Product Chat / Do Heightmpas work now in gameguru?

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Duchenkuke
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Posted: 19th Jul 2020 15:53 Edited at: 19th Jul 2020 16:18
According to this guide from belidos they did not work a year ago.

Did that change now? I guess not?..

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1382429965

I think we desperately need heightmap support!
It would add a lot if done properly
Nerf Rhett Games
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Posted: 19th Jul 2020 17:01
I agree 100%. Heightmaps would surely make entities a lot more realistic. I’m crossing my fingers for heightmap texture support in at least MAX.

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Belidos
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Posted: 19th Jul 2020 17:57
there is a way to get height maps working in gameguru by altering a shader, but i haven't a clue how, i think it was cybernesence who told me about it ages ago. But, no, as far as i'm aware by default height maps do not work.

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Pirate Myke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 02:00 Edited at: 20th Jul 2020 02:22
I did stumble on a way that really makes the normals pop way better. It appears that the cobbles_N.dds normal file in the ebebank/texturesource folder, held the clue.
Dont know why, but it seems to make them look better.
By putting the height map info in the normal map alpha channel you can enhance the normals rendered in Game Guru.


The purple is the height map of the alpha channel. the higher the alpha value, the lower the normal will look. I know it sounds backwards, but I believe this is because of the way GG renders the normals:
Normal direction +X -Y +Z

Some results:


There is also this shader from cybernescence.
https://forum.game-guru.com/thread/219935
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Duchenkuke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 14:28
Thanks for the answers! Will check it out myke!
3com
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 17:39
I have tried both systems in one, and this is what I've got:

In GG



In GGMax


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Duchenkuke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 20:08
okay cool, so it works..

how do you create a heightmap ?
Duchenkuke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 20:21
3com
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 20:48
Quote: "how do you create a heightmap ?"

http://www.boundingboxsoftware.com/materialize/getkey.php

Quote: "3com how did you do that?"


Just follow Mike's steps.

Quote: "1- By putting the height map info in the normal map alpha channel you can enhance the normals rendered in Game Guru.
2- There is also this shader from cybernescence."


I've applied the shader to the entity via fpe file, is useful you read the shader link than myke provided above.


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Wolf
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 20:50
You can create heightmaps manually using black and white filters alongside blurring and some manual edits.

Also not heightmapping at all but you can get a rather pronounced effect with strong normal maps. However auto generated ones will not work for this and look terrible. I generally advise anyone using GG to use very faint, subtle normalmaps for the best look.

Anyway: this was the effect I mentioned:

Duchenkuke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 20:53
Okay so.. Wolf, please tell me more about it. That looks very good!
Duchenkuke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 20:57
@3com

I now created a heightmap with the tool you sent. (thanks by the way

What do I do now?
Duchenkuke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 21:06 Edited at: 20th Jul 2020 23:17
no matter what I do, it doesnt work.

Even cybernescence's heightmapped models he posted in his thread don't show the effect...
Something is wrong! And I have no idea what it is.



The shader has been added to the effectbank/reloaded folder, I did everything that needed to be done but it still does not work..

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3com
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 22:04
BTW the way I did is not the goal Mikel pointed out, but 2 different ways to achieve it. Anyway, as Ciber pointed out you need the height map, to work fine, via shader.

The other option implied to put the height map info in the normal map alpha channel.
Do you do so?

And I just play with the 2 options in one as I pointed above, just as the sake of try, to see what happens then, and the final result is good.
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Duchenkuke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 22:09 Edited at: 20th Jul 2020 22:52
In cyber's thread about Heightmaps he posted some assets that have everything they need for the heightmap effect.
But it doesnt show in gameguru!
What am I doing wrong ??
Quote: "
The other option implied to put the height map info in the normal map alpha channel.
Do you do so?"


i have no idea how to do that.

I did it that way and it looked terrible ( no heightmap effect too)

1: open normal map
2: make normal map half transparent
3: add heightmap texture to the normal map
4:save as .dds or .png - none of them worked.


EDIT: I loaded the shaders again now, and this time i deleted the .blob files - it works now!

Now I will test more and send the results soon!
3com
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 23:17
Quote: "i have no idea how to do that. "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsq1hVQQLHM

The file is not the same, but the process is the same.
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Duchenkuke
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Posted: 20th Jul 2020 23:20





This is now the result. Has issues obviously and is no actual solution.
This is the way how cybernescence did it with cobble floors - seems that it doesnt work for all types of entities.

@pirate myke

Can you please tell me exactly step by step how you did your texture?
I have read it many times now but I don't know how to actually do it.
Duchenkuke
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Posted: 24th Jul 2020 11:01 Edited at: 24th Jul 2020 15:20
Maybe one day it will be added alongside better looking normal maps.
Pirate Myke
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Posted: 25th Jul 2020 04:19 Edited at: 25th Jul 2020 06:10
@Duchenkuke:
First thing I need to ask is if you backed up your apbr_core file and replace it with the one supplied in the thread?
Also a rebuild of the shaders would be needed.

Restart Game Guru and try the test files from Cyber first to be sure those work.

Files I used for the below pictures are attached below.


Object on the left is real geometry, object on the right is a plane cube.


Object on the right is real geometry, object on the left is a plane cube.

Checked out the open source program, Awesome Bump. it generates the normal the way you need upon export. Applied the textures to the basic cube again. https://github.com/kmkolasinski/AwesomeBump
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Duchenkuke
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Posted: 25th Jul 2020 08:50
Thanks myke! Yea I did everything thats needed, cyber's entities work. Now i will check out the software.
Pirate Myke
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Posted: 25th Jul 2020 14:50
Excellent.
Your welcome.
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GoDevils
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Posted: 11th Aug 2020 23:12
@ 3com

Thanks much for the Bounding Box Software tip.
www.boundingboxsoftware.com

Materialize looks like an awesome texture prep application.

Thanks again
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3com
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Posted: 12th Aug 2020 11:11
@ GoDevils
Glad to help.
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