August 20, 2012
The latest update of ShaderMap brings improved normal to displacment conversion with additional controls for contrast and height. There are other new features as well including linear magnification on preview image controls, additional zoom controls, and a map control button to refresh source image…
July 31, 2012
ShaderMap 2 currently implements overlay and detail oriented methods (called pure rotation in SM2) for painting normals. I may do a write up of the SM2 blending modes and maths behind them in the future.
In the meantime here is a really great article I found on blending a detail normal map with a ba…
In the meantime here is a really great article I found on blending a detail normal map with a ba…
July 17, 2012
I'll just post what I wrote on the woody3d.com website, then I'll explain...
[color=#0066cc]"Woody3D was developed by Neil Kemp at Rendering Systems Inc. as an inexpensive solution for developers to bring fully animated trees and foliage to their applications and engines. Woody3D was discontinued in…
[color=#0066cc]"Woody3D was developed by Neil Kemp at Rendering Systems Inc. as an inexpensive solution for developers to bring fully animated trees and foliage to their applications and engines. Woody3D was discontinued in…
July 16, 2012
Each map in ShaderMap 2 is a plugin. The plugin is a Windows DLL with the file extension .smp. To create a map plugin you will need to download the ShaderMap 2 SDK. http://shadermap.com/downloads/ As of this tutorial I am using version 2.0.5. You will also need Visual Studio 2008 - 2010.
Once you ha…
Once you ha…
July 10, 2012
A new version of ShaderMap 2 is now available for download. This version brings bug fixes, new features, and options.
Some of the new features include:
Some of the new features include:
- Support for OBJ quads
- Lockable and savable source maps
- Optimized GPU usage
- Option to override tile types for source maps
- Option to set default geometry f…
June 25, 2012
ShaderMap 2 allows users to create materials using the ShaderMap 2 SDK. A material can use any map in the ShaderMap project or load external image files such as cube maps. The material also provides a user interface wtih associated HLSL constants. To get started let's look at the basic structure of…
June 19, 2012
Hi everyone, it's been a while since I last published anything. That's because I've been working my heart out for a full year on ShaderMap 2. I am really proud of what I've been able to accomplish on this project.
Here's a rundown of the new features available and if you want to learn more just foll…
Here's a rundown of the new features available and if you want to learn more just foll…
June 17, 2011
[size="3"] woody3d.pause()
As it stands Woody still requires a couple more months of development to be ready for the next release. I'm really excited about all of the new features in the upcoming release but I've been developing Woody3D for about 3 years. That's a long time for a single developer to…
As it stands Woody still requires a couple more months of development to be ready for the next release. I'm really excited about all of the new features in the upcoming release but I've been developing Woody3D for about 3 years. That's a long time for a single developer to…
June 03, 2011
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Woody3D can create tree roots as shown above. There is a problem however, as it currently uses a very simple hierarchy for branch levels. It does not allow for more than one child per branch. This means you can add roots but not branches. That's a pretty boring tree.
Next version will supp…
Woody3D can create tree roots as shown above. There is a problem however, as it currently uses a very simple hierarchy for branch levels. It does not allow for more than one child per branch. This means you can add roots but not branches. That's a pretty boring tree.
Next version will supp…
June 01, 2011
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Above is a tree which uses spoke meshes for leaves (used imposter branches for leaves [see wire-frame render in comments]). Below is a tree which uses billboarded quads for leaves.
I'm thinking that mesh type leaves are the way forward. I'll keep support for billboards, they could be very…
Above is a tree which uses spoke meshes for leaves (used imposter branches for leaves [see wire-frame render in comments]). Below is a tree which uses billboarded quads for leaves.
I'm thinking that mesh type leaves are the way forward. I'll keep support for billboards, they could be very…
May 25, 2011
[size="3"]I've spent two days building SSAO with Direct3D. I used the method described in the GameDev.net article A Simple and Practical Approach to SSAO. After some tweeking I've got some decent results and speeds. It uses two buffers for normals and positions vs extracting position from depth and…
May 11, 2011
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[size="3"]One of the new utility apps (BrushUp) I'm developing for Woody3D will allow the artist to scan in a series of leaves in the field and with very little effort convert them to brush maps compatible with the Leaf Painter editor. This entry documents the process by which this is ach…
[size="3"]One of the new utility apps (BrushUp) I'm developing for Woody3D will allow the artist to scan in a series of leaves in the field and with very little effort convert them to brush maps compatible with the Leaf Painter editor. This entry documents the process by which this is ach…
April 28, 2011
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Just made a change. There are now just two compound leaf types: Palmate and Pinnate. Compound pinnates, such as the one shown above, can be generated using a pinnate type node with pinnate type leaf textures. The result is acceptable. Moving on...
