[WIP|Test] VC GFX

[GamerShotgun]

Well, tried the mod out at my friend.. He has an Ati Radeon 9550, and it didn't worked (the same exe as mine). Then tried it at an other friends comp, he has an EN7950gt,

and it DID work :S

 

So, i think it's because of different video cards, don't ask me why

Edited June 17, 2007 by MasterK

[atfburner]

Great work looks lovely

using, v1 no-cd usa. nvidia 8800

 

nice reflections!

 

Combined with xbox graphics for pc .dll

 

Note i had to use the nvidia global profile settings to get antialiasing and other cool things working

first attempts, still a few problems

 

Edited June 17, 2007 by atfburner

[GTAdedan]

is it a problem when you have other mods like cars, trees and a new map and man.scm installed because the game freezes..

[AK-73]

 

I agree as well.  It'd certainly be more "user-friendly" for people who are less experienced in the world of modding, and it makes logical sense.  Not that I could program anything that would make it work, but I hope someone out there can.

 

 

@DexX - looks great, I'll be sure to check this out when my uni holidays start next Wednesday.

 

It's not too difficult either. You do it by hooking into the .dff loading process. You check the currently loading model with a list of names (derived via .cfg file) and if it contains it, you overwrite the existing data with the specular lighting data from the .cfg file (per texture).

 

Config file would have to look something like this:

 

[model = banshee]

sometexturename = 0.7

someothertexturename = 0.0

...

 

[model = cheetah]

...

 

 

You get the idea.

 

You can even do another section for world geometry. World Geometry does have specular values for certain textures - R* created it but the game doesn't make use of it. How to make use of it? Simple: if the name of a model is included in the .cfg, one could create normals on the fly. All this is of course ressource heavy. It's then up to the user to decide how much specular lighting their computer can stand.

 

And while we're on the subject of hooking into .dff loading: the standard .dffs does only contain one float dedicated to specular lighting per texture, no? But we need two, right? So if you don't use a clever mechanism to store both of them within 4 bytes, you need to allocate an additional float per texture. Which might be doable. For example, now while writing a new update to GTA:FPS I am already capable of storing all kinds of custom data per actor. I use that in my case to store which firemode (burst, full auto, single shot) gets used for a weapon (per slot).

 

But which solution you go for is ultimately up to you.

 

Alex

Edited June 18, 2007 by AK-73

[DexX]

 

It's not too difficult either. You do it by hooking into the .dff loading process. You check the currently loading model with a list of names (derived via .cfg file) and if it contains it, you overwrite the existing data with the specular lighting data from the .cfg file (per texture).

 

Config file would have to look something like this:

 

[model = banshee]

sometexturename = 0.7

someothertexturename = 0.0

...

 

[model = cheetah]

...

 

 

You get the idea.

 

You can even do another section for world geometry. World Geometry does have specular values for certain textures - R* created it but the game doesn't make use of it. How to make use of it? Simple: if the name of a model is included in the .cfg, one could create normals on the fly. All this is of course ressource heavy. It's then up to the user to decide how much specular lighting their computer can stannd.

are you familiar with the concept of Materials? i'll briefly explain.

 

Each triangle gets a material assignment, which contains not just texture references, if any, but also the specular, diffuse, ambient and other lighting attributes.

So for example, the artist could create a wheel for his model that uses 2 materials, and one texture; the first material for the rubber (tread, sidewall) on the wheel could have very low specular settings, the second material for the metal part of the wheel might have significantly higher specular settings. Both materials however, are using the same wheel texture.

 

So with your method, every time the wheel texture is called, it would override the specular settings of the material, effectively nullifying the work of the artist. There is also the issue of glass, and other flat-colored materials that are not textured, and would thus not be affected.

 

Personally, i think it would be preferable to re-export the models that need changing. it may be slower, but it provides the utmost control. creating files that would over-ride settings the models already have isn't exactly an ideal solution.

