NVIDIA GameWorks Integration

[The_Inquisitive]

Ok, thanks, I'll do.

No problem!

But wait for Mike to respond to this about using FleX for snow, I am almost positive it will work but he can confirm it for us.

[SaviorNT]

This is why we need true plugin support for the engine, so that we don't need to be compiling different versions of the engine and mix/matching elements that we want to use. Instead of downloading a branch of the engine from Oculus, and a branch from Nvidia, and more branches from XYZ, and then trying to cut/copying elements from each branch.. we should be able to download/install into the main branch different plugins that we want to use.

When I get a plugin for Maya/Max, I don't have to download an entire new branch of the software for each plugin and try to get everything mashed together.

/looks at Epic...

[ryanjon2040]

I am confident that we will have the FleX branch up on Github next week.
...with any luck the end of next week will see VXGI up there too.

Nvidia is the new Santa.

[Mike.Skolones]

That second video is pretty much just the FleX water solution modified to be thicker, stickier, and "clumpier" . I am nearly certain you can create something very similar using FleX. It is a rigid body particle based fluid simulation system, which uses small spheres to calculate volume and then render it as a liquid, I can easily see it being used for snow as well by thickening it:

The snow in Arkham Origins is just using a dynamic height map which is far less difficult to achieve, but cannot be used on landscape. In the game it is only rooftops or other small confined areas instead of being used everywhere. Here is the GDC presentation papers on it if you are interested: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020177...ring-in-Batman

I think that FleX will be appropriate as one component of an overall solution for snow, but by itself it will probably not be sufficient for modeling all aspects of snow. In particular I think a heightfield that is able to be modified at runtime in areas of interest is also needed, to form the landscape across which snowflakes based on FleX particles will blow around, accumulate, etc. You might also need a graphics-only component to provide the appearance of a snowstorm across a large landscape, because collision physics is not needed for the snowflakes far away from the camera and would be too expensive to calculate. I'll run the question by the engineers working on FleX.

[The_Inquisitive]

@Mike - Ok, thanks very much for your efforts.

[fdslk]

@Mike, one question: LPV in the engine if you're using an SSS Profile in your material, crashes. Will that happen too with VXGI?

[Mike.Skolones]

@Mike, one question: LPV in the engine if you're using an SSS Profile in your material, crashes. Will that happen too with VXGI?

Ummm. What? Sorry, you confuse me with someone who knows what's going on here. What is LPV and SSS? :-)

Thanks,
Mike

[John Alcatraz]

I guess he wants to say if he uses Subsurface scattering (SSS) and Unreal Engines built in dynamic GI solution (Light Propagation Volumes, LPV) then that does not work. And he asks whether VXGI will also not work with Subsurface scattering materials.

[Tim Hobson]

@fdslk: This particular crash with LPV and SSS has already been fixed with CL:2391021 and can be tested with the current 4.7 previews that are available via the launcher.

While we don't recommend fully moving any projects over to the 4.7 build until the final release you can at least test this version to make sure that you're no longer seeing the crash. If you are, please let us know.

Thanks!

Tim

[Xerithas]

Just to clarify, fdslk mentioned subsurface profile, not just subsurface.
Though I am currently playing around with subsurface profile while using LPV (in 4.7 preview 4).

Edit: Tim beat me to it.

[Mike.Skolones]

I guess he wants to say if he uses Subsurface scattering (SSS) and Unreal Engines built in dynamic GI solution (Light Propagation Volumes, LPV) then that does not work. And he asks whether VXGI will also not work with Subsurface scattering materials.

Thanks for the explanation, I'll inquire with the VXGI team.

--Mike

[fdslk]

Just to clarify, fdslk mentioned subsurface profile, not just subsurface.
Though I am currently playing around with subsurface profile while using LPV (in 4.7 preview 4).

Edit: Tim beat me to it.

Yeah, that was exactaly the issue. Sorry, missed a comma it seems. Anyhow, John, I'm probably sticking myself constantly on 4.6 for this particular project of mine. The problem with Subsurface scattering and Unreal Engine built-in GI solver is that when using a Subsurface scattering profile, the engine crashes, if it is any other kind of Subsurface scattering method, everything works fine

[Mike.Skolones]

The FleX branch is checked in. We're still testing it, but it should be worth a look if you are interested. There are five simple test maps. The fluid surface rendering is still in development, so fluid is rendered as small spheres currently.
--Mike

[Tim Hobson]

This is awesome, Mike! I'll be checking this out when I'm back in the office tomorrow!

[Voodoo]

Thank you Mike!! Epic news Cant wait to check it out! Thank you for all the hard work you and the team have done!