[What are you working on :]

Micheal, the modeling work on these is excellent! I love the design!

[Leadwerks 3.1 framerate low ?]

Just saw a message from Josh on how to turn the FPS meter when using release. With the map here with my NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 got theses stats:

 

To turn FPS display on release, just press F11. (Thanks Josh!)

 

DEBUG: Min 20 FPS, Max: 200 Fps

RELEASE: Min 50 FPS, Max 450 Fps. So release actually almost double the speed.

 

When I was walking the map, the part where the frames are dropping the most is the top floor where the 3 "crawlers" are located. Just point the location of the crawler with the view and you will see the frame dropping, even if they are occluded by the door. Seen also that there are some flickering lights near the "crawler" place. I removed them and got some more FPS, but not that much.

[Crawlers not instanciated]

I use the CTRL key while moving the crawler and it create me another instance of it. If I modify it, and use the CTRL key while moving it, it will copy it. I don't think this is "slow". I must have missed something in your explanations...

[Leadwerks 3.1 framerate low ?]

Thanks YouGrove. Done another test. I removed all lights (used only Ambient)

The framerate still max at 200, and dropped from 200 to around 170 when the "crawler" was attacking. I killed it using the pistol, and then the framerate got back at 196 when it was in view.

 

For the fun of it, I added about 8-10 crawlers and the framerate dropped to 40-50 frames/sec. For me this is directly related to NPC, could be a lot of things.

 

On a sidenote, I was really surprised at how easy it was to add a functional weapon the the player. Will have to dig this lua code and see how it was done. Congrat. This editor is really simple to use!

 

Global illumination system like Deffered radiance transfert volumes

Checked on this technique. I did not know about. This is really incredible! Don't know if the dev will be able to implement something like this, but if they do, we'll all be in heaven!

[Nvidia series confusion need some help finding the right one.]

Hi,

 

The first site is simply a comparative section for buying among their models. You won't find info there for what your seek.

 

The second site is much more informative, as it's clearly says that support for GL4 was introduced with the Serie 400 of NVidia cards (Ex: GeForce GTX 460 IS GL 4)

 

So since serie 400, all the other cards that were introduced support this.

 

how would I find minimum graphic card with OpenGL 4.0?

By "minimum" you mean "cheapest"?

 

Check this one: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-620/specifications

I can find one at about $60 Can. here in Montreal. But if you really want to do something with Leadwerks, I would recommend getting something more powerful like a 640, 750, etc. The higher the number, the more graphic power the card has.

 

X20 in a serie (like in serie 400, 500, 600, 700 and now 800) mean basic use, X50 is middle range and X80+ is high end.

 

If you want to compare how much power a graphic card has over another I would recommend checking on GPUBOSS to with witch one is the most powerful.

[Using animation from the crawler model.]

I haven't checked how all of this could be done. But you would need to "rip" the skeleton from the crawlers and place it on your model then re-skin it so the bones will control the proper vertices of your model.

 

But to "rip" the skeleton, you would have to load the model inside a editor. And since the model is already converted in Leadwerks and you don't have the source FBX, I don't think it would be possible.

 

Then if you have done this, you would have to re-use the animations from the crawlers. Don`t know if that can be done directly from Leadwerk in code, or if you will be forced to do it in a 3D application.

[Map file version 24 not supported]

Done, Thanks. The icon is there and fully functional now. I won't have to fix it at each update.

[Leadwerks 3.1 framerate low ?]

Hi, Sorry to revive that thread. I would kindly ask if the Leadwerks developpers would have to check on another optimization pass on the engine. Get very low framerate with the "crawlers" level (all of them, but this map is the most apparent, since it the biggest)

 

I have a NVidia GTX 780 and Intel I7 running on Windows 7. And I get excellent performance from all the games I have here. I also understand that the product is being released, and there still more tweaks to do.

 

Here is a screenshot I have taken when I start the level using DEBUG mode. Using RELEASE seem a bit faster but...

 

On this screen, I got around 20+ with my current hardware with rendering only done in the windows (meaning that it's not even using my full screen resolution)

 

With scenes with less than 4K poly to render, got around 200+ Fps (other maps), and these maps are really small.

 

I've just got Leadwerks 3.1 standalone with LUA/C++ support for windows.

 

EDIT: Done a quick map using the editor. This editor is really cool! Happy to work with it.

temp.zip

 

The prefabs are really a JOY to use!I've been placing the player and the crawler in a few clicks and used a menu item to create the navmesh and the Crawler was running after me!

 

I've only been using the editor since 1-2 hours and I can already create a working map!

 

Got almost 200+ FPS when I was building and testing this map, did not see go much higher or lower until I put the crawler in. I don't think it's the crawler geometry, as I've put more of them and the frame dropped but never as much as the first.

 

Here are some things that perhaps could be checked to see how much they take MS per frame update. Perhaps there something to optimize in there. All reference frame numbers are taken from the DEBUG (slower). It was easier for me to have real numbers using this mode.

