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[-50% OFF SALE! - Save $600✅]Sky Master ULTIMATE: Sky, Ocean, Volume Clouds-lighting, Weather, RTGI

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by nasos_333, Nov 17, 2014.

  1. nasos_333

    nasos_333

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2013
    Posts:
    13,288
    Sky Master ULTIMATE - The Premium sky system.

    ARTnGAME UPGRADE OFFERS !!!

    Sky Master ULTIMATE can upgrade to any other ARTnGAME asset for a big discount !!! Check out inside each individual asset page to see the discount amount, after own Sky Master ULTIMATE.

    ARTnGame - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter - Discord - Youtube - Reddit

    Intro


    Sky Master ULTIMATE v4.0 is the most complete environment creation system, including volumetric physically based sky and fog, multiple volumetric clouds solutions to use depending on performance & gameplay requirements and complete ocean-water system, with underwater, all in one integrated system. The system also integrates with the InfiniGRASS asset, for grass, rocks and extremely optimized gameobject placement for a complete world creation and decoration suit, all at extreme performance and speeds.

    Offers & Bulk purchase Discounts !!!!
    NEW OFFERS !!!!

    OFFER 1: Get GI Proxy for $20 and upgrade to Sky Master ULTIMATE for $35,
    for total price of $55, versus $69 if get only one of the assets.

    OFFER 2: Get Toon Effects Maker for $25, upgrade to InfiniTREE for $25 and from InfiniTREE upgrade to InfiniGRASS for $25, for a total of $75 for all three systems, instead of $105

    Tutorial videos playlist

    Discord ARTnGame (Email: artengames@gmail.com)
    https://discord.gg/X6fX6J5

    Sky Master ULTIMATE 3.4 videos

    Sky Master ULTIMATE WIP thread


    Other ARTnGAME Assets forum threads:

    PANGAEA - (WIP Thread)
    InfiniCLOUD
    InfiniRIVER -
    (WIP Thread)
    Oceanis HDRP
    Orion Space Scene Generation - (WIP Thread)
    InfiniCREATURE (Upcoming)
    MassAI (Upcoming)
    TREANT - Tree and Foliage Generator (Upcoming)
    DESTRO
    GIBLI
    Anime scene generation framework (Main Thread) (WIP Thread)
    Ivy Studio


    FAQs
    I attach a new version of the FAQs guide, i have created from various issues that come up frequently, so these should help clarify some major points for starting with the system and tweaking it.

    Sky Master ULTIMATE FAQs (WIP)

    Q: Is there a features summary for Sky Master ULTIMATE ?
    A:
    A guide (WIP) on Sky Master features is linked below:
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/79230236/Sky Master/SKY MASTER 3/SM34/SKY MASTER ULTIMATE FEATURES.pdf

    Q: Is there video tutorials to help with the system setup ?
    A:
    There is multiple video tutorials available to help with the setup, in the following playlist:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLJQvoQM6t9Ge2ehO4N1kNq3jvHmVst_el&v=P-CxUnh0VMc
    Also extra material for specific cases:
    Here is also some videos with steps for tweaking the volume fog, night sky and moon-sun light for night case








    Haze tweaking image based guide:
    https://forum.unity3d.com/threads/s...-weather-fx-ocean.277618/page-18#post-2797793

    Sky presets image based guide (Presets is one of the sky voloration options, v3.4 also has Gradient based coloration mode):
    https://forum.unity3d.com/threads/s...-weather-fx-ocean.277618/page-19#post-2819239

    Reflections tweaking image based guide:
    https://forum.unity3d.com/threads/o...erformance-mobile.280612/page-21#post-2838959

    Moon setup image based guide:
    http://i.imgur.com/DUL8InT.jpg

    Q: How do i reduce the project size ?
    A:
    I have created a Clean Up guide for demo assets.
    Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.4 Clean Up GUIDE:

    Can be removed:

    In GI Proxy folder:
    - Crytek attrium folder
    - the sample terrain "radiocity" in folder root
    - the MATERIALS folder

    In SkyMaster folder:

    In Assets -> Version 1.0 folder:
    All trees and textures (in Materials->Trees)
    sounds Folder
    some of volume cloud texture sheets (keep "CLOUDS 3" and "CLOUDS 4b REAL 1") in "Materials -> Clouds"
    2 sample terrains (in "Meshes" folder)

