Disable depth testing on weapons

[Olby]

I am trying to make sure that "camera objects", such as weapons, never go through the level geometry. Back in the DarkBasic days there used to be a command to disable object's z-depth. I think the closest match in LE is the Depth Test setting in the material editor. In the image below I disabled depth test for both the shotgun and the hand's materials. Either or but the result is not what I expect. I need the model "to be on the top" of everything else while maintaining the visual integrity. Thanks.

 

[ChrisV]

Seems to me like you'd need to set the min and max range of your cam (clipping), and use two cams, instead of one...one for your weapon which has a max view range of say 10, and another cam that renders everything else besides your weapon.

 

Not sure if LE has that option, but at least that's the way it's usually done.

 

You could also try by making the collision shapes for your walls a bit bigger, thus preventing your weapon to go inside the walls.

 

Or, you could use a raycast method, and when your character is at a certain range of a wall (or other object), make the arms retract (using an animation), so that the weapon doesn't go through.

 

Btw, loved DarkBasic Pro. Brings back good memories.

[Slastraf]

Two cameras have an impact on the performance, it doesnt matter which range you set it to (for me). I get 30 fps when I have two cams in the scene.

[reepblue]

You need a model shader that always draws in-front of everything else, but not in front of any other faces with the same shader.

 

How to do it? Beats me, ask Shadmar as I've been wondering the same thing.

[Olby]

Sometimes I miss the simplicity of the fixed function pipeline. You had commands to do this and that. And now since I've never fully learned HLSL nevermind GLSL it is beyond me as well.

[Josh]

When you have accurate lighting it introduces the possibilities of glitches you didn't know you could have. For example, even if you render the weapon in a second pass on top of the scene, the gun will get the shadow's wall on it when it goes through the wall. This can be observed in the game STALKER.

 

I would do a line pick and lower the weapon when you are up against a wall. That's the only realistic way to solve this.

[reepblue]

I'm sure there is a way to get the effect that you want. If anything, it can be the view models are too long.

[shadmar]

You can't solve this in a shader, the problem is.. the gun is not .. a model.. it's 3 models. Hand, cob, barrel (orso)..

I'd do as Josh says, or quickly switch the 3-model gun to a 1-model gun and turn off depth-test when near a wall.

[reepblue]

You can't solve this in a shader, the problem is.. the gun is not .. a model.. it's 3 models. Hand, cob, barrel (orso)..

I'd do as Josh says, or quickly switch the 3-model gun to a 1-model gun and turn off depth-test when near a wall.

 

The gun is a model, it just uses 3 different materials. If the view model was set up right, I think disabling depth test would be the answer then. Thanks for the info.

[ChrisV]

I would do a line pick and lower the weapon when you are up against a wall. That's the only realistic way to solve this.

As i suggested earlier.

It's not the most commonly used method, nor the only one to solve this problem, but it does add to the realism and it's not too difficult to do.

[Olby]

Thanks. At least now I have an easy solution.