 

1 - Without the crawler on this map, regular refresh is about 200+fps

2 - When I added the crawler the FPS dropped from 200 to around 76+ fps

 

How much the LUA scripts are taking from one frame to the next? Is the lua subsystem is refreshed per frame?

 

Seen that the animated objects were creating a dynamic shadow. How much this shadow projection cost per frame? (seing a "shadow polygon" increase a lot when the crawler is near)

 

How much MS the navigation system takes per frame?

[Map file version 24 not supported]

Thanks all seem ok now.

The only thing is that the shortcut on the desktop point to this when I updated:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Leadwerks\Editor\Leadwerks.exe"

When the proper path should be:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Leadwerks\Leadwerks.exe"

[Map file version 24 not supported]

Hi, Got some problems also when I got Leadwerks for windows today:

 

1. When I got all the files (Got the standalone version, and got it today). Tried to launch the editor, and got error that I did not have VS2013 installed (I had VS2008 that I'm using with Irrlicht). So got to MS and installed MS Visual Studio Express 2013 and then the editor launched.

 

2. The icon on the desktop point to a wrong path "program files\leadwerks\editor" The leadwerks executable is directly in the leadwerks path. There is no "editor" path. Quickly fixed this by changing the path.

 

3. Loading example map work, but when I first try to "run" it it gave me "map file version 22 not supported". Then I save the file and try again, this time the error is "map file version 24 is not supported".

 

EDIT: Checked with the first Tutorial on C++ to load the default C++ project and build it.

 

This work, and the map loading went fine this time. Then I loaded back the editor with this new project and edited the default map. Editor seem to work fine once I compile a project with MSVC.

 

There is something wrong with the provided "MYGame" executable that do not like the map format.

 

Seem also to fail with a new .LUA project. Perhaps the provided .exe for this is also in problem.

 

EDIT2:I did some kind of hack by replacing the .exe with the ones I compiled. Was able to run the maps this time with only 1 error: "Asset map value is different". But I was seeing the truck.

 

@Josh, perhaps you could check for the .exe that were used as reference. I'm not sure they are good with this distribution.

 

If you want to check, compiled 2 new exe for the "myGame" exes. Just rename your old .exe in your project folder and use theses one. It worked for me.

Here is the files:

[Light Glicht]

Humm, this look like a overlapping polygon problem. Seem to me that the 2 faces are too near, if you could move it slightly it should render better.

[Leadwerks 2.5, specularity and gloss maps]

I think Skyshop use a technique called spherical harmonics to light the models. Seen some guys that were able to successfully implement it on their Irrlicht project (GL2.0). The picture need to be "baked" into some form of highly complex mathematical equation, but once you have the equation it can be used in a shader.

 

The light information it take come from the environment, so if you add dynamic lights, then the light information will need to be added to the result (surely some kind of blend pass in the deferred shader)

[Leadwerks 3.1 Source and Binary for free download]

Even on april fool day, I don't find this an amusing joke. I hope this will never happen to leadwerk in reality.

[Leadwerks 2.5, specularity and gloss maps]

Hi,

 

For Lux, It would probably be possible, but looking at their log their mention more DX11 than GL. But if they have a GL version of their shaders it should be possible to port them. Then after it depend what features of GL is needed and if LE can allow users to use it.

 

Edit: Quickly looking at Marmoset Skyshop is an image based lighting solution for Unity. They have a set of shaders using image based lighting with these:

• Blinn-Phong & Lambertian shading
  
• Gloss maps (per-pixel specular sharpness)
  
• Normal, diffuse, and color specular maps
  
• Specular fresnel
  
• Emmisive/Glow
  
• Shadows
  
• Light Gels/Cookies
  
• Light maps
  
• Light probes
  
• Transparency & simple glass
  
• sRGB color correction & linear color rendering
  
• Mobile shaders optimized for iOS
  

So all this stuff happen using their shaders. And their tools is for creating reflective cubemaps with pictures.

[Advanced BSP]

This is interesting, at some point we could perhaps have a way to add "plugins" to LE editor and add new tools to the editor to create geometry. (Editing animations and accessing bones would be nice, so we could do also some extra stuff there)

 

"Probuilder" is a separate tool that is not part of the Unity editor and sold separately. Would be nice to have the same, as having a way for others to add theses types of things to the LE editor.

[Coherent UI]

I think I will try to use Irrlicht GUI system with LE in C++. Been using it for a while so it will be easy to add GUI.(I think, and hope it will be)

 

Is there any other OPEN Source solution that could be added as a GUI SYSTEM (I know there CEGUI that also exist)

[Incorrect lightning / Shadowing]

Hi, Josh!

Lightmapping is not modern. It is terrible. It will never come back.

 

Ok, Thats is clear. Lightmapping had some quality to it that would be needed for realism. But, If you say it will never come back you have a solution to give equivalent quality of lightmaps.

 

What you you propose for indirect lighting (bounced light)? To my knowledge, lightmapping was the only way to have those. The only "newer" technique that seem to do that in real time is "

" but the hardware is not powerful enough to have a clean render.

