This Could Be Very Interesting - AnKor's Shaders

***MajorMagee*** · January 27th, 2017, 04:03

Are we looking at volumetric clouds there?

**AnKor** · January 27th, 2017, 04:18

No

Although I've been experimenting with volumetric clouds, but there are still unsolved issues.

What I wanted to show is in upper-left corner - DX: 12.0 - I'm trying to implement DirectX 12 rendering. It is interesting, but quite difficult task, so I'm not sure if anything good will come out of it. This is also the reason the image is ugly -- it is basically the first time I managed to draw anything meaningful in DX12 mode, so 99% of image is wrong or missing.

***MajorMagee*** · January 27th, 2017, 06:38

Interesting! Since CFS3 is CPU limited I suppose DX 12 could make quite difference to the performance.

Were you still going to add a mouse wheel zoom direction variable to the current dlls, or are the beta changes done for now? I'm getting close with putting together comprehensive instructions and a new installation package, but I don't want to include dlls that are about to change again in a few days.

**AnKor** · January 27th, 2017, 07:56

Yes, that's the goal - to reduce CPU load.

I will add zoom direction config today or tomorrow and call that version final for now. I just wanted to get more feedback about the latest build but either everyone is satisfied or nobody noticed it

**rocketred** · January 27th, 2017, 09:41

YOUR THE JESUS OF VISUAL AND TECHNICAL UPDATES FOR A GREAT SIMMING EXPERINCE ,,,,,THANK YOU ........caps off, opps, canada

***Pat Pattle*** · January 27th, 2017, 12:02

What you do is a bit like witchcraft Ankor, but we are all very glad that you find the time and inclination to do it! If I understand you correctly getting dx 12 to work would be a quantum leap forward! Well done sir!

***MajorMagee*** · January 28th, 2017, 09:59

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...1&linkid=22356

Ankor's 2017 Shaders for CFS3

This incredible addition to CFS3 was begun by Andrey Korchinskiy in December of 2013 and was originally intended to become part of WOFF so that it could access DX9 functionality making it compatible with the SweetFX shader injector. Since then it has grown to be so much more that it's easy to forget that it still provides the bridge to using SweetFX in CFS3. It's major features are:

External Views
Aircraft Self Shadowing
Anti-alias Aircraft Shadows On The Ground
Tree and Building Shadows
Dynamic Lighting
Environmental Reflections
Horizon Line Haze Blending
Eliminated In Cloud Square Border
Bump Mapping
Ability To Add Shading Textures To Aircraft That Don't Reference Them In Their Model File
Realistic Water Rendering
Cloud and Terrain Shadows
Adjustable Field Of View Angle
Adjustable Night Sprite Effects Levels
Searchlights
Tree Rendering with Alpha Transparency Effects

Cockpit Views
Dynamic Reticles With Variable Range Settings
Mouse Look
Mouse Scroll Zoom
Cockpit Lighting
Luminous Gages
Improved TrackIR Image Rendering

Performance Enhancements
Multi-Processor CPU Management
Modern Rendering Optimizations
Cfs3config.exe No Longer Needed Everytime Video Drivers Update
Auto Generates MipMaps

These files are installed into the CFS3 main directory the same way as AnKor's previous versions.

This package includes some of my personal modifications, including new water files in the Effects folder, and a couple of adjusted .fx files (the originals are included with - Copy added to the names) in the Shader30 folder. These adjusted .fx files include several new variables near their tops that will let you fine tune the look of some of the effects. The suggested values are listed in the comments for the variable.

The foamamount value in SeaWater.fx is dependent on the water files you're using and is the cut-off brightness that switches the rendering animation from water to foam. Using a different set of water files than the ones I've included will most likely require you to change this value.

The TextureMagic.ini file has the list of my animated gunsite files already included too. The bottom of this file is where you can make edits to customize what will be included or not in the new auto-adjustment of special effect brightness at night to fit your particular installation.

I've also edited several settings in the d3d8.ini like the FOV that you may want to change to fit your particular set-up better since I'm running at an extra wide 3440 x 1440 resolution.

*** Warning ***
You must turn off Dual Pass Render, and turn on the High Resolution Z Buffer, and Disable Shadows. in cfs3confing.exe.

Z Bias Resolution should be typically be limited to 15. Higher values can lead to some rendering problems on some systems.

Z Bias Flat effects should be set to 25 to reduce flickering of the bomb crater decals.

