World Building InfiniGRASS STUDIO✅-Massively optimized,interactive & non uniform volume grass for procedural worlds

Hi,

Thanks for buying the asset. The blue problem seems a tint issue, since the grass has tint enabled it can oversaturate the grass (i have that for special FX) and create this issue under the light.The tint is not meant to be used for brightness control, so i would recommend removing it and re-enable when the base grass looks good, for color variation.

The specular can be turned lower at night, so the grass wont show bright. If it is still bright, i can add an option to the shader to control brigthness for example.

Please let me know if any of the above helped and if not i will do some coding on the shader and send a version asap.

 

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Disabling the tint seemed to fix the issue, but the grass is very bright compared to the other elements, though i guess that can be fixed by modfying the source texture to compensate for that. It also seems very random when modifying the tint and specular settings actually works, it just seemed to not apply values after having modified them successfully moments before.

Another issue i currently have is that grass near the player is not affected by wind, but all the grass further away is affected just fine.

 

I will do some extra tests with spot and point lights with no sun and see if i can come up with a more realistic approach at night time, with an extra control to impose a farker look perhaps.

About wind near the hero, there is a wind disable distance which is used to stop wind when interacting with the dynamic (scripted) grass near the hero, otheriwse the shader and script motion add up and may make the grass move faster than it should.

This is adjustable by the inspector, so can be set lower to make it less noticable or to zero if the grass is not dynamic.

Let me know for any further questons

 

Thank you, i must have overlooked the "Stop motion distance", everything makes a bit more sense now, great asset so far!

 

Thanks. There is also one known problem with the mass placement, if the splats are defined after the Grass Manager, it looses the terrain data and creates an issue.

I have posted a hotfix (http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/in...c-grass-everywhere.349921/page-5#post-2334096) if mass placement misbehaves for that reason and will add the fix to v1.4 as well.

 

I'm acutally getting a very weird error right now with one specific scene i am testing with.



Creating a new scene and terrain does fix this, but deleting all references to Infinigrass within this perticular scene and creting a new manager creates this Editor error.

Edit: If a scene does not contain a "Main" camera, this error seems to be occurring.

 

The system does indeed require a main camera to function, as it calculates the LOD and fade, stop wind distances from this reference. I do have a fallback tag based system for when a main camera cant be used, but must be set in code (in the main three scripts the tag based player bool must be set to true to grab player by tag, rather than grab the camera).

If there is some special setup that should be used, let me know and i will see the best solution for that case.

 

Ah, that might become an issue to me since my main camera will always be positioned at the world center(0.0.0) in order to do some rendering overrides.

 

I see, then you can try the tag based option, i can guide as to where this option needs to be set to true to work (in the controlcombinechildren batcher for LOD, in grassmanager for fade/dynamics and in grass grower scripts for dynamics), it will look for "Player" tag then to grab the player reference. I have not tested this extensively though and is planned to be fully selectable from the Inspector in later versions (v1.4 probably), so if any issue comes up let me know and i will try to handle it asap.

 

InfiniGRASS has received some amazing reviews !!!

A very big thanks to everyone that added a review, it really helps a lot with the development of the assets and their updates.

 

Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.0 and InfiniGRASS

 

Code (CSharp):

1. WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'InfiniGRASS/AlphaGrass' - Pass 'SHADOWCOLLECTOR' has no vertex shader
2. WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'InfiniGRASS/AlphaGrass' - Pass 'SHADOWCASTER' has no vertex shader

Hey !

I'm trying to build a super simple scene for Xbox One, but there's a shader compilation error :



We can still launch the game but there's more errors in the console :

WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'InfiniGRASS/AlphaGrass' - Pass 'SHADOWCOLLECTOR' has no vertex shader
WARNING: Shader Unsupported: 'InfiniGRASS/AlphaGrass' - Pass 'SHADOWCASTER' has no vertex shader

Is there anything you can do for this without actually having a devkit to test if it works ?
Tell me if I can help you in any way.

