LUX
LUX | |
---|---|
In Alpha development | |
Wiki | |
Type | Modification |
Developers | ShiroDkxtro2 |
Engine | Source |
Platforms | (only in PC) |
Based on | Source 2013 |
LUX is a mod specifically made and developed for use in Source 2013 Singleplayer and Source 2013 Multiplayer.
The Project is to entirely rewrite all existing "SDK_" Shaders, that come with the SDK and all those available in Mapbase.
Contents
Goals
- Drastically decreased compile-times for all Shaders
- Notice: Even on a good CPU it can take half a day or more. With LUX, compiling the entirety of LUX_LightMappedGeneric takes around 30 seconds on 4 cores @4.1GHz
- SM3.0 Shaders Only
- Why?: ps20b and below is too limiting. The lack of available constant registers causes extreme branching and a lot of 'combos'. Making the code terrible to read and complicated. This disincentives Modders.
- Note:
- SM3.0 released in 2004, and Valve considered ps2.0b low end hardware in ~2008. See slide 8
- This means that older hardware not capable of SM3.0 will not be able to use the new Shaders.
- Totally rewritten .h, .cpp, .fxc files
- More Documentation for Shaders, their parameters, how they work and any possible caveats
- Notice: You might have noticed Articles like
$lightwarptexture
,$detail
,UnlitTwoTexture
and$envmapmask
getting major updates from ShiroDkxtro2, where new information about caveats and bugs were added for . This was a direct result of LUX development, although the focus was mainly on as their code is publicly available.
- Implementing features that aren't available in Source 2013
- See also: Planned Features. This includes old features such as $selfillumtexture and newer features like $phongalbedoboost(only in ).
- Fixing most Parameter "bugs:" and other caveats
- See also: Stock Shaders VS LUX
- Easy way of disabling features
- Important:A custom Pre-Processor program has been made. It automatically sets
// STATIC:
's to predefined values depending on#define
's in an included header file.Note:Mods that don't require specific features (lightwarptexture/distancealpha/phong/envmaps/etc), can easily disable them and further increase Shader compilation speed. Most parameters have been#ifdef
'd in the c++ code!
- Mapbase compatibility
- Note:It is assumed that no custom Shaders apart from SDK_ ones were added. If they were added, developers should be capable of adding them back/recreating them.
Planned Features
This is a list of new features that are being implemented / will be implemented from newer branches such as
The code will be heavily modified to simplify or overhaul
- Warning:For more complicated features, there might be visual disparity when compared to official implementations.
Features required for Mapbase compatibility
- $phongdisablehalflambert from the Alien Swarm engine branch
- Radial Fog for all "Geometry" Shaders
- Spline-Ropes
- Parallax Corrected Cubemaps ( PCC )
$envmapmask
+$bumpmap
onVertexLitGeneric
- Replacement for the "Postprocessing" Controller Shader
- Replacement for the "Engine_post" Shader from
- Hammer
$blendmodulatetexture
previewing fix. - Brush
$phong
- Treesway
- $bumpmask and related
New Features
- In Source 2013 Multiplayer Models utilizing Model Lightmapping can use
$bumpmap
. Additionally, all Model shaders will be able to utilize this feature. Except they have$phong
.
$phong
. This is not planned at the moment but should be possible for named lights/projected textures!Features ported/recreated
- $phongdisablehalflambert (in all games since ) - Also needed for Mapbase
- $phongexponentfactor From Source 2013 Multiplayer/ Team Fortress 2 and with LUX, also supports Source 2013 Singleplayer
- $phongalbedoboost (in all games since ) - Its just
BaseTexture * $PhongAlbedoBoost
... No leaked code! - $basemapluminancephongmask (in all games since )
float3(0.2126f, 0.7152f, 0.0722f)
.Previously, SDK_ Shaders would use the NTSC Analog Television standard of
float3(0.2990f, 0.5870f, 0.1140f)
- $selfillumtexture Deprecated since Source 2007
- See also: PBR Shaders in the community commonly have a $emissiontexture parameter that does EXACTLY what $selfillumtexture does in LUX.
- Water Shader with
$flowmap
Support - From $envmaplightscale
From for brushes (in all games since ) and models (only in )
Features that won't be ported/recreated/revived
- $basealphaenvmapmaskminmaxexp from Alien Swarm - This parameter is not yet documented on the VDC, it is also unclear what exactly it does...
