Hi all,
I've found a lot of algos online that tell how to cast a ray directly into the screen from the mouse position. My problem is, I am dealing with code that has a legacy camera setup, and the setup is a little bit unique. As a result, I'm able to get the DIRECTION of the picking ray accurately, but I'm not able to get a good origin point.
Here is the code I'm using to generate the picking ray (mPMatrix and mVMatrix are stored copies of the projection and view matrix. The world matrix is identity, I haven't even gotten that far yet).
void Game::MouseToRay(float theX, float theY)
{
theY=gG.HeightF()-theY;
Matrix aProjection=mPMatrix;
Vector aV;
aV.mX=(((2.0f*theX)/mDrawViewport.mWidth)-1)/aProjection.mData._11;
aV.mY=-(((2.0f*theY)/mDrawViewport.mHeight)-1)/aProjection.mData._22;
aV.mZ=1.0f;
Matrix aView=mVMatrix;
aView.Invert();
Vector aRayOrigin;
Vector aRayDir;
aRayDir.mX = aV.mX*aView.mData._11 + aV.mY*aView.mData._21 + aV.mZ*aView.mData._31;
aRayDir.mY = aV.mX*aView.mData._12 + aV.mY*aView.mData._22 + aV.mZ*aView.mData._32;
aRayDir.mZ = aV.mX*aView.mData._13 + aV.mY*aView.mData._23 + aV.mZ*aView.mData._33;
aRayOrigin.mX = aView.mData._41;
aRayOrigin.mY = aView.mData._42;
aRayOrigin.mZ = aView.mData._43;
mProjected.mPos[0]=aRayOrigin;
mProjected.mPos[1]=aRayOrigin+(aRayDir*100);
}
This code produces a 100% accurate direction, but it produces an origin that gets less and less accurate the further the mouse is from pointing right at 0,0,0. Aspect ratio also seems to be an issue, in that the inaccuracy seems to be different along the y axis. I am not sure what is missing.
Now, as I said, the camera code I'm using is unorthodox, but I don't have the option to not use it. I already had a lot of problems with the camera code and setting fog values (I had to manually add a tweak), so I expect the secret is in there. Here is what the camera setup code for the scene looks like:
void Set3DCamera(float theCameraX, float theCameraY, float theCameraZ,
float theLookatX, float theLookatY, float theLookatZ,
float theUpVectorX, float theUpVectorY, float theUpVectorZ, float theFOV)
{
float aWorldMatrix[4][4];
float aViewMatrix[4][4];
IDENTITYMATRIX(aWorldMatrix);
SCALEMATRIX(aWorldMatrix,1,1,-1);
theCameraZ = -theCameraZ;
theLookatZ = -theLookatZ;
theUpVectorZ = -theUpVectorZ;
// We translate the world the opposite direction of the camera (relatively speakng, of course)
TRANSLATEMATRIX(aWorldMatrix,-theCameraX,-theCameraY,-theCameraZ);
//
// Look-at matrix vectors
//
float aLookatVectorX = theLookatX-theCameraX;
float aLookatVectorY = theLookatY-theCameraY;
float aLookatVectorZ = theLookatZ-theCameraZ;
// Side vector (UP cross LOOKAT)
float aSideVectorX = theUpVectorY * aLookatVectorZ - theUpVectorZ * aLookatVectorY;
float aSideVectorY = theUpVectorZ * aLookatVectorX - theUpVectorX * aLookatVectorZ;
float aSideVectorZ = theUpVectorX * aLookatVectorY - theUpVectorY * aLookatVectorX;
// Correct the UP vector (LOOKAT cross SIDE)
theUpVectorX = aLookatVectorY * aSideVectorZ - aLookatVectorZ * aSideVectorY;
theUpVectorY = aLookatVectorZ * aSideVectorX - aLookatVectorX * aSideVectorZ;
theUpVectorZ = aLookatVectorX * aSideVectorY - aLookatVectorY * aSideVectorX;
// Normalize the lookat vector
float len = (float)sqrt(aLookatVectorX*aLookatVectorX + aLookatVectorY*aLookatVectorY + aLookatVectorZ*aLookatVectorZ);
aLookatVectorX /= len;
aLookatVectorY /= len;
aLookatVectorZ /= len;
// Normalize side vector
len = (float)sqrt(aSideVectorX*aSideVectorX + aSideVectorY*aSideVectorY + aSideVectorZ*aSideVectorZ);
aSideVectorX /= len;
aSideVectorY /= len;
aSideVectorZ /= len;
// Normalize the up vector
len = (float)sqrt(theUpVectorX*theUpVectorX + theUpVectorY*theUpVectorY + theUpVectorZ*theUpVectorZ);
theUpVectorX /= len;
theUpVectorY /= len;
theUpVectorZ /= len;
//
// The view matrix (look-at)
//
aViewMatrix[0][0]=-aSideVectorX;
aViewMatrix[1][0]=-aSideVectorY;
aViewMatrix[2][0]=-aSideVectorZ;
aViewMatrix[3][0]=0;
aViewMatrix[0][1]=-theUpVectorX;
aViewMatrix[1][1]=-theUpVectorY;
aViewMatrix[2][1]=-theUpVectorZ;
aViewMatrix[3][1]=0;
aViewMatrix[0][2]=aLookatVectorX;
aViewMatrix[1][2]=aLookatVectorY;
aViewMatrix[2][2]=aLookatVectorZ;
aViewMatrix[3][2]=0;
aViewMatrix[0][3]=0;
aViewMatrix[1][3]=0;
aViewMatrix[2][3]=0;
aViewMatrix[3][3]=1;
// Combine the world and view (GL doesn't support View matrices)
MULTIPLYMATRIX(aWorldMatrix,aViewMatrix);
SetMatrix(1,&aWorldMatrix);
//
// Perspective projection matrix (as per Blinn)
//
float aAspect = (float)gPageWidth/(float)gPageHeight;
float aNear = gZNear; // This was 1.0... is it hurting anything? I made it 0.5f so things could be closer to the camera without
float aFar = GetZDepth();
float aWidth=COS(theFOV / 2.0f);
float aHeight=COS(theFOV / 2.0f);
if (aAspect > 1.0) aWidth /= aAspect;
else aHeight *= aAspect;
//aHeight/=.75f;
float s = SIN(theFOV / 2.0f);
float d = 1.0f - aNear/aFar;
float aMatrix[4][4];
aMatrix[0][0]=aWidth;
aMatrix[1][0]=0;
aMatrix[2][0]=0;
aMatrix[3][0]=0;
aMatrix[0][1]=0;
aMatrix[1][1]=aHeight;
aMatrix[2][1]=0;
aMatrix[3][1]=0;
aMatrix[0][2]=0;
aMatrix[1][2]=0;
aMatrix[2][2]=s/d;
aMatrix[3][2]=-(s * aNear / d);
aMatrix[0][3]=0;
aMatrix[1][3]=0;
aMatrix[2][3]=s;
aMatrix[3][3]=0;
gFogTweak=s;
SetMatrix(2,&aMatrix);
}
See that line gFogTweak near the end? I had to add that line to make fog work correctly-- it was the exact same situation I'm dealing with here, where there were lots of answers on the web, but none of them worked correctly. I believe that something about how that projection matrix is set up is what's throwing off my picking ray.
I'm only middling-strong on math and I've hit a wall. And this point all I am able to do is try random things in the hopes that one of them will work, but none of them will. If anyone can see the problem, or what I need to add into that MouseToRay function to make this all line up, you will have my infinite gratitude, and a "special thanks" line in the credits of the game I'm working on!