Many thanks

 

Hi,

I will try to figure out what could be the cause and get back asap with some modified shaders to test.

If i recall right, the AlphaGrass shader is not used in the grasses (it was the first basic version that i replaced with the final ones), you can try to remove that shader as a first step and work with the more advanced InfiniGRASSDirectonalWindSnow shader, if that works ok.

Please let me know if this fixes the issue and all grasses work as supposed after the deletion and for any other issue that comes up.

Best,
Nasos

 

UPDATE:

v1.4 is now almost ready, i am doing the final tweaks, a few more options and will be out very soon.

Features for v1.4

- MAJOR performance boost for lots of grass !!! I just found out a rogue Camera.main grab in update that brought down performance with many combiners, and is now fixed for even better performance !!!

- Grass can be painted in real time and then inserted in the editor for further editing and saving with the scene (must be manually copied and pasted in editor mode). This allows the easier (and more fun) painting of grass.

- A brush settings structure can now be saved and restored per brush for use in painting or mass planting, so brush settings are not lost after their setup and mass planting can use different settings for each grass in a single pass.

- Many smaller enchancements, e.g. the ability to have fade distance per grass type, many new brushes

​

 

More features/fixes for v1.4

- Fixes an issue where Terrain splat maps defined after the Grass Manager insertion would create a problem in mass placement

- Added extra randomization for scale factor, for even more control on grass variance

- Grass scaling fix, also now there is a scale factor to rescale ungrown or play mode grabbed grass, for easy mass adjustement and rescaling of existing grass.

- Tag based player defintion setup in Inspector, for cases where the Main camera is not available or has another purpose

Please if you like the pack, when possible, leave a review so i can work much faster on upcoming updates.
As i am a one man team, reviews help a lot in keeping the developement for packs full time and delivering extra features much faster.
Thanks a lot in advance for any reviews for the packs.​

 

It's awesome, but i think grass in video games never represent my country, i live in canada, and in the summer and before winter, grass is always very tall if noone take care of it. grass can be tall as a crop field. I hope you can develop that biome of grass someday. i never travel to usa so i don't know on what you refer but here... grass is tall and everywhere, unless you got trees,

 

if you can do a tall grass that get separate when you walk in it. you will do something i never saw before....

 

InfiniTREE 2 and InfiniGRASS, with Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.0 fog and image effects (WIP, placeholder barks for testing)

I have a very big number of new brushes coming in next updates. For the long grass i want to prepare the gravity shader first, that will adapt the edges to slopes and make it have a spring like motion in wind. This is the next step, along with my InfiniTREE work for true next gen trees and shadows

The separates grass is totally possible, though needs some extra work, but since i script the grass anything is possible. The only limitation is that it has to be a local thing. It is not different than the balls scaling/stepping on grass in the demo in dynamic grass mode, only difference is that i will script the blades to do the separation instead and need some extra calculations for the speeds and directions the motion will happen.

In the curent scripted dynamics, the grass does get rotated towards the motion of the object, but is not very evident in the demo, i will try to perfect this a lot more in next updates.

 

I think alot of people will appreciate it, not only me

 

I got some pics of my region with tall grass...

 

Almost the last pic everywhere

 

InfiniTREE 2 and InfiniGRASS, with Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.0 fog and image effects (WIP, placeholder barks for testing)

Thanks for the inspiration , i will try to have tall grass fields soon for sure and a harvest action is also planned to cut the grass.

 

UPDATE:

A very big performance enchancement will be availble in v1.4, that will take the already super fast grass to the next level of performance when massive grass quantities are required. I have tested with my RPG scenes and i get up to double the frame rate !!!

InfiniGRASS is a true non uniform grass solution, the only method that can provide realistic grass, with each grass blade being unique and completly controllable in shape and orientation.

To this end a lot more shaders and ways to vary the grass will come in next versions, like gravity shaders for slopes and spring like motion on wind and shape modifiers that will make even more each grass blade unique and closer to real life grass.

