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[Mick]

Hi guys !


I got a PM today from a member, telling me he appreciated my "shadow" work BUT, that such detailed shadows were not only unecessary but also a heavy burden for GCs, since meshes got heavier, and a big load for the game, especially when, say, 30 AC of that AC model were in the air at the same time ...

Well, I quite understand his concern, even though I don't have the slightest idea of how the game deals with shadows and their impact on fps for ex ... 

If my memeory doesn't fail me, textures (TGAs) are only loaded once by the game (which doesn't prevent me from chopping down, say a scarf or a strap texture that originally is 1024, 24 bit, 3 MB in size down to 256, 8 bit, 66ko), but what about meshes ...??? 

If somebody knows and is willing to tell us, if after all, detailed shadows are, or aren't a good idea, I am all ears ... 

Another solution would be to propose both detailed and "rough" shadow meshes for a plane ...

For instance, I am currently working on the WIP Ki-96 shadows, what do you guys, think of the very "edgy" engine cowlings shadows ...? 

[Vampire_pilot]

shadow is probably handled like an effect and therefore calculated continuously, not like a graphic.
Indeed, too many and too detailed shadows kill the FPS.

In the early days of Il-2, turning off the shadows used to be the THE performance boost.

[Gaston]

In the early days of Il-2, turning off the shadows used to be the THE performance boost.

Is it still possible today, with BAT, for example ???

[Mick]

... yep, you only need to edit your conf.ini file (at the root of the game)

Example:

Shadows=2  <== edit here, try = 1 or =0
Specular=2
SpecularLight=2
DiffuseLight=2
DynamicalLights=1
MeshDetail=2
VisibilityDistance=3

Sky=2
Forest=3
LandShading=3
LandDetails=2

LandGeom=3
TexLarge=1
TexLandQual=3
TexLandLarge=1

VideoSetupId=17
Water=4
Effects=2  <== you can also edit the Effects line, = 1 for ex
ForceShaders1x=0
PolygonOffsetFactor=-0.0625
PolygonOffsetUnits=-1.0

[Epervier]

Effects=2  <== you can also edit the Effects line, = 1 for ex

Effects=1 (0 effects without shadow, 1 effects with shadow, 2 mode with enhanced light play)


Mick laisse tomber ! Ils préfèrent avoir des textures et des effets du feu de Dieu...
Et un aigle avec des ombres de moineau ne gène personne ! 
Prends ta retraite... entre nous !        

[SAS~Storebror]

shadow is probably handled like an effect and therefore calculated continuously, not like a graphic.
Indeed, too many and too detailed shadows kill the FPS.

In the early days of Il-2, turning off the shadows used to be the THE performance boost.

This - almost.

Shadows are "just another mesh" which is used for a light ray calculation with one single source (the sun).
That's the utmost the IL-2 game engine can take. Reflections for instance don't drop shadows 'cause it exceeds the graphic engine's capabilities.

The more complex the shadow meshes, the longer it takes to calculate the raybeams, hence to draw the shadows.
Essentially each edge of the shadow mesh has to be calculated separately, the more there are, the longer it takes.
IF shadow complexity was no issue, self shadowing would have been the easiest way out.
But it is an issue.
A massive one actually.
That's why shadow meshes should only be a very rough estimation of the original meshes. Very rough.


Mike

[Mick]

... I was wrong then, trying to make shadow meshes match the original meshes ... 

Are shadows an issue only when they are displayed, AC on the ground or flying low, or even if the AC is flying high and no shadow is displayed ...?

... so now I'm going to delete all LOD 0, 1 and 2 from all my AC, and only keep LODs 3, that will give me extraterrestrial fps for sure ...!

[erafitti]

... I was wrong then, trying to make shadow meshes match the original meshes ... 

This is an example of my "fights" with the shadows.



That of LOD 0 is already very simplified compared to the "high definition" model.

That of LOD 1 could be replaced by that of LOD 2, surely "our eyes" would not notice it.

The LOD 2 with a single "cube" without tower or cannon, is sufficient.

Regarding ground targets, I have verified that the shadows help to identify them from greater distances, in tests I did with stationary airplanes (Bf109) at the bases with a value of lod 400 it may be sufficient.

Un saludo.

[Mick]

... THX for these examples, errafitti ... 

I believe the problem is different for vehicles/tanks/objects, especially when you see them when flying at 400 km/h and at a certain altitude, in that case, simplified shadows will do the job ... 

Anyway, since I don't use a 3D prog' to make shadows or add missing ones, but only the copy/paste/rename method, I won't be able to make simplified shadows ... 

Also, I only make shadows for LOD0 ...

This prob' makes me think of some AC that have only one LOD (LOD0), logically this means that even viewed from far, since the game only has one LOD to display the AC, the most detailed one, then the impact on fps should be big (especially online), or am I wrong ...? 

Anyway, I have just finished new shadows for the WIP Ki-96, I'll post them just in case anybody is interested ... 

[Mission_bug]

I am also guilty of using a copy of the main lod as a shadow, something I first saw when looking through a model by someone else as I tried to understand the process, from experience it would seem many of us have done that for some time now and also omitted the various lods or reduced them.

The game will surely grind to a halt, we are doomed, everything will need to be done again.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Mick]

I am also guilty of using a copy of the main lod as a shadow ...

... true, but when there are several [Materials] in a mesh, not all of them need a shadow (and that alone, makes it all the more tricky ...), Glass meshes for instance of course don't ...

[erafitti]

... THX for these examples, errafitti ... 

I believe the problem is different for vehicles/tanks/objects, especially when you see them when flying at 400 km/h and at a certain altitude, in that case, simplified shadows will do the job ... 

I understand that whether it is an airplane or another vehicle, the criteria with the shadows are the same, here is another of my works.



As you very well say, the problem exists when you have a single LOD.

To observe the detail of the shadows, it is very easy. At an air base, make your plane take off and from a superior external view try to follow the shadow while the plane ascends.

Un saludo.