...
In terms of procedure, all we have to do is to create a small dummy sphere (like 30cm diameter), and let's call it Probe_Global, just as reference. This mesh, as its name in the model, are not used by the code. They are just reference for us, to extract the Probe coordinates. We do not export this mesh.
Once we have placed our dummy sphere on a place that we think it's good, all we have to do is to copy and paste the X,Y,Z coordinate in our Track .SCN file.
...
Typical mistakes to avoid
- Introduce an IRRAD hull in the .SCN, without exporting the mesh. This will generate an error and a crash on track loading.
- Too many hulls in the track may slow down the render time. Just do limit their usage as much as you can.
- Irradiance range for the hull is either too short or too long. This would make either the hull working not as expected or make the interpolation with the Global Irradiance, too long for the purpose.
- Probing under ground. This is the worst case, as usually ends in a total blue environemnt, since the sampling it's gonna be only from the sky dome
- Probing above grass. This will give you a too strong greenish dominant to the scene. Always probe above tarmac centerline, high enough to sample the surrounding, not too high to avoid sampling to much sky dome. Usually everything under 12/15 meters above the ground is good to go.
- Probing against walls or other vertical elements. Again, this should be avoided as it's introding strong color dominants in the ambient. Always place your Global Probe in a open area, not too close to walls, buildings etc.
How to check the IBLA in mod dev
In Mod Dev we now have an extra editor, dedicated to the IBL.It It is called IBL Visualizer and can be toggled on/off from the Main Editor Menu.
The IBLVisualizer has the following toggles;
- Enable IBL: this just toggle the IBL ambient On/Off. Useful to check how our setup is working, and if everything is working as expected.
- Show Hulls: this make invisible Hulls volumes, visible from the track. Since there is back culling as for any other mesh, you can see it only if your POV is outside the hull. Pretty much just a feature to quickly check if the Hull is there, where we want it.
- Show Convolve: this will show a sphere on top of the car (so you need to use the swingman camera to see it), mapped with our light convolution map. Very useful to check the light map and how it does interpolate along the course, especially if Hulls are present.
- Show Cubemap: this will show the probing cubemap. Only working with IBL set to ON, since there is not probing with IBL off.
- Override Probe: this option allow the artist to isolate a specific Global Probe, or Hulls, to see its effect without interpolation between them.
IBL OFF
IBL ON
IBL OFF - CONVOLVE SHOWING FLAT AMBIENT COLOR
...