Cockpit Shadows

My apologies if this has already been asked/answered but will rFactor 2 support actual cockpit shadows now? I see lots of graphical improvements would be a shame if its how it is in rfactor 1.

 

I don't care if the graphics are throwback papyrus IRL, shoot me a demo

 

Doesn't really affect me.


Or anyone else playing in a corrected FOV.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH14v6cU4uQ&fmt=22

 

I have never been able to enjoy using a narrow FOV like that, when using a single monitor setup. The loss of sense of speed and awareness around the car is too big for me.

On topic: I would guess the new dynamic lighting/shading would also affect the inside of the car. So hopefully we'll see details in the car cast shadows.

 

ISI do you have any reply to this yet?

 

Yes there will. The video yesterday is also not an indication of graphics. Shadows were turned down due to a current dev issue and are not yet final anyway. There's also no post processing features in effect.

 

I'll take this opportunity and ask somethig else about shadows

I'm wondering if they will be done in the proper way. Some games (even those based on so-called "cutting edge" engines) have a common, basic error in shadows - developers often add shadows to a game by adding them at the end of rendering process and simply making shadowed areas 50% darker or so.
Good shadows should give shaders a chance to check if pixel is in shadow and if it is - eliminate light source from eqations (diffuse and specular).

Simply put - shadows should not be added to scene at the end - they should be a part of lighting algorithm, because they decide which pixels can given light reach.

You can see that error in F1 2010 by Codemasters - there's specular lighting inside a shadow.

At the same time engines like these used in Doom 3, Unreal/Gears of War and even indie engines like Unigine, get it right by making shadows part of lighting system. Not only it looks better but it also works faster - you no longer need that extra pass at the end

I saw this error on one of earlier rFactor 2 screenshots, too:



That's why I'm wondering is this just an early-version / WIP thing or is that how it is going to stay. It's just so common that developers overlook this issue.

...or maybe that's just temporary implementation because you're planning deferred lighting for improved performance at night... Just dreamin'

 

Tim, thanks for the reply. Its the answer i've been waiting(and wanting) to hear. This will really step up the immersion in the cockpit over the older gmotor2 titles and finally bring it up to par with the newer racing games out now. I'm aware your preview material isn't meant to showcase graphics but was very curious about this.

 

Well, they did implement shadowmaps, so not only you will now be able to see shadows everywhere, but there will be no problems known from last rFactor. For example if you stopped the car under the bridge, you could see car shadow inside bridge shadow and car shadow on top of the bridge. This will not be the case anymore - shadows will be where they're supposed to be. The only thing left unknown is their appearance - will they be unrelated to lighting, or will ther work properly with it.

 

Not really correct is it, everyone sits in diffrent positions in a real car with seats at diffrent heights and angles some further back from the screen some close, your view would be ok if you had 3 monitors otherwise it looks like how my mother in law drives with her head 2 inches from the windscreen!

 

It is mathematically calculated based on your personal screen size and the distance you sit from the screen. Also the height offset from your eye to the center horizontal line of the screen determines other adjustments such as orientation offset and in-game chair adjustment.

Tutorial here.. http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/93-Setting-up-your-rFactor-FOV-Tutorial

 

2 days ago i was in a traffic jam... bored... so i lean forward, chin on the wheel, ridiculous view, just like on the screen above and pretty dangerous, no chance to see what's on the left and right of me without turning your head

 

It has nothing to do with moving your head position. It is about narrowing the FIELD OF VIEW or the viewing angle from your eye position to the rest of the world.. In this case matching the viewing cone of a single or multiple monitors. Doing so in games doesn't just remove the peripherals it fixes scale, distance judgment and removes distortion.

 

This thread is about shadows and not FOV.

 

Agreed.

EDIT:

We need better in-cockpit shadows. I wonder how much the mod maker will have to do to make them render correctly.

 

Preferably nothing. Solid surfaces should cast shadows, and glass should not. All surfaces should receive shadow. Nothing for modder to do here.

Unless there will be a problem I described above - a separate rendering pass that adds shadows to previously rendered scene - that makes things more complicated and requires modder to specify shadow receivers. It also makes engine work slower (because of extra rendering pass) and shadows look incorrect.

 

Tinted glass casts a mild shadow in real life. Roll your car window partway down and you'll see it.

 

Yes, I know that of course, but it's different in computer graphics. Both shadow casting techniques - shadow maps and shadow volumes - can only tell if something is in shadow or not. They do not carry information about shadow strength.
That's why most games do not cast any shadows from glass.

It's possible, but more difficult to implement and it will be either more performance-costly or giving incorrect results.