Shader Preview

[ChalklYne]

Im sure we have talked about this 100 times, but I guess I still need clarification.

 

What do we need to do to achieve a realtime shader preview editor like Marmoset Toolbag or something dedicated to JKA?

 

Isnt there a certain way we can set up materials in Softimage to preview them just like how JKA shows them?

 

Seems like something that should be incorporated in a new modview or something

[eezstreet]

@@Xycaleth might incorporate this into his new ModView for Mac maybe?

[ChalklYne]

Mac only huh?

It really doesnt seem like something too difficult for Softimage's Material Editor... I just dont get the same spec and env functions that you see ingame and would like to get a basic mayerial uploaded here that mimics jka

 

It doesnt even have to be an "editor", just any way to preview the shader youve written without loading up jka or fumbling with q3ase

 

@@minilogoguy18 any input on the Softimage end of it?

[ChalklYne]

So I got most of it working in Softimage. I used a Realtime HLSL shader setup... namely the ultimap preview.

I got the specular, normal, and diffuse to load up and look pretty close to what I see in JKA.

I cant figure out how to add the env part of it though. The ultimap preview doesnt have an input for it.

Nonetheless, if we can get this figured out, upload the shader so anyone with Softimage can check out thier texture maps in action

(or maybe any 3d modeling program could use the custom hlsl shader

 

Ok... so now that I understand my question lol... can someone please write a HLSL shader with Environment, Specular, Diffuse, Normal, and Displacement inputs?

[eezstreet]

JKA doesn't use HLSL or anything like that though, so you're not going to get accurate results.

[ChalklYne]

Yeah, plus it would really help to have the different alpha and blend functions and stuff...

 

 

Crap.

[minilogoguy18]

A realtime shader setup is what you'd use in Softimage, at least if you wanted to see it actively in the viewport, the settings would probably take time to set up to mimic JA, you'd probably use a OpenGL shader tree. I haven't messed with it very much, I tend to just keep my view set to Textured Decal since it's accurate to what a model with no shader applied looks like in Modview but I tend to just load the game to see the results.

[ensiform]

A new shader tool would be nice obviously.

 

But it would need to support JKA lighting and both renderers.

[minilogoguy18]

Yeah, maybe tomorrow since the rain will keep me stuck inside all day I might dabble with it but last time I tried it in Softimage it didn't work so well. Once made though the shader could be shared so that anyone could load it and just plug the image files into the correct slots to see their model with shaders applied.

[ChalklYne]

I got everything except that environment map looking decently accurate with the ultimap preview which is in HLSL

 

 

 

 

What bothered me was seeing the blend_func and stuff to set gl_zero, i saw those options in the GLSL shader

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got a really good environment map working by playing with reflection map... but I just couldnt figure out the shader code enough to copy and paste all I needed into a full shader.
Jesus I hope that made sense

[ensiform]

HLSL is for D3D not OpenGL.  You want to do OpenGL.

[minilogoguy18]

^This, I mentioned it in my first post in this thread, you must have read over that.

[ChalklYne]

No, I saw it directly. With my face. I just thought it didnt matter if HSLS was more advanced, as long as we could get it to somehow emulate the OpenGL shaders we need.

 

We could compile things like

-The GoZ plugin for Softimage>Zbrush

-The Roadkill plugin and python scripts needed for it to function

-Mini's biped rig

-Emulated JKA shader

 

All into one nice Softimage JKA pack

[Archangel35757]

A new shader tool would be nice obviously.

But it would need to support JKA lighting and both renderers.

Yeah-- I thought you started one...

 

I think adding shader support in mod view would be best. But also a new ShaderED to preview 2D textures with shaderfx

[ChalklYne]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lol

[minilogoguy18]

The thing is that most coders don't seem to have an interest in the art tools like ModView. Emulating a shader in the 3d packages would be good enough for most, other than I guess the guys that are only doing texture edits.

[ensiform]

Yeah-- I thought you started one...

 

I think adding shader support in mod view would be best. But also a new Shader to preview 2D textures with shaderfx

Nope not a shader tool.

 

PS I would appreciate not using image comments.

[ChalklYne]

I put the image comment in spoiler tags for your appreciation. I almost have it figured out as a material