Forgive me if this has been asked already - as usual I did do a search, but finding anything specific is pretty much like looking for a needle in a haystack in here now - but can I ask if the skybox in rF2 is finished, or if it's still WiP? The reason I ask is that a video was posted on VirtualR earlier on showing extremely pretty cloud effects in another game which was very impressive. I wouldn't have taken much notice of it and chalked it up to yet more style-over-substance on this game's part, but one of the responses showed a very similar and very impressive effect in rF1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojgDvuj_Z1g So, is it the intention that rF2 will be able to do something as cool as this from the get-go, or is it down to modders to do it in the future? No matter how jaded you are, you can fail to feel something when you see big, epic skies like this Cheers
This video is made with rFactor1 and SRPL ShaderPack by KSzczech. Those clouds are very impressive in term of using it in rF1. Also atmosphere light behaviour are very well prepared (for example dusk doesn't turn into black directly). Unfortunately those clouds generate significant impact on fps (30-50%) and have some issues due to rf1 engine limitation. note, that video has been made almost 2 years ago. Current version is improved comparing to this one. However rF2 clouds are not that bad. Those are part of weather system, being more complex but more optimized. Lighting of clouds as well as sky is not perfect. But we have hope ISI is working on it. Especially weather related features are announced to be improved. Of course we don't know road map so no one can guarantee what will be changed until gold or after release
Yeah, that's an old version of my sky for rFactor. This is better version of my clouds. Still not as goot as it could be, but enough to give you an idea: I'm using volume rendering which is not the only possible technique for 3D clouds. Most games use so-called importors. Volume rendering allows continous cloud cover with any shape and offer virtually unlimited control - you could, for example, make some rapid changes to cloud cover caused by nuclear blast. Impostors offer better performance but are designed for smaller, separate clouds that evolve slowly. In other words - volume rendering is like an area filled with gas that can take different shapes, while impostors are small pictures of clouds hanging in the sky. I have a hybrid solution in mind, so next time I'll go back to this topic I'll probably push it to next level in terms of lighting, quality and performance. For example - pCARS is using impostors with some good results: Although I still dislike their weird sunrises and sunsets Scott Juliano once mentioned they have 3D clouds in mind for rFactor 2, so it's possible they will be working on sky sometime in future.
Yep. I agree new clouds in pCARS look amazing. But currently if I’m part of both projects it’s because both projects have a specific identity, and I hoping it will stay like that. Reasons I play one or the others are different, and I have different fun in both cases. So yep I agree the visual experience can be improved in rF2, but I’m not looking for this and the way physics and FFB act here are amazing and I prefer to know rF2 Devs still work on priority this way (tires, etc.) than adding eyes candies Saying that, Great if it’s in the pipe…somewhere! BTW Great work KSzczech, I’m discovering it right now as I didn't know this mod for rF1! Really cool!
That is so cool. I can imagine it being quite spectacular if it were combined with sunset/sunrise lighting! It's things like this that are going to keep rF2 evolving for years to come
I can't help thinking about endurance racing when I see time lapse videos.. Imagine Le Mans, changing from night to early morning. With enough ambiant sounds the whole track comes alive. With nice lighting effects it will look like reallife and with some nice endurance mod we will be addicted to rF2 for a long time Sorry for OT
Not OT at all dude. Generally if I'm asking about a feature it's because I'm imagining how it would add to the experience at LM, spa, sebring, etc. It's why I'm so excited about rF2 in the first place! :-D Agree wholeheartedly with you. Le Mans with a big towering sky, heading into dusk, the sun setting down behind the Dunlop bridge (now there's an iconic image to replicate in rf2!), good ambient sounds, a bit of trackside movement (big wheel, flags, etc). My family wouldn't see me for days!
I do imagine that, frequently lol. It's my number one wish for rF2. As I've posted before, so many of it's features seem tailor-made for endurance racing.