The CFS3 Default Water Detail Texture Size is 5 and the SeaWater.fx settings in this package are preset to match. Using a different texture size will change the appearance of the wave dimensions unless you adjust the values in SeaWater.fx to match.

2017 Changes:
Head Shake calculated from the cockpit and gunner station locations. As the aircraft maneuvers your view is shifted in response to the g-forces being experienced. d3d8.ini contains new parameters to control the intesiity of this effect.

Mouse Look activates in the cockpit when you move the mouse allowing you to dynamically change your view direction. If you stop moving the mouse it will rotate back to the default forward view direction after 5 seconds. Hold down the "Alt" key to use the mouse normally when making menu selections.

Mouse Scroll Wheel Zoom works like using the [ and ] keys. The step size and smoothness of the transition between levels is set in the d3d8.ini.

This version also fixes the old "sky-colored triangles at edges of the screen" issue caused by head rotation when using TrackIR.

Improved CPU utilization.

A comprehensive set of user instructions and developer notes with example images are included in this package.

**mongoose** · January 28th, 2017, 11:06

So, if I understand you, Sweet FX should also be used?

***MajorMagee*** · January 28th, 2017, 11:19

No, SweetFX is completely optional.

**mongoose** · January 28th, 2017, 13:08

But does it improve... what?

***MajorMagee*** · January 28th, 2017, 13:26

SweetFX is just used to add special effects that change the look of the CFS3 environment. Here's a list of the effects you can activate:

#define USE_SMAA_ANTIALIASING 0 //[0 or 1] SMAA Anti-aliasing : Smoothens jagged lines using the SMAA technique.
#define USE_FXAA_ANTIALIASING 0 //[0 or 1] FXAA Anti-aliasing : Smoothens jagged lines using the FXAA technique. WIP - Currently only works in DX9 and you need to use the FXAA injector dlls.
#define USE_EXPLOSION 0 //[0 or 1] Explosion : Scatters the pixels, making the image look fuzzy.
#define USE_CARTOON 0 //[0 or 1] Cartoon : "Toon"s the image. (Interferes with SMAA, CRT, Bloom, HDR and Lumasharpen)
#define USE_ADVANCED_CRT 0 //[0 or 1] Advanced CRT : Simulates an old CRT TV display. (Interferes with SMAA, Cartoon, Bloom, HDR and Lumasharpen, and it has a very high performance cost)
#define USE_BLOOM 0 //[0 or 1] Bloom : Makes bright lights bleed their light into their surroundings (relatively high performance cost)
#define USE_HDR 0 //[0 or 1] HDR : Not actual HDR - It just tries to mimic an HDR look (relatively high performance cost)
#define USE_LUMASHARPEN 0 //[0 or 1] LumaSharpen : Also sharpens the antialiased edges which makes them less smooth - I'm working on fixing that.
#define USE_LEVELS 0 //[0 or 1] Levels : Sets a new black and white point. This increases contrast but causes clipping. Use Curves instead if you want to avoid that.
#define USE_TECHNICOLOR 0 //[0 or 1] TECHNICOLOR : Attempts to mimic the look of an old movie using the Technicolor three-strip color process (Techicolor Process 4)
#define USE_DPX 0 //[0 or 1] Cineon DPX : Should make the image look like it's been converted to DXP Cineon - basically it's another movie-like look similar to technicolor.
#define USE_MONOCHROME 0 //[0 or 1] Monochrome : Monochrome makes the colors disappear.
#define USE_LIFTGAMMAGAIN 0 //[0 or 1] Lift Gamma Gain : Adjust brightness and color of shadows, midtones and highlights
#define USE_TONEMAP 0 //[0 or 1] Tonemap : Adjust gamma, exposure, saturation, bleach and defog. (may cause clipping)
#define USE_VIBRANCE 0 //[0 or 1] Vibrance : Intelligently saturates (or desaturates if you use negative values) the pixels depending on their original saturation.
#define USE_CURVES 0 //[0 or 1] Curves : Contrast adjustments using S-curves.
#define USE_SEPIA 0 //[0 or 1] Sepia : Sepia tones the image.
#define USE_VIGNETTE 0 //[0 or 1] Vignette : Darkens the edges of the image to make it look more like it was shot with a camera lens. May cause banding artifacts.
#define USE_DITHER 0 //[0 or 1] Dither : Applies dithering to simulate more colors than your monitor can display. This lessens banding artifacts (mostly caused by Vignette)
#define USE_BORDER 0 //[0 or 1] Border : Makes the screenedge black as a workaround for the bright edge that forcing some AA modes sometimes causes.
#define USE_SPLITSCREEN 0 //[0 or 1] Splitscreen : Enables the before-and-after splitscreen comparison mode.