- $EnvMapLightScaleMinMax from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
$envmapsphere
and related - These features have been removed since Alien Swarm and is obsolete.
Not functional - FOR NOW
$distancealpha
- Non-Functional. Planned for later.
Stock Shaders VS LUX
LightmappedGeneric
Stock ShadersBug:$detailblendmode () 2-9 Don't work. $detailblendmode () 6 Doesn't work. $basealphaenvmapmask + bumpmap Doesn't work$selfillummask (not in ) Notice:
$basealphaenvmapmask requires inverted masks |
LUX_LightMappedGenericNote:
$detailblendmode 1-9 works. Notice: Caveat - Has higher priority than $selfillum/$selfillummask.
Important:
$basealphaenvmapmask does not require a flipped mask.
|
VertexLitGeneric
Stock ShadersAlways
Without $BumpmapBug:$detailblendmode 10-11 Don't work. $selfillumfresnel missing. $lightwarptexture missing.Note:$lightwarptexture forces bumpmapping by binding a default one, unless one is manually specified.
With $BumpmapBug:$detailblendmode 5-11 Don't work. $detailblendmode 5-6 & 8-11 Don't work. Note:
$normalmapalphaenvmapmask .
With $PhongBug:$detailblendmode 8-11 Don't work.
$invertphongmask In the shadercode, only flips the mask used for $envmap . Confirm: Also on newer branches?
$phongalbedotint cannot be used without $phongexponenttexture. $envmap to be masked using the $basetexture alpha channel.}}Note:$phongdisablehalflambert(in all games since )
$phongexponentfactor only in |
LUX_VertexLitGenericWithout $Bumpmap
With $Bumpmap
With $Phong
Note:$invertphongmask Now only flips the mask used for phong. It will no longer touch the envmapmask at all.
$phongalbedotint can now be used without $phongexponenttexture.
Note:$phongtint does no longer disable $phongalbedotint. It will do
($baseTexture * Mask) * $PhongTint
|
History
LUX started development on January 20th, 2023, but it was planned and thought around January 14th, when the lead developer ShiroDkxtro2 was in a hospital stay.
Even before 2023, the idea of rewriting Valve's shaders was being considered. Various people asked ShiroDkxtro2 if certain modifications could be implemented for default shaders, such as cascaded shadow mapping.
These requests would usually result in a simple "no", as modifying the default shaders was not considered feasible for various reasons, most of which are indirectly mentioned in LUX's Goals.
The project's inception was supposed to be a means to make the existing shaders more moddable, with new features in mind and laid out so that implementing new things would be easier.
Credits
LUX uses SCell555's ShaderCompiler
- However, it is only used to compile the Shaders. Include files ( .inc ) are intended to be made using Perl.
LUX copies various code from thexa4's PBR header
Tottery ( Also known as TotteryNine )
- TotteryNine was crucial to ShiroDkxtro2 for learning the basics and more complicated aspects of making and compiling Shaders.
Sitkinator
- Aiding with the initial logo and adding a screen-reflection effect to it.
Mr.Kleiner
- For writing various tools. Including a VTF Flagging tool for Cubemaps inside a .bsp file, a tool for packing lightmap UV's into .smd files
roman_memes
- Various logical checks and ideas. Also helped with prototyping new features and finding siggraph or other papers regarding modern and oldschool graphical implementations.
Alivebyte!
- For doing modifications to the ShaderCompiler, which so far have not been implemented into the repo.
- For enlightening us about the Constant Register Hack, allowing for the use of more than 32 float constant registers on SM3.0
- This Project would be nearly impossible without it.
ChatGPT
- Help with programming and the undocumented graphical features of the Source Engine.
- It knows things and can make new things to a degree. Various code used in LUX has been partially written by AI.
- Since one of the goals of this project is to be compatible with it, various code from it has been adapted.
- This means that all Shader-related things should also be inherited with the credits of LUX. You can find Mapbase's credits HERE.
Source++ code might be included with LUX. One example would be the NvidiaPCF5x5Gaussian Shadow Filter
- Note:What else from S++ is used in LUX?
ShiroDkxtro2 would also like to thank Joshua Ashton personally for his various open-source work related to the Source Engine.
See also
- Development can be followed here, Bug-Reports & suggestions made.
- It is also intended as a general place for discussing Source 2013 related Shader-Modding.