New normal mapper using AGEIA

[Rook]

Looks cool, but without some kind of visual UI it's hard to play with.

[eMPeck]

Rook is right - You need an UI - even simple one - load hi and low mesh, some normalmap options and generate button ;).

I use XSI 4.2 for myself, and I've found XSI's normal-mapping is fu**ed as hell. Both GPU Surface, and Render Map generate errors with some of my models, I cannot use Melody as I don't own PS2.0 compatible video-card (FX or higher), AFAIK there is no exporter for ATI normamapper for XSI, so I'd love to test Your soft when I'll find a moment.

Besides - number of supported file formats are really impressive.

[jogshy]

well perhaps when I have some time will do a small UI then hehe ... I suppose you use Windows? I think will use .NET v1.1 for the UI ( so I could port it to Linux easy using Mono )

Btw I am preparing the version 1.0.1 to solve some minor bugs and optimize a few more because people told me it stalls a bit when you pass a 400k+ polygon high model.
Also wanna add JPG2000 ( really promising wavelet compression ) and to finish the COLLADA format ( which is going to be officially supported by Sony in the PS3 )

In a few will add too ambient occlusion and fine detail using a height map.

Err.. other question.... Do you use an x64 CPU? I am getting tons of problems to compile it for AMD64 with this crappy beta compiler heheh

ps: Nice models Shaun!

[eMPeck]

Yes, I'm using windows with Athlon XP, not x64.

[jogshy]

This week ( Monday 12 - Sunday 18 ), I am putting the new version with UI. I have some web problems and I can't upload the new version atm 8(

thx all for the feedback.

[eMPeck]

Cannot wait, I'll try to finish my latest character during this week, so I'll have something new to play with :)

[Coliba]

Just a side note about PhysX cards:

"BFG Technologies plans to offer stand-alone PCI cards with the AGEIA PhysX processor and 128MB of local memory, which is used for storing and processing physics data during game play. Products will be available at the end of this year. Pricing and other product details will be announced at that time."

[jogshy]

I finished the version v2.0. IT includes a Windows UI, jpeg2000 support, solved tons of bugs, added mesh pre-processing to optimize load times, added a 44 pages manual, added windows installer, etc etc...

Unfortunally, my web pages have technical problems I hope we will solve in a few. I created a blog into http://santyhammer.blogspot.com/ (http://santyhammer.blogspot.com) because my webs are giving me a nice headache.... Hope this week my host provider solves all the problems...

While, if you wanna try it, email me to jogshy@mixmail.com and I will send the 11Mb RARs to you ( partitioned into 3x 4Mb )


thx.

[jogshy]

Ok my web at http://www.santyesprogramadorynografista.net (http://www.santyesprogramadorynografista.net/) works again.

[Coliba]

Just bumping this because I think it's seems to be a wonderful freeware tool and it's getting a little lost in the news section.

It's very interesting that you were able to use the AGEIA physics chip to speed up calculations in an area where this chip really isn't supposed to be used.

What are the speed differences using the chip and software emulation?

[jogshy]

I think will be somehting like 10x. My software raytracer is like half speed of the AGEIA software emulation implementation, and I broke my head thinking about how to optimize it more... So imagine... I bet will fly! The current SDk v2.2 I think doesn't allow to use the hardware PPU though, I am not sure... Don't think a finished PhysX card is yet completed...

I think Asus is going to finish one... see

http://www.guru3d.com/newsitem.php?id=3093 ( english )
http://www.noticias3d.com/noticia.asp?idnoticia=11366 (spanish)

http://www.pcinpact.com/actu/news/La_carte_PhysX_dAsustek_est_terminee_photo.htm ( french )

It has 125M transistors, GDDR3 128Mb. No idea about ppu core Mhz.

Also somebody mentioned BG/BF is working in one.


Btw, just uploaded the new version v2.1.254 with serious bugs corrections and improved UI. One version per week hahahah!

