Water culling(?) problem
by J "hplus" W · in Torque Game Engine · 10/05/2006 (8:29 pm) · 6 replies
I keep having this problem with a waterblock, placed in the world editor, sometimes deciding to draw, and sometimes not.
On the bright side, for the positions where it doesn't draw, it always doesn't draw, so it's very reproducible.
Here are four screen shots:
- the editor settings (cropped from multiple screen shots)
- the water, as being drawn from afar
- the water, as not being drawn when closer
- the water, as being drawn when in it
Note that the water doesn't draw for a long while while walking through it. However, the splash effects draw as appropriate. Also, when walking through the water when it doesn't draw, the screen effect/fog also isn't drawing.
Why is this, and what can I do about it?
On the bright side, for the positions where it doesn't draw, it always doesn't draw, so it's very reproducible.
Here are four screen shots:
- the editor settings (cropped from multiple screen shots)
- the water, as being drawn from afar
- the water, as not being drawn when closer
- the water, as being drawn when in it
Note that the water doesn't draw for a long while while walking through it. However, the splash effects draw as appropriate. Also, when walking through the water when it doesn't draw, the screen effect/fog also isn't drawing.
Why is this, and what can I do about it?
#2
10/06/2006 (2:58 pm)
Well, the water disappears before the camera is below the level. I'll try to increase the level and see where it leaves me -- but it seems to me that a properly working system wouldn't erroneously cull in any case.
#3
10/07/2006 (11:12 am)
I made the water block smaller (384x384, centered around the pool) and a bit thicker (about 50), and the problem seems to have disappeared. This scares me, because I don't see how this should matter at all -- there must be some kind of culling bug deep under the hood :-( 
#4
I had this same problem with a 1024X1024 waterblock with a debth of 200, so it isn't your debth.
There is a fix in the resourses, but it is already integrated with 1.4. I never figured out how to fix it. I did however, lower the size of my waterblock to 800 X 800 and that seems to have fixed it. Hopefully, someone will be able to figure out what the cause is and can post a real fix.
10/07/2006 (7:03 pm)
J\"hplus"\WI had this same problem with a 1024X1024 waterblock with a debth of 200, so it isn't your debth.
There is a fix in the resourses, but it is already integrated with 1.4. I never figured out how to fix it. I did however, lower the size of my waterblock to 800 X 800 and that seems to have fixed it. Hopefully, someone will be able to figure out what the cause is and can post a real fix.
#5
10/07/2006 (8:39 pm)
Well, even if it's fixed in 1.4 (or 1.4.2), it's not fixed enough -- I'm using 1.4.2 HEAD from two weaks ago, and it still happens. 
Torque 3D Owner Stephen Zepp