SkyGfx: PS2, Xbox and Mobile graphics for PC

[The Hero]

SkyGfx (Sky is name of Renderware for the PS2, any semblance to the actual sky is purely accidental) brings accurate PS2 and Xbox graphics to the PC version of San Andreas, Vice City and III

 

See this for a detailed explanation and screenshots of the most important features of SkyGFX: http://gta.rockstarvision.com/skygfx/skygfx.html

San Andreas
Download latest release, latest WIP version

See the README for installation instructions.

If you're using SAMP, use SAMPGraphicRestore.

Credits: NTAuthority and Silent for their code and being generally helpful. Dexx. ASH for the logo and Neo tweaking files. El Dorado, Snowshoe, Noskillx for helping with debugging. Everyone who reported bugs and spotted differences to the PS2 graphics, especially El Dorado, inadequate....

For (somewhat outdated) Screenshots click here

Vice City, III

Download latest release, latest WIP version

NB: The current version does not work with 1.1 and steam exes. Make sure to use a 1.0 exe!!!
You will also need to use a 3rd party DLL/ASI loader, as of 2.3 skygfx will refuse to be loaded by the mss32 loader.

For Screenshots of Vice City click here

Also check out the gtamodding wiki: http://www.gtamodding.com/wiki/SkyGfx (thanks spaceeinstein)

As a bonus for III and VC you can get a fixed generic.txd here: http://gta.rockstarvision.com/workshop/hires_txds/

I also recommend using this particle.txd with VC: http://gta.rockstarvision.com/workshop/particle_VC.txd

Many thanks to Sergeanur for initially porting it to all the different exe versions (even though right now only 1.0 are supported).

How to report bugs
If you experience any bugs, please make sure it is really this mod causing them and not some other. Otherwise report them in this thread of course.
When you report bugs and I ask to you to provide a PIX frame, see this:
http://gtaforums.com/topic/669045-silentpatch/?p=1068370849
If your game is crashing and it's unclear why, send me a crash dump. Apply this to your registry (http://aap.papnet.eu/gta/minidump.reg) to have windows collect minidumps in %localappdata%\CrashDumps.



This is the old post for postfx and ps2refl:

 

 

These are two mods about which we've been talking in these two threads:
http://gtaforums.com/topic/741021-recreating-ps2-atmosphere-ive-found-logic-coders-needed/


But now here's a thread for the showroom (and stories of how these mods came to be )

PS2 Post Processing

This mod implements the PS2 post processing which is applied to every rendered frame. Many wanted to imitate that look on the PC by means of timecycle editing but that is impossible. Since I myself wanted to know what the PS2 version did differently I edited the timecyc.dat, rebuilt ISOs, booted them in pcsx2 to see how my change affected the frame. When I found the formula I contacted Dexx to ask him how to implement it and he was very keen on doing it even though he's not an active GTA modder anymore. His version had bugs but already was pretty amazing. NTAuthority made a version that simply replaced the PC post processing but wasn't otherwise quite correct. I fixed his code and released some versions in the thread above.
Here is the latest version: (last updated 2015-01-25)

and source code:


You can switch between the three possible post effects (cycle with F7): PS2, PC, None
Silent fixed the motion blur bug.
I implemented ps2-style texture offsets. The effect is disabled by default (doBlur=1 enables it), pe_leftx etc. in stream.ini control the offsets (16 units = pixel). (See post for a comparison)
I tried to recreate PS2 radiosity (the buggy effect in pcsx2). It's enabled/disabled by pe_bRadiosity in stream.ini and controlled by radiosityOffset and radiosityIntensity in postfx.ini. You can also toggle it with F8.

Installation:
Use an asi-loader and copy the files to your SA root (or scripts, except stream.ini) directory, stream.ini is not necessary but has sensible defaults.
EDIT1: New version, we're using an .ini now so you can set if you're using a PC timecyc.dat there.
The difference is in the alpha values (they're halved on the PS2) so your screen will be to dark or bright if you set the wrong version.
EDIT2: I renamed the .asi to postfx, which is a little more descriptive (sorry NTAuthority), please delete any old files.


Credits go to Dexx, who implemented the first version even though he didn't have the time for it; NTAuthority, who implemented the second version; me, who found out the effect in the first place and fixed/improved NTAuthority's code; Silent, who cleaned up the code and fixed the motion blur bug.