Just made a change. There are now just two compound leaf types: Palmate and Pinnate. Compound pinnates, such as the one shown above, can be generated using a pinnate type node with pinnate type leaf textures. The result is acceptable. Moving on...
April 27, 2011
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I've made some progress with the procedurally generated compound leaf types in the Leaf Painter editor. There are three basic compound types to paint with: Palmate, Pinnate, and Compound Pinnate. Pinnate types can be made to be odd or even with optionally alternating leaf patterns.
There …
I've made some progress with the procedurally generated compound leaf types in the Leaf Painter editor. There are three basic compound types to paint with: Palmate, Pinnate, and Compound Pinnate. Pinnate types can be made to be odd or even with optionally alternating leaf patterns.
There …
April 05, 2011
[size="3"] So I've spent a little while dimming the lights...
I think it's a big improvement.
Working hard to bring procedurally generated compound leaf types. After that... occlusion shading. If you're wondering, the interface is MFC +C+. All common controls are sub classed for custom colors and b…
I think it's a big improvement.
Working hard to bring procedurally generated compound leaf types. After that... occlusion shading. If you're wondering, the interface is MFC +C+. All common controls are sub classed for custom colors and b…
March 11, 2011
[size="3"]I've recently discovered "Custom Content Blocks" on my journal page. For examples, take a look at the blocks on the right of this page, the top three are custom content blocks. Yesterday I added a "Random Album Image" block to the top of my page. It started displaying random images from m…
March 10, 2011
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For those of you who don't know, ShaderMap is an app for quick and easy map creation. I fully expect to begin development of version 2 later this spring, after the release of Woody 1.2.
From the start I had the thought that by "restricting" myself to a 3D rendered interface, rath…
For those of you who don't know, ShaderMap is an app for quick and easy map creation. I fully expect to begin development of version 2 later this spring, after the release of Woody 1.2.
From the start I had the thought that by "restricting" myself to a 3D rendered interface, rath…
March 10, 2011
[size="3"]Just a quick post to announce that Woody3D 1.2 development is underway. Below is a list of features being added to the SDK.
Leaf Painter - Will be maturing the Painter application nearer its full potential. Adding procedurally generated compound leaves (Compound Paint Tool) for fast drawin…
Leaf Painter - Will be maturing the Painter application nearer its full potential. Adding procedurally generated compound leaves (Compound Paint Tool) for fast drawin…
March 07, 2011
[size="3"]I wish I could go back to the 80's and undo all of my tight rolled pants. That time I tripped and spilled punch all over my date - deleted! The ability to undo human history is a luxury not "yet" programmed into life (brain damage doesn't count). Tools we develop, on the other hand, shoul…
February 07, 2011
[size="3"]Using SuperNotecard for Feature Organization
A couple of weeks ago I started using SuperNotecard to order and keep track of features for Woody. Notecard is a program designed for writers and plot development but I find it works just as well for keeping track of software features. Using it …
A couple of weeks ago I started using SuperNotecard to order and keep track of features for Woody. Notecard is a program designed for writers and plot development but I find it works just as well for keeping track of software features. Using it …
January 25, 2011
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In which words are written and you read them.
I have started titling my journal entries now that they matter. Previous entries (now renamed for relevance) were titled Entry 1, Entry 2, ... Very Prussian.
So here we are and you've decided you liked this title and clicked on it. Great! Come i…
In which words are written and you read them.
I have started titling my journal entries now that they matter. Previous entries (now renamed for relevance) were titled Entry 1, Entry 2, ... Very Prussian.
