NVIDIA GameWorks Integration

[srmojuze]

Working on a merged NVIDIA branch for 4.9.1 as we speak, will be available this weekend or early next week.

Sweet.

BTW for everyone figuring out this stuff here are my experiences with building https://github.com/NvPhysX/UnrealEngine branch VXGI-4.9

Edited from the repo compile instructions.

1. git clone https://github.com/NvPhysX/UnrealEngine.git

2. You should now be on the release branch. Run setup.bat. You can now run GenerateProjectFiles.bat, build UE4, run it, etc.

(srmojuze comment: Running setup.bat now may or may not matter as I had to "run it again" (see below))

3. git branch –t vxgi origin/vxgi

(srmojuze comment: THIS IS OUTDATED, it should be "git branch -t VXGI-4.9 remotes/origin/VXGI-4.9" for the VXGI 4.9 version (with DX12 etc) as per "git branch -a" convention to list branches and do git branch commands accordingly, see StackOverflow for git branch etc. Why the redownload? It appears checking out the VXGI-4.9 branch overwrites the downloaded dependencies of setup.bat)

4. git checkout vxgi

5. GenerateProjectFiles.bat

(srmojuze comment: I can't remember but at some point it will download the dependencies again ie. another 2GB+ download of what setup.bat downloads... during this "re-download" it did not overwrite any files, apparently. If you yourself run setup.bat make sure you do NOT overwrite files)

6. Open .sln, build UE4 and ShaderCompileWorker projects.

7. Run UE4 Editor, open CornellBox or SciFiHallway projects.

Hope this helps.

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"Xoio Berlin Flat" from Marketplace, "Nvidia Official" UE4 VXGI 4.9 Multibounce Diffuse + Specular + DX12 + SSR + TXAA + SSAA 1.5X + NO AO
Entirely lit with 1 Directional Light (One thing though shadows are too deep in certain parts but I haven't tweaked much)



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"Quixel SciFi Hallway" (Nvidia version) from Marketplace, "Nvidia Official" UE4 VXGI 4.9 Multibounce Diffuse + Specular + DX12 + TXAA + NO AO
Lit with 2 Spotlights ("Robot Cameras") and 1 Point Light ("Counter Room") (+Emissive?)

[heartlessphil]

Yea... VXGI is nowhere near ready for arch-viz. Looks good for games tho!

[srmojuze]

Yea... VXGI is nowhere near ready for arch-viz. Looks good for games tho!

Fair enough for ArchiViz it'll be hard to compete* with the amazing results of Lightmass, Vray, Iray, Octane, etc. For "everything else" though, considering that VXGI is a full dynamic GI solution for all lights (directional, point, spot, area, emissive), with zero precomputed baking/ lighting/ shadows/ AO/ reflections, and chuck in all the additional UE4 features and DX12... Interesting next few years.

For the SciFi Hallway above it was already super slow on my poor little GTX 660M... But on Nvidia Maxwell, such a scene with lots more particles, effects, post, lighting, etc. it will look even better and more "complete".

I'm looking today for a nice scene I might be able to render frame-by-frame to see how a "fuller" VXGI experience might look, @Crow87's Infiltrator VXGI was very illuminating (pun unintended).

*That said, less demanding clients may extremely appreciate a full realtime GI lighting ArchiViz solution... particularly if it's more consumer-oriented. I wouldn't write off VXGI that quickly. Let's say a simple slider to change time of day, with some tweaks to the VXGI settings and clever fill lighting as suggested by some posters, could be quite impressive. My 2 cents as an "architecture layperson".

[gboxentertainment]

Hi Alexey, are you planning on getting VXGI to work with particles - i.e. having smoke illuminated by bounce lighting, or particles contributing to the voxel emissivity? this was one of the features that stood out for me in the original Elemental tech demo.

Also, distance field shadows don't seem to work with vxgi in the latest 4.9 release.

[srmojuze]

"Nvidia Official 4.9.1" VXGI zero-bake from modded "Matinee Demo" by Epic Games from Learn/Marketplace.

[theprotonfactor]

Is there any way to get access to a nvidia splash screen?

[iFire]

Is it possible to have the Nvidia VXGI branch compile on Linux? It might require a switch to disable VXGI. Linux support is blocking me from considering VXGI because there isn’t a fallback to standard Unreal features. The ability to deploy to multiple platforms with the same project is fairly important.

