Sundog Software » New Releases

Silverlining 2.11 Now Available

Frank Kane — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:04:55 +0000

SilverLining version 2.11 is now available from our download page. This maintenance release addresses some bugs, provides improved support for round-earth coordinate systems, updates to the latest DirectX SDK, and changes the way custom random number generators are handled.

We made some improvements in how cumulus clouds are oriented in geocentric coordinate systems, especially in infinite cloud layers. Previously, the orientation of individual cumulus clouds was determined at initialization time based on the local coordinate system. But, if you were to move the camera halfway around the world, those orientations would become incorrect. With version 2.11, we calculate the proper orientation every frame, no matter how far you move the camera.

If you provided your own RandomNumberGenerator subclass to the Atmosphere object, this is no longer maintained as a static reference within SilverLining. This means you may now assign different RandomNumberGenerators to different Atmosphere objects, which may be useful if you’re trying to enforce consistency between multiple visual channels powered by the same host.

SilverLining’s DirectX renderers are now built against the June 2010 DirectX SDK, and our SDK installer will install any runtime components your system may be missing.

SilverLining 1.93: Adjustable alpha, thick cirrus.

Frank Kane — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:46:43 +0000

Version 1.93 of SilverLining is now available from our download page. Licensed users, as always, may obtain the full source of this revision free of charge from the same link you received with your license purchase.

There are two big changes in this version. First is the new CloudLayer::SetAlpha method – this lets you blend any given cloud layer into the sky more aggressively. If you want softer-looking clouds that are less prominent in the scene, this lets you adjust that nicely.

The second feature is that cirrus and cirrocumulus clouds now honor the “thickness” setting. Previously these clouds were simply textured quads; they are now volumetric and will introduce fog as you fly through them.

Happy Holidays!

SilverLining 1.92

Frank Kane — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:48:44 +0000

Version 1.92 is now available on our download page. This minor release addresses a bug in the placement of the sun and moon in non-geocentric coordinates systems where the Y axis is not the “up” direction.

This version also introduces a new optional parameter to Atmosphere::EndFrame() – the “drawPrecipitation” parameter. Why would you want to suppress precipitation in an EndFrame call? Well, this provides a workaround for a problem with rendering rain streaks in setups with multiple rendering passes from different viewpoints within the same Atmosphere object. Every time EndFrame() is called, the position of each rain particle is saved as the starting point of the rain streak in the next frame. If you call EndFrame() multiple times per frame from different viewpoints, you can get into a situation where the “previous position” of each particle is far, far away – leading to the rain streaks going haywire.

Really, you should maintain separate Atmosphere objects for each viewport you maintain. But, by only passing true to “drawPrecipitation” in your main rendering pass, you can sidestep the issues associated with rendering multiple viewpoints at once using the same Atmosphere. For example, if you have a reflection pass, you can pass false on that pass to avoid interfering with the rain streaks on your main rendering pass, saving you the overhead of an additional Atmosphere object.

SilverLining 1.91 now available

Frank Kane — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:54:00 +0000

Silverlining 1.91 is available now from our website. As always, updates are free of charge to our licensed users – you can download the new version from the same spot specified in your registration email, under the same password.

The big new feature is improved stratus clouds, thanks largely to feedback from our friends at Vizerra. For nimbostratus clouds, you’ll now see some real 3D depth at the tops of the clouds – there is now some actual geometry to nimbostratus, and not just textured planes. This geometry is computed on the GPU using a Cg vertex program for OpenGL users, and HLSL for DirectX. We also made some improvements to “geocentric mode” and the rendering of the atmosphere from space.

Even better are the new “stratus” cloud types. Unlike the existing nimbostratus that stretched infinitely to the horizon, the stratus cloud may be localized, and honors the size and position specified when creating the cloud layer. This means you can have stratus clouds with a defined edge to them, and create scenes like the one below where a bank of clouds is starting to roll in from the horizon.

Version 1.91 also includes improvements for users with whole-Earth simulators using “geocentric mode” to render the atmosphere from space. You’ll find the rendering of the atmospheric limb is now much more robust, and will render with the proper size and orientation under any viewing angle. We also smoothed out the transition as you enter the atmosphere, and added a config setting you can use if you’re in a system where the Y axis points North instead of the Z axis.

A simple infrared sensor mode was also added – see Atmosphere::SetInfraRedMode() for “white-hot” IR scenes with black skies and clouds, and a white sun.

As always, the file releasenotes.txt in the SDK contains the complete list of changes in this new version, and let me know if you run into any trouble.

Best wishes to you all this holiday season. .