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[On Sale: 90% off] Fantastic Glass - Realistic Transparent Materials 1.2.2

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by fantasticdev, Sep 14, 2016.

  1. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Fantastic Glass is a tool for creating and managing realistic and abstract objects with transparent volumes such as glass.​

    Asset Store | User Guide
    Requires Unity 5.0.0 or higher.



    Shading includes:
    • Refraction / Distortion (texture, mesh, depth & more)
    • Extinction (color, texture, depth)
    • Aberration (color, texture, depth)
    • Fog (color, depth)
    • and more!



    Presets, prefabs, materials, and scenes are included that demonstrate a diverse range of different types of materials



    The tools and comprehensive parameters available allow you to create your own incredibly varied range of realistic and abstract materials.


    Tutorial and demo videos are being recorded now and I'll post them here when they're ready. There are some brief tutorials: here (install & setup) and here (turning objects to amber - old shader & code, similar layout).

    I'm already developing more features for future (free) updates and welcome all requests & feedback :)

    Fantastic Glass is currently on sale for $5
    - I haven't yet decided on the price after this introductory period so any feedback would be appreciated.

    I'm a programmer foremost so all of these models and textures I've made are probably underselling this tool's potential. If anyone would like to send me any screenshots of things they've made with FG (that I am allowed to use) I'd monumentally appreciate it - thanks!
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2016
  2. kdgalla

    kdgalla

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  3. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Although it doesn't do subsurface scattering and I am looking into that, it does do colour extinction which I think is a major component of your screenshot's effect i.e. you can set it to absorb colours much like water, ice, and glass do when you see them become more blue as they get deeper.

    Almost all of the glass in the screenshots on the asset store are colourised by extinction and not any sort of albedo / texture.

    The colour you set for extinction can be either the absorbed colour or the resulting colour as it will appear (this is the option by default for convenience). You can also set a texture for this and other options which is how the stained glass windows are coloured.

    There is also the option to enable fogging by depth which will colourise between two colours depending on the thickness of the object at each pixel.

    Hope that helps!
     
  4. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    I forgot to mention, the fog, albedo, and texture options can also be set to affect the opacity at different densities/depths, allowing for anything up to completely opaque objects that still show colourised depth.

    I'll be uploading a new version soon with some fixes for 5.4.1 and will try and include a demo scene with an iceberg style example as I do like the appearance and think the nearest equivalent I have (a frozen white russian) isn't quite as effective an example (I'm not an artist).
     
  5. kdgalla

    kdgalla

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    Cool. Thanks.

    By the way, in that screenshot where there are four objects floating in a pool, is the blue pool water done with this product also? Seems like some of these lighting phenomena the you mentioned would be useful for water rendering as well.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2016
  6. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Yes, that's mostly from extinction. It's very handy for simulating things like the colourisation that occurs in water. The default extinction values are actually correct for the way it occurs in water. I think I increased the intensity slightly and added a tiny bit of blue to green fog in that screenshot to create a more tropical colour. I should probably add a screenshot with a more standard realistic scenario like wavy water over a deep mountainous rocky waterbed (again, not an artist).

    I'm also working on a water toolkit that uses a lot of the shading techniques I've implemented in Fantastic Glass. It's got more to it in terms of specific effects like foaming, wakes, and physically moving objects around realistically as well as having its shape modified by objects. Unsurprisingly, it'll likely form a new product, however, because of feedback I got from a customer and the competition in that genre looking intense I am considering adding some of the simpler elements into Fantastic Glass to show off how it can be the basis for realistic looking but simpler water.
     
  7. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Although I have an update about to go live mostly consisting of fixes for Unity 5.4.1, I'm also soon to be done on some additional features that'll come soon-after. I'll be including presets within individual options so you can go straight to selecting 'water' for your extinction without having to load up the whole water preset.
     
  8. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Actually, you can also already do something similar. When loading settings from a preset, there is the option to select/deselect which elements you load. You could untick everything but extinction.

    Either way, the new method will be easier; go to extinction, pick 'water' from a drop-down, done. It'll also mean I can provide a lot more options specific to each feature without having to come up with whole new preset objects.
     
  9. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Last edited: Oct 30, 2016
  10. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Although I am modelling the iceberg example at the moment, there is an existing similar frosty material you can see in the new trailers (specifically at 01:19). It's probably not exactly what you're after but does show a good starting point.



    (For some reason, I can't post a link to the video starting at 1:19)​
     
  11. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    To celebrate the release of Fantastic Glass 1.2 we will soon be giving away a free code here and through each of these mysterious links:​


    Cheers!

