Author Topic: Nano FX Viewer 1.6 Public Release (Read 7629 times)

Luke · « **on:** December 27, 2010, 12:00:36 AM »

NanoFX 1.6 Viewer public release

Just a quick message to say that the new version of NanoFX Viewer has been released. The viewer allows users to try out and play with the NanoFX Graphical Renderer which will be used in Excalibur and includes many new features since its last release including a demo weapons system, hard-points and deferred lighting.

In case you missed it, it can be downloaded HERE

Remember that, as this is development software, you are likely to encounter some bugs and glitches. Check you have the latest versions of the DirectX SDK and .NET framework.
Be sure to check out the NanoFX site here if you have any problems, queries or questions.

Merry christmas and a happy new year from all at the Excalibur team!

smoki · « **Reply #1 on:** December 27, 2010, 04:03:45 AM »

I have a tiny question. Do we really need the SDK for the Viewer to work, or are the newest DirectX Runtimes enough? I ask 'cause the SDK is a lot bigger than the other, and free memory is always a precious thing.

Sorry for posting the question here, and not on the NanoFX Evolved site, I just thought I'd get a response here more quickly, considering there are days when no one even logs in on the site.

Michael · « **Reply #2 on:** December 27, 2010, 05:36:05 AM »

DX runtimes are fine

smoki · « **Reply #3 on:** December 27, 2010, 06:16:08 AM »

Thanks for the quick reply Michael.

Lepton · « **Reply #4 on:** December 27, 2010, 02:11:49 PM »

Extremely cool and one can actually play the game a bit. Getting good framerates with ATI HD4850 1680x1050 fullscreen. Fantastic. Thanks for the public release.

Will we see a public release of the ships that can really show off these new features in the near future?

Mark · « **Reply #5 on:** December 27, 2010, 03:43:19 PM »

Quote from: Lepton on December 27, 2010, 02:11:49 PM

Extremely cool and one can actually play the game a bit. Getting good framerates with ATI HD4850 1680x1050 fullscreen. Fantastic. Thanks for the public release.

Will we see a public release of the ships that can really show off these new features in the near future?

Remember that the NanoFX Viewer is not what we are building Excalibur on, its more of a testbed which lets us try out graphical features within the NanoFX Graphics Renderer before they're integrated into the Evolved engine. You wont see a public release of Excalibur's ships until we are ready to put out a public release of Excalibur running on the full Evolved engine.

Michael · « **Reply #6 on:** December 27, 2010, 03:46:08 PM »

Yes Mark is right... but I bet people like MR_7 and others in this community to keep converting BC ships for the viewer... Mark maybe we should upgrade the SNS Galaxy to the 2.0 Tex Spec so people have an example to work with? Or some other model?

EDIT: Actually maybe no models should come with the Viewer (to keep the download size down) and the SNS Galaxy would be a seperate download. We could apply the Tex Spec 2.0 to say a cube model and the various sides show off Tex Spec 2.0 features?

Mark · « **Reply #7 on:** December 27, 2010, 03:49:42 PM »

Quote from: Michael on December 27, 2010, 03:46:08 PM

Yes Mark is right... but I bet people like MR_7 and others in this community to keep converting BC ships for the viewer... Mark maybe we should upgrade the SNS Galaxy to the 2.0 Tex Spec so people have an example to work with? Or some other model?

If there are PSDs available for the SNS Galaxy I would be very happy to, does DT have them at all?

Michael · « **Reply #8 on:** December 27, 2010, 03:52:12 PM »

No I don't think he does... I think we'd have to track down Scotchy lol... see my previous post about the cube idea?

Kaempfer · « **Reply #9 on:** December 27, 2010, 05:06:45 PM »

Wow, this is slick, the galaxy looks sexy s hell with the upgrades! But, is anyone else not getting normal maps on the models from the old viewer?

MR_7 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 27, 2010, 05:38:07 PM »

Quote from: Kaempfer on December 27, 2010, 05:06:45 PM

Wow, this is slick, the galaxy looks sexy s hell with the upgrades! But, is anyone else not getting normal maps on the models from the old viewer?

yes, there seems to be a problem with the _spec maps awell, they don't show up. I don't know whether its because ther .TGAs or something to do with the model.

But otherwise very good

Mark · « **Reply #11 on:** December 27, 2010, 06:07:58 PM »

Quote from: Michael on December 27, 2010, 03:46:08 PM

EDIT: Actually maybe no models should come with the Viewer (to keep the download size down) and the SNS Galaxy would be a seperate download. We could apply the Tex Spec 2.0 to say a cube model and the various sides show off Tex Spec 2.0 features?

For the most part I agree, but its a bit hard to showcase the features on a cube so it makes sense to keep at least one model in there - the SNS galaxy has always been included to it makes good sense to use that. I will have a look at the original textures he included for BC and see what I can do.

Black Patriot · « **Reply #12 on:** December 27, 2010, 10:18:54 PM »

Anyone else getting some rendering problems? I've checked and I do have the latest DirectX runtime. Any suggestions?

Josh · « **Reply #13 on:** December 27, 2010, 10:24:31 PM »

Turn on aa (2x... doesnt matters) apply it then turn aa off and youre problem should be gone.

Black Patriot · « **Reply #14 on:** December 27, 2010, 10:28:07 PM »

Quote from: Josh on December 27, 2010, 10:24:31 PM

Turn on aa (2x... doesnt matters) apply it then turn aa off and youre problem should be gone.

That fixed it, I had AA turned on, since I figured I'd have more than enough power to run it with AA. Why does anti aliasing cause that rendering issue? Something to do with the edge detection?

smoki · « **Reply #15 on:** December 27, 2010, 11:09:16 PM »

I've managed to get the viewer working on my laptop (both the last Josh's suggestion and the reupload of the viewer on the NanoFX Evolved site worked), although my framerates are even smaller here (but everything works!

), but I'm still having trouble geting it to work properly on my desktop.
One of the odder artifacts I get is that the view from the camera looks as if one is looking from a cockpit of a runabout or shuttle or something

Any idea what's that all about?

Screenshots to ilustrate (the second one is after going to warp):

Mark · « **Reply #16 on:** December 27, 2010, 11:19:07 PM »

Quote from: Mark on December 27, 2010, 06:07:58 PM

For the most part I agree, but its a bit hard to showcase the features on a cube so it makes sense to keep at least one model in there - the SNS galaxy has always been included to it makes good sense to use that. I will have a look at the original textures he included for BC and see what I can do.

Got that main textures done, just need to do the FX maps... Im going to be busy for the next week so I will finish this after new years.

BTW: Texture Spec 2 really lets us control the lighting much better, check the deflector dish

Jon Deane · « **Reply #17 on:** December 28, 2010, 12:53:48 AM »

Does the weathering stuff work? Doesn't seem to do anything for me. Or is it subtle enough that I'm not noticing it?

smoki · « **Reply #18 on:** December 28, 2010, 01:38:57 AM »

I belive there aren't any weathering textures in the High folder of the Galaxy. That's way it doesn't work. I think.

Mark · « **Reply #19 on:** December 28, 2010, 04:56:34 AM »

Quote from: Jon Deane on December 28, 2010, 12:53:48 AM

Does the weathering stuff work? Doesn't seem to do anything for me. Or is it subtle enough that I'm not noticing it?

The SNS Galaxy class that is included with the viewer is on Texture Spec 1, weathering is part of Texture Spec 2 so that wont work until the ships textures are converted/updated. That's one of the reasons I'm reworking the textures above.