115 replies to this topic

[Dropzone73]

This overlay 3D grass is the greatest thing in the history of golf games .

 

If I get my designing motivation back someday, I'll have to learn this technique. Is there a tutorial yet? This is something I have dreamed of and even suggested to Mike that they should implement that kind of 3D grass to PG2 which uses the overlay's colours. They couldn't do it, but you could. Thanks to Birdie also for implementing this 3D grass.

 

You guys rock!

[DPRoberts]

Birdie's work has really carried me along the last few months. Tutorial not complete. I could just record me working a bit so you can see. The concept is easy. Export mesh, UV unwrap to overlay image or some modification of your overlay. Problem is, I hate the triangles around irregular mesh areas. So, I've used Quadremesher in Blender to eliminate and get consistent results. It's super friendly to use but has some little nuances. Regardless, it's fun and opens us to options they may not have available in VG2. That's a credit to Stix Games and the grass shader. Ultimately, I think for VG2 they decided to use Turf Effects instead of this shader route and it probably doesn't have an overlay color input option like the shader does. They might be able to code for it but I have no idea.

 

[NoPutt]

Interesting DP, so what's the pricing on this Blender plug-in?

Oops, sorry, I forgot I have Google...lol...is this correct?

[DPRoberts]

Interesting DP, so what's the pricing on this Blender plug-in?
Oops, sorry, I forgot I have Google...lol...is this correct?

Yes, that's it. I'm using the trial version at the moment. Plan was to spend $10 bucks after that. If I'm still building using it come next year, I'll splurge on it.

[DPRoberts]

Testing out Birdie's more extreme lighting ideas on Oakmont...

Initial results look pretty promising...

I need to fix the rough normal but I love how things really start to pop! (I've lowered the X value of my directional light to around 17 and have turned up the intensity to around 1.5. Trees go a bit contrasty so I'm using the main Lighting with "gradient" and toning down the Ground and Equator colors.)

 

Objects in place only to see effect beyond CF layers

[DPRoberts]

More ideas for the grass. I know, I have issues...

 

I was experimenting with the alpha layer in the Color Texture (RGB) panel for the grass as it can be used as essentially a heightmap for the grass length. Pure white is tallest dimension you have set for the grass. Pure black is absence of grass. The beauty here is that I'm deriving the heightmap from a layer I'm already painting in Photoshop for the dead grass.

 

The look for short dead and brown spots

 

The look with longer grass

 

The results are pretty promising and I really like the look for the longer grass. This will be much needed at Oakmont but will be killer on some traditional links or Crenshaw-Coore type places. 

 

You could leave all the grass green as well if you like and use it to carve out walking paths or maybe even golf cart tire damage. Subtler effects could be just running a noise pattern for the Alpha layer and getting less uniformity.

 

The method I'm using as stated above is creating a brownish layer in Photoshop above my overlay. Then, use the mask layer to make that brown grass appear.

 

Copy that mask layer and go to Channels, add a layer and it will label it as Alpha 1. Paste your brown grass mask and Invert it. Adjust a bit with levels to desired effect.

Mask for above Photoshop example and resulting grass in images above

 

It all sounds complicated but it's something you are already doing if you are adding grunge to your overlay as shown previously with mask layers.

[DPRoberts]

A lovely spot for the kitties to mark their territory...

[Birdie]

You grass freak! 🤓

[uvmnick]

Amazing!

[Dropzone73]

I love what I see! This is the best grass I've ever seen .

There are all the things that make grass look real: 3D, overlay colours, normal maps, different lenght grass plades and a change to control all this with textures.

Great stuff!

[Buck]

@DP

 

Is that gorgeous grass going along with an upcoming course of yours?

[Joe Habiger]

Wowser!!

[DPRoberts]

Dave, sorry for the screenies with no course download. Damn you, Birdie, you are the One! Red pill or blue pill...

 

Sorry folks, best I can do is teach follow. If I had time, I would do. Go with Dr. Rob approach, crank it all to 11 and dial back only if needed. Running directional light at 2 and exponential fog at 0.0035 with a yellowish hue. Problem is risking blowing out whitish textures. Really have to be aware of value control. 

[RobC]

I was ready to do a final release of Congressional but now I have to fiddle again damn you....

Before...

After...

Don't know whether to go with the changes or not

RobC

[NoPutt]

 Go with the filtered lighting, looks great.

@DP....Awesome 

[Buck]

Hmm - I'll be the voice of opposition I guess RobC
 

I think that makes the trees look cheesy honestly.

[IanK]

I prefer the ‘before’ Rob.

[Buck]

I think my issue with the 2nd pic is the intensity of lighting that appears to be hitting the trees.

But that light intensity doesn't feel matched in the scene with what you see on all the ground level assets.

 

Balance on stuff like this is really key.

As it stands now in the 2nd shot, things visually just look "wrong" to my eyes.

 

i.e.  I see the 2nd pic and my first reaction is - "what's wrong with the trees?"

[NoPutt]

I liked the effect on Birdies course too, but that's just me.

Lots of crystal clear courses out there and that's ok, I just like the change.

[Buck]

I liked the effect on Birdies course too, but that's just me.

Lots of crystal clear courses out there and that's ok, I just like the change.

 

I'm referring to the changes the effect seems to directly have on the trees in Rob's v1 and v2 screenshots.

 

The trees have an intensity, shine and coloration to them in the v2 screenshot that looks super hokey & fake - at least to me.

I don't see any of that in your shot above from Manila.