Alpha Soft Shadows - Automatic (WIP Marketplace Asset)

[matharoo]

Hey!

I'm working on a shadow manager that I will release on the Marketplace. I thought I'd make a thread for updates & stuff, and for suggestions from you guys.

>> Documentation <<

It supports point lights (as many as you want) and directional mode (sun).

Let me know what you thought!

 

[HighlandCoo]

Thats awesome, I did something similar for a top down City where I drew a shadow onto a surface for each building and moved the shadow direction depending on the time of day. It was good looking but a framerate killer!

Id love to know how you did the shape-changing shadow though!? Buildings are easy, but I cant figure out how your done the above.

 

[matharoo]

Id love to know how you did the shape-changing shadow though!?

It uses the object's sprite for the shadow.

 

[HighlandCoo]

It uses the object's sprite for the shadow.

Ahhh, and are you just adusting the Xscale and Yscale of the sprite?

 

[matharoo]

Ahhh, and are you just adusting the Xscale and Yscale of the sprite?

Not the xscale, just the yscale, to stretch the shadow.

 

[Hyomoto]

Not being a shared wizard myself, this is something I could find useful. Can it interact with the enviornment?

 

[matharoo]

Can it interact with the enviornment?

I'm not sure how you would want shadows to interact with the environment. Could you give some examples?

 

[Hyomoto]

Well, you are using a 2.5D perspective, so the walls at minimum and other actors if desired.

 

[matharoo]

Well, you are using a 2.5D perspective, so the walls at minimum and other actors if desired.

Oh, so you're talking about the shadows bending according to the walls & objects? Currently there is no support for that.

 

[Hyomoto]

Just wanted to know, I have a project on the backburner I could use this for. Second question, how are the shadows drawn? Does it draw them to a different layer/surface? You have a depth setting, so I'm guessing an object is created to draw the shadows at that depth/layer?

 

[matharoo]

Just wanted to know, I have a project on the backburner I could use this for. Second question, how are the shadows drawn? Does it draw them to a different layer/surface? You have a depth setting, so I'm guessing an object is created to draw the shadows at that depth/layer?

The shadow manager object is placed at the given depth/layer, and that object draws the shadow surface.

 

[sharooz]

im gonna pick that up.

 

[CMAllen]

How does it do with more horizontal sprites? I've done something similar before, but it just didn't quite work properly for horizontal sprites.

 

[Nux]

Does it support multiple views, and is it possible for the sources to be within a finite distance of the 'occluders' i.e. having shadows face different directions instead of all being parallel to one another?

Other than that, this is pretty nice!

 

[matharoo]

Thanks all for the kind words!

How does it do with more horizontal sprites? I've done something similar before, but it just didn't quite work properly for horizontal sprites.

This is for a top down perspective It depends on what kind of perspective you are talking about. If the game is top down, then it could work.

having shadows face different directions instead of all being parallel to one another?

Yes, if you read the documentation you'll see that there are two lighting modes: the first one uses point lights (as many as you want) and the second one uses a single direction (for simulating the sun).

Does it support multiple views

It is just a surface drawn inside the room, so multiple views/cameras should work fine.

 

[Guest User]

the further the light gets the more it looks like they're wearing a really long tophat that just keeps getting taller and taller...
anyway i recall seeing something like this for platformers, its a very intriguing technique. but that this one changes with the light position instead of just being from a static overhead lightsource is pretty cool

 

[Toque]

Very cool.

 

[matharoo]

Added cube casters:

Look at the documentation for more info.

 

[RangerX]

Does this work if I have the automatic drawing of the application surface off and that I draw it myself in a post draw event?
Many people making assets and shader aren't testing this.

 

[Geoff Jones]

Not sure if it is something you can incorporate into this system, but generally, shadows will be sharper at the base of the subject and get more blurry as it goes out

 

[matharoo]

Does this work if I have the automatic drawing of the application surface off and that I draw it myself in a post draw event?
Many people making assets and shader aren't testing this.

Yes, it should work. It is drawn in the room.

Not sure if it is something you can incorporate into this system, but generally, shadows will be sharper at the base of the subject and get more blurry as it goes out

Yes, that is how I have made it.

 

[Geoff Jones]

Yes, it should work. It is drawn in the room.

Yes, that is how I have made it.

They look equally soft from the base to the end in the screenshots.

 

[matharoo]

They look equally soft from the base to the end in the screenshots.

I think it appears like that because of the circle that is indeed fully blurred.

 

[Geoff Jones]

That's not what I mean.


Due to the way photons scatter , shadows at the base of the object should be harder than shadows at the tip. The amount of difference depends on the relative size and distance of the light.
See hwo the shadow is softer at the tip of the shadow in this image, and harder at the base?

Spoiler

 

[matharoo]

That's not what I mean.
View attachment 17561

Due to the way photons scatter , shadows at the base of the object should be harder than shadows at the tip. The amount of difference depends on the relative size and distance of the light.
See hwo the shadow is softer at the tip of the shadow in this image, and harder at the base?

Well, that effect is already in place for object shadows, but not cube shadows. I think the effect is not high enough in the GIFs, that's why you can't detect it. I will try to implement it in the cube shadows as well.