3889 replies to this topic

[toxie]

@kiwi: the next build might fix the alpha flippers issue you have, please let me know if it doesn't fix it though.

So, is it possible to add multiply blend option to lights or add falloff  feature to Flashers

 

bulb lights already feature the modulate option, too.

[Slydog43]

Not sure what happened, but when I create a new table in VP10, no audio can be heard.  Papa table has sound, but blank table does not.

[fuzzel]

yes it seems that the sound samples were deleted in the default table.

[freneticamnesic]

@kiwi: the next build might fix the alpha flippers issue you have, please let me know if it doesn't fix it though.

So, is it possible to add multiply blend option to lights or add falloff  feature to Flashers

 

bulb lights already feature the modulate option, too.

Can't do a black /dark color like a shadow using lights

[fuzzel]

sounds will be back in the next version...

[kiwi]

@kiwi: the next build might fix the alpha flippers issue you have, please let me know if it doesn't fix it though.

 

Thanks, good to know.

 
If it was possible to adjust the backlash , when the ball hits the gate on the side that is closed (make another separate control),

too much friction slows the animation of the gate when the ball enters the side that is open.

 

Thanks

 

Max

[toxie]

Can't do a black /dark color like a shadow using lights

 

 

True, just looked at the code again..

I guess thats actually good, so that lights will really always be lights, and only the flashers are the only elements that allow for the "dirty" stuff..

[fuzzel]

rev1757 is up :

 

- fix transparent decals
- some minor fixes, optimizations and cleanups & rotate ball image if in cab mode
- fix black screen if bloom strength is set to 0.0
- add sounds back to default table
- add alpha test value to texture manager so user can define when the masking should kick in
- change BSD dimensions
- add 2 special games to dimension list and add comments on potential errors
- fix search/select element feature
- enable/disable alpha blending by material
- retweak ball color handling
- shaders cleaned up and overall optimizations

 

This revision has a major change in the texture alpha handling:

You can now select the alpha mask value in the image manager for each texture. In previous revisions the alpha mask value was hard coded into VP. Sometimes it was 1 sometimes it was 128 (leftover from old VP9 DX9 conversion days). This alpha mask value is a boundary where DX9 starts to reject pixels if the alpha value of a pixel is equal or lower to this mask value. So the default value is 128 that means only alpha values from 129-255 are displayed. If you set it to 1 you get a smooth blend shade. To activate the correct alpha blending you have to activate the opacity (checkbox) in the material. You will get odd results if opacity is disabled. Don't blindly activate opacity for every material because the alpha blending can have a big impact on performance. So only activate it on materials/elements where you have to use alpha blending.

 

Another change is that decals can be transparent too now. But again handle with care because if you use a decal on the table (not the backdrop) the decal is rendered every frame and isn't static anymore.
 

[toxie]

this should give you guys a nice performance boost.. 

[chepas]

Nice one!

 

In the select element would it be possible to add the layer number for the object into a column for reference?

 

I think it would be nice that way if you take your views off first, select element and just enable the layer for that object. Just faster to get around when all layers are off.

Edited by chepas, 25 February 2015 - 10:51 PM.

[Shadowsclassic]

Okay this is weird, the black screen is back! Does it on multiple tables. I blew everything back to 1730 and everything works. Reinstalled 1757 and black screen again?   Any thoughts?   

[freneticamnesic]

I don't see any performance increase with 4xaa...it's actually a half of a frame per second slower

[gtxjoe]

Regarding dynamic shadows   I had asked for modification to the light or flasher object to supports shadow techniques.  I guess I would consider this a dirty trick

 

So... how about creating a new VP object called Shadow. It is essentially the Light object hardcoded to do multiplicative blending.  So now Shadows could be an officially supported VP object instead an abuse of an existing VP object 

[freneticamnesic]

Yea if you spend a lot of time with flashers you might get them looking right but it really should be some kind of extension of the light object, I think it has all the features we need for good looking shadows, except the ability to look good right now!

[Shockman]

Shadows are just an absence of light. It's wrong to assume that light wrapping around something makes the area the light misses darker.

 

I believe this is the way to make shadows.

 

You will notice that the targets that are up are blocking light, and the light comes through if the targets are down. It's still fakery, but the effect in action is really nice.

 

I understand that this is in effect the same that is going on now, but shaping light around things isn't looking realistic to me because it don't blend well. the light effect is made from 4 lights that spread from edge to edge of the targets inside the gap. they overlap to catch the edges that are lit by the other lights but you can not tell. Because they are seperate added lights they have their own falloff so no hard edges. So to make shadows anywhere I would add light around the area and have natural shadow instead of wrapping one light around it or drawing or modeling shadows.

 

 blueprint.png   21.17KB   22 downloads

 

Edited by Shockman, 26 February 2015 - 05:03 AM.

[Shockman]

But still the lights absolutely need the falloff shapeable. They could use much more like vertical layment and vertical spread, but the falloff shaping is a must in my opinion. Even if it is not custom, but predetermined shapes like stretchable ovals.

[toxie]

Okay this is weird, the black screen is back! Does it on multiple tables. I blew everything back to 1730 and everything works. Reinstalled 1757 and black screen again?   Any thoughts?   

 

Strange.. Which tables work and which don't?

I don't see any performance increase with 4xaa...it's actually a half of a frame per second slower

 

Mileage can vary of course, depending on what the limiting factor of your system setup is. On my two test systems it definetly made a difference.

Shadows are just an absence of light. It's wrong to assume that light wrapping around something makes the area the light misses darker.

 

I believe this is the way to make shadows.

 

I can only second that.. But still one has to compensate for all the global lighting that doesn't cast shadows at the moment.. :/

[kiwi]

The flippers are back , other tests after work.

 

Thanks!

 

Max

[ClarkKent]

 

Performance maybe higher with the latest beta but I still get occasional slight stutter of the ball when using 4xAA and vsync (but fps remains at 60 fps - and there is enough reserve as I get about 90 fps without vsync). Absolutely no stutter when switching off 4xAA and vsync and using 120 fps as a constant frame rate.

 

did you experiment with the max prerendered frames (0,1,2)? does it change anything?

 

Yes, I experimented with the values. With 0 prerendered frames I get more stutter (of course, only now and then), with 1 and 2 less - but there is still this occasional stutter. It's weird because with F11 I can see constant 60 fps (even when the ball stutters slightly). And it makes no difference if I set vsync to on or adaptive in the Nvidia control panel. I can see this clearly at the MB table: with vsync and 4xAA the ball slightly stutters now and then and is a little bit torn apart when it rolls down the rightmost lane (right of the bumpers). And it stutters A LOT when rolling down the right wire ramp. Most times the ball rolls fluidly but now and then it slows down (like only 20 or 30 fps are shown at the time it stutters). I tried to enter constant 60 fps (not 1 but 60 in the options) but it's the same result. When entering constant 120 fps with pre rendered frames 0 without 4xAA it rolls down even there without ANY stutter. This applies to all V10 tables available today not only MB. think if my graphics card would be powerful enough to get a minimum of 120 fps with 4xAA enabled this setting (4xAA, 120 fps) would be the best - unfortunately the fps goes down from 190 to 90 when 4xAA is enabled.

[freneticamnesic]

Top is no AA

Bottom is 4xaa