    Version 2.0 folder - sample terrain in "Terrain" folder

    Version 2.2 folder - sample tree in "Materials -> Trees"

    Version 3.0 folder - Whole (may want to keep UnderWater -> Caustic Textures for the caustics)

    Version 3.3 river - sounds folder + sample terrain (in "River -> River Assets" folder)

    All demo scenes in SkyMaster folder + whole of "SKYMASTERv2.0 DEMOS" folder

    The 2 Manuals (Configurator guide and full script reference)

    Waterplanes - remove all except "Plane127x127x127W0.01L0.01H" plane that is used for the water in default
    Note that the final builds only take the assets used in the game, so the final game build wont have any more space taken than needed.

    Q: I get a black terrain or terrain with black spots
    A:
    1. make sure SeasonalTerrainSKYMASTER is active and is attached to the main terrain.
    2. Make sure the sky is active and GroundColor in SkyMasterManager is set as needed, since the systems grabs the ground color for ambience when the Auto ambient from sky mode is enabled.

    Q: The System produces an error or has various strange issues with sky
    A:
    The system uses a camera tagged as "MainCamera" to do various tasks, thus make sure at least one camera in the scene is tagged as such.

    Q: The Tags.cs file produces an error (when two ARTnGame assets are installed)
    A:
    The Tags.cs file(s) can be removed as they are not part of the core systems to solve
    the issue, this is due to using two of my assets that have the same (helper) file, which is mainly left for Unity4 tags setup.

    Q: Is there a quick setup method (besides the step by step one)
    A:
    Yes, the Setup through one of the provided Prefabs. The system can be easilly setup by dragging a prefab and tweaking with the actual scene terrain, video guide link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLJQvoQM6t9Ge2ehO4N1kNq3jvHmVst_el&v=EveE2IcXGeI

    Q: How do i Setup for VR
    A:
    The VR setup requires a few extra steps in order to control the volume fog and sun shafts on Left-Right cameras,
    as described in the video guide (also text in video description): https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLJQvoQM6t9Ge2ehO4N1kNq3jvHmVst_el&v=64gXCW0v_Ck

    Q: How do i control the time via scripting ?
    A:
    The variable current_Time can be set (or grabbed) from SkyMasterManager script directly, it is advised to avoid changing time in mid game instantly or if it is needed to use the new Gradient based sky coloration mode, which can handle such transitions smootly (as it samples from a gradient than lerp at key points)

    Q: How do i set the Weather in the game via scripting ?
    A:
    The weather in v3.x can be set using the currentWeatherName variable in SkyMasterManager script directly. It is advised to leave an interval between changing weather types so the system is able to properly lerp to its final values for each weather steady state.

    Q: How do i setup the system for mobile.
    A:
    The mobile setup for SM2.0 (global compatibility) phones can be sampled in the mobile demo included in the asset. The main changes is the sky material, found in SkyMasterManager script, "skybox_mat" variable and is assigned in Unity Lighting settings skybox and the water is also using a SM2.0 material (uses SM2.0 shader), which is assigned in "WaterBaseSM", "PlanarReflectionsSM", "WaterHandlerSM" and (optionally) in "WaterHeightSM" scripts. Also the image effect volumetric fog (which is SM3.0) is not used and instead for distance fog a special SM2.0 shader is used on the distant mountains instead, that also emulates light scattering in the distance.

    Q: How do i further optimized the mobile demo for even mor performance on mobile ?
    A:
    I have created a reference guide for all possible tweaks and gain over the default mobile demo, link: http://i.imgur.com/TRuHE5M.jpg

    Q: Some sliders in editor do not seem to change settings (outside play mode, e.g. water sliders)
    A:
    Make sure the latest version of Sky Master ULTIMATE is used (v3.4.7), there are some reports in rare cases where Unity will serve and older version (for unknown reason, possibly a bug in the store), so make sure the latest version is grabbed (i can send v3.4.7 in Google Drive download if an older version is served instead by Unity store)