Another similar request would be the ability to deploy to Nvidia Shield / Android devices with VXGI disabled (I don't believe VXGI works on opengl.)

[Zero-Night]

Is it possible to have the Nvidia VXGI branch compile on Linux? It might require a switch to disable VXGI. Linux support is blocking me from considering VXGI because there isn’t a fallback to standard Unreal features. The ability to deploy to multiple platforms with the same project is fairly important.

Another similar request would be the ability to deploy to Nvidia Shield / Android devices with VXGI disabled (I don't believe VXGI works on opengl.)

To be clear, he isn't necessarily asking for it to -run- on Linux, simply for it to compile on Linux to run it on Windows. For running the game on Linux, can always just fall back to LPVs instead. It's for an automated build system he's using.

[srmojuze]

Is there any way to get access to a nvidia splash screen?

Maybe register through https://developer.nvidia.com/programs/gamedev/register and ask them for the assets?

According to the EULA at https://developer.nvidia.com/gameworks-sdk-eula Nvidia would be very happy, and in fact require, promotion of Nvidia GameWorks branding:

"B. For Games, Demos, and Videos that incorporate the NVIDIA GameWorks SDK or portions thereof, the NVIDIA GameWorks logos must appear:

a. on the back cover of the instruction manual or similar placement in an electronic file for the purpose of acknowledgement/copyright/trademark notice;
b. on external packaging;
c. during opening marquee or credits with inclusion of “NVIDIA”;
d. must appear on title marketing feature list with a specific call-out of NVIDIA GameWorks Technology
e. on the credit screen; and
f. in the “About” or “Info” box menu items (or equivalent) of all Games or Applications using any portion of the NVIDIA GameWorks SDK."

There's also a huge list of PR contacts, in the corporate world, in general, if you reach out to someone in your own country they are usually quite helpful in linking you up to the right people: http://www.nvidia.com/object/media-contacts.html

Obviously Nvidia is being a bit lenient by not forcing every single Gameworks thing Unreal Developers do to be so meticulously branded. However maybe along with the source code and documentation Nvidia can provide some branding assets so we can also easily comply with their EULA (or at least have a splash screen, lower third logo etc.) if they wish so.

Edit: BTW so it looks like the Nvidia branding in games is much less "The Way It's Meant To Be Played" but more now "Nvidia Gameworks"?

Edit2: Nvidia GameWorks for VR Documentation and Video as below. Interesting stuff, such as reducing render priority on edges due to required forced lens distortion for VR:
https://developer.nvidia.com/sites/d...l_handouts.pdf ...Any news as to when this will hit UE4 NVPhysX Git?

[theprotonfactor]

Point c in that EULA looks a whole lot like the default NVidia splash screen to me. And by the looks of it we need that and the kitchen sink in terms of branding, which is why I find it strange that the branding assets aren't more freely available. I mean if I where to ship my game right now I would be in serious breach of the EULA and if I have a company and someone uses a large portion of our tech without even so much as a mention of us I would probably sue. I'll check out those links but maybe someone at NVidia could point us to who or what division to contact to go through the official channels?

[Mikand79]

You are bound by the Unreal Engine EULA and not any additional terms, if at least you fetch and build the source code from out of Epics GitHub network. So the terms you see otherwise are separate things to this.

If you comply to the Unreal Engine EULA you can right now ship a product build upon the branches available through this thread.

[srmojuze]

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY CAUSED TO YOU.


Edit: OK I am now a "Registered Gameworks Developer" and I also found the Nvidia GameWorks Logo & Brand Guidelines: https://developer.nvidia.com/gameworks-logo


Ah, just imagine a world without lawyers...

I am not a lawyer but it appears Nvidia contributions fall under the UE4 EULA at https://www.unrealengine.com/eula particularly:

" b. Distribution to other licensees - You may Distribute Engine Code (including as modified by you under the License) in Source Code or object code format, or any Content, to an Engine Licensee who has rights under its license to the same Version of the Engine Code or Content that you are Distributing.

Any public Distribution (i.e., intended for Engine Licensees generally) which includes Engine Tools must take place either through the Marketplace (e.g., for distributing a Product’s modding tool or editor to end users) or through a fork of Epic’s GitHub UnrealEngine Network (e.g., for distributing source code)."