PS2 Reflections

The car reflections are another difference between the PS2 and PC version of San Andreas. Dexx made a mod long ago that replaced the car render pipeline with one that kind of resembled the PS2 version but his mod was not perfect. After the PS2 post effects were implemented I wanted to find out how the PS2 really renders vehicles so that someone else could implement it on PC. This involved hacking pcsx2, dumping the memory of one of the PS2's vector units (when car geometry was being rendered), reading the disassembled code and...understanding it. Painstaking but hella fun. I checked my findings by implementing them in an OpenGL program. Since there was nobody who wanted to implement it, I tried it myself using Dexx's code as a base and after a laborious weekend had a pretty well working version.
Here it is: (last updated 2015-01-11)

and source:


This version is now final. You can cycle between PS2, PS2 with PC environment mapping and PC pipeline (in that order) with F6.
We're using an .ini now, bike wheel fixes are disabled by default. Other vehicles (e.g. the Rustler) have the same problem so it's best to use properly .

Installation:
Use an asi-loader and copy the files to your SA root (or scripts) directory.

Credits go to Dexx again, without whose code I couldn't have done it; Silent, who gave me a few pointers (literally) concerning the Renderware lights; me, who found out the whole thing and implemented it.

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by The Hero

[Silent]

As said in the other topics, love it

 

These two are actually one of the only mods I got installed... and I rarely mod my modding semi-clean copy of SA

[El Dorado]

Quick comparison between PC and PS2 post processing

 

 

 

[pangoomis]

Well, it took us over 10 years to finally stop users to beg for PS2 features....

Finally a topic for those, everything in one nice place

And the "buggy" car lights, are actually nice looking!

I've made some screenshots with this and mods on the PS2 features topic...everything seems to be working fine!

http://i.imgur.com/srtdTn5.png

http://i.imgur.com/1pDIuTF.png

Edited November 25, 2014 by MrMateczko

[nyolc8]

Great job on these! I hope there will be fix in the reflection mod for the SAMP incompatibility and for the envmap texture move problem.

[Chilean Dawg]

After how many years? Nine years?

Thank you to everyone involved into this.

[Silent]

eh, but you still use /MD

[Reyks]

Car doors flicker a bit for me with beta 4, and I hope you can fix that light projection issue on cars, other than that the mod is simply awesome, thank you so much!

[Chilean Dawg]

Well, reflections not compatible with SA-MP.

Crashes when any vehicle streams in.

In "SAMP Debug" this happens: http://puu.sh/d5OZk/991fefe480.jpg

Also F5 does nothing?

Edited November 26, 2014 by Chilean Dawg

[The Hero]

I don't know what SAMP does that it's so buggy.

And the key is F6, I fixed the description (I used F5 previously).

 

Silent: what does /MD even do? What should I do instead?

Edited November 26, 2014 by THE HERO

[Alt]

what does /MD even do? What should I do instead?

That means that your compiled project requires VC++ Runtime (msvcr***.dll). You can make it independent with /MT switch

 

To set this compiler option in the Visual Studio development environment

1. Open the project's Property Pages dialog box.

2. Expand the C/C++ folder.

3. Select the Code Generation property page.

4. Modify the Runtime Library property.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Alt

[The Hero]

That's what I thought but someone (inadequate?) said it still needed the msvcr*.dll. I compiled a version with /MT, checked with OllyDbg and indeed I don't see the dll being loaded. Maybe he was confused by all the different versions because I always just replaced the old file.

 

I updated the zip, so please use this now.

Edited November 26, 2014 by THE HERO

[pwnedgod]

Using the ps2 reflection seems to make some objects(tires, license plate, etc) on the car brighter.

 

PC specular

 

 

 

PS2 Refl

 

 

[Blackbird88]

You still forget to mention the bug about the PS2 post-processing turning off when you speed in car due to blur causing some kind of collision

Edited November 26, 2014 by Blackbird88

[The Hero]

I don't know what to do about it. Maybe this is even what happens on the PS2? I haven't checked.

[pwnedgod]

The motion blur stuff AFAIK, is because that the blurring uses the raw non post processed(not the original PC) stuff as a base for blurring. Maybe try redirecting into the PS2 post process as a base for the blur?