    Q: How do i remove the volumetric particle clouds (after having them setup with pressing one of the icons)
    A:
    The clouds are referenced in SkyMasterManager script, in "Heavy Storm vlume clouds" and "Day clear volume clouds" variables, remove the references (set to none) to avoid instantiating the volume particle cloud systems. Setting these variables is also the way to use custom volume particle prefabs (outside the ones defined with the icons)

    Q: How do i control the anbient lighting in the scene ?
    A:
    Ambient lighting has two modes, one is the automatic caclulation by the sky colors which is activated using the "Update Ambient from Sky" option and its intensity is controlled by "Ambient intensity" slider. Make sure to also use "Ground color" variable in SkyMasterManager to define the ground color of skybox, which will affect the underside ambience of objects.

    When this automated mode is not used, the user can set the ambient mode in Unity Lighting settings panel, to be either "Color" or "Gradient" in "Ambient source" list. The color is then defined for each season in SkyMasterManager color variables named as "Day_Ambient_Color", "Dusk_Ambient_Color", "Night_Ambient_Color" and "Dawn_Ambient_Color" near the script end.

    Q: I still get a light component from the sun at night, can the sun be turned off completly ?
    A:
    The sun default night intensity is defined in SkyMasterManager script, in "Min_sun_intensity" variable and defaults to 0.1f. Set this to zero to get zero sun light intensity at night time.

    Q: Can the horizon be adjusted ?
    A:
    The two variables in SkyMastermanager named "Horizon_adj" and "HorizonY" can be used to adjust the sky horizon lower or higher.

    Q: Is there a way to change the speed of the stars? (changing the sun speed does't stop star movement)
    A:
    The stars of the galaxy is an image and a shader to enchance it. The rotation of galaxy and stars is done with the "Cirle_around_particles" script attached to the star particle, that rotates around a pivot object with a defined speed. If the Latitude/Longiture system is used the particle stars and galaxy are parented to the moon system and will rotate along with it. This can also be done manually when the simple sun rotation (default) is used as well, by parenting the "0 STAR PARTICLES" object in "SKY MASTER MANAGER" object to the "Sun System" object and will rotate with it
    (make sure to uncheck the Rotate_around_particles script in the STARS object)

    Q: Is there any performance hints guide ?
    A:
    A quick guide for main performance tweaks is attached:
    The main performance enchancement possibilities are in the below (for some apply when they are enabled):
    - the volumetric light ("Atmopsheric ScatteringSky Master" script - optional system), in Occlusion Downscale and samples
    - in configurator, the "Update Ambient from sky" (optional use for ambient using the sky colors) and its update regulation in "Update Ambient light every specified seconds", that make sure the update takes less
    - in configurator the "Sky shader update per defined seconds" variable that updates the sky shader in intervals (for slow sun speed can set higher for less updates per second)
    - in water system the reflections (define layers to be reflected for better performance and there is also a downscale factor in the "PlanarReflectionsSM" script
    - The volume shader clouds (SHADER VOLUME CLOUDS object) has the cloud layers, which can be removed as needed to get better performance (e.g. disable a few layers to use less processing power) or disable the Clouds (108) layer that casts the shadows.
    - The various image effects can be heavy, especially the blur one, so using less can improve performance.
    - in volume particle clouds (Volume Clouds SM script) the script update rate can be regulated with "Max_divider" and "Update interval" variables, for better performance in the calculations.
    - For night time, set in SkyMasterManager script, the "Min_sun_intensity" variable to zero to get no sun light component in lighting.

    Q: Is there a demo for Android ?
    A:
    The Android demo is linked below
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-QCdE1dswQBWEJoQ1Y3TTQwQUU/view?usp=sharing

    Q: Is the dynamic snow shader available for SpeedTree trees as well, besides the included shaders for Unity terrain, trees & meshes ?
    A:
    Yes, the shader is not included in the asset due to licensing, and can be downloaded below
    New version of the Dynamic Snow shader for SpeedTree (Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.4): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-QCdE1dswQBR0kyTnZhM0JzVlk/view?usp=sharing

    Q: What tags are required for the system and how to define properly ?
    A:
    The tags needed depend on what sub systems will be used, some demos require the "Flammable" and "Flamer" tags since the advanced particle propagation system requires them. The dynamic lighting system requires the "Conductor" tag to be defined in order to find the lighting targets. Make sure to define the tags in editor time, as tags that only appear in play mode (happens in some cases when were used in the scene in another project) may create an issue with the systems, so is advised to create the tags manually before entering play mode in Layers menu (edit layers option, Tags list).