However the Nvidia contributions to UE4 to me still "incorporate the NVIDIA GameWorks SDK or portions thereof" (see above) so unless there is a particular waiver that Gameworks in Unreal Engine is covered by Unreal Engine EULA and NOT also Gameworks EULA, the Gameworks EULA still applies.

If someone from Epic and/or Nvidia can clarify these issues that would be great.


Personally I think it's just a matter whereby Nvidia contributions and UE4 development in general is moving very fast that on the legal side they specify such things but on the "practical" side certain things haven't caught up like including Nvidia splash screen assets in the Nvidia forks of UE4.


For example, Epic requires (from their EULA)

You agree to retain and reproduce in all copies of the Licensed Technology the copyright, trademark, and other proprietary notices and disclaimers of Epic and third parties as they appear in the Engine Code and the Content.

You agree to place the following notices in the credits for any Product (replacing xxxx with the current year):

“[Product name] uses the Unreal® Engine. Unreal® is a trademark or registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere”

“Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998 – xxxx, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved.”

No other license or right in the Epic Trademarks is granted under this Agreement. All use of the Epic Trademarks will inure to the sole benefit of Epic. You agree not to engage in any activity that could tarnish, dilute, or affect the validity or enforceability of the Epic Trademarks or cause consumer confusion or diminish any goodwill relating to any Epic Trademarks. If you wish to make further use of the Epic Trademarks, please go to https://www.unrealengine.com/brandin...rademark-usage.


A straightforward win-win for Nvidia, Epic and game developers is simply to have the right assets to show Nvidia Gameworks, UE4, etc. at the start of the game. It also shows that your game has all the latest cool fancy game technology too

For Unreal Engine at least it is a bit clearer: https://www.unrealengine.com/brandin...rademark-usage


As a former(?) (2D) graphic designer, to me, it appears Unreal Engine covers all the bases very well for logo, brand, trademark usage in both the EULA and the branding guidelines as above including logo use, etc. You can also download the official animated "Powered by UE4" video.

Game developers new to Unreal Engine I imagine will have to peruse the Unreal Engine EULA and Brand Guidelines and if you have anyone on your team with 2D corporate design or ad agency experience they should be able to advise and/or implement things accordingly.


As for Nvidia, they have the branding guidelines for apparently mainly their hardware partners (board manufacturers etc.) at http://uk.pforce.nvidia.com/Brand/Br...Guidelines.pdf

However, I can't seem to find the Gameworks branding guidelines (EDIT: I FOUND SOMETHING, SEE ABOVE), maybe everything will be made clearer at the Nvidia Registered Gameworks Developer side of things as at: https://developer.nvidia.com/gamewor...eloper-program.

As I made a VXGI video maybe I'll just sign up and report back here.

Edit: Found it... So at least we have the UE4 EULA and Brand Guidelines and the GameWorks EULA and (some) Brand Guidelines.

For the legal aspect, as a game developer or game development company, looks like you'll have to consult a lawyer if you want to cover yourself accordingly.

[srmojuze]

Point c in that EULA looks a whole lot like the default NVidia splash screen to me. And by the looks of it we need that and the kitchen sink in terms of branding, which is why I find it strange that the branding assets aren't more freely available. I mean if I where to ship my game right now I would be in serious breach of the EULA and if I have a company and someone uses a large portion of our tech without even so much as a mention of us I would probably sue. I'll check out those links but maybe someone at NVidia could point us to who or what division to contact to go through the official channels?

My previous post may be TL;DR so for clarity here you go: https://developer.nvidia.com/gameworks-logo

[Gandosh]

Guys is there anyone getting hella bad performance? like 10fps on just single emmisive plane with tree? am i missing some configuration ?

[RynerLuteTLD]

Guys is there anyone getting hella bad performance? like 10fps on just single emmisive plane with tree? am i missing some configuration ?

I get that with one light in my fairly large scene... goes from 80+fps to 10 so it is totally unusable for actual game use or I am doing something wrong >.> with many lights it is down to like 4-5 completely freezing up my editor as well so I cannot do anything but forcibly close the process.

edit:

Also getting an weird issue with matinee, shaders are compiling whether vxgi is enabled or not... not really sure what is going on but it only happens when using the movie tool to export out the video, doesn't matter if it is in images or an actual video it always has to compile shaders and that ruins the entire cinematic....