Billboarding particle system quads.
I've read in books that they normally use the camera's right, up, and forward vectors to create the billboarded quads for particle systems. This works for quads that are far from the camera. But it doesn't look right for quads that are really close to the camera.
Another technique would be to basically create the look at (right, up, and forward) vectors from the particle center to the camera's position. Although this method is more expensive, it looks perfect all the time.
I was wondering whether game engines use both techniques? Perhaps using the first method for quads that are greater than a certain distance to the camera and method 2 for quads that are really close to the camera.
When you use a ray from the camera to the particle position, your billboards will appear to turn as you walk through a cloud of them. You get a "parting of the Red Sea" effect which is often quite disconcerting. You also have to do more calculation per particle, so it runs slower.
But, try it. It might work for you.
But, try it. It might work for you.
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