    Q: Shadows from the new v3.4 shader volume clouds are too dark, can this be adjusted ?
    A:
    The shadows opacity depend on Ambient lighting intensity and also on the shadow strength in the Sun light. To regulate the Sun shadow strength, use the "Strength" slider in "Shadow Type" in the Light component found in "SKY MASTER MANAGER" -> "Sun System" -> "Sun" Object in the hierarchy.

    Q: Can the Shadows from the new v3.4 shader volume clouds be disabled ?
    A:
    Yes, the shadows are cast from one of the cloud layers that is set as shadow caster (e.g.the quad named "Clouds (108)" in the sample clouds). This object can be disabled to remove the shadow casting (found in SHADER VOLUME CLOUDS Object, parented in each of the clouds types holder objects)

    Q: The new v3.4 volume shader clouds seem to rotate with the camera, can this be disabled ?
    A:
    Yes, this is a special mode where the cloud quads can have a rotation from the horizontal plane to emulate more thickness or vericality in the horizon). In SHADER VOLUME CLOUDS Object, "CloudHanlderSM" script the "RotateWithCamera" and "RotateMultiQuadC" checkboxes can enable - disable the effect. Make sure to also set the rotation of the cloud types to zero in order to level the clouds for all camera angles. This may also require to adjust the "Offset Sun Intensity", "Offset Shadow Difference" sliders in the Configurator, in order to adjust the lighting for the new rotation.

    Q: When in Unity 5.5 version, there is no shadows in the volume shader clouds in the main demo (or appear only in certain sun angles)
    A:
    It seems shadowing has changed a lot in Unity 5.5 and now the shadows from the quad plane that casts the shadows (e.g. "Cloud (108)" object in the first cloud type) are affected by the sun direction is strange (buggy) ways, this is probably a bug from Unity side and hopefully will be fixed in one of the upcoming versions. This issue is not happening in Unity 5.3.2f1. The issue is happening with any object of larger scale as well, so is not Sky Master specific and is due to the new (buggy) version of Unity 5.5 shadows system. The specific version i test on is 5.5.0f3 of Unity.

    Q: In Unity 5.5 when volume lighting is used the light may flicker at game start for a split second.
    A:
    The issue can be addressed by adding an extra intitialization for Unity 5.5 cace, as described in the spoiler below
    I have found the fix for the game start flicker, it seems the image effect in Unity 5.5 requires an extra initialization in Start()

    In AtmosphericScatteringSkyMaster.cs script, add a new Start() function as:
    Code (csharp):
    1.  
    2. void Start(){
    3.   OnWillRenderObject();
    4. }
    5.  
    and in OnWillRenderObject() function, below the line "m_currentCamera = Camera.current;" add a check to avoid errors produced when the camera is not defined
    Code (csharp):
    1.  
    2. if(m_currentCamera == null){
    3.    return;
    4. }
    5.  
    These changes initialize the OnWillRenderObject(); at game start and removes the initial flicker.

    Q: Sky rendering is not correct oe changes suddenly (or is dark or reddish) when camera is in big heights.
    A:
    Enable in the Sky section the option "Sun system follows player" checkbox (under define player button).If the volumetric lighting module in CameraFX section is used, for higher heights regulate the "Lower Horizon Fog Amount" to near zero, the higher value (e.g. 3 in the demo) may produce a darker sky in higher heights.

    Q: Is there a way to ser the Timer with real world clock ?
    A:
    I have created a timer script, attach it to the SkyMasterManager script (add component on the object) and use the "Static Reference" checkbox to use the time & date mentioned in the script (for custom start date) and the "Start with real time" to use the real world time than the custom one adjusted below. The script is available on PM request.

