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InCell VR  -  Pipeline and optimisation technics

Assets production pipline with Houdini Indie and Unity3D. Also fake blending technic is described. InCell VR is an explorational game with strategy and racing elements designed for VR devices. It’s also playable without VR device on Windows, Mac and Linux

Oleg Chumakov, Blogger

September 4, 2015

8 Min Read
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Fake blending (avoiding expensive alpha test/alpha blend on mobile GPU)

Blending object with Cubemap (sky)

Pros:

  • Doesn't blend with backbuffer (fast)

  • Very few additional instructions in shader

  • Additional fog layer possible (opaque -> fog -> skycube)

  • No sorting required (because not possible)

  • Very similar to alpha blending giving smooth results

  • Cubemap can be reused for specular reflections in same shader

  • Simple to setup and configure Cons:

  • Sorting not possible (objects look translucent but can't see through them)

  • Looks convincing only if geometry doesn't overlap or objects appear fast enough for the user not to notice

float3 color = LightUp(); float3 fog = texCUBE(_SkyBox, eye).rgb; color = lerp(color, fog, linz);

Fake blending

Geomentry generation (via Houdini & Unity)

Initial geometry from where modelling starts

Houdini generation step

Geometry is deformed to give first basic appearance

Houdini generation stepHoudini generation step

Details and light added

Houdini generation step

Additional details and UV mapping

Houdini generation step

Simplified ingame geometry (1.5K tris vs 35K tris)

Houdini generation step

Normalmap baking from high-poly version

Houdini generation step

Color baking as point color of high-poly version

Houdini generation step

Final result (ingame)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05DJAZkvEM

More step by step

RIBOSOME PART

Houdini generation stepHoudini generation stepHoudini generation stepHoudini generation stepHoudini generation step

ADENOVIRUS

Houdini generation stepHoudini generation stepHoudini generation stepHoudini generation stepHoudini generation stepHoudini generation step

Result

InCell VR (available on Steam) is an explorational game with strategy and racing elements designed for VR devices. It’s also playable without VR device on Windows, Mac and Linux. Here how it's looks like:

 

Feel free to ask any questions and write to [email protected]

 

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