 

Is there already something in current renderer that does that? If we can simulate the "cornell" box scene with Leadwerks 3.1. Then I'll be really happy. If not, we have to find a solution to have indirect lighting...

[Game Storyline Planning]

Hi, You could search for GDD (Game design documents) as a references/example on the internet. You could use it as a reference to document and plan your project.

 

Articy: Draft would be a nice choice tool.. Never had it, but it look really nice.

 

To have more specific details in the GDD there are specific sections that are dedicated to the level and are named "LDD" Level design documents. Theses documents refer to the level story, items, puzzles (if it have some).

 

I think I have some of them on my web site. Check on the documents section.

 

Here, found this on a web site and give other examples.

@mrstralberg: nice site! I did not know about this one! Cool!

[Leadwerks 3.1 framerate low ?]

Hi, Been reading this for days, and been questioning myself if I should write in that thread.

 

From what I see, the changes from 3.0 to 3.1 affected a lot the framerate, But using performance tools, I am sure we could get speed back to 3.0 had, we just need some patience. I'm sure the developer are well aware of this.

 

I find it nice that some users would like to help and create comparison between version. Could be a good idea to have a framerate meter on the demos and use them as a benchmark. Perhaps do some demo to improve the benchmark in lots of situations so the developers (engine) could have something to use with their tools to improve the rendering time.

 

The things that I don't find that nice, is that some are pushing too hard. The LE developers know that the rendering is affected and is slow. They have more than a hint about it now. Then why compare it with much matured engines, and make it look even worse?!

 

Theses engine, with time and popularity have much more budget and staff that is on LE right now. At the beginning they were worse that LE could have been.

 

I pre-ordered my version, because I think the tool has the potential to get as great as other products.

 

If you are on a real GAME project, and starting from scratch using 3.1 would not be advised at the moment. If you have a previous version that have the performance you need then stick to it until the "newer" one is finalized and reach the performance.

 

3.1 on Steam was released less than 2 month ago, what's the big rush about it?!

 

I'm still using Irrlicht (only rendering) and its stuck in GL2.0 since the day I first used it (5 years now). They plan to get it to GL3.2 but it could take the whole year before they reach it.

[How to remove her Blouse LE 3.1]

My model she has too much clothes on, need to remove her BlouseA .

I'm using the following and it's not working, help me please.

Removing the geometry could create problems with your model. Since it's a character, it must have been skinned, removing the geometry without ajusting the skinning would surely cause lot of problem when you animate the character back.

 

If you want to definitively remove the Blouse from the model, you will have to get the model back in a editing application, remove the sub-mesh (BlouseA), reskin the model or adjust the skinning and then finally export back.

 

The simplest approach, would be to define and apply a specific material for BlouseA and make it full transparent. The geometry will still be there but it would be invisible.

[[Solved]: Payment Expired]

Hi, I've used my credit card on the 11th of January to pre-order. But I don't have that message and everything seem ok. Did you pay the balance of your Paypal account? Perhaps this is a problem with Paypal itself, have you contacted them?

[Improved character animations using Smartbody]

Unity added very-recently another sub-system to help in character animations. They name it "mecanim".

 

I'm following a project that does something like similar to that and is open source (LPGL licence, but said they can negotiate some special licenses). Their project name is named Smart Body and is aimed at improving character animations (automatic, rigging, skinning, etc)

 

With this, users would only have to model their characters and share animations. The system would retarget the animations to the body shape and do the rigging and skinning automatically. From what I've seen from some videos, they can even lip sync from using text files and make characters talk!

 

This could be really interesting to have (in the long term) a tool like this integrated with Leadwerks.

 

You can check their video gallery if you were not aware of their project.

[MMOFPS?]

Ha! Ha! Never saw the date! Sorry guys! Only saw that it was a "new" topic and that there was a vote on it. So the guy who posted it has 19th years old now!

[MMOFPS?]

Before thinking of doing a MMO, you have to evaluate the hardware requirement:

 

The more users you have on the "servers" (Yes, you will need servers for this), the more servers and bandwidth you will need. Going into a MMO require a lot of budget and resources on the hardware side. Never seen a MMO game being hosted from a garage using a home connection.

 

1 - Start by creating a multiplayer game (LAN) first, then try to support more users in a single game. For a single PC, 16 players at the same time is possible if the bandwidth is sufficient to support them.

 

2- If your going "public" you'll need to check how to get some "ports" (your host) open and do some "NAT" translations to get behind routers.

 

3- If your still want to go to the full MMO, game you will have to run the game over multiple hosts, and that the servers does "load balancing". Really not an easy task.

[Animations on models from 3DS Max to Leadwerks]

Hi,

 

You could perhaps still use the controller, but it will need to control a bone and not the object.

Take your object, and put a bone in the middle and skin it 100% strenght (rigid) to the model. Then use your controller and control that bone, visually your should have the same effect and since the bone is skinned to the model, it should work when you export it in FBX.