Using PLSM2 with ODN and VB.NET

EagleEye

21-01-2006 21:03:13

First, set up your main landscape config file. Mine is called "paginglandscape2.cfg". This is in the root bin folder.



DefaultMap=puget_sound



puget_sound=ps_height_1k

#grand_canyon=gcanyon_height_4k2k

#terragen_generated=terragen16bits

#European_Alpes=Alpes



# resource group name where to find map definition

GroupName=PLSM2

In the bin/media folder, you will have a config file called ps_height_1k.cfg (or any of the other kinds that are commented out above using the #).

Here is a copy of my ps_height_1k.cfg

### WARNING

## read Data2dLoader.txt, Mapsplitterreadme.txt

## in ogreaddons paginglandscape root folder before anything here.

##

# resource group name

GroupName=PLSM2





##

##



################## HeightMap OPTIONS.





#

# Before using the paginglandscape2 plugins,

# you'll have to split your big heightmap file into pages.

# Use the Mapsplitter tool for that



#           Base file name for the landscape heightfield data

#           The file name MUST be LandScapeFileName.x.z.LandScapeExtension (ex: landscape.0.0.png)

#               and MUST be squared.

LandScapeFileName=ps_height_1k

LandScapeExtension=png





#           Height and Width of the landscape in number of pages

Width=4

Height=4



#

#           Size of the Heightfiled in pixels (must be (power of 2) + 1)

PageSize=257

#

#           Size of the Heightfiled in pixels

TileSize=65

#

## so if map is 2048x1024, with pagesize=257 and TileSize=64

# it gives  32 pages (8 pages width, 4 pages width), each 16 tiles so it's 512 tiles on the whole map.



#

#           Especialized 2D data loader.

#           Currently the only available loaders are 'HeightField', 'HeightFieldTC' and 'SplineField'.

#



# 8bits, grayscale images. (png, jpg, etc) or 16 bits (raw)

Data2DFormat=HeightField

# 32bits, RGBA images. (png, jpg, etc) RGB is normal information, in alpha we store heightmap

#Data2DFormat=HeightFieldN



#

#           The HeightField TC is a compresed format and need to know the value range from where the

#               heightfield file was compressed

MaxValue=3000

MinValue=0

# # 8bits, grayscale images. (png, jpg, etc) or 16 bits (raw)

#Data2DFormat=HeightFieldTC

# 32bits, RGBA images. (png, jpg, etc) RGB is normal information, in alpha we store heightmap

#Data2DFormat=HeightFieldNTC



#experimental spline terrain

#Data2DFormat=SplineField





#

#           Scale values

# Beware that scaling is pagesize and heighmap definition range indepedant.

ScaleX=90000

ScaleY=30000

ScaleZ=90000



# if Deformation is no use for you, you can gain fps by saying no here.

Deformable=no

# experimental VRAM saves. need instant base texture and vertex shader support

# "vertex displacment mapping"

VertexCompression=yes



# Use vertex program to morph LODs, if available

VertexProgramMorph=no

# The proportional distance range at which the LOD morph starts to take effect

# This is as a proportion of the distance between the current LODs effective range,

# and the effective range of the next lower LOD

LODMorphStart=0.2

# The maximum error allowed when determining which LOD to use

MaxPixelError=15



################## LIGHTING OPTIONS.

#           For lighting

#           For better looking deformed texture (instantbase)

#           for shader (needed to get slope)

VertexNormals=yes





############### TEXTURING OPTIONS

#

TextureExtension=png

#

#

#

#           Especialized texture loader.

#

#(no pregenerated maps needed)

#           Real-time (no pregenerated maps needed) splatting => splatting (needs DX9) and splatting5 (need shaders)

#           Real-time (no pregenerated maps needed)Coloring => basetexture.

#

#(pregenerated maps needed)

#           Deformable splatting => splatting5 (need shaders)

#           Deformable Coloring => instantbasetexture.

#

#(pregenerated maps only)

#           splatting => splatting2, (needs DX9) splatting3 (opengl)

#           Coloring => basetexture2

#           Image => Image (generated by any terrain texture generator terragen, T2, etc)

#

#

#

#DX = BaseTexture, BaseTexture2, InstantBaseTexture, Splatting, Splatting2, Splatting4, Splatting6, Splatting7

#GL = BaseTexture, BaseTexture2, InstantBaseTexture, Splatting3

#Both = BaseTexture, BaseTexture2, InstantBaseTexture, Splatting5

#







TextureFormat=Image

ImageFilename=ps_texture_1k

BigImage=no



## realtime splatting

#TextureFormat=BaseTexture

## (need to generate maps with mapsplitter)

#TextureFormat=InstantBaseTexture



# Shader Splatting

# Needs pixel shader

#TextureFormat=Splatting5



#need DIRECTX

#TextureFormat=Splatting



## precalc static splatting

## (need to generate maps with mapsplitter)

#TextureFormat=BaseTexture2



#need DIRECTX

#TextureFormat=Splatting2

# Need Multitexturing Hardware DIRECTX

#TextureFormat=Splatting7



### Experimentals splatting techniques

#need DIRECTX

#TextureFormat=Splatting4



### Experimentals splatting techniques

#need OPENGL

#TextureFormat=Splatting3

#need DIRECTX

#TextureFormat=Splatting4



#²²

#           For splatting3 and perhaps a pass less in splatting2 and splatting4

VertexColors=no

#           For splatting3

CoverageVertexColor=no

#           Forsplatting4

BaseVertexColor=no

#

BaseVertexShadow=no

#

BaseVertexInstantColor=no

#

#           Splatting

#               We are allowing 4 textures to build the terrain texture

#               MaterialHeight to change alpha weights ( using percentages )

# for Real-time textureformat and deformable (instantbasetexture, splatting5)

MaterialHeight1=12

MaterialHeight2=60





#needs to be in Search Path directory (resources.cfg)

SplatFilename0=splatting_snow.jpg

SplatFilename1=splatting_sand.jpg

SplatFilename2=splatting_grass.jpg

SplatFilename3=splatting_rock.jpg





################## PERFORMANCES OPTIONS.