So here we are and you've decided you liked this title and clicked on it. Great! Come i…
December 22, 2010
Deth Tree
This tree was recently used to work out geometry kinks. The first level of branches (trunks) are weighted to grow towards a point near the bottom left of the screen. The second level is highly weighted using a downwards vector. The third level also follows a downward vector but with less i…
This tree was recently used to work out geometry kinks. The first level of branches (trunks) are weighted to grow towards a point near the bottom left of the screen. The second level is highly weighted using a downwards vector. The third level also follows a downward vector but with less i…
December 14, 2010
New Videos
I've posted two new videos that demonstrate the Woody3D Leaf Painter and Tree Forge editors. Watch them on my YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/renderingsystems
The videos should give you a general feel of what working with the editors is like. The Leaf Painter requires direct interactio…
I've posted two new videos that demonstrate the Woody3D Leaf Painter and Tree Forge editors. Watch them on my YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/renderingsystems
The videos should give you a general feel of what working with the editors is like. The Leaf Painter requires direct interactio…
November 30, 2010
Woody3D 1.0.3
Woody3D version 1.0.3 is now available for download. Full C++ source code for the API is now included with the SDK. Also licensing has been updated to simplify purchasing and it now allows for development on PC, Console, and Mobile platforms with any product license. The Evaluation Kit…
Woody3D version 1.0.3 is now available for download. Full C++ source code for the API is now included with the SDK. Also licensing has been updated to simplify purchasing and it now allows for development on PC, Console, and Mobile platforms with any product license. The Evaluation Kit…
November 19, 2010
Woody3D 1.0.2
I've fixed the mesh distortion bug. The problem was caused when rotating branch stacks (frames) to follow the branch spline. I was using a Fixed Up method that caused occasional twists and kinks in the branch mesh. I solved it by using the Parallel Transport Frame method described in G…
I've fixed the mesh distortion bug. The problem was caused when rotating branch stacks (frames) to follow the branch spline. I was using a Fixed Up method that caused occasional twists and kinks in the branch mesh. I solved it by using the Parallel Transport Frame method described in G…
November 16, 2010
Feedback
The feedback for Woody3D has been great so far. The suggestions and questions have been very helpful and will lead to a more streamlined experience for customers and developers. Thank you.
There have been a few requests for Tool Evaluation. We've decided to include feature limited demos (Sav…
The feedback for Woody3D has been great so far. The suggestions and questions have been very helpful and will lead to a more streamlined experience for customers and developers. Thank you.
There have been a few requests for Tool Evaluation. We've decided to include feature limited demos (Sav…
November 15, 2010
Woody3D Now Available
The Woody3D website is now online. You can now log in to download the Woody3D Tech Demo and the Evaluation kit with demo app and sample source code.
Woody3D offers:
The Woody3D website is now online. You can now log in to download the Woody3D Tech Demo and the Evaluation kit with demo app and sample source code.
Woody3D offers:
- Fully animated real-time trees and plants
- Fast level-of-detail for distant tree rendering
- Modeling tools for creating…
November 08, 2010
Tree Library and Installers
I spent the day putting the finishing touches on the first trees to be released with Woody3D. We have enough resources to continue adding trees for some time but as the cold weather starts moving into Michigan, I'm beginning to think about making trips to southern states.…
I spent the day putting the finishing touches on the first trees to be released with Woody3D. We have enough resources to continue adding trees for some time but as the cold weather starts moving into Michigan, I'm beginning to think about making trips to southern states.…
November 05, 2010
Keeping Busy or Busily Keeping
Seriously? I had no idea busily was a real word [headshake]. I typed it, trying to be funny, and the spell checker didn't get mad. Use busily in a sentence.
So anyway, I've just finished going through the validation process for a code signing certificate in Rendering Sy…
Seriously? I had no idea busily was a real word [headshake]. I typed it, trying to be funny, and the spell checker didn't get mad. Use busily in a sentence.
So anyway, I've just finished going through the validation process for a code signing certificate in Rendering Sy…
November 03, 2010
About Me
A couple of things you should know about me. Firstly I'm a solitary programmer. I work every day at my home office which makes me a little nerdy but actually quite personable. I have been married for nearly 10 years to Christa. Together we have raised Brandon for these last 16 years. We mov…
A couple of things you should know about me. Firstly I'm a solitary programmer. I work every day at my home office which makes me a little nerdy but actually quite personable. I have been married for nearly 10 years to Christa. Together we have raised Brandon for these last 16 years. We mov…
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