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.

Goals

• Overhauled/Cleaned materialsystem\stdshaders\ Folder

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Note: Implementing LUX Shaders would entail replacing the existing stdshaders\ with the one from LUX. Effectively 'nuking' SDK_ Shaders. LUX Shaders should be able to do everything SDK_ Shaders in and can do.

• Drastically decreased compile-times for all Shaders

Why?: Valves Shaders take forever to compile . Especially using the stock Shader-Compiler. This disincentives modding the Shaders.

Note:Even on a good CPU it can take half a day, or more. As an example for 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:Linux is not officially supported. MacOS is also not officially supported. Users of said system will have to either patch togl to work with SM3.0 or use DxVK.

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• Totally rewritten .h, .cpp, .fxc files

• More Documentation for Shaders, their parameters, how they work and any possible caveats

Note: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.

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• Implementing features that aren't available in

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.

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• Mapbase compatibility

Note:Replacing SDK_ Shaders in SDK mods, SDK2013CE or Mapbase mods should be as simple as replacing the stdshaders\ Folder.

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Planned Features

This is a list of new features that are being implemented, or features that will be ported/recreated from newer branches such as Template:ModernNote

Important: LUX does not use any leaked code. Features like $phongalbedoboost(only in csgo) are not rocket-science. They can safely be recreated without the use of leaked code.

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Features required for Mapbase compatibility

• $phongdisablehalflambert from +
• Radial Fog for all "Geometry" Shaders
• Spline-Ropes
• Parallax Corrected Cubemaps ( PCC )

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Important:The parameters are the same for LUX and . This means that Mapbase compilers can be used for this to work.

• $envmapmask + $bumpmap on VertexLitGeneric
• Replacement for the "Postprocessing" Controller Shader
• Replacement for the "Engine_post" Shader from
• Hammer $blendmodulatetexture previewing fix.
• Brush $phong
• Treesway

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New Features

• In Models utilizing Model Lightmapping can use $bumpmap. Additionally all Model shaders will be able to utilize this feature. Except they have $phong.

Important:The Lightmap does not do bumped-lighting using the bumpmap. Only named-lights/projected textures will be able to do so.

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• In Models can utilize Lightmap UV's.

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Features ported/recreated/revived

• $phongdisablehalflambert From + - Also needed for
• $phongexponentfactor From , with LUX also on
• $phongalbedoboost From - Its just BaseTexture * $PhongAlbedoBoost... No leaked code!
• $basemapluminancephongmask From +

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• $selfillumtexture Deprecated since - This used to be obsolete

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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+ AND models (only in )+

Important:

• On brushes this will use the Lightmap
• On models with $bumpmap, this will use bumped lighting.
• On models without $bumpmap, this will use Vertex Lighting.
• In Models utilizing Model Lightmapping, will use the Lightmap. Regardless of whether or not $bumpmap is used.

Features that are being discarded

• $envmapsphere and related - These features have been removed since and are obsolete.

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• $bumpmask and related

Features that won't be ported/recreated/revived

• $basealphaenvmapmaskminmaxexp from - This parameter is not yet documented on the VDC, it is also unclear what exactly it does...
• $EnvMapLightScaleMinMax from

Not functional - FOR NOW

• $emissiveblend - Non-Existant. Planned for later.
• $distancealpha - Non-Functional. Planned for later.
• $ssbump - Non-Functional. Planned for later.
• $detailblendmode 10 & 11. - Non-Functional. Planned for later.

Stock Shaders VS LUX

Todo: Move This to their own pages or something like that.

LightMappedGeneric

Stock Shaders

Note:$basealphaenvmapmask requires inverted masks

LUX_LightMappedGeneric

Note:Caveat - Has higher priority than $selfillum/$selfillummask.

Note:Caveat - $selfillumtexture has higher priority than both.

Important:$basealphaenvmapmask does no longer require a flipped mask.

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VertexLitGeneric

Stock Shaders

Always

$envmaplightscale(only in ).

Without $Bumpmap

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With $Bumpmap

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With $Phong

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LUX_VertexLitGeneric

Without $Bumpmap

• $detailblendmode 10-11 planned. If possible.
  
• $selfillumfresnel Exists now.
  
• $lightwarptexture Exists now.
  

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With $Bumpmap

• $detailblendmode 5-9 work.
  
• $detailblendmode 10-11 planned. If possible.
  
• $envmapmask Exists now.
  
• $selfillummask Exists now.
  
• $selfillum_envmapmask_alpha Exists now.
  
• $selfillumfresnel + $normalmapalphaenvmapmask Works now.
  

With $Phong

• $detailblendmode 8-9 work now.
  
• $detailblendmode 10-11 planned. If possible.
  

Note:Will use entirety of $basetexture, without being masked.

• $phongwarptexture works. ( does not work in ).
  
• $phongalbedoboost Exists now. Used to be (only in .)
• $phongalbedoboost + $detail Works. Does not work in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
  

Note:When no $phongexponenttexture is specified, Mask will be 1.0f!

• $envmap Can now be not-masked by using a new parameter ($phongenvmapnomask)

Important:By default the original masking for the $envmap will be replicated as to not have disparity. However it can now be overriden using two new parameters. $phongforcebasealphaenvmapmask and $phongforcenormalmapalphaenvmapmask

• $basemapalphaphongmask no longer makes $phong ignore the $bumpmap.

Note:This will make materials that previously used this intentionally, look different.

• $selfillumfresnel + $normalmapalphaenvmapmask will no longer multiply the $envmap by 0.0f
• $phongdisablehalflambert Exists now. ( Used to be (only in +)
• $phongexponentfactor Exists now for . ( Used to be (only in )
• $basemapluminancephongmask Exists now. ( Used to be (only in +)
• $phongalbedoboost Exists now. ( Used to be (only in +)

History

LUX started developement on the 20.01.2023 DMY, but it was planned and thought ~14.01.2023 when the lead-developer ShiroDkxtro2 was in a hospital stay.
Even before 2023, the idea of rewritting Valve's Shaders was in mind. Various people asked ShiroDkxtro2 if certain modifications could be implemented for default shaders, such as CSM.
These requests would usually result in a simple "no.", modifying the default shaders was not considered feasible for various reasons, most of which are indirectly mentioned in LUX's Goals.
The Inception was supposed to be a means to make the existing Shaders more modable, 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.

• Ficool2

For enlightening us about the Constant Register Hack.
Which allows for the use of more than 32 float constant registers on sm3.0
This Project would be near impossible without it.

• ChatGPT

Help with programming and 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 partically written by the AI.

• Mapbase

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 inhereted 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 Template:ModernNote ShiroDkxtro2 would also like to thank Joshua Ashton personally for his various open-source work related to the source engine.

See also

• LUX Discord Server

Development can be followed here, Bug-Reports & suggestions made.

It is also intended as a general place for discussing Source 2013 related Shader-Modding.

• LUX GitHub page

Todo: Make a new category for LUX_ Shaders and document them and their parameters there, instead of here. Preferably after they were released on the GitHub.