 

 

And while we're on the subject of hooking into .dff loading: the standard .dffs does only contain one float dedicated to specular lighting per texture, no? But we need two, right? So if you don't use a clever mechanism to store both of them within 4 bytes, you need to allocate an additional float per texture. Which might be doable. For example, now while writing a new update to GTA:FPS I am already capable of storing all kinds of custom data per actor. I use that in my case to store which firemode (burst, full auto, single shot) gets used for a weapon (per slot).

adding extra data to the model, or in this case, material would be preferred, so yes, i like that idea. To accurately calculate specular lighting, you need 2 floats:

-specular multiplier, which controls the overall amount of spec. this is already present.

-specular power, which controls the intensity of the specular hilight. this is NOT present in Rw materials.

The specular multiplier changes significantly more per material than the power does, which is why i'm content with leaving the power as a global variable. however, if could append our own float to each material in the dff, and use that for the specular power, i wouldn't say no. infact, the plugin system in Rw was created just for this purpose, and R* used it (object frame names in vc, lots of places in SA), so all the code we need is present in the game already. I've already stated i'm willing to re-export the models, so appending extra data isn't a big deal to me.

 

 

is it a problem when you have other mods like cars, trees and a new map and man.scm installed because the game freezes..

i test mods on a nearly-stock VC install, since it's the only set of files i know everyone has, or had at one time. With that in mind, i would need to know which exact mods you had installed, so i could try them for myself. only the material settings and reflection images are changed. your game might look "different" depending on the mod, but it should not crash.

 

 

Combined with xbox graphics for pc .dll

ditch that. this does what it did, only better and with more control. if you want trails, i can add them real fast.

 

 

So, i think it's because of different video cards, don't ask me why

i hope it's not, because that's really out of my control, unless i know the exact difference(s) that cause it to work/not work..

for the record, my card is a GeForce 7600 GS

 

The next release will with either incorporate Hammer's version dll (thanks for the heads up), or a similar version checking routine.

 

Sidenote: Are reflections the only thing people are having problems with? Does the specular lighting work ok? no-one seems to be compliaining about spec, just the messed up reflection map...

[GamerShotgun]

well, as i explained a while ago, spec lights aren't working at me.

 

it apples to te player, or the peds if they're driving a bike or a car

[SteaVor]

It looks like an ATI/nVidia issue. As far as I can see everyone who gets the distorted reflection map uses ATI, while the ones that report no issues use a nVidia GPU. That would suck because my primary gaming rig runs with a Radeon X850.

I didn't have time to test it thoroughly yet, but I should be able to shortly.

[ParoXum]

I have the reflection map glitch on my X1800GTO... It's like Steavor said imo.

 

Also, what about the water, since it don't work properly on my comp, how does it look normally ?

[SteaVor]

Hmmm... looks like it's time to fiddle with some driver settings I suppose. It's probably a setting which is set different on ATi and nVidia GPUs by default.

[AK-73]

 

are you familiar with the concept of Materials?

 

 

Yes.

 

 

Both materials however, are using the same wheel texture.

 

 

Well, texture name doesn't have to be the identifier, it was just a suggestion... how to correctly identify the relevant material is a matter of mechanism.

 

 

So with your method, every time the wheel texture is called, it would override the specular settings of the material, effectively nullifying the work of the artist.

 

 

Yeah, that seems to be the *point*. The point behind the config would be to be able to specify your own specular values without having to recompile any model, solving distribution problems that way also. One argument against re-export is that you'd have to make available all re-exported cars. If you want to avoid that you must make the relevant data available from a different source, no?

 

 

There is also the issue of glass, and other flat-colored materials that are not textured, and would thus not be affected.

 

 

Again, this is a question of developing an identifying mechanism for a material.

 

 

Personally, i think it would be preferable to re-export the models that need changing. it may be slower, but it provides the utmost control. creating files that would over-ride settings the models already have isn't exactly an ideal solution.

 

 

It's your mod but I'd disagree on that. Control via a config file is by no means less than via re-export - the exact same values are present... only in different locations. It's even possible to extent material properties this way if so desired without changing a single .dff. The one disadvantage I see to that is speed.

 

 

adding extra data to the model, or in this case, material would be preferred, so yes, i like that idea. To accurately calculate specular lighting, you need 2 floats:

-specular multiplier, which controls the overall amount of spec. this is already present.