**RobH** · January 28th, 2017, 17:01

Thank you for this effect, the pics in this thread look great.

I have installed the package uploaded here by MajorMagee, however I am getting a CTD every time. I am using Windows 10, and I have installed these effects in a fresh install of MAW. I have checked to make sure I have a updated version of DX9, which I do.
I installed the files d3d8.dll, d3d8.ini, suneffects.xml and the shaders30 folder in my main MAW folder. I have not installed the effects yet, since they are optional. I have turned off dual pass rendering, turned on high resolution Z buffer and have disabled shadows in the configuration.
The sim simply will not load. It does switch to the large wallpaper screen, but then crashes after that.
Have I missed something? I am only trying to get the shadows working, not SweetFX.
Thanks!

***MajorMagee*** · January 28th, 2017, 17:07

Originally Posted by RobH

Thank you for this effect, the pics in this thread look great.

I have installed the package uploaded here by MajorMagee, however I am getting a CTD every time. I am using Windows 10, and I have installed these effects in a fresh install of MAW. I have checked to make sure I have a updated version of DX9, which I do.
I installed the files d3d8.dll, d3d8.ini, suneffects.xml and the shaders30 folder in my main MAW folder. I have not installed the effects yet, since they are optional. I have turned off dual pass rendering, turned on high resolution Z buffer and have disabled shadows in the configuration.
The sim simply will not load. It does switch to the large wallpaper screen, but then crashes after that.
Have I missed something? I am only trying to get the shadows working, not SweetFX.
Thanks!

Have you run cfs3config.exe?
Try using the original MAW suneffect.xml.

**RobH** · January 28th, 2017, 17:19

Thank you.

I have reinstalled the original sun effect file, and have ran the cfs3config,exe several times. Still crashes on me.

***MajorMagee*** · January 28th, 2017, 17:47

I assume it will load and run if you delete the d3d8.dll?

In d3d8.ini, near the bottom, set

WriteLog=1

and then post the resulting log file text here.

**RobH** · January 28th, 2017, 17:52

Code:

0.00: DllMain - Starting up.
5.69: CreateD3DWrapper - Direct3D 9 Loaded.
5.87: D3DWrapper::GetAdapterDisplayMode - 1440, 900, 75, 22
5.87: D3DWrapper::GetAdapterDisplayMode - 1440, 900, 75, 22
5.87: D3DWrapper::CreateDevice - NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT (Driver Version: 9.18.13.4195)
5.87: D3DWrapper::CreateDevice - Hardware Vertex Processing
5.87: D3DWrapper::CreateDevice - Adapter: 0, Type: 1, Flags: 0x42
5.87: D3DWrapper::CreateDevice - Windowed: 0, Width: 1440, Height: 900, Refresh: 0, Format: 22, Multisampling: 0
5.87: D3DWrapper::CreateDevice - AutoDepthStencilFormat: 75
5.87: D3DWrapper::CreateDevice - SwapEffect: 1, PresentationInterval: 0
6.05: FakeDevice::FakeDevice - Available Texture Memory 4050 MB
6.05: FakeDevice::FakeDevice - cfs3.exe version: 3.0.0.21007
6.05: FakeDevice::FakeDevice - Patching external FOV: 30 (0.523599)
6.05: FakeDevice::FakeDevice - Warning! Unexpected CFS3.exe version. FOV cannot be patched.
6.05: FakeDevice::FakeDevice - Patching visibility culling.
6.05: FakeDevice::FakeDevice - Warning! Unexpected CFS3.exe version. Culling cannot be patched.
6.05: EffectBase::CheckShaderCache
6.05: VirtualCockpit::EnableEnhancements - Patching cockpit view.
6.05: VirtualCockpit::EnableEnhancements - Zoom Settings: 0.800000 1.250000 10.000000
6.05: VirtualCockpit::EnableEnhancements - Mouse Look Speed: 1.000000
6.05: LightArray::ApplyPatch - Patching maximum dynamic light count.
6.05: LightArray::ApplyPatch - Warning! Unexpected CFS3.exe version. Extended dynamic lights are unavailable.
6.05: DrawRecorder::DrawRecorder - Starting worker threads.
6.05: WorkerThread::WorkerThread - Number of Processors: 4
6.09: ModelBuffer::Init - SSE4.1 is available
6.09: ModelBuffer::CreateBuffers - Capacity = 600000
6.09: ModelBuffer::Init - Available Texture Memory 4028 MB
6.10: Models::OnInit - Shadow Map Size: 2048, Filter: On
6.10: Models::OnInit - Available Texture Memory 3980 MB
6.10: DrawRecorder::Init - Scenery Shadow Map Size: 8192
6.10: DrawRecorder::Init - Terrain Shadow Map Size: 2048
6.10: DrawRecorder::Init - Available Texture Memory 3868 MB
6.10: DrawRecorder::StartCompileShaders
6.10: CompileShaders - Starting.
6.10: CompileShaders - Finished.
6.42: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: Texture.fx
6.43: TextureManager::Init - Loading TextureMagic.ini
7.62: DrawRecorder::LoadShaders
7.62: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: Generic.fx
7.63: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: GroundShadow.fx
7.63: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: SeaWater.fx
7.65: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: Scenery.fx
7.67: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: Terrain.fx
7.73: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: Clouds.fx
7.73: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: Skybox.fx
7.74: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: Models.fx
7.76: EffectBase::CreateEffect - Loading: RenderShadows.fx
7.76: DrawRecorder::LogStats - T:0.6 (0.0 0) MD:0 (0.00) SC:0 TE:0 CL:0 (0;0) SP:0 SH:0 UI:0 Oth:0 LT:212945408
7.83: DrawCalls buffer resized to 1024
7.83: GeometryBuffer::PopulateBuffers - Resize Vertex Buffer FVF = 0x1C4, Size = 32768
15.31: WaterBuffer::AddIndexed - Realloc Vertex Capacity: 16384
15.31: WaterBuffer::AddIndexed - Realloc Index Capacity: 16384
22.74: DllMain - Exiting