#

#

#

#           Visible renderables

#               This is the number of visible renderables from the current camera position

#               to the border of the visible terrain. (The radius of renderables)

VisibleRenderables=80

#

#  LOD : LEVEL OF DETAIL

#

#           Distance LOD

#               This is the number of renderables in the higher LOD.

#

DistanceLOD=5

#

# if not set, it's precomputed to the max possible at this TileSize.

# Must be (2^MaxRendervel < TileSize)

MaxRenderLevel=3

#

#

#           FPS Processing limit

#     number of renderables loading in a single frame (if needed)

NumRenderablesLoading=50

#

#  WINDOWING AROUND CAMERA

#

#           Num of adjacent loaded landscape pages.

MaxAdjacentPages=3

#

#           Num of adjacent preloaded landscape pages.

#               Must be bigger than MaxAdjacentPages + 1, the textures are loaded in a separate thread.

MaxPreloadedPages=4

#

#

#           Pages Load Factor

#               Pages will be load/unload when they are about PageSize^2 * ChangeFactor

ChangeFactor=1.5

#

#

#           Camera Threshold

#               If the last camera position minus current camera position is >= CameraTheshold

#               then the scene is trasverse to check LOD.

CameraThreshold=5

#

#           Memory Pool Initial Usage Values (pre-allocated renderables and tiles.)

#        use debug mode to check your needs.

MaxNumRenderables=200

IncrementRenderables=200

MaxNumTiles=200

IncrementTiles=200

# Horizon Visibility computing:

# enable it if your map have moutains, cliff... not if it's mainly plane.

# everything hidden will not be send to GPU saving framerates.

HorizonVisibilityComputing=yes

In the bin/media/ps_height_1k folder, you will find all of the files required. You will also want to make sure you have your splatting material files in the bin/media folder.

The plugins.cfg in the bin folder contains:



# Defines plugins to load



# Define plugin folder

PluginFolder=./Plugins



# Define plugins

Plugin=RenderSystem_Direct3D9

Plugin=RenderSystem_GL

Plugin=Plugin_ParticleFX

Plugin=Plugin_CgProgramManager

Plugin=Plugin_BSPSceneManager

Plugin=Plugin_OctreeSceneManager

Plugin=Plugin_PagingLandScapeSceneManager2

You'll note here I created a subfolder of bin for plugins (bin/Plugins) where I put all of my plugins. This is just for organization. If you want to use the root bin folder, set "PluginFolder=."

The plugins listed are just the ones I use. The important one for this purpose is the last one.

Your resources.cfg must have a PLSM group, as mentioned in the paginglandscape2.cfg.



[Bootstrap]

Zip=C:/OgreSDK/media/packs/OgreCore.zip

# Resource locations to be added to the default path

[General]

Zip=C:/OgreSDK/media/packs/skybox.zip

FileSystem=media/fonts

FileSystem=media/particle

FileSystem=media/models

FileSystem=media/materials/textures

FileSystem=media/materials/scripts

FileSystem=media/materials/programs

FileSystem=media/gui



[PLSM2]

FileSystem=Media

FileSystem=Media/ps_height_1k

FileSystem=Media/datasrcs

FileSystem=Media/Splat

With me so far?

Okay, now to the actual code.

Create your scene as normal, with an instance of Root, RenderWindow, and SceneManager. Create your cameras and viewports, etc...

When you initialize your scene:

                Scene.SetSkyDome(True, "Examples/CloudySky", 10, 1)

This is a good one to use for a PLSM2 world. Skydomes are better than skyboxes because they remain centered on the camera, and you won't hit the edge.

Scene.SetWorldGeometry("paginglandscape2.cfg")

This is the entry point for PLSM2. It starts with that config, and that config directs the entire plugin on what terrain to load. You'll note in the config file there it mentions "DefaultMap=puget_sound". This seems kinda odd, because it's defining a name for the terrain, and then the next line says that "puget_sound=ps_height_1k", defining the actual data source config file for that named default terrain. It's a chain of logic that I don't really see the purpose for, but that's the way it is.

So, PLSM sees the default map as puget_sound, then looks up what puget_sound has for its data source name (ps_height_1k), and it finds that config file (the data source name plus ".cfg"). So it loads ps_height_1k.cfg.

It goes in to that .cfg file and gets all of the configuration information. Because of your PLSM resource group, it has the ps_height_1k folder loaded and has the images available to use.

That's all that should be required!

Note, you don't have to add the PLSM dll file in your resources area of the solution explorer. The PLSM is loaded as an Ogre plugin, and as a result, doesn't need to be wrapped, or otherwise exposed to the VB.NET environment. Ogre handles it seamlessly.