Major Graphics Patch

[Tuskin]

Yes they are very cool.

 

[PelPix]

They are no illusion. This shadow system is very similar to the one used in Crysis.

It's a 1024x1024 shadow depthmap. The shadow map then passes through a dynamic blur filter depending on distance from the surface being cast on.

The texture is then cast onto the scene with a technique similar to "render-to-texture"

It'll be a long time before we have photoncast shadows, Vash.

it has been done though, not in real time, however.

We'll never be able to do good lighting in video games until we actually understand how light works in the real world

Meanwhile:

 

[Narvi]

Unfortunately, due to system issues, only a few lights are dynamic in Episode 2.

Pah, photoncast shadows will be the future a decade from now. Current selfshadowing is rather sucky compared to real life.

 

[PelPix]

Unfortunately, due to system issues, only a few lights are dynamic in Episode 2.

Pah, photoncast shadows will be the future a decade from now. Current selfshadowing is rather sucky compared to real life.

If they had a full lod system like crysis's, they could do dynamic shadows to every light, it's the same shadow system, the shadow lod system is the only difference between the two.

 

[Narvi]

If they had a full lod system like crysis's, they could do dynamic shadows to every light, it's the same shadow system, the shadow lod system is the only difference between the two.

An LOD system is a good idea, but remember that Crysis is geared toward high-end PCs, while Half Life 2 Episodes are geared towards mid-range.

 

[Paulaner]

Half Life 2 Episodes are geared towards mid-range.

Thank goodness ;-)

 

[Operational]

We'll never be able to do good lighting in video games until we actually understand how light works in the real world

I would have thought we knew more than enough about what light does in the macroscopic world to fake it in a video game.

 

[Mahalis]

I would have thought we knew more than enough about what light does in the macroscopic world to fake it in a video game.

We do; see this site's gallery for some truly incredible light simulations.

The issue isn't the physics involved; it's simulating them on a remotely close to real-time scale that's difficult. Render times for the software linked above are usually more than a day per frame.

Modern game-rendering applications use all sorts of cheats - shadow mapping and so on - because it's just way more efficient and the flaws get increasingly hard to spot with each new generation of hardware and software.

 

[McGooTheWise]

They should put in an Ultra high quality setting for the shadows for higher end PC's, like DooM 3 has. Although DooM 3's graphics are mediocre now.

 

[kamikazeCow]

It'll be a long time before we have photoncast shadows, Vash.

it has been done though, not in real time, however.

Well, its not like ray tracing is just around the corner, but Intel has been really pushing it in there latest developer forum. With a 16 core CPU, they were able to get decent frame rates, but its still not really playable. http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=455

There is also a hardware idea that has been in the works since 05. A single processor that is dedicated just to ray tracing (ray processing unit) running at only 66 mhz which worked close to the insane CPU setups Intel had for a software solution. http://www.cs.utah.edu/classes/cs7940-010-rajeev/sum06/papers/siggraph05.pdf

Both are still quite a few years off, but its coming

 

[soulslicer]

those are some awesome renders, they actually calculate the gaussing effect of the shadows caused by a refracted object. It will be long before a graphics game engine can do this though..

Also, that is some interesting Intel news, but 16 cores is just impossible for a gamer, for now at least. Finally, where the hell did you people get that Particle Benchmark to test out the dynamic shadows, I really want it. Or is it a GMOD mod?