will.
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Comments

  • MendaspMendasp I touch maps in inappropriate places Valencia, Spain Join Date: 2002-07-05 Member: 884Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow, Retired Community Developer
    edited April 2010
    The shadows disappear based on the distance of the light IIRC, but I think longer distances affect performance.
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  • GenomaxterGenomaxter Join Date: 2003-10-11 Member: 21597Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1767128:date=Apr 15 2010, 02:40 PM:name=Mendasp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mendasp @ Apr 15 2010, 02:40 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1767128"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The shadows disappear based on the distance of the light IIRC, but I think longer distances affect performance.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    i have a 2000 distance directional light (i tried 3000 units, i tried omni as well..) shadow's refuse to show on objects past 500 units.

    oh and this does NOT seem to be a problem vertically..... it works vertically.
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  • Lemming JesusLemming Jesus Join Date: 2010-04-13 Member: 71385Members
    The shadows are a known problem.
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  • SlycasterSlycaster Limited Edition Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 24Members, NS1 Playtester
    <!--quoteo(post=1767132:date=Apr 15 2010, 02:47 PM:name=Lemming Jesus)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Lemming Jesus @ Apr 15 2010, 02:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1767132"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The shadows are a known problem.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    This, shadow rendering is currently experiences some bugs and is not rendering properly.

    The obvious example of this is the differences in shadows when you are near them versus far away from them.
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  • GenomaxterGenomaxter Join Date: 2003-10-11 Member: 21597Members
    Ok Thanks! so i'll wait about the shadows..

    Any information about the max view distance? whether its going to be upped any?
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  • StardogStardog Join Date: 2004-10-25 Member: 32448Members
    I imagine they'll have shadows at much larger distances than current. It'd affect gameplay if they stayed as they are and other games like Bad Company 2/Stalker have fully dynamic shadows (and more accurate ones) at much larger distances.
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  • The_Real_QuasarThe_Real_Quasar Has the I.Q. of 12,000 P.E. Teachers Join Date: 2002-11-26 Member: 9998Members
    On the subject of shadows, is anyone else having a problem with the shadows from some lights showing up in the editor, but not in-game?
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  • taledentaleden Join Date: 2003-04-06 Member: 15252Members, Constellation
    edited April 2010
    I'm having a similar but slightly different light-related problem: some lights I can see from a distance, but as I approach their source, they fade out and disappear. It's hard to explain, but it is definitely related to my position; if I stand still everything is the same, if I walk towards such a light it disappears (the floor beneath it goes dark), if I move away it stays lit. Not all lights behave this way, but a handful of the ones on the test maps do.

    I'm on WinXPsp3, amd64, 8800gts

    Edit: I loaded up the map in the editor, and it appears to only happen to shadow-casting lights. Stranger still, it doesn't happen to every shadow-casting light, and for lights that it does happen to, it doesn't happen every time; I can find one, go back and forth near it and watch it fade in and out, but then leave the area and return later to find the same light working just fine.
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  • MaxMax Technical Director, Unknown Worlds Entertainment Join Date: 2002-03-15 Member: 318Super Administrators, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, Constellation, Subnautica Developer, Pistachionauts, Future Perfect Developer
    The shadows fading out is intentional, however it will be adjusted as we optimize more.
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  • taledentaleden Join Date: 2003-04-06 Member: 15252Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1767573:date=Apr 17 2010, 12:39 PM:name=Max)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Max @ Apr 17 2010, 12:39 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1767573"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The shadows fading out is intentional, however it will be adjusted as we optimize more.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I grok fading the shadows out as you go <b>away</b> from them, for performance, but in my case it's backwards: I can see the shadows <b>only</b> while far away, and they disappear as I get <b>closer</b>. That doesn't seem right.

    Incidentally, it kind of reminds me of something that used to happen in WoW: little flavor doodads on the ground (skulls, books, etc) would disappear when I got close to them, and reappear when I backed off or started turning my camera away from them. That also seemed like a performance optimization calculated backwards. In both cases I had an AMD64 cpu and 8800 GTS video chip, but everything else is different: linux+wine vs. windows xp, different physical video cards (512mb vs 320mb variants), different driver versions, different game engines.

    I wonder, is there something built into the DirectX language that does this optimization for you on the video hardware (like "only render this geometry/light/etc if it's within X of the camera")? If so, I wonder if the 8800 GTS, or maybe nvidia's drivers, have a bug that causes this.
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