3 replies to this topic

[Timbab]

Hi,

I hope this is the right forum...

I've been working on a mod for SWGEmu, but I'm having extreme problems with the shaders. I'm totally inexperienced when it comes to HLSL and some of it seems to be in ASM.

What I mainly want to do is add depth of field if possible (It should be, a guy on an old mod forum said it was possible by modding the psh/vsh files), probably in the fog .vsh, but I'm not sure. Another thing is understanding the possibilities with the given files.

If anyone could take a few moments and look at it, I would be extremely grateful, I've been trying to figure this stuff out for hours and been researching, but with not too much progress. I've uploaded all of the psh/vsh and their .inc files, including 3 pastebin samples of it.

2d_blur.psh - http://pastebin.com/0g9NcTPx

fog.inc (Vertex) - http://pastebin.com/9F9MpQeZ

skybox.vsh - http://pastebin.com/AazHRpdg

The zip - http://www.putlocker...9C28E8269766107

Thanks in advance!

[Kenneth Gorking]

As far as I can tell from this (slide 9), you need a special tool to compile the pixel shaders. Do you have that? If you do, or can work around that limitation, then there may be hope. The next problem, is finding a suiteable DoF technique. This old ATI technique is from 2004, a year after the game was released, so its requrements might fit what the game provides. It does however require a focal point, and I'm not sure you could provide that

[Reedbeta]

Keep in mind that if you can only modify shaders, you are restricted in what you can do because you can't add additional render targets, draw calls, etc; that will severely limit the kinds of image effects you can achieve with this type of hacking. For DoF particularly I expect this would be a tricky constraint to work with.

[Timbab]

Hey, thanks for the replies. I was gonna mention that pdf, but you found it already.

Good that you mention the compiler, I do have it, two actually, a new version (9 something) and one the one from 2004 (Used in some of the newer shaders in the game), and I can compile the files, but I don't get the files I want, for example if I copy the exact code clean from the 2d_blur.psh with out the added compiler bytes and compile, I get this (It looks screwed, cause it's in hex):

I'll attach 2 pics so you can see it in hex.

ÿÿþÿ-CTABÿÿ
xD
HX"hs0«


userConstants««

ps_2_0Microsoft (R) HLSL Shader Compiler 9.29.952.3111Q @@@€@€° B€ä°ä 
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http://img854.images...05/62536327.png


Instead of this (original)

FORM?PSHPFORM?0000PSRC
?//hlsl ps_2_0

#include "pixel_program/include/pixel_shader_constants.inc"
#include "pixel_program/include/functions.inc"

sampler s0 : register(s0);

float4 main
(
	in float2 textureCoordinates  : TEXCOORD0
)
: COLOR
{
	float4 result = 0.0f;
	float2 textureCoordinateOffsets = 0.0f;
	for (int i = 0; i < 16; ++i, textureCoordinateOffsets += userConstants[16].xy)
		result += tex2D(s0, textureCoordinates + textureCoordinateOffsets) * userConstants[i];

	return result;
}
PEXE?????-CTAB??xD
HXhs0?


userConstants??

ps_2_0Microsoft (R) D3DX9 Shader Compiler 4.09.00.1126Q?`ApAQ
? A0A@APAQ??@?@AAQ?@@@?@?@????	?????
????????????U??????????????????????????U??????????
??????????
???B
?	????B	?????B?????B?????B?????B?????B?????B?????B?????B
?
????B?????
?
??	??	?	????
?????
??	???????????????????
?????????????????????????
?
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U??????
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?
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http://img9.imagesha...19/12675741.png


In cmd I'd open up fxc.exe and use this command: fxc /T ps_2_0 /Fo 2d_blur.psh 2d_blur.cpp, does anyone know what I'm doing wrong? I might have to add the form in manually, but regardless, the code won't even show up.

The .vsh I can edit as far as I know, fully, as it compiles on the fly. I've already tried some stuff with minor successes, but nothing major yet, I'm sure I could and can modify the .psh files once I can compile it in the right way. But I also talked to someone who manually managed to get new .psh files working ages ago, but he can't remember correctly how he did it, so it IS possible.

@Reedbeta, what do you limit to 'only shaders'? Right now I can edit their functions.inc, it also has 'module' .inc files, and well also the .psh(Soon hopefully) and vsh files. Outside of that, I found out I might be able to make multi passes work by editing the .eft (Effect files that link to the psh/vsh), I do know some things in game, like water, use multiple passes. I've attached all the shaders in the .zip above though, in case you want to check out what I mean.

Couldn't I use the player position/character as a focal point, somehow?

For instance, I found that part of the fog distance to the player that's used for the view distance (Though I found out too that in the end I can't modify it, at least not the normal fog for it), is calculated with this:

float calculateFog(float4 vertexPosition_o)
{
	float4 position_w = mul(vertexPosition_o, objectWorldMatrix);
	float3 viewer_w = cameraPosition_w - position_w;
	float  viewerDistanceSquared = lengthSquared(viewer_w);
	return 1.0 / exp(viewerDistanceSquared * fog.w);
}

Couldn't you do something similar with a blur/DoF like effect? It doesn't have to be 100% DoF, a faux one would do too.

Look at this for example, a modder achieved the following a few years ago, he never said how he did it exactly, he just said this:

"It also allows for camera blurring when focal on "centric" objects. "

"Nothing. Didn't touch sandstorms or fog. The only exception is that the draw distance now has a parameter in the Vertex/Pixel shader files that can force Depth of Field on some cards - but that won't affect sandstorms or natural in-game fog."

http://forum.modsour...ttach=925;image
http://forum.modsour...ttach=929;image

Just as a reference, here is the original game with view distances 0%, 50% and 100%.
http://img528.images...eenshot0447.jpg
http://img526.images...eenshot0448.jpg
http://img194.images...eenshot0449.jpg

Any ideas would be fantastic, thanks in advance!

Edit: Got the compiling and importing fixed now.

Curious, is it hard converting .fx files into .psh and .vsh? I've been trying some stuff, but no real luck so far.