QUESTION Camera facing trees

[VladK]

Hello everyone.
I expect this might be a very simple answer, but I can't find it using search.
Looks like it is possible to create camera facing 2D trees in AC (AMS2 style). And maybe they exist in KS Imola (see screenshot).. but how do I make an object or material camera facing (in KS Editor and/or extension.ini config files)?
(Also in Imola looks like some of the trees glitch and don't face the camera but some do.. it is hard to spot since they are all on BG)

 

[Johnr777]

Hello everyone.
I expect this might be a very simple answer, but I can't find it using search.
Looks like it is possible to create camera facing 2D trees in AC (AMS2 style). And maybe they exist in KS Imola (see screenshot).. but how do I make an object or material camera facing (in KS Editor and/or extension.ini config files)?
(Also in Imola looks like some of the trees glitch and don't face the camera but some do.. it is hard to spot since they are all on BG)

View attachment 7075

No, not possible. The only thing that can face cameras is the spectators. That section in Imola is a combination of Y style trees and single planes that face the track.

 

[VladK]

Good to know! Thanks!
I would argue this might be a good addition to CSP in the future, given how much AMS2 could achieve with simple 2D sprites as trees. Trees in AC are still much to be desired for, so I was hoping this can help with BG trees a bit. But also not a deal breaker.

 

[Fuzo]

I guess it would be possible to cheat this with camera facing spectators, because config for it literally allows to take 2D texture, split it to pieces and scatter it across defined surface. AC doesn't care what is on that texture, does it? Only one problem here, to make this look good you need shader with normal texture. And there is no variation to object height. CSP adds normal textures for spectators, but I wonder if it would be configurable for this kind of workaround...

 

[fughettaboutit]

Dont do that, we had this spectator dilemma already in the past, they eat a lot of performance, the more the worse, there were complains about performance issues on the most "specta .. tor-full" tracks, AlleyViper did the math one time:
# sum of spectotor ELEMENTS= from:
barcelona 13780
nurb gp a 13620
nords endurance 13520
silverstone gp 12800
monza 8200
spa 7350
imola 5550
redbull gp 4690
mugello 3800
laguna 3150
silverstone 67 3000
brands gp 2820
magione 2700
vallelunga ext 2500
highlands long 1650
monza66 full 1500
zandvoort 1650

 

[Fuzo]

each spectator is one drawcall? I was wondering if it is true

 

[fughettaboutit]

Well not one draw call per element, but faces have to be rotated towards camera every frame or something?

 

[Gunnar333]

but the cam facing spectator meshes should use LOD arguments.
13620 at nurb gp will have more performance issues than nords endurance (13520)

 

[fughettaboutit]

on nords they are only on the GP-part (24.kn5), all other spectators on the ring are actual meshes (not cam-facing); as i tested this cam-facning spectators dont react to lod settings , but sure they have a it set

 

[Gunnar333]

as i tested this cam-facning spectators dont react to lod settings , but sure they have a it set

Thnks, never noticed that. Good to know.

 

[fughettaboutit]

erhm, you should probably test yourself, i could be wrong, at least i hope so

 

[Gunnar333]

You're not wrong.
Just did a quick test:

 

[fughettaboutit]

ye the surface is hidden like it should... try without csp?

 

[Gunnar333]

Too much hassle atm to switch CSP off and make the testtrack work.

 

[fughettaboutit]

what you mean? ok i guess you have reasons

 

[Gunnar333]

okay had to disable the apps and some special shaders at testtrack to make it work without CSP.
But yes. without CSP activated the cam facing spectators don't care about LOD settings, too.

But I noticed that the LodOUT distance is behaving different.
Feels like LodOUT = 10 with CSP about 100m and without CSP about 20m

 

[fughettaboutit]

yes thats from here, but not entirely, somehwere else was another setting too that makes freecam look farther