re-thinking the visual pipeline for next-gen games,alex amancio thursday august 3rd, 2006,rapidly creating a high resolution model (to be used as a normal map),rapidly creating a high resolution model to be used as a normal map,in-game model with normal map,rapidly creating a high resolution model to be used as a normal map,step 1:,unwrapping and converting uv data into a planar 3d model based on the uv coordinates,modeling the high resolution model (adding complex detail is much simpler on a 2d surface),rapidly creating a high resolution model to be used as a normal map,step 2:,adding additional detail and extracting the normal map in z-brush,rapidly creating a high resolution model to be used as a normal map,step 3:,applying the complex normal map to the in-game model,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,a breakdown of the basic principles on how the human eye perceives the world,= general detail,medium distance,= macro detail,long distance,short distance,= micro detail,distance is important,different elements are important at different distances,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,general detail,colors & patterns,long distance,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,medium distance,macro detail,curves & volumes,general detail,colors & patterns,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,short distance,micro detail,texture & grain,general detail,colors & patterns,macro detail,curves & volumes,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,extrapolation of these principles into simple rules to follow when creating a material,general detail : colors & patterns,= diffuse map,=,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,extrapolation of these principles into simple rules to follow when creating a material,macro detail : curves & volumes,= normal map,=,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,extrapolation of these principles into simple rules to follow when creating a material,micro detail : texture & grain,= specular map,=,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,implementation of these principles into the actual creation of textures & materials,diffuse maps,extrapolate the chromatic information,avoid any easily recognizable patterns,keep detail to a minimum,of course,in cases where the height of the surface contrasts sharply,deep grooves,sharp protrusions,better results will be achieved if a minimal lighting (radiosity) is included in the diffuse maps.,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,implementation of these principles into the actual creation of textures & materials,normal maps,extrapolate the macro detail,do not get into details that are too small,for organic surfaces, adding a second level of height into the normal will increase realism and quality,+,=,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,implementation of these principles into the actual creation of textures & materials,specular maps & masks,extrapolate light surface information,replicate surface grain and imperfections,+,=,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,implementation of these principles into the actual creation of textures & materials,specular maps & masks,+,=,regular specular map,tiled specular map,achieving realistic visuals avoiding the “photo plastered on poly” look,implementation of these principles into the actual creation of textures & materials,environment shader demo movie,next-gen character shaders remaining sharp at any distance,next-gen character shaders remaining sharp at any distance,a breakdown of the principles & techniques used,current next gen pipelines,gigantic textures are not an option as even next-gen is subject to the same constraints as current-gen even high resolution textures get blurry when you get close enough,next-gen character shaders remaining sharp at any distance,a breakdown of the principles & techniques used,emerging next gen pipelines,reasonable sized textures in well thought out shaders are the key the models remain crisp when viewed from up close,next-gen character shaders remaining sharp at any distance,a breakdown of the principles & techniques used,shader recipe,512 x 512,diffuse map,next-gen character shaders remaining sharp at any distance,a breakdown of the principles & techniques used,shader recipe,normal map,512 x 512,next-gen character shaders remaining sharp at any distance,a breakdown of the principles & techniques used,shader recipe,mask,512 x 512,the textures 3 channels can each hold one different grayscale mask (r-g-b) specular mask dirt mask wound mask,next-gen character shaders remaining sharp at any distance,a breakdown of the principles & techniques used,shader recipe,specular map,256 x 256,the same tillable specular map can be used for all of the games characters,256 x 256,if extra quality is needed, a tillable detail normal can be added to the shader. this texture is also usable on all of the game characters.,detail normal map,next-gen character shaders remaining sharp at any distance,a breakdown of the principles & techniques used,actual print screen,creating variety through the use of custom shaders,creating variety through the use of custom shaders,the integration of custom in-game shaders into 3dsmax,what are some essential ingredients,get accurate information on the exact memory usage of your shader within the shader editor at the click of a button.,memory usage counter,creating variety through the use of custom shaders,the integration of in-game shaders into 3dsmax,essential for the creation of materials that use multi-layering (various diffuse, normal & specular maps).,essential for the usage of multiple uv groups in your material.,what are some essential ingredients,multi-channel alpha mask support,multiple uv map channel support,creating variety through the use of custom shaders,the integration of in-game shaders into 3dsmax,allows for different reflective surfaces on the same material,allows form multiple levels of normal detail per material,allows the adding of ambient occlusion (radiosity) information in the vertex illumination,what are some essential ingredients,multiple specular map support,multiple normal map support,ambient occlusion baking,creating variety through the use of custom shaders,the integration of in-game shaders into 3dsmax,advantages,easily accessible engine parameters render states lighting type surface type ids, etc.,tweakable viewport lighting sun color & intensity sky & ground colors hemispheric intensity,creating variety through the use of custom shaders,the integration of in-game shaders into 3dsmax,the main