TSL High Quality Skyboxes

[Squall Lionhart 81]

Well, I think we can all agree with the fact that Kex's skyboxes are amazing, but he needs a break. So I've decided to take up the mantle to do TSL Skyboxes. Instead of using Terragen, I am using VUE Esprit because it is much easier to learn and use, and render with any kind of resolution. Here's some before and after of Onderon. The one thing that I wanted to do was to add Dxun to the sky mainly because we hear those two are a close shuttle ride apart and I was always wondering why it never showed up in the sky. So here we go.

 

 

BEFORE:

 

 

 

AFTER:

 

 

 

[Jorak Uln 458]

@Squall: 

 

thats a very good start looking forward for more

 

As you see, the sun lighting is a bit extreme, did you use post -rendering auto -exposure?

Just make sure, that you dont use that feature after rendering, since TSL reacts very sensitve if the lighting is to bright - so sometimes its good if you turn down the brightness with Photoshop or Gimp etc. a bit.

[Squall Lionhart 81]

I actually didn't surprisingly, but I lowered exposure down to -.18 from where it was at +0. Will try it after I render the other 3 sky textures. Unless anyone has a clearer way to render the entire thing and take sections to make them much more clear.

[Jorak Uln 458]

I actually didn't surprisingly, but I lowered exposure down to -.18 from where it was at +0. Will try it after I render the other 3 sky textures. Unless anyone has a clearer way to render the entire thing and take sections to make them much more clear.

Did you render each part with different cameras with 90 degrees FOV to make it seamless? 

If not just look at the tutorial link in one of the PMs. 

[Kexikus 994]

Looks like we'll have several different options for TSL skyboxes between yours, Joraks and mine. Great to see this field finally tackled like that

 

To fix the extremly bright sun, you could also just lower the brightness of the sunlight in the area model. I don't really know how that worked, but it's possible and I used that for my K1 skyboxes.

 

Otherwise it's looking good already The only thing I'd change is Dxun, since it's currently looking like our moon while it should be full of djungle.

[Squall Lionhart 81]

I'll be sure to definitely do that. Thanks Jorak.

 

Looks like we'll have several different options for TSL skyboxes between yours, Joraks and mine. Great to see this field finally tackled like that

 

To fix the extremly bright sun, you could also just lower the brightness of the sunlight in the area model. I don't really know how that worked, but it's possible and I used that for my K1 skyboxes.

 

Otherwise it's looking good already The only thing I'd change is Dxun, since it's currently looking like our moon while it should be full of djungle.

Yeah... I need a planet texture for it since the model VUE has is our moon.

[Kexikus 994]

Yeah... I need a planet texture for it since the model VUE has is our moon. 

 

I don't know about Vue but in Terragen you can either create an actual second procedural planet that you'd fill with djungle and clouds to be rendered in the sky. Or you can use either a simple sphere model with a texture or even just a flat circle with the texture. If one of the latter is possible I could give you a texture for those as I already made a Dxun surface texture for my backdrop project (which I also thought about using in a future Onderon skybox^^)

[Squall Lionhart 81]

What I'm gonna try to do is look at the terrain and add jungle textures with clouds. Dxun's skybox shouldn't be too hard, though instead of adding the 4 other spheres I'll add Onderon. 

[Malkior 476]

Looks like we'll have several different options for TSL skyboxes between yours, Joraks and mine. Great to see this field finally tackled like that

 

To fix the extremly bright sun, you could also just lower the brightness of the sunlight in the area model. I don't really know how that worked, but it's possible and I used that for my K1 skyboxes.

 

Otherwise it's looking good already The only thing I'd change is Dxun, since it's currently looking like our moon while it should be full of djungle.

I've got a few, too.

[Squall Lionhart 81]

I remember using yours for many playthroughs Malkior. Yours along with Kex actually inspired me to do high quality versions.

[Kexikus 994]

I've got a few, too.

 

I'm really sorry :/

I've no idea how I could forget you, but you're right, yours are of course also in the mix

[Squall Lionhart 81]

 

 

 

 

Slowly but surely it is getting there. Still having trouble trying to get a seamless render, maybe TSL just hates custom skybox renders and is tormenting me. I added a nature texture to Dxun to make it more official, and so far everything is going smoothly.

[Jorak Uln 458]

Malkior actually did not only do Skyboxes but also edited different sets of lightmaps for the exiting Night & Day mod, which is currently on hold,

 

but i could imagine that we would be able to tackle that one again at some point in the future,

now that we are 4 guys doing skyboxes which will only push each others skills and ultimately

benefit Kotor Modding.

[Squall Lionhart 81]

Technology has come very far in the last few years, so at some point all 4 of us can use our skills to make that a reality.

[Kexikus 994]

Slowly but surely it is getting there. Still having trouble trying to get a seamless render, maybe TSL just hates custom skybox renders and is tormenting me. I added a nature texture to Dxun to make it more official, and so far everything is going smoothly.