    Fantastic Glass 1.2 now comes with a Render Order Manager and a range of new options including Depth Complexity that allows for even more detailed and realistic effects:



    Under Construction: The Fantastic Glass Preset Gallery. Browse, share, and download presets to accelerate your projects and help others. Keep your eye on @devfantastic for news:



    As always, feel free to get in touch with any feedback, issues, or requests for future versions. I'll soon be letting people know of the completion of their requested features for 1.2 :)

    You can send any feedback here or through the various methods offered in my little Unity Asset Store Hub: http://fantasticdevelopment.co.uk/assetstorehub
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2016
  12. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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  13. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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  14. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Hello again!

    I just thought I should let you know that the latest version of Fantastic Glass has been released and I included some basic attempts at icebergs:
    upload_2016-11-15_14-40-50.png


    It was an interesting little experiment that helped with the creation of the Render Order Manager and Complex Depth I've added.

    So thanks again for your feedback and I hope you enjoy the new features of Fantastic Glass 1.2 :)
     
  15. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    I thought someone might enjoy seeing blender fluid simulations being rendering in unity using Fantastic Glass:



    I'll probably include the script used for animating the fluid along with the updates being prepared for Fantastic Glass 1.2.1.
     
  16. punk

    punk

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    Looks really good, any idea if it works in VR single pass mode?
     
  17. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    That's a really good question. I've been meaning to test it out with VR so will give it a go with single pass mode and let you know if it works and how it looks ASAP.
     
    punk likes this.
  18. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    I've tested VR with single and multi pass. Unfortunately, both have issues, however, neither look hard to fix :)

    Normal VR
    Because the shader requires custom depth maps, VR (although it's better than I had expected without further development) looks a bit off in one eye as if the effect is ghosting. I'm going to look into having the Glass shader handle each eye differently for the next update.

    Single Pass VR
    It looks like single pass gets all grab passes and depth maps for both eyes in one texture. I've found Unity does have new stereo adjusted coordinate malarkey available so I'll implement that and let you know how it looks. As far as I can tell, this should be easier than setting up a fix for normal VR.

    Spacewarp
    I tested with the spacewarp options and the 45Hz cap emphasised any ghosting. With it disabled, everything was pretty smooth.

    Performance
    Performance in both modes looked to be exactly the same. I was getting 80fps in most scenes with a GTX 970, FX6100, and 8GB RAM. I usually test any changes on my 2011 Macbook Pro too to make sure performance is good across the board but I don't think I'll submit myself to that headache.

    Fixes & Updates
    As soon as either fix is implemented I'll let you know of the results and when you should expect to see an update.

    THANKS!
    Thanks for getting in touch about this and reminding me to play with Fantastic Glass in VR :)
     
  19. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    I'm also going to add an option in 1.2.1 to have all depth textures rendered in OnPreRender so as to avoid any potential ghosting with out-of-sync depth. I'll leave the performance/quality options in there but will probably enable this option by default instead.
     
  20. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    The main reason I mention this is because many of the scenes actually look like they would work fine in normal VR with this enabled as the edge caused by multiple viewpoints isn't visible and the ghosting is only there from sudden head movement.

    I'm still obviously implementing all of the VR features though as there's no point in doing half a job ;)
     
  21. punk

    punk

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    great stuff - just bought it ;)
     
  22. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Awesome :)

    Although I'm regularly adding to and improving Fantastic Glass, a big driver of changes and new features is user feedback so please do keep letting me know of any issues you have along with any wish lists you've got brewing!

    As if by magic, here's a minor addition from user feedback that will be on the store very soon in version 1.2.1:


    Your VR suggestion along with some others will either be out as 1.2.2 or 1.3 (depending on how many of the bigger features in development are complete). I'll be aiming to have it out very soon after the VR code is tested but, as I said, you'll know sooner than that if it all works.

    By the way, I checked out Brides of Vampira - it looks absolutely stunning! What's your combat system like in VR?
     
  23. punk

    punk

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    That feature looks cool ;)

    Brides of Vampira - Thanks man! VR combat is really cool similar to the non VR combat, but slightly different controls :) it works really well tho, super playable, but still working on it, I'm gonna do a free playable demo, still gotta do all the hand to hand combat I don't reckon it will be ready until late next year
     
  24. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    In my test projects for VR I keep trying to mould it to a familiar interface and gaming experience, often resulting in the player being a floating articulated robot propelled by little jets. It helped avoid nausea to feel like you were sort of seated and moved like a vehicle (especially when you can hear and see the machinery moving you) but it does limit the kind of games you can build that deception around.

