Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Discuss maps & map creation - from concept to execution to the ever elusive release.

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Kloot
Spring Developer
Posts: 1867
Joined: 08 Oct 2006, 16:58

Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Kloot »

The next (probably non-minor) Spring release will support specular lighting for the SMF map format. You can enable this by adding one line to your map's SMD:

Code: Select all

...
[MAP] {
	...
	specularTex=myspeculartex.bmp;
	detailTex=mydetailtex.bmp;
	...
}
(BIG FAT NOTE: requires clients to have GLSL-spec hardware)

If specularTex points to a file that does not exist, you will get full unmoderated specularity based on whatever your map's lighting settings are:

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6774/ssmf0.png
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/8/ssmf1.png
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/4459/ssmf2.png
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1346/ssmf3.png
http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/7195/ssmf4.png
http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/6553/ssmf5.png
http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/7475/ssmf6.png
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7330/ssmf7.png
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/1983/ssmf8.png
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/6136/ssmf9.png

Otherwise, your specular texture's RGB channels will control the red, green, and blue contribution per highlight, and the A channel (multiplied by 16) becomes the specular exponent. This gives you per-pixel control over the color and intensity anywhere on the map. You could eg. make all highlights red, or have them depend on the type of material that a pixel represents, or something more exotic:

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/5518/ssmf10.png
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2489/ssmf11.png

Have fun.
Last edited by Kloot on 02 Feb 2010, 01:32, edited 1 time in total.
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SirArtturi
Posts: 1164
Joined: 23 Jan 2008, 18:29

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by SirArtturi »

Hmm.. nice... Pretty cool thing to play around. Maybe try out for "metallic" maps, however, according the screenshots, may need some delicate tweaking and adjustment to get it look properly for "natural" surfaces...

You got what you wanted Basic. Now we are waiting for your result... :)
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Argh
Posts: 10920
Joined: 21 Feb 2005, 03:38

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Argh »

1. What is the size specification for the specular texture?

2.
This gives you per-pixel control over the color and intensity anywhere on the map.
Uh... how? If specular texture size < diffuse, how are we supposed to have that level of control? Say, for example, I want strong specular highlights on a "wet" area of a map, but very dull ones in the "dry" zones. How can I use this to get that done? IOW, does it stretch, or does it just tile?

3. Does this cause the detailtex to be treated as a normalmap, or just the heightmap? If both, then I could see this adding a huge amount of detail, albeit a bit generic.
SeanHeron
Engines Of War Developer
Posts: 614
Joined: 09 Jun 2005, 23:39

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by SeanHeron »

Sounds interesting - blinding snow map, away!
Kloot
Spring Developer
Posts: 1867
Joined: 08 Oct 2006, 16:58

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Kloot »

What is the size specification for the specular texture?
There is none, it can have any size. However, if ...
specular texture size < diffuse
... then you won't get true per-pixel control, of course.
IOW, does it stretch, or does it just tile?
Stretch.
Does this cause the detailtex to be treated as a normalmap, or just the heightmap?
Just the heightmap. I could throw in a "detailnormaltex", but that would probably look like noise.
Last edited by Kloot on 08 Feb 2010, 19:03, edited 1 time in total.
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Gota
Posts: 7151
Joined: 11 Jan 2008, 16:55

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Gota »

SirArtturi wrote:Hmm.. nice... Pretty cool thing to play around. Maybe try out for "metallic" maps, however, according the screenshots, may need some delicate tweaking and adjustment to get it look properly for "natural" surfaces...

You got what you wanted Basic. Now we are waiting for your result... :)
HAHA
first I need to redo some of my old maps.
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smoth
Posts: 22309
Joined: 13 Jan 2005, 00:46

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by smoth »

so we have 2 textures, one setting spec and one setting the diffuse? or is this something that is blanketed on the map. Sorry, I am unsure how this stuff works.
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KaiserJ
Community Representative
Posts: 3113
Joined: 08 Sep 2008, 22:59

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by KaiserJ »

hells yes.

i, more than many, can put this to good use. thanks sir.

what can we expect in terms of performance impact?
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Argh
Posts: 10920
Joined: 21 Feb 2005, 03:38

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Argh »

I could throw in a "detailnormaltex", but that would probably look like noise.
That depends on the scale of the detail texture in tiles, really.
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1v0ry_k1ng
Posts: 4656
Joined: 10 Mar 2006, 10:24

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by 1v0ry_k1ng »

awesome :-)

neddies ice is finally possible?
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Neddie
Community Lead
Posts: 9406
Joined: 10 Apr 2006, 05:05

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Neddie »

I guess it is a good thing I haven't finished the map Picasso and I are working on.
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Beherith
Posts: 5145
Joined: 26 Oct 2007, 16:21

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Beherith »

Woohoo! now I can finish that map...

Just a small tip to anyone planning to use this: Use 16 bit heightmaps! Or you will get banding. If you didnt draw/generate the heightmap at 16 bits, then upconvert it in photoshop/whatever and do a series of small radius gaussian blurs on it, and maybe even use the -l mapconv option.

Whats the performance cost on this?

Is there any reason this is engine side and not just a luashader gadget? Does that allow it to be faster?

Is this committed to git so i can test it?
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hunterw
Posts: 1838
Joined: 14 May 2006, 12:22

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by hunterw »

Well done! This has been desired for a long time by a lot of people, including myself. Metal, crystal, and ice maps will be a lot more convincing now.
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Gota
Posts: 7151
Joined: 11 Jan 2008, 16:55

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Gota »

*Poor Trademark,having to redo like 100 metal maps he made.
Is it possible to add custom decals of explosions?
The default ones would probably look silly on crystal or ice maps.
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Das Bruce
Posts: 3544
Joined: 23 Nov 2005, 06:16

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Das Bruce »

Is there a practical application for this? because currently it looks like shiny shit.
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Beherith
Posts: 5145
Joined: 26 Oct 2007, 16:21

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Beherith »

Because all those test shots were made with specularity applied to the entire map. Otherwise it will look fine when used sparingly where needed.
Would rock if current git release would compile and I could actually test it :)
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hunterw
Posts: 1838
Joined: 14 May 2006, 12:22

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by hunterw »

Das Bruce wrote:Is there a practical application for this? because currently it looks like shiny shit.
it'd look great on tundra if it was applied only to the glaciers
Satirik
Lobby Developer
Posts: 1688
Joined: 16 Mar 2007, 18:27

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Satirik »

Das Bruce wrote:Is there a practical application for this? because currently it looks like shiny shit.
Image
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Pxtl
Posts: 6112
Joined: 23 Oct 2004, 01:43

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Pxtl »

Kernel Panic needs an Apple-themed map.
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Beherith
Posts: 5145
Joined: 26 Oct 2007, 16:21

Re: Make Your Maps Shiny(er) With SSMF

Post by Beherith »

Kloot, it doesnt work :(
I tried with git build from feb 3. and did it like you posted :(
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