CombatHelo Blog (RSS Import)

Neat!

i think u need bloom or is it HDR in order to more closely match it?

that looks great!! just like a real aircraft interior with night instrument lighting turned on...

 

 

--Mike

BLOOOM! Bloom is an actual effect of using night vision, you get a lot of bleeding from high-intensity light sources with that equipment. Even some clipping.

 

Personally it's among the first things I turn off in any game. The pit lights with bloom do indeed look more like the photo reference.

 

I'm just pleased that it was a quick task to create the night lights.

 

texture0="abstract::apache_pit_instr_02_skin.dds"
texture1="abstract::apache_pit_instr_02_normal.dds"
texture2="abstract::apache_pit_instr_02_glow_skin.dds"
...
...
shader="abstract::mesh_diffuse.vert","abstract::mesh_diffuse_bumpmap_specular_glow.frag"

 

The "glow_skin.dds" files are black with just contain the areas to light-up (all the back-lit text labels and lines).

 

It's about a five to ten mimute job to add the effect if you have a Photoshop file with the original artwork.

Are you sure you want to match the photo? I think its not real because a night photograph look bloomed in most cases.

 

If i drive around at night with my car. the instruments are shining but not glowing.

I think your setup with some slight lights emitting from the instruments will be good enough.

Yes exactly. I'd post of shot of what the diplsyas look like with bloom but it's way ott. It's like having an eye condition.

 

Can justify it for night vision otherwise I'll leave it as a user option. We're experimenting with having a popup panel for all the effects....

 

Just a minor thing which popped into my eyes are the screws on the plates. They are all turned into the same direction. Rotating them a little bit would add nice detail. The handle on the reight could also be smoothed. Now it looks edged. But mybe it's made this way in a real cockpit.

Only an artist would spot that. With all the BLOOM you won't see a thing, nope, not a thing

 

Those panels (except the forward one) don't exist in the real helicopter. They are just a conceit to add some means to quickly adjust game options. May or may not work. I think it's too fiddly and probably better to have a popup menu.

 

It was really hard to optimise the cockpit. When you are positioned in the rear seat you have all the front seat displays switches and buttons just out of sight but not culled. So all the parts that are not visible from the other seat are grouped under a single parent. And when you change seats it hides the other parent and thus all the children. Made a difference in performance. Not a big difference which was a supprise, Leadwerks chews through polys like a Velociraptor.

 

If you have a head tracker device you can scoot down under the seat and see the odd easter egg. One plate reads "The good, the bad and the ugly". Nothing offensive.