 

For the seams, check out this thread: http://deadlystream.com/forum/topic/2946-skyboxes-a-question/?hl=skyboxes Sith Holocron describes the problem only for the Malachor skybox where it's apparently the most obvious but at least in K1 every single texture was missing a few pixels on each side and I assume it's the same in TSL which might explain your seams.

[Sith Holocron 2,473]

Technology has come very far in the last few years, so at some point all 4 of us can use our skills to make that a reality.

Still waiting for a Malachor V skybox from one of you!

[Kexikus 994]

Still waiting for a Malachor V skybox from one of you!

 

Quanon has posted a screenshot of a new Malachor skybox a few months ago I think, so I guess we're five people making skyboxes but it seems that his skybox is not done yet either :/

[Squall Lionhart 81]

For the seams, check out this thread: http://deadlystream.com/forum/topic/2946-skyboxes-a-question/?hl=skyboxes Sith Holocron describes the problem only for the Malachor skybox where it's apparently the most obvious but at least in K1 every single texture was missing a few pixels on each side and I assume it's the same in TSL which might explain your seams.

 

From what I'm noticing, Onderon's 2nd texture for the skybox actually takes a bit from the first one, looking at the edges of it. If you notice, the cloud layer in the first one at the end shows up in the second one. Wondering how to fix it... since I have set up multiple cameras for a 90 degree view angle. Maybe I'll edit the pixels in Photoshop.

[Jorak Uln 458]

From what I'm noticing, Onderon's 2nd texture for the skybox actually takes a bit from the first one, looking at the edges of it. If you notice, the cloud layer in the first one at the end shows up in the second one. Wondering how to fix it... since I have set up multiple cameras for a 90 degree view angle. Maybe I'll edit the pixels in Photoshop.

Kex said that the seams are more visible at 2048x2048 resolution. Since i assume that is the release size of the SB, can you try rendering them at that res?

And - just an idea - i didnt had time to test it yet, but maybe it might be possible to get rid of the seams if you choose a different FOV size like 89 or 91 etc?

[Kexikus 994]

From what I'm noticing, Onderon's 2nd texture for the skybox actually takes a bit from the first one, looking at the edges of it. If you notice, the cloud layer in the first one at the end shows up in the second one. Wondering how to fix it... since I have set up multiple cameras for a 90 degree view angle. Maybe I'll edit the pixels in Photoshop.

 

Yeah, you'll need to edit the textures in Photoshop. You'll just need to shrink it slightly so that the actual texture ends where the cube sides of the skybox model intersect.

 

Kex said that the seams are more visible at 2048x2048 resolution. Since i assume that is the release size of the SB, can you try rendering them at that res?

And - just an idea - i didnt had time to test it yet, but maybe it might be possible to get rid of the seams if you choose a different FOV size like 89 or 91 etc?

 

You'd need to render at a slightly higher FOV but fixing it in Photoshop should be far easier since the cut off on those skybox textures isn't even symmetric. So you'd need to do trial and error until you get both the right FOV and camera angle where as you can just figure out the amount of pixels that are cut of on each side and shrink the render accordingly when using Photoshop.

[Squall Lionhart 81]

Kex said that the seams are more visible at 2048x2048 resolution. Since i assume that is the release size of the SB, can you try rendering them at that res?

And - just an idea - i didnt had time to test it yet, but maybe it might be possible to get rid of the seams if you choose a different FOV size like 89 or 91 etc?

 

I did render them at 2048x2048, since Kex rendered all his skyboxes for K1 at that resolution.

[134340Goat 116]

Wow, Squall, those mountains look incredible

 

The skyboxes in TSL aren't as horrid as K1's default skyboxes, but some (Dxun cough cough) still need a fair bit of work. I eagerly anticipate and appreciate your work thus far

[Squall Lionhart 81]

Dxun will take a fair bit of work since it is mostly cloud. But VUE's terrain feature is fairly easy to use. I'll even add Onderon in the mix since they are incredibly close together.

[Squall Lionhart 81]

Does anyone want a thunderstorm with a chance of actual rain? I give you... Dxun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Malkior for your More Vibrant Skies mod. That helped me narrow down the names for the 2 zones of Dxun, and on how to do the textures. Dxun is one of the few where the skybox actually looks good all around with the only editing having to be done with making the textures double sided for the Jungle zones. 

[Malkior 476]

Does anyone want a thunderstorm with a chance of actual rain? I give you... Dxun!

 

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Thank you Malkior for your More Vibrant Skies mod. That helped me narrow down the names for the 2 zones of Dxun, and on how to do the textures. Dxun is one of the few where the skybox actually looks good all around with the only editing having to be done with making the textures double sided for the Jungle zones.

No problem, man. It's probably now no mystery why the seams were such a pain when I was making it.

 

I assume you also worked on the skies by the Temple/Tomb as well?

 

Anyway, it's nice to see the "severe thunderstorm" look yet again, but I can see yours matches the cutscenes just a bit more.

 

 

By the end of this year, we're going to have three distinctly different skybox sets to choose from, and I honestly don't see that as a bad thing.