    Q: The included RPT script does not work and produces an error or game does not build (in RPT v3.3g)
    A:
    RPT latest version has done some changes (the script used v3.3c), so in Sky Master RPT script (SkyMasterRTPConctroller.cs), comment out lines 70 and 113 that call the _targetRT.Update(); method, this will solve the issue and allow the game to run and build. An update for the script for the latest RTP version will be included in the next verson (v3.4.8)

    Q: How do i setup the various ambient lighting modes ?
    A:
    Sky Master has two ambient modes, one is working with Unity's Lighting settings Color or Gradient modes and is manipulating ambient color by the Time of Day colors defined in SkyMasterManager script ("Day_Ambient_Color", "Dusk_Ambient_Color" etc). When Skybox ambient mode is enabled in Unity's Lighting settings, the system has an option to update the ambient color based on the dynamic sky color for best match, which is enabled with the "Update ambient from sky" checkbox in Configurator Sky section.

    Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.4 demos:
    It has come to my attention that Webplayer based demos may experience severe slow down, especially on laptops and windows 10 systems, which is probably a bug in Webplayer in newer systems (i suppose this is due to the stop of the Webplayer support).
    I recommend using the below standalone demos instead (Windows), for preview of the system.

    Sky Master ULTIMATE Image based tweaking guides:

    New version of the Dynamic Snow shader for SpeedTree (Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.4) is available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-QCdE1dswQBR0kyTnZhM0JzVlk/view?usp=sharing

    Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.4 features:
    - New Gradient and Curve based coloration and parameter adjustment system for easy and powerful
    sky, cloud and fog control
    - Volumetric evolving clouds with light scatter and fogging
    - Volumetric lighting system for sun shafts on any sun direction with light scatter
    - New water features including embedded fogging in water shader
    - Caustics and underwater enchancements (e.g. caustic height cutoff, fog controls)
    - Enchanced configurator system, with increased usuability and easier access with tabs
    - Rainbow system for rainy weather
    - Volcano volumetric smoke and motion FX
    - New Shuriken option for Volumetric Particle clouds, with multiple samples
    - Support for Relief Terrain Pack (RTP) asset snow and water-rain on land features
    - More options for wind controls on clouds (offset to global wind for individual fine tuning)
    - New weather event system features, including weather looping
    - Support for Infinite terrains with player follow system
    - Support for InfiniGRASS v2.0
    - Multiple additions, tweaks and new configuration options for pre v3.4 systems, detailed below


    More v3.4 changes on pre v3.4 system and patches on v3.4 new features in detail (final version v3.4.4 on Uniy Asset Store):

    Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.4 Beta - Patch #3 (v3.4.2)

    The patch stabilizes the random flicker of sky in editor mode (game mode is not having the flicker issue, it is editor side only). Also i have added a first base of the dust emulation in the new volumetric lighting system and augmented the GI Proxy demo with it.


    Sky Master ULTIMATE v3.4 Beta - Patch #2 (v3.4.1)

    - Added public variables to set the layers in "is_cloud" case in SetRenderQueue script, so clouds can be sent to back render layer (e.g. layer -1) when the player is on ground.
    - Fixed issue where moon system would not be affected by worldscale factor if lat/lon moon is setup before the scaling happens (currently will work normally if scaling happens first and then lat/lon moon is activated)
    - Added option for volume particle clouds to be created on map center or a customized shifted position (currently is enabled in a way such that will traverse the map with wind, this will remain the default option)
    - Added option for volume particle clouds to be created on a custom center
    - Fixed issue where the volume cloud bed size would not be affected by the cloud bed size factor in Inspector (only the wind related placement was affected).
    - Add a help text stating that the Skydome option is for special cases (e.g. when two skies needed in the same scene or skybox is not available or viewable) and should not be used for the normal sky case (which works in the Unity 5 skybox by default and is enabled when "Add Sky" is pressed and is the most feature full version)
    - Added two presets for easier ground shader setup (dry and wet ground sample parameters)
    - Fixed issue with the new Volume Lighting system in Forward rendering path, where there was vertical shadow ghosting when Occlusion was used in this camera mode.