-specular power, which controls the intensity of the specular hilight. this is NOT present in Rw materials.

The specular multiplier changes significantly more per material than the power does, which is why i'm content with leaving the power as a global variable. however, if could append our own float to each material in the dff, and use that for the specular power, i wouldn't say no. infact, the plugin system in Rw was created just for this purpose, and R* used it (object frame names in vc, lots of places in SA), so all the code we need is present in the game already. I've already stated i'm willing to re-export the models, so appending extra data isn't a big deal to me.

 

 

If you need some hints for where to look at, I could give you.

 

Alex

 

[GamerShotgun]

Sorry for double posting, but did u find the issue causing our problems?

[atfburner]

Combined with xbox graphics for pc .dll

 

ditch that. this does what it did, only better and with more control. if you want trails, i can add them real fast.

 

Please do add trails, the ambience they create ingame is great!

Thx

[AK-73]

 

Another aspect of the config file solution: projects like GTA:LC or other TCs wouldn't have to reexport all the models likewise - all they'd have to do was create a config file... such could be considered an unofficial LC mod then.

 

Alex

 

[gtaboys]

hello.

wao !!! dexx, it is a very good mod. It interests me for my big MOD. Look at your messages, I sent a MP to you.

[Suction Testicle Man]

Just confirming that it works flawlessly on the Euro 1.0 version of the exe. The 1.1 version crashes the game at the title screen.

 

Excellent work, on a well-modelled car it really does up the standard within the game. The Hermes' butt looks awesome.

[Claude GTA3]

Hey,the reflections don't work on my PC,and I have Euro 1.0. Whatever,I don't care,because I don't play Vice sh*tty anymore,but it looks great on the LC mod.which for some reason crashes every f*cking second,and makes me reboot my computer. Can it be done for Grand Theft Auto 3?

[GamerShotgun]

I can't understand why it isn't working at me :S

 

Tried it even with an european exe, but still this pixel salad on every vehicle :S

[s-paco]

Good job! Too bad i don't have VC on my PC anymore..

[nabo45]

I can't understand why it isn't working at me :S

 

Tried it even with an european exe, but still this pixel salad on every vehicle :S

You have a ATI Radeon card right, because i do and i have the same problem... BTV i have an ATI Radeon X1300PRO card...

 

- nabo45

[Carface80]

whoa that a super shiny glassy car.

 

I wonder if fresnel effect can be implemented?

[DexX]

Ok, there is an updated version available. This one works a little differently, so pay attention. The reflection image size has been removed, and you need to press the "F4" key, ingame (not in a menu, in the game, while on foot or driving) to turn the reflections on. As others have pointed out, the problem seems to be with people using Ati cards.

 

Download:http://www.3dhole.com/gtafiles/atiref.rar

Note that i have not yet added vcversion.dll support, mainly because i suspect the reflections issue has more to do with the gfx card/drivers, than the exe version.

A friend of mine tested a slightly older version of this just a day ago, he has an ati card, and it worked for him. So if it still doesn't work, i'll be fresh out of ideas.

 

In addition, i did update the ini a bit;

in the vehrefmap section there is a entry called "refmax". it overrides the overall reflectivity of vehicle materials. 0.3 will give results similar to what VC is normally at, 0.5 is slightly more reflective, but not blinding, and 1.0 is mirror like. The default in the ini is 0.5.

 

in the game section, you can turn trails on (1) or off (0). They are off by default.

 

now for some replies..

 

I wonder if fresnel effect can be implemented?

short answer, no. the stuff that's being changed right now is pretty simple to do. The fresnel effect would require some sort of shader-injection, since the game is currently using the fixed function pipeline for the most part and can not replicate more advanced shading techniques.

 

 

Can it be done for Grand Theft Auto 3?

i haven't looked at gta3 on pc in a long time, so i don't know. but i can tell you that I won't be doing it.

 

 

The Hermes' butt looks awesome.

Yea, i used that car alot for testing

 

 

Sorry for double posting, but did u find the issue causing our problems?