Also a lot more work will be done after v1.4 to port the system for all mobile platforms with globally compatible shaders.

 

After and before interaction



After and before interaction - far view



Interaction, cutting paths through grass, grass will be moved at the interactor direction and always move when object passes (full interactive, no state based !!!)

A new demo showing the interactive grass

v1.4 will have a globalized way to control interaction distance, which is now only changable in the grower scripts (set to 20 by default, which may be very large for some world scales).

I created a demo with full interactive grass and i will post it here soon after adding some extra controls. This will showcase better the interactive possibilities of the system.

Note that the interaction is true non uniform, non discreet state based interaction, which means can be as realistic as it goes, depending on how the grass is scripted and shaders can also be extended to make the motion even more varied and detailed.

 

New InfiniGRASS v1.4 demo

The demo showcases the unique non uniform patterned grass of InfiniGRASS with real non uniform interaction, the only method to get realistic grass interaction. The possibilities are endless, as the grass can be scripted in C# for any unique effect.

This is only a tiny sample of what can be achieved, with extra scripting and a few more shader tricks the interaction can even more detailed, smooth, true to life varied and spectacular.

InfiniGRASS - Interactive grass demo with gradual-directional force application
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u...INIGRASS/INFINIGRASSv14_DEMO_INTERACTIVE.html

 

A few extra features for v1.4
- LODs can be applied en mass to all grasses per brush type or to all types
- Multiple materials may be assigned to be affected by wind for each brush (extra materials structure)
- Control for interaction radius and offset added to adjust the interactive grass interaction initiation and added application of these values when Set Interactive button is pressed.

 

UPDATE:

All v1.4 features have been implemented and the system is in the testing phase. The updated will be submitted early next week and will also be availble as a hotfx download for everyone interested, in order to avoid the store review waiting time.

 

One more feature for v1.4, it is possible to change the interactor for dynamic grass through the inspector.

This can be done for all grass, or the current brush only.

 

Video of the interactive demo for v1.4

There will be two versions, one will be enchanced for Sky Master ULTIMATE, for better visual representation.

 

Moss brush in v1.4. I also included a rough tree stump to have it sit on and i will refine it for later versions.

This is just a quick take on the brush, it can be further adjusted to perfection with extra scaling, color tint, size tweaking etc

 

Correct shadow adjustment is crucial to getting the best performance (also a general Unity tip for all cases).


UPDATE:

Two extra notes that came up while testing v1.4

- At lower world scales, in real time painting and depending on grass size the grass growth may not be gradual but instant. This can be fixed by applying a scale to the original prefab of the brush (or create a new copy with scaled prefab to the new world size). The growth will then be gradual as in the demo world scale.

- One of the shaders included (which is not used in the grass brushes, it was a base shader the final ones were based on) gives error when building for webplayer, so i will either remove it or fix it for v1.4 (AlphaGrass shader)

EDIT: One extra note
- The shadows affect the performance of the system, so they have to be adjusted to perform at best. The best combinations are either two cascades with high res shadows or 4 with medium, by tests on my rather old PC, stronger system will allow much more. Also i noticed that the shadow distance has a very strong effect in performance if not adjusted properly. For example if the distance is set very low for the world scale there is a peformance impact (probably the cascades are too close together), so the distance has to be optimally adjusted as well for best results.

The increase in performance in the shadow distance adjustment case is also giving better visual results (as it is used as supposed too), so it is one of the rare cases where the balancing is always in favor than a trade off.

I have been testing v1.4 for many days now and all seem to work fine, so the release is close, hopefully tomorrow i can do the submission.

 

Brushes in v1.4 (last row - leaf bed, realistic rocks, yellow grass, small leaves, moss). Two more experimental brushes are included (branch & sea weed) and will be finalized for the next version.

Also a sample lower scale brush is included for the first grass type, that will grow gradually properly in play mode painting.