Edited November 26, 2014 by pwnedgod

[ABS-IZAYOI]

Hey man, that reflection is same with Original reflection.Headlight and taillight is pretty dark.Exploded car is not black.In beta3 custom part still dark,maybe is that model`s problem.Check out https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=3AFC5A77AC16DE8%21324

 

 

[sorry for my bad english ]

Edited November 26, 2014 by ABS-IZAYOI

[AnotherGamer]

Problem with reflections on Sadler. http://imgur.com/lSnzACe

Edited November 26, 2014 by AnotherGamer

[uokka]

Hey man, that reflection is same with Original reflection.Headlight and taillight is pretty dark.Exploded car is not black.In beta3 custom part still dark,maybe is that model`s problem.Check out https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=3AFC5A77AC16DE8%21324

 

 

[sorry for my bad english ]

 

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=3AFC5A77AC16DE8%21324

 

Problem with reflections on Sadler. http://imgur.com/iaTs9eA

 

http://imgur.com/iaTs9eA

 

 

Make sure you guys don't include %C2%A0 in your links. (;

[The Hero]

Ok, I'll take a look at that. Some vehicles' reflection is bugged on PC, maybe the Sadler is bugged as well?

[nyolc8]

Sadler has no specular light on it by default, I think that is the reason. (vehicle model bug)

[The Hero]

Yep, and the environment chunk is screwed as well (but exists). I think there are fixed versions of these vehicles for PC by Aztecas_5.

[BMWSauberF1.08]

Yes,i fixed the sadler

Check the first link in my signature if you want it or just pm me

 

Vehicles with no specular:

Dodo,Sadler,Sandking,Uranus,Super GT,Tugstairs

 

 

@The HERO

I just noticed that thee bonnet and the boot are totally black after detaching them while other parts keep the original color

Edited November 26, 2014 by Aztecas_5

[Claude_Lib]

Yeah, about that. Sometimes cars' bonnets and boots flicker on sides, but other parts don't.

[BMWSauberF1.08]

Sometimes also doors flicker

[uncaged]

Hello THE HERO ! I have some very, VERY weird... emm... glitch here. I'll try to explain. When I press PrintScreen - I get 2 screenshots: one made by FRAPS, another made by game itself.

This is the shot made by game

Looks like everything is OK right?

GAME shot

 

NO !!! Because THIS is WHAT I actually SEE !!!

FRAPS shot

 

Looks like tiny difference in brightness, but ingame it really looks like all colors are "washed out" and it bothers me so much. I tried to solve this problem by myself from the very first publication of this mod. I posted that this mod lacks contrast and I am so sorry about that, because now I know there is something wrong on my side. But I do not know WHAT. I defaulted every single brightness setting on my hardware and software. I do not actually get original PS2 experience I was waiting for so long. It is not complaining, I just want to figure it out.

Please, maybe you have some ideas about possible reason of this... glitch.

some more shots

 

 

 

That may be even not the mod's fault, Even vanilla game looks like "washed out".

 

 

game's shot (vanilla)

fraps shot (vanilla)

 

 

P.S. I can kinda "mimic" the true effect of your mod with SweetFX increasing contrast. But nights will become too dark and places that are "in shadow" will also be too dark .

Edited November 26, 2014 by uncaged

[pangoomis]

In game screenshots taken from Print Screen button were ALWAYS wrong, this is game's fault, not the mod.

[inadequate]

Is fault of the game, look at the perennial wheels on the first screenshots, is a little bit pixeliated. The quality of the image (with game screenshots, no fraps) is a little bit bad.

[uncaged]

But the shot made by game looks better and even more, shots of local users look just like my shot made with game.

 

inadequate, that is because this shots are made with lovely2 (I used it because of blur, I love it). But lovely3a shows EXACTLY the same glitch I am talking about.

 

By the way I also have shots made with WinSnap. And they are exactly the same as shots made by game.

 

EDIT the shot's resolution is 1280x1024 that is actually my monitor's res and maybe that is why they are bit bad

Edited November 26, 2014 by uncaged

[SilverRST]

uncaged, if you use Print Screen and save the picture with MS Pain as a PNG, the quality will not decrease.