Voxels?

[Enjay]

glad to know voxels are in the trunk.

Unfortunately, my build of r3088 crashes when Zdoom starts to play a map:

http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28215

[NeuralStunner]

GZDoom handled them pretty well. In DooMAD's test map, the main room gives me about 120. After picking up ever item there, it goes easily over 300. I get around 220 with sprites only (via a modified version of the wad with the voxels removed, but the map intact).

[Graf Zahl]

r_drawvoxels 0?

[NeuralStunner]

r_drawvoxels 0?

Wasn't aware of that one.

[DooMAD]

If anyone was having trouble with the recent Strip2Voxel update outputting jumbled voxels, Scott_AW has released a fix, downloadable here.

Scott_AW:
I didn't realize I was setting the reading ranges with the wrong variables, so even though it worked fine with wide objects, tall objects got spliced and diced. Should be working now.

Still haven't setup any method of a custom transparent color, and it's still recommened to use 16-bit color mode for your display to ensure 100% accurate color copying.

I'm also planning on eventually having a method that will allow you to combine a basic image and a heightmap to create models, but been a little preoccupied doing my TC of duke3d.

[CaptainToenail]

I know this may be a crumby way of doing things, especially with possible software-mode 3D floofs around the corner, but can voxels be used to emulate 3D floors? Also, what about Tomb Raider style crumbling floors?

[Gez]

It's possible, but it requires very precise positioning. The problem is that you need to make sure there is no overlap between the voxel models.

[Graf Zahl]

What would be the point with real 3D floors being available in the near future?

[Gez]

Complicated shapes? Translucency?

[Graf Zahl]

Glitchiness galore?

Voxel-based 3D floors would always be a hack and look like one. End of story.

[koverhbarc]

It is possible to have an engine using voxels for everything (remember Voxelstein 3D), but ZDoom isn't one. Still, I see no reason why it shouldn't be done - the great thing about voxels is that you can have realistically destructible stuff, so if that's what you want (crumbling bridges ...), it might be your best bet.

[Salad Viking]

In GZDoom, using voxels to make complex environments is actually a decent idea, but in ZDoom it'd probably come out looking like crap.

...

I suppose it's worth asking once again if we'll ever see brightmaps for voxels.

[Graf Zahl]

In GZDoom there will be a significant performance hit. Voxels are not cheap to use with a hardware renderer.

[Amuscaria]

My guess is each voxel unit in OpenGL is rendered as a sprite? Given the massive amount of voxels per frame, it would be comp-killing?

[Gez]

Voxels are converted into MD2 models in GZDoom. This conversion can take a while, that's why when you load the voxel test room in GZDoom, you've got long seconds during which GZDoom is seemingly frozen.