    Do you have a mailing list I can sign up to? I haven't seen any FPS style VR look that atmospheric or have such a cool set of weapons. I'll have some VR controllers by then and would love to try it out :)
     
  25. punk

    punk

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    It's actually probably going to be a control pad game, ie not VR controllers specifically - that may change, but as its quite fast paced and there's so much going on, I reckon if you had to wave your arms around you'd be buggered in minutes lol (could be fun though)

    I don't have a mailing list yet - coming soon, but send me your email in a pm and I'll add you to it when it's up and running ;)
     
  26. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Well then I'm definitely trying it - email sent, cheers :)
     
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  27. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Just a quick note to say if you're seeing the following error message after updating to 1.2.1:


    a fix is now available for download here: http://fantasticdevelopment.co.uk/known-issues-fantastic-glass-1-2/#3.

    The fix has also been implemented in Fantastic Glass 1.2.2 which will be released very shortly.

    Please do get in touch with any feedback / issues / requests and we'll endeavour to respond, fix, or implement ASAP :)

    Contact me here, on Twitter, open a support ticket, or email us.​
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2016
  28. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    A quick update on progress with VR & Single-Pass VR integration:

    Normal VR & Synchronised Depth
    Both eyes are now getting their own depth maps and grab passes in Normal VR. There's still ghosting in some scenes which I think will be fixed / improved by implementing a version of depth rendering where all depth maps are rendered together in the pre-render stage (Synchronised Depth, if you will) - depth maps are currently rendered asynchronously for the sake of speed and avoiding GPU/CPU pipeline stalling (so this feature will stay as an option).

    Single-Pass VR
    All depth maps are now working in Single-Pass VR, however, grab passes aren't yet working in single pass. Once I've got that sorted, Single-Pass and Normal VR will be at the same point. It's hard to tell if ghosting is affecting Single-Pass VR at all but the Synchronised Depth and testing Unity 5.4 should benefit both versions of VR.

    Unity Versions
    At minimum, Unity 5.4 (the later the version the better) is required for FG + VR.
    BUT

    I've seen similar complaints about shadows and other graphical features ghosting in Single-Pass VR in Unity 5.4 so I'll start testing with Unity 5.5 and see if that's the go-to version of Unity when using VR with this sort of shading.

    BRB
    I'm hopeful it won't be long until both modes are functional and smooth. As soon as any significant progress is made I'll be back here with an update :D
     
    lloydsummers likes this.
  29. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Another quick note to say that this and another potential error have been fixed in FG 1.2.2 which is submitted to the App Store and should be released very soon.

    If you find you're in need of any fixes for FG 1.2.1 sooner, please check the Known Issues page for FG 1.2 where I have provided links to downloadable fixed script files. These links will obviously be removed when FG 1.2.2 is released, making them redundant.
     
  30. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Fantastic Glass 1.2.2 is out!

    This version includes all fixes mentioned above.

    Get it from the App Store here.


    What's Next?
    The next version of Fantastic Glass will be out soon and includes new features like Unlit mode which is perfect for stealth cloaks / space warps:
     
  31. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    VR Update
    Synchronised Depth
    Synchronised depth is implemented and makes all movement-based ghosting disappear. Depth updates have been redefined into 3 unambiguous modes: Quality/VR, Medium, and Performance. In some cases Performance will be extremely fast and look great, however, Quality is perfect for VR or scenes with fast moving objects and still performs well in VR. By default, Quality is chosen in most scenes and for new GlassManager instances.

    Single-Pass VR

    Grab passes are now working in Single-Pass VR!

    Last Issue!
    Although many scenes now look fine in both VR modes, there is still an issue with the depth textures mapping slightly off in each eye. In some scenes it causes increased/decreased effects to be applied to some edges in one eye. This looks to be the only remaining issue and once it's solved FG 1.2.3 with VR support (and other additions & improvements ;)) should be ready for submission.

    I'm incredibly eager and excited for everyone to get their hands on FG 1.2.3 so will be working extremely hard to get this feature fully implemented and ensure everything in FG is tested thoroughly for release before Christmas :)
     
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  32. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    2016 was pretty rough so we've decided to kick off 2017 with some positivity and taken 90% off the price of Fantastic Glass.

    Enjoy, Happy New Year, and Good Luck!

    Get it here while it's hot (at least the rest of January).
     
  33. Asset_Store_Deals

    Asset_Store_Deals

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    Just to let you know we are adding Fantastic Glass to AssetStoreDeals.com.