***MajorMagee*** · January 28th, 2017, 18:09

The root of all evil seems to be...

"Unexpected CFS3.exe version."

Are you not patched to 3.1a?

**RobH** · January 28th, 2017, 18:10

I am on Windows 10 and have to use the "unmentionable exe", could that be the problem?

Edit:I should be 3.1a, my stock install was updated before I installed MAW.

***MajorMagee*** · January 28th, 2017, 18:28

Your's says cfs3.exe version: 3.0.0.21007

Mine says cfs3.exe version: 3.1.0.30203

I sent you a PM.

**Flamingskull5000** · January 29th, 2017, 06:08

Let the stupid questions begin....... Does this need to be installed into each individual add-on ie MAW, Rising Sun, ETO? and where does one find SweetFX?

***MajorMagee*** · January 29th, 2017, 09:22

Yes, you will need to follow the install instructions for each individual add-on you have. Anywhere you have cfs3.exe installed you can use AnKor's shaders to reap the benefits of this upgrade.

SweetFX is not required to use these shaders to improve CFS3. It adds complications to the install of this package that may not be worth it just to get the special effects it provides you with. Most users will not want to change the basic look of CFS3, in the ways that SweetFX can. (see post #511 above)

If you choose to use SweetFX to access these special effects the developer ReadMe includes the instructions in Chapter 10.
The version of SweetFX you want is still available here. http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=381912

BTW, I have been unsuccessful in ever getting the replacement for SweetFX, called Reshade, to work with CFS3 and AnKor's shaders.

**mongoose** · January 29th, 2017, 09:50

My thanks for very clear instructions in the 2 readmes/ they will require some digestion as very detailed

Re High_Resolution_Dynamic_Reticle_Collection, I assume from your current Ankor readme that one does NOT add any of the old Ankor stuff in the High_Resolution_Dynamic_Reticle_Collection download. i.e. effects d3d8 and shaders 30. That seems very clear there!

I am using the Cfs3config.exe (ConfigOverrides.xml) of yours from the other post. Assume that's OK?

Looking at your instructions re SweetFX. Let's try it! Seems http://riseofflight.com/Forum/viewto...p?f=49&t=34103 is dead though.

***MajorMagee*** · January 29th, 2017, 11:16

Yes, that section of the instructions was a copy from a while ago.

https://riseofflight.com/forum/topic...-flightfx-rof/

**mongoose** · January 29th, 2017, 11:39

I'm looking at 2 SweetFX down loads I seem to have ( Thsese are folders with the same name as the zip files into which I extracted the zips. Which to use?

SweetFX-Configurator_standalone_with_SweetFX_1.5.1
and
SweetFX 1_5-23364-1-5-[Guru3D.com]