The final interactive grass demo is ready, using more grass types and sun controls

Interactive grass demo for v1.4, with Sky Master ULTIMATE fog
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/79230236/INFINIDY/INFINIGRASS/INFINIGRASSv14_DEMO_INTERACTIVE_SM.html

The spacebar toggles the camera look on/off.

 

A video showing the new in v1.4 tag based option in action and its setup from scratch

Also included in v.1.4

- Fix for the grass collider scale in the case where grass is painted on a scaled object, then ungrown and regrows in play mode, the collider scale is now recreated correctly.

 

Final additions for v1.4

- Option to update the player in real time
- Fix for the grass not appearing when player is instantly changed (it missed the smooth out region as the position changed instantly)
- Addition of a global tint to grass (transprent grass shader option)
- Fix an issue where the fence middle part would be replaced by the fence pole in editor fence construction
- Added variables to reset the main player and set/reset interactors for the dynamic grass, the procedure is to define the grass type (or apply to all grass option) in grass_selector and insert the interactor in the Interactor variable, then enable the options (reset or apply interactor) with a true in the bool variables and the system will take care of the rest.

I post some videos showing the fence construction and prefab creation, the first are before the fix, the final is after the fix (where i show how to create middle parts)

Please if you like the pack, when possible, leave a review so i can work much faster on upcoming updates.
As i am a one man team, reviews help a lot in keeping the developement for packs full time and delivering extra features much faster.
Thanks a lot in advance for any reviews for the packs.​

 

One note on v1.4 grass grab from play mode. The option that must be turned on to make the grass get parented to the object it is painted on is "Move with Object" and not "Parent to object" as stated in the manual.

I have fixed the reference in the final version of the manual and the help tip in the Grass Manager.

 

UPDATE:

I will be creating and posting many more tutorials, now that i have streamlined the video creation and get passable quality with lowerspace use.

Note that the new grass prefab creation procedure is the same as the fence creation posted above, the sample prefabs can be copied and the new grass inserted in their place, the only extra step is adding these to the grass grower script so it knows what to instantiate (while the fence parts go directly to the grass Manager, while grass is referenced through the grass grower prefab).

 

InfiniGRASS v1.4 is now ready for download via dropbox.

Everyone interested, please send me a PM with the invoice (if i dont have it already) and i will send the link asap.

The store review will take a few days, so it will be in the store next week.

 

Vertex blending to ground



No shadows - vertex colored


New features for v1.5 - Vertex based color blending with the ground and procedural mesh customization WIP

There is still lots of tweaking to be done and shader changes, the base color grab and vertex assignment is already working and the procedural alteration of the grass as well.

This is also the base for the texture/mask based placement system.

Another thing i will implement is special controls for things like rocks and other things, with the ultimate goal to be able to place a big variety of decals, besides the super detailed next gen grass, to fill a map with cool detail in one go (or a few passes). Probably i will study the most common cases and add toggles for new options that will activate per brush and handle the specific type with extra features.

 

Vertex blended grass and new Gravity shader WIP




Using the new vertex blend mode to get different grass looks based on ground texture.

Left and middle patches grab the texture color from ground, the right side grass patch is the original without ground based vertex color modification/blending.

Multiple different looks are possible with just one grass type !!!!

Also this grass is using the first version of the new gravity emulation shader, for nice curved or angled grass look. There will also be spring like motion implemented depending on wind and hero speed and direction.

Please if you like the pack, when possible, leave a review so i can work much faster on upcoming updates.
As i am a one man team, reviews help a lot in keeping the developement for packs full time and delivering extra features much faster.
Thanks a lot in advance for any reviews for the packs.​

 

New shader based temporal interaction (near zero cost, all shader based) for v1.5 of InfiniGRASS.

Also another big optimization will come for the scripted grass in v1.5, the grass will be leaving the Interactive state automatically if has been pressed down beyond a threshold and also there will be checks to make sure grass is better spread when painted, so brushes dont fall very close to each other.

This will also make grass seem more naturally spread on the ground after stepping on it.