    Final patch (v3.4.3) :

    - Tweaking of new volume clouds to look like the demo tweaked when entered from the Inspector step by step setup
    - Preset types for coloration and curves for the above purpose and variety
    - Added control of the back distance of the new volume lighting system, so distant mountains that do not receieve shadows wont look overly bright and control of this brightness so the effect can be adjusted as needed per case (also added Inspector controls)
    - Finilized Shuriken option for Volume Particle Clouds and readjusted some of the parameters auto adjustements for the new system to be perfected in looks
    - Solved and issue with new cloud shadows where the cloud camera facing system would rotate the shadow plane and create moving shadows, now i remove the shadow plane when the camera facing option is activated.
    - Optimized the Volumetric Gradient Fog (gradient is now in a more optimal spot in code)
    - Added option for new clouds to follow the player, for infinite worlds
    - Added loop option in the weather events system and refined the GUI
    - Fixed issue where the sun coloration system would bug the Auto ambient calculation and create a over bright intensity
    - Added RTP support for rain and snow weather
    - Set Water tiles colliders to disabled by default (can be enabled easilly in the inspector if needed)

    - Added option to define back Volumetric light distance (depth) and also control the intensity beyond this distance (so distant mountains even if not receieve shadows can look darker and still get shafts on top) (AtmpshericScatteringOcclusinSM34.shader and AtmpshericScatteringSkyMaster.cs scripts)
    - Added volcano effect in Special FX section
    - Added last volume shader cloud type and handling (type SideC)
    - Menus are now by default open when entering the Configurator
    - Added extended shader cloud coverage (up to 1.1 than 0.1 max)
    - Added speed of shader clouds based on windzone and also an offet to fine tune over this base effect
    - Added wind speed and follow in L2 shader clouds
    - When gradient coloration if turned off, new svolume hader clouds did not get shadow difference right (fixed, color timer form skymanager is now always calculated so can be accessed properly)
    - Added tweaks to non gradient system coloration for clouds (using the pre v3.4 lerp system)
    - Added extra help in Inspector (for foliage shaders, water and when options are not yet available)
    - Added Awake instead of Start() in GlobalFog for gradient definition initialization
    - Fixed warnings for particle.color and .size in VolumeCloudSM script
    - Added three Shuriken Volume Cloud samples (fast color change and vertical shaping, both camera roll stabilized) and final coloration tweaks

    - Added underwater Volume fog density variable and Inspector density control, for separating the volumetric fog density when underwater for easy customization. This is enabled when the new Curve based Volume Fog control system is activated (controls the offset of the curves that define the per time of day fogging)
    - Added fog in water shader, so Unity fog does not have to be used to fog the water (this helps when Unity fog needs to be less than the needed to fog water for the rest of the scene items). This is integrated to the system as well and works with the new Gradient based sky system (and previous non gradient based one), plus extra options are added in the inspector for easy setup (underwater color, under and over water for start distance from camera, density etc)
    - Decoupled the reflection auto adjustment from the system when underwater and using Gradient sky auto adjustments overwater, as it created undesired effect.

















    Speed Tree shaders download: The shaders must replace the ones in the leaf material of SpeedTree trees and then will be ready to receieve snow in Snow Storm weather. Link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/79230236/CUSTOM/SpeedTree_SM3.unitypackage


    Sky Master introduces the Extreme Draw Call Optimization (EDCO) initiative, that provides a complete real 3D volumetric cloud bed and physically based sky rendering for only 2 draw calls !!!! The most extreme draw calls optimization is here.

    Sky MASTER is the new asset for Sky control and artistic design. The tool was inspired by the need to have fully controllable spectacular skies, dynamic & volumetric clouds in Unity Free, with complete seasonal control, weather effects like rain, tornados, heavy strorms with lightning, snow storms with freeze and ice formation effects and much more.

    The asset makes heavy use of Particle Dynamic Magic for the particle systems and dynamics, and also includes GI Proxy for Global Illumination effects, assigned to the sun. Spot and point light GI is also supported for night time and local lights.

    SKY MASTER is envisioned as the ULTIMATE compatibility sky tool, for both Unity FREE and Pro and for all platforms.All Unity Free and DX9 users can now enjoy spectacular physically based skies and dynamic volumetric clouds & haze. Unity Pro users will of course benefit from extra screen effects and special care for that is planned as well.


    Features

    The pack provides a system that:
    - gives spectacular skies and cloud rendering and dynamics in both Unity FREE and PRO, at blazing fast speeds.
    - Has a true volumetric particle system with two methods for volumetric clouds and smoke/haze, plus dynamic sun beams with occlusion, all