Yes, I have started implementing these ideas in Unity4 and U5. I did not pass them already to the latest version.
I was not considering vector field as Karearea mention because I think that Megaflow use as a source a 3ds Max output and I’m not able to use Autodesk unaffordable product (in my case).
[USER=387711]
Yes is a good idea. I do not know how to bake wind fields of all the scene 3Kx3K km (at 3m, 6m, 50m, 300m, 600m etc from terrain). Is a lot of data! I use something that can be similar good but more CPU expensive. I´m using two surfaces (layers) that create a local vector field and in real-time a local calculation. As data, I’m using “Dancing with the Wind” book. This data is generated at the start with the main wind direction. I has my own simple algorithm.
I was looking at Book of The Dead wind fields. Are a good example solution to follow for a local small scene and I need to understand it for evaluation in a much big environment. But my first thought, time ago, was that backing shadow maps or backing wind fields picks up too much HD data and time and is also are immutable. In my case, since we are talking of 1000s of km, for obtaining a good atmospheric local resolution, I’m forced to make them at the scene start with the direction of the wind (random sat media data and user inputs). Also because the environment, game objects position on the map are always changing upgrading itself. So I need to create a big input (not too big) for all the scene and make a local real-time calculation.
But now that you are pointing out that, you make me think that, yes. I understand a wind field as a texture that stores 3d direction. I can use a set of library database of some local objects turbulence wind field and apply that more accurate data mixing it with the turbulentcity wind audio data. This is triggers as usual when the raycasts (in direction of the wind) hits with a game object collider (static tree, house, etc… ).
I can use fantastic Megaflow in the glider for example inside a wind tunnel so that the younger player has a better understanding of what is happening. But I’m afraid of the result: I do not know how accurate is the Max output. I thought about that but the only situation when is useful (visual fan aside) is when two aeroplanes or gliders are so close to each other, that the wind influences the aircraft direction. If two aeroplanes are side by side but with wings are overlapping, the aeroplane wind influence on top push down the wing of the aeroplane that is down. This makes the aeroplane down to roll a bit. And the aeroplanes enter in a path collision. It triggers an almost inescapable fatality. I do not like automatic acrobats but I need to simulate this effect in some way to prevent the accident of, for example, acrobatic teams or gliders in a thermal. I will add later pushing forces. The best is to show, after the accident, the wind stream flow around the two aeroplanes. Inside my possibilities, I wish to avoid “feels right” and to make it correct. Since each situation is different and you need a lot of different angles(±30° Y and X) the only way I can imagine it is to calculate it in real-time.
But at the moment, I do not know how to make well calculated aerodynamic filed around a mesh in real-time or who can make it for me.
Yes in UDK and Unity 4 or 5 I has done that. I need to try that with this new U20xx particle system. Anyway, for the thermal and cloud (not render side), I prefer, instead of using particles and PhysX, to use just individual sphere collider and move them vias scripting calculating locally the atmospheric conditions. If the glider enters in that sphere zone the vector change as if is a hot air bubble inside a thermal. The collider can change in size but is tricky. The same bubble later go down. I try to make clouds via particle using Gtx 460, but was too much GPU expensive at the time. There was a nice asset for that now deprecated I’m the author since 2007 of the SoaringClouds photorealistic textures. Having lots of particles is more realistic and can be big. Here it’s me using the unbeatable Condor and my photorealistic cloud textures in 2012.
Visualisation of the cloud
I try trueSkyAlpha but is hard when I move the sliders. probably via scripting is more simple. Visually I prefer in status zone conditions to use several cylinders instead of planes like trueSkyAlpha but that renders inside the scene environment and not outside. The procedural cloud covered is triggered by the individual sphere colliders. But I did not implement at the moment this solution.[/user]