 

WIP on ground color vertex blending, gravity shader, procedural mesh alteration and shader based local temporal interaction features for v1.5

Also the ground is now also procedurally changed (initially was a flat plane)

Everything in the pics is created with InfiniGRASS (rocks, grass, ground variation etc)

InfiniGRASS will be shaped as an all around procedural creation and placement suit in upcoming versions and will increase slightly in price as i move forward.

I will post a real time demo to appreciate the super smooth motion better soon.

 

New grass brush for v1.5 and grass wall

 

InfiniGRASS v1.4 has been submitted to the Unity Asset Store and is pending review.

The update should be up later this week.

 

InfiniGRASS is in lower price until v1.4 is released.

InfiniGRASS v1.4 is still under review, make sure to grab the asset while in the current lower price !!!

 

UPDATE:

The vertex blending system is now fully functional and i am thinking of having an extra option to do the blending using a top view camera take of the terrain. The current system uses a raycast and needs a readable texture to grab the underlying color.

I have already setup such a system for Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.0 (shown near the end of the video below, this is for terrain depth rendering for shore line effects), so will be easy to have this as an extra option. I am not sure it will be in v1.5, but will definitly be coming.

 

UPDATE:

I got a few notifications that the control system for the new interactive grass demo is cumbersome, so i will be working more on this demo to provide a better and less confising interface and hero motion.

The current version is the one below and the "space" button toggles between free look and static camera look.

Also any further comments as to how to improve the demo are welcome.

Interactive grass Demo (v1.4)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u...GRASS/INFINIGRASSv14_DEMO_INTERACTIVE_SM.html

 

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InfiniGRASS v1.4 has been released at the store !!!!

New features include real time painted grass grab for editing and saving, brush settings structure for easy save/load of brush settings for the grass painting and mass planting, new dynamic grass features and much more.
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If you like the pack, please remember to leave a review.
Reviews help me with keeping the asset development at highest priority and work on the cool updates faster.
Thanks a lot in advance for any reviews !!!!​

 

UPDATE:

Features for v1.5

- new ground color vertex blend mode to get different grass looks based on ground texture.
- the grass will be leaving the Interactive state automatically if has been pressed down beyond a threshold, for performance enchancement in dynamic grass
- checks to make sure grass is better spread when painted, so brushes dont fall very close to each other, for performance enchancement in dynamic grass
- shader based temporal grass interaction and motion based on interactor direction and speed (shader based for near zero cost)
- procedurally changed ground and rocks, as a first step for a complete world creation suit (InfiniROCK and InfiniGROUND systems)
- procedurally changed grass shape, for unlimited variety without any extra asset creation !!!
- gravity emulation shader features, for emulating gradual bending of grass on slopes and breaking of grass under its weight
- many new grass types


Features for v1.6 (some may appear in v1.5)

- GAIA support
- Texture based grass placement
- Height and slope based grass elimination (plant only above/below a slope angle or height)

Most of the Version 1.5 features are now in an advanced state of development.

 

Can you add your own grasses or is it limited to what comes in the pack?

 

The system can be extended at will and i also have an easy way to add new grass types to the grass manager, with an icon as well for easy access and preview.

Any mesh - texture can be used for the grass, the creation of new presets involves copying my prefabs (one grass grower, one for bark and one for grass blade(s)) and then using these as base and changing/adding to them and bake in the prefab. Then these new bark and blade prefabs must be referenced in the new copied grass grower script so the right parts are instantiate on growth.

Essentially the system can be used as a general purpose item spread tool as well (with all perks like batching and LOD), and i have brushes with rocks and mushrooms to showcase this functionality.

Soon i will also have grass (and rocks, mushrooms etc) blend of color with the ground color, for better adaptation to the ground and extra variaty in looks, bringing the system one step closer to the most realistic grass possible.

Also v1.5 will have local interaction with agents in shader (temporal) and gravity emulation in shader as well, for very fast interaction modes that will also restore the grass shape as the interactor leaves the interaction area.