    When you have other sales, you can add them to this website yourself simply by pasting the link to your asset in the designated area.

    Best of luck to you with this sale and happy new year!
     
    fantasticdev likes this.
  34. hopeful

    hopeful

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    Is there a trick to getting shadows that relate to the opacity of the glass? I'm getting solid shadows from clear glass.
     
  35. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Thanks for your question!

    Current Shadows
    At the moment, standard opaque shadow casting is used - so, from the Glass object's point of view, shadows can only be changed via MeshRenderer > Cast Shadows settings:


    https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/class-MeshRenderer.html

    Partial Solutions / Recipient Shader
    Shadows are essentially applied to recipient objects using shadow maps created by lights, rather than being defined by the objects casting the shadows.

    Therefore, if you have a recipient object where the shadow is caused only by Glass, you can write a simple-ish shader which allows you to change the resulting shadow colour and intensity. It would, however, define all shadows appearing on that object.

    I should have an example of this from my research that I can include in an update if that would help?

    Current R&D
    I'm currently researching shadow colourisation and intensity, with the hopes of also providing some realistic caustics-style effects.

    Because shadows are applied to recipient objects using shadow maps created by lights, the resulting features will likely rely on either custom recipient shaders or post-processing but both will require some custom Glass-only shadow maps.

    You can follow us on Twitter and YouTube for updates and demos of research & new features.

    Thanks again for your question - I hope my response was useful :)

    -Dan
     
  36. hopeful

    hopeful

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    When using transparency with Unity's standard shader you can get shadows that are based on the opacity of the glass. Can't you tap into that?
     
  37. fantasticdev

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    Unity still uses binary on/off shadow values there but the texture is rendered using a dithering pattern. You can see the effect of this emphasised if you set shadows to hard (this shadow is about 99% opacity):


    The pattern changes to different shaped 'holes' as you change opacity.

    Although this method is viable for some cases, it can have a lot of visual artefacts depending on platform, settings, and textures. Due to the binary nature of the texture it doesn't support colour values. It also doesn't smoothly transition through very many patterns so a complex or smooth variability in texture / transparency will be poorly represented.

    HOWEVER, it is a potential partial solution for now so I'll look into implementing it soon as an option (maybe default). I can't guarantee it will make the next update (1.2.3) as that's focused on VR and other features I need to release ASAP. I will definitely try it by 1.2.4 which will hopefully be a much faster update (it should be far less complex than VR).

    One thing I am considering is providing beta packages for existing customers with specific new features to try; one reason being that I want to get Mobile support right and testing that sufficiently might require a broad range of devices. I'll probably announce that here and on Twitter when it's fully organised.

    I hope that's been of some help - if you try your hand at implementing your own dither mask in the mean time please let me know!
     
  38. hopeful

    hopeful

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    That sounds good, as a default, as some sort of shadow casting / receiving is needed for 3D.

    I can appreciate that you might want to try out some more advanced methods, though.
     
  39. lloydsummers

    lloydsummers

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    I just wanted to say, I've been looking for a VR-friendly glass shader, I know there are some quirks, but it looks like you have it working! This is me saying thanks before buying in and adding it to a bunch of games.

    On that note, add something on the Asset page saying SteamVR Support (and link them here). I might have picked this up sooner if it said VR in the description

    Cheers!
     
  40. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Thanks Lloyd!

    I really hope you get what you need out of FG as I'm a big fan of VR and, if I wasn't bogged down with clients' projects, would be testing the crap out of it with my dusty Rift :)

    I do have a new version that's been in the works for months that has a lot of new features and improvements aimed at realism, compatibility, and performance. Unfortunately, due to paying projects having priority I won't be able to polish it up for release for at least a couple of weeks.

    For anyone who has already purchased FG I'm happy to send them, in confidence, a beta copy of the latest FG, however, I'd recommend doing so in a separate experimental copy of your project so you still have the more stable version elsewhere. -- It's also not fully tested with Unity 2017 but I think most Unity users know there are going to be issues with a version of Unity until it's a few revisions deep.

    If you do have FG and VR playing nice please please please send me an image / video / demo :)

    - Dan
     
  41. hopeful

    hopeful

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    @fantasticdev - Don't complain too loudly about having to do paid work for clients, that's a good thing! ;)

    I wish you the best with that and look forward to your new work on glass. :)
     
  42. fantasticdev

    fantasticdev

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    Haha good point!

    I post updates on Twitter and previews & trailers on YouTube.

    And thank you for proving once again how kind and supportive everyone on the Unity Forum is :D
     
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