[jogshy]

Well ok... I am a liar... A new version in two days! I am going to upload the v2.1.401 on September 27, which solves a critical bug with OpenEXR, has improved memory management ( rendered a 4096x4096 normal map without problems ) as well as a small speed optimization for the software raytracer.

hope you like it and sorry because the downloads will be disabled until that date!

[albedo4800hp]

Sorry maybe I am dumb but I do not get the point why use a rather currently unknown and probably non-mainstream (and I doubt it ever will become mainstream) extention card to get a graphical function happen where a Graphics Card is definitely more suited for? We are speaking of GRAPHICS and that is what a modern GRAPHICS card is used for, but maybe I am missing the whole point here and someone could explain it to me.

[jogshy]

Well if you don't wanna accelerate by HW the normal map generation you still could use my software raytracer.... But this is like ID Software asking for a 3d hw-accelerated card in Quake 3 Arena... Then people started to buy GeForces/Radeons and this is how NVIDIA/ATI are today great companys, and we are happy with the 3d games, hehe! I still remember with nostalgy the Accolade Test Drive III using flat shading in software but really prefer Half Life 2 now hehe!

And yes, I understand you... the AGEIA thing is still pretty experimental... but I love new technologies... So if it can help me to generate this 4096x4096 texture 10x faster than using a CPU and I have the money to buy it, will be welcome hehe! ( they will cost like 129$ at start btw )

If you see Melody, it requires a ps2.0+ card to use it with only 24bits mantissa precision.... So if you are using it as tons of people, you are paying $$$$$ for an "extention" card too really... You could pay other 500$ too for a dual core CPU which is really hard to program well... so... hehe!

Like I am not rich and know other people neither, I developed the software rasterizer but is really slower than a HW solution 8( All I know is that i am going to be happy erasing all the tedious raytracing/collision routines in my 3d engine and just link the AGEIA sdk ones to save me time and frustration ... after all, they will run in software emulation if no PhysX is present.

Only time will judge all this thoughts, while I am happy pluging and unpluging all these cards into my 1080 watts power suplly.... :D

[albedo4800hp]

Well I understood some of your points but I do not see the problem with using a graphics card the Melody tool you mentioned yourself is a good example yes. Besides every PC needs a graphics card since hey you need something to drive your monitor. Since it is hard to get a graphics card without a decent 3D GPU nowadays which is at least PS2.0 capable. Compared to buying AEGIS PhysX is rather unessential so I do not see the point buying it as it is only a gimmick and that is why I highly doubt it will ever become a mainstream thingy. Even your mentioned ID software or at least the heads of it doubt on that. Other processor architectures like CELL are much more likely the way to go since you have the best of both worlds integrated into one thing. It is strange the trend in PC world first it was all in one, than it diversed into having multiply single purpose solutions which are best for the task like early home computers (AMIGA, ATARI, etc), then everything was again going back to the CPU or integrated chipssets, and now people want to go again the other route.

[jogshy]

Well albedo4800hps, all I can say is that I added ageia support because I was bored and needed to fast-develop an efficient raytracer... But well, now has two methods... The PPU one if you have a wonderful PhysX or the software one for really high poly models ( the AGEIA can't manage really big models, that's why I developed my own software tracer )

New version v2.2.025 is out in http://www.santyesprogramadorynografista.net (http://www.santyesprogramadorynografista.net/) ( yes I am upgrading web but link is there ) and http://santyhammer.blogspot.com (http://santyhammer.blogspot.com/)

New features include a 10x improved software tracer, a z-buffer to prevent overlapping polygons issues, new output file types, uses the new PhysX SDK for complete hardware acceleration, etc...

In a few I wanna add the COLLADA file support once I finish upgrading my web.

thx!

[garycrump]

Nice work man!! This is better that alot of programs from a large software firm.
Simple to. Works with 3ds Max.
Great!!! Keep it up.

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