KSP to have Normal Mapped Terrain!

[Reavermyst]

So, it looks like Squad is taking advantage of normal maps for terrain in KSP. In celebration, since I'm a sucker for normal maps, I feel the need to educate some folks!

So for those of you who don't know, normal maps are used as a pretty much a technique to fake lighting on models. in geometry a normal is pretty much described the surface of a face or the front of a polygon. Normal maps bake fake normals onto the faces of a model. This brings out an illusion of depth, like the mountains shown in the news weekly photo!

To get into more detail, normal maps are calculated by taking the vector of the shaded point and the vector of the light source and dotting the surface with the unit vector normal. The result is a map that labels the intensity of light on the surface, a normal map!

Here's a visual just to add interest.

The mesh on the left is a high detail model consisting of 4 million faces or triangles. The middle is a wire visual of the model when it's simplified to 500 faces and the right is the same model with normal maps. That's a model with roughly the same detail while being 800,000% more efficient! So, instead of loading high poly models, you'll be loading a more optimal low poly model with a normal map on it. This means there's more detail without the performance dip, and we all love some optimal enhancements for quality results.... right?

So who's all excited to see a graphical enhancement teased into the v.2 release? Kinda came out of nowhere for me!

Edited May 22, 2013 by Reavermyst

[rodion_herrera]

So you think you're landing on what appears to be a nice, sweet, rounded hilltop, but turns out you're landing on a dangerous, blocky, pointy, rocky outcrop, disguised as a nice, rounded hilltop? (sorry couldn't help it, but of course, aesthetic improvements are always nice)

-RODION

[Akalaël]

So who's all excited to see a graphical enhancement teased into the v.2 release?

I am, I am, I am !!!!!

Can't wait anymore, just making wishes before sleeping, burning candles in random churches, killing innocent victims to pact with Evil, kinda stuff !

Quiiiiiick !!!

[bigdad84]

It will make our screenshots look so much better

[Francesco]

so it's a way to do more with less?

better graphics, while being easier to handle for your hardware?

[Reavermyst]

so it's a way to do more with less?

better graphics, while being easier to handle for your hardware?

Exactly! How else do games like Call of Duty and Battlefield 3 get away with such levels of detail without destroying your computer? Fun fact, most game models in high budget titles started off as high poly models, before undergoing a process call retopolgizing. This is a poly-by-poly remodeling process where you pretty much remodel the high poly character or asset in order to make a simplified clone of the original. From there, the normals are baked from the original to the retopologized model, making the game asset that doesn't make your console/PC kill itself.

[rodion_herrera]

So, what exactly happens when you land on a feature you thought was quite detailed in topography, but in fact, "simplified" by normal mapping. Will there be cases of "floating" or "sinking" craft or Kermen, into the terrain mesh?

-RODION

[NovaSilisko]

This is an inaccurate depiction of what we're doing, actually. We're taking the existing terrain mesh and overlaying these normal maps on it to add more detail. The ~30% less RAM usage comes from under-the-hood optimizations and shrinking of some textures that were too big, etc.

[Reavermyst]

So, what exactly happens when you land on a feature you thought was quite detailed in topography, but in fact, "simplified" by normal mapping. Will there be cases of "floating" or "sinking" craft or Kermen, into the terrain mesh?

Sometimes games will use bounding boxes for collisions and other times it'll use the surface geometry. That is based on the developers design decisions.

Now, I don't think the terrain mesh has ever been high detail. So with this update, the the mesh won't behave any different aside from aesthetics. But who knows, maybe this next update will have a fix for that and you won't get any of those cases. one can always dream right?

This is an inaccurate depiction of what we're doing, actually. We're taking the existing terrain mesh and overlaying these normal maps on it to add more detail. The ~30% less RAM usage comes from under-the-hood optimizations and shrinking of some textures that were too big, etc.

Of course! If I made it sound like this was an optimization, that may have been inaccurate as this is more of an add-on that is more OPTIMAL than high poly models. I revised my post to correct that little tidbit of nonsense. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for catching that inconsistency!

Edited May 22, 2013 by Reavermyst

[Alephzorg]

In short, I'm gonna be staring and drooling at the scenery all over again (not that I ever really stopped).

[Tw1]

Nice. This'll be good, more detailed terrain means more potential for geology science later on.

[NuclearWarfare]

Can't wait on the .20 update. I'm sure Squad is taking their much needed time to make this update the best it can be.

Thanks to all on the team.

[RocketPilot573]

Is this terrain for all the planets and moons, Or only Kerbin?