[REL]ROW Pacific Environments 3.3

[Digital_Trucker]

Isn't each ships reflection contained in it's dat file? I seem to remember that being a problem when Dave was working on the subs reflections. I just took a look at the Colorado and there is a node (203 in 1.4 stock) for a 3D model of the reflection. If that model is used to create a reflection of a certain color (to match the stock water), could that be causing the problem? :hmm:Just a thought, since the reflection looks the same in both shots.

[vickers03]

the reflection color is in the reflexpac.tga,
the shape of the reflection is of course the 3d model.

[DrBeast]

Originally Posted by kriller2

The only problem with the special effects is that they use the zones.cfg to control the effects and TM uses the same file. Dr. Beast have made 3 different version one for stock SH4, one for NSM4 light and one for NSM4, so we need to make 3 different zones.cfg for TM and Dr. Beast is on vacation right now... :hmm:

DrBeast is indeed on vacations, enjoying the beautiful island of Corfu and a BLOODY FAST internet connection, courtesy of the guy who will be housing me and my g/f during our stay
I'll make a TM-compatible version of the Special Effects as soon as I'm back from my holidays. It's been nagging me for over a week now, ever since I realized I hadn't done a version for that mod. If RFB is/will be using a custom zones.cfg file as well, I'll make a compatible version for that mod too. LukeFF, swdw, or any other member of the RFB team, gimme a holler (and kindly point me in the direction of your zones.cfg file I can use as a template for the conversions ).
Kriller2, enjoy your last month of freedom, my friend! :rotfl:

[Digital_Trucker]

Originally Posted by vickers03

the reflection color is in the reflexpac.tga,
the shape of the reflection is of course the 3d model.

What I meant is that there is a seperate 3D model in the dat for the reflection.


Like I said, it was just a thought caused by remembering the work that Dave was doing on submarine reflections. IIRC he was planning on looking into doing reflection work on the ships after he finished the subs, which made me think that there was something different about each vessels reflection.

[DrBeast]

Originally Posted by Digital_Trucker

Like I said, it was just a thought caused by remembering the work that Dave was doing on submarine reflections. IIRC he was planning on looking into doing reflection work on the ships after he finished the subs, which made me think that there was something different about each vessels reflection.

He did try, but I remember him stating that there was way too much work involved trying to get the ship reflections v1.4-compatible, although he had made a wonderful version for 1.3, bless his soul.

[Digital_Trucker]

Well, it seems awfully strange (and perhaps it is a visual trick or something strange about my install), but, on my machine, the submarine hull's reflection looks normal, but the conning tower's reflection is washed out (white) looking like the ship's reflections in the earlier pictures. If the scene.dat or the reflexpac.tga controlled all the reflection colors, would there be differences between different parts of a vessel?:hmm:

[Nisgeis]

Originally Posted by Digital_Trucker

Well, it seems awfully strange (and perhaps it is a visual trick or something strange about my install), but, on my machine, the submarine hull's reflection looks normal, but the conning tower's reflection is washed out (white) looking like the ship's reflections in the earlier pictures. If the scene.dat or the reflexpac.tga controlled all the reflection colors, would there be differences between different parts of a vessel?:hmm:

The conning tower is a seperate model to the hull, so that would indicate it was a per model problem.

[MONOLITH]

Originally Posted by Nisgeis

What's beer foam?

In the earlier PE and ROW versions, during sunsets and sunrises, the seafoam and boat wakes took on the same color as the sunsets, and intense red and orange, etc.

Pics and a discussion can be found earlier in this thread. It was just overdone and caused an unrealistic appearance.

You can still see the same effects in W_clears EE4.

I did some testing, and then kriller went a step further and discovered it was controlled by the reflexpac. It was then fixed by kriller so the wakes and foam maintain a more realistic color even during intense sunset colors.

People were calling it Beer Foam. And Mountain Dew.

[Digital_Trucker]

Here's what I have for reflection settings for the conning tower and the sub.





I'm not sure what effect the frustrum test has, but it is set to true on the Colorado.

[Nisgeis]

The frustum is a rectangular based pyramid with the top cut off and it projects out from your monitor to the horizon (or some depth). Imagine the rectangular top stuck to your monitor and the sides of the pyramid projecting away from the monitor towards the horizon. Each side of the pyramid represents the area in the 3d world that cuts off what is and isn't seen on screen and the base of the pyramid represents the furthest distance at which something will be drawn. The frustum test checks to see if the frustum and the 3d object occupy the same space and if they do, the 3d object is on screen and should be drawn.

That's my understanding of it, but I'm no 3d expert, someone correct me if I'm wrong please.

[Digital_Trucker]

That expanation makes sense to me. It probably isn't the cause of the problem (unless it's a video card thing) 'cause I don't see any wierd reflections except for the conning towers.

Unfortunately, in order to figure it out, one would probably need to know all kinds of info regarding the systems that it affects. It seems to be one of those "I don't see that problem on my system", but "I do on mine":hmm: kinda things.

[kriller2]

Hi,
I have found out what is causing those bright reflections!! will post a patch soon...

@Digitaltrucker that setting "Frustumtest" was to enhance the caustics on the submarine.

[akdavis]

Originally Posted by kriller2

Hi,
I have found out what is causing those bright reflections!! will post a patch soon...

@Digitaltrucker that setting "Frustumtest" was to enhance the caustics on the submarine.

You rock.

Originally Posted by Mikhayl

What if you set the conning tower reflection settings (minvisdim/maxvisdim) the same as the hull settings ?

Perhaps this is why when in both stock 1.5 and PE3 you get within a certain minimum distance, the conning tower goes from a textured reflection (be it normal or white) to solid black.

[Digital_Trucker]

Originally Posted by kriller2

Hi,
I have found out what is causing those bright reflections!! will post a patch soon...

@Digitaltrucker that setting "Frustumtest" was to enhance the caustics on the submarine.

Excellent And thanks for the info on the Frustrumtest.

Originally Posted by Mikhayl

What if you set the conning tower reflection settings (minvisdim/maxvisdim) the same as the hull settings ?

Gonna take a look at what effects changing all those settings have on the conning tower reflections. I'll probably end up with "beer tower":rotfl:

[kriller2]

Okay this new knowledge is definately useful for further improvement of the relfections from all objects on water, here is something im testing:

Enhanced the reflection so the ship uses texture for a longer distance :


and enhanced the caustics on the ship:


This work if probaly the same thing Dave did to enhance the reflections, so once again we have prove on how brilliant he was

This allso might slow down FPS so more testing is needed..