a simple question maybe
by Chris Sargent · in Torque 3D Professional · 07/10/2010 (12:23 pm) · 4 replies
Well after 6 years of lurking, reading, and asking some questions I'm finally getting to start working on a demo for a game i've been planning.
I had a question about how the engine renders objects. For this demo I'm planning on 4 separate terrains stacked vertically with a mode of transportation between them in the center. What I am wanting to know before I start working on this is will the engine render everything on all 4 terrains (even though the player will only be able to see what is on their current terrain) or will i need to set up zones / portals to keep everything from the other 3 terrains being rendered until the player moves to them.
The reason I am asking is because I mess around with the UDK and it automatically does not render what the player can not see.
Thanks!
I had a question about how the engine renders objects. For this demo I'm planning on 4 separate terrains stacked vertically with a mode of transportation between them in the center. What I am wanting to know before I start working on this is will the engine render everything on all 4 terrains (even though the player will only be able to see what is on their current terrain) or will i need to set up zones / portals to keep everything from the other 3 terrains being rendered until the player moves to them.
The reason I am asking is because I mess around with the UDK and it automatically does not render what the player can not see.
Thanks!
About the author
#2
If an object is NOT in the view area, it is not rendered. A very few type of objects do not follow this rule, but that is by design and should not effect game performance in context of your query.
You will need to set up zones/portals, and use every other system T3D have as optimization features according to your game design requirements on exceedingly heavy graphics quality or density.
Consideration should be made for the fact that Terrain will not occlude when viewed from below. This design function is extremely easy to change in code, or overcome by level design and very clever usage of T3D standard optimization features(dangerous to bank your results on non-standard usage of engine default features).
07/11/2010 (12:27 am)
Frustum Culling is in T3D. Joe is thinking of Occlusion Culling, what T3D do not have.If an object is NOT in the view area, it is not rendered. A very few type of objects do not follow this rule, but that is by design and should not effect game performance in context of your query.
You will need to set up zones/portals, and use every other system T3D have as optimization features according to your game design requirements on exceedingly heavy graphics quality or density.
Consideration should be made for the fact that Terrain will not occlude when viewed from below. This design function is extremely easy to change in code, or overcome by level design and very clever usage of T3D standard optimization features(dangerous to bank your results on non-standard usage of engine default features).
#3
well I will give it a go and see how it works with a test run. I had taken into account with my minimal planning so far that if you were a terrain down and looked up you would see the bottom half of the terrain.
07/11/2010 (7:04 pm)
Thanks Joe and Caylo!well I will give it a go and see how it works with a test run. I had taken into account with my minimal planning so far that if you were a terrain down and looked up you would see the bottom half of the terrain.
#4
07/11/2010 (8:21 pm)
Yeah, my bad. I was thinking of Occlusion Culling...was tired when I read the post and typed my response. 
Torque Owner Joe Melton
Fails At Making Games