Yea. the people who designed your video card didn't know what they were doing, and probably still don't.

 

 

And one more bit of news; i started work on an SA version, though i have no release date yet.

[Ben]

Hmmm. Well, it works (sort of) . This pic was taken with the default values in the INI, but I think some tweakage is required. Observe:

 

 

 

It was taken just after the opening cutscene, and I haven't moved the car at all - all I've done is turn to look at the trippy colours .

[DexX]

try again. link is the same.

Edit:

If it doesn't work, post your system specs, including:

Processor

OS

ram

Video card make & model

Directx version (to check, do Start->Run and enter "dxdiag". the directx version will be listed at the bottom of the main screen. then just close it)

The video card + dx version should be all i need for the reflection issue, the other information would help me if you have other issues, like lag.

 

For the record, here's my system specs:

P4 3.2ghz

WinXP Home SP2

2048mb ram

Nvidia Geforce 7600 gs w/latest drivers

Directx 9.0c

[nabo45]

Nope, that still dosent work for me, all i get is the spec. lightning and no reflections, and ive done everything you said and yes i also pressed the F4 key, BTV i get a major lag when it renders more than one car...

 

- nabo

[MoeRonimoe]

I had the same error as Ben and with the update i still have it

[LCSurvivor]

I've downloaded the update, and it still doesn't work, I get the exact same psychadelic colours as Ben's screen.

My DirectX version is 9.0c, and my graphics card is an Asus A9250 (ATI).

Processorspeed is 1.6 GHz, and 512 mb RAM.

 

I really hope you get this thing working man, your screens look great, and it would be an awesome mod

 

EDIT: Oh, yeah, just wanted to add that the speclighting works fine

Edited July 2, 2007 by LCSurvivor

[Ben]

Nah, still doesn't work for me. I forgot to mention yesterday that I had the lagging issue also - I'm not sure why though, but it's related to the spec lighting (I disabled the spec lighting, and the lag issue went away - the car reflections were still messed up though). And that's really confusing, because when I was testing this for you on Saturday night, the spec lighting had no issues at all (although the power option wasn't in the INI then, if that makes it any easier to figure out).

 

As for my specs, they're as follows (I'm playing on a laptop):

Intel Core 2 (Centrino Duo) 1.83GHz

XP SP2

1022MB RAM

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 512MB (latest drivers)

DirectX 9.0c

[GamerShotgun]

Well, tried it on a Geforce 4 MX 420 and it....worked....Bit laggy (well, vc is laggy, since my old comp's conf s*cks ass).. And about the ati cards, well. I need to agree..

[[CTD]LaBan]

Geforce 440-MX (old firmware - 41.09... newer is not working for me right, problem might be on motherboard!)

AMD Athlon 2200+ (1.73 - clocked to 1.8, not allowing more )

XP Pro SP2 all updates

256 mb RAM

DirectX 9.0c

Motherboard - Epox EP-8KHAL+

Motherboard Chipset VIA VT8366A Apollo KT266A

Sound card is intergrated - Realtek ALC200(P)/ALC201(A) @ VIA AC'97

Disk Drive Maxtor 6Y080L0 (80 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/133)

Enhanced Audio Controller

Network Adapter TE100-PCBUSR 32-Bit Cardbus PC Card

BIOS - Award BIOS Type Award Modular (05/29/02)

Monitor LG E700B [17" CRT] (121240280)

 

AVG Professional 7.5 build 476, virus database 269.9.14/884

Windows Firewall

Microsoft Windows Defender

Spybot S&D

PS2 mouse

USB keyboard

 

 

haha, i went too far

 

and finally - Primary IP Address 84.50.164.141

[ParoXum]

I did try the first release, and the latest one, refmaps are still the same, looks like a corrupted texture, I did try with texture size on and off.

 

Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo [email protected]

OS : Windows XP x64 Professionnal (5.2 Version 3790)

Ram : 8GB DDR2 PC5300

Video card : ATI RAdeon X1800 GTO 256MB 128Bit

Directx version : 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

 

No lag, but it can be due to my specs.