New hair simulation demo

Amazing Humus.
You hair simulation looks quite similar to the dynamic hair in Poser6.
But you do it realtime, while rendering even a single frame is damn slow in that software package.

Of course that balloon makes collection detection a lot easier, but still I wish I could use this in Poser

 

Is there any way to use R2VB through OpenGL?

 

I'm quite sure there's a reason you used the ATI icon for your post!

 

Well R2VB is currently an ATi only feature and I got an ATi board...

Doesn't look like there will be support for R2VB through OpenGL (at least for now) so I guess I'll just have to finish my DX renderer to play with it

btw, nice demo. I get ~1100 FPS here on my X1900XT (default viewport).

 

I think R2VB was once considered in opengl with superbuffers but was dropped for some reason. ATI had some demos showing R2VB funcionality in opengl through their superbuffer implementation in the drivers.

 

Probably, it was dropped in favour of Vertex Fetch 4 (< may be typo since cannot remember well, sorry) It's just my believe so.

How can I run this demo on a laptop with mobility redeon 9600 (NC6000)? May I need .Net install if I want to install only driver, not a CCC? <=Sorry again if OT.

 

.NET is only needed for the CCC, not drivers

 

Under OpenGL, it is possible to do a kind of R2VB with the Pixel Buffer Object extension (which is not at all the same as the more well-known Framebuffer Object!), however given that this approach requires a data copy (within the GPU's memory; a full CPU roundtrip should not be needed), it will offer a bit less performance that what should be attainable with more "direct" R2VB.

 

Very interesting, thanks

 

Just out of interest. How much input do you reckon your demos have had on the industry? I was just thinking there maybe has been some kind of connection...

I mean, for one, you had those very nice bumpmapping demos a while back (maybe 2 years ago) when I still had a 9700 probably.

well, anyways, it seems such techniques are starting to get used elsewhere, but intriquingly I see it happening where Ati is involved. Namely, there is the new Ati toyshop demo, with the taxi cab and the brickwall with the bump mapping, did you have any input to that?

Other, far fetched...er case is that of some 360 games like Perfect Dark. They're using similar bump mapping and I was thinking maybe they got some input from Ati that got the idea from you.

Or maybe they independently thought it a good idea to use such technology.

Just guessing here

Anyways, I've enjoyed the demos over the years, even with the simplistic artwork, because they're usually focusing on a specific, interesting feature.

 

I have it on record that a game programmer I correspond with have mentioned your name (your real name, which I only just recently found out) as someone who had given him ideas. Not sure if this means you "make a difference" but this is evidence that your work has been/ is, at the very least , noticed.

Just keep churning out those demos. Heck, to ensure your impact, make movies of demos that will only run using next-gen-to-be-released ATI hardware!

I'd be interested to know your reaction/response to such offers. As I understand it, you don't shape the next-gen ATI hardware; you show what it's capapble of via demos (don't take this the wrong way, and if I am wrong, I apologize), whereas if you work for a game developer, you may possibly shape how games are going to be made in the future (via some incredibly clever use of hardware/API features).

I've read a lot of reports of hardware guys migrating to a software (game development) job and vice-versa but I have never read any really interesting reason why such folks did it.

Sorry for the OT.

 

I was referring to this kind of bump mapping


I used to do this test with my friends, they hadnt seen the demo before. I asked them, is that geometry or bump mapping. They would always say its real polygons. I moved a bit closer to the surface and asked... and now? "Still polygons"

I actually had to move very carefully, to get to the point where I would only just barely be on the correct side of the plane to have the texture still visible to convince them that it is indeed "just" bump mapping

 

That is cool.

The demos definitely have an industry-wide impact. I think that's mostly because you are an early implementor of a lot of contemporary feature/techniques (3Dc, Parallax mapping, alpha-to-coverage etc). It's just a shame now that your most famous work will be this balloon thing, simply because it one of the ugliest creations ever to grace our screens.

 

Hey Humus, a bit OT but if you are interested I can whip you up a nicer head with a blendshape based head generator system I've made for Maya http://vertpusher.com/tools/head-generator/ . I could possibly get some textures together as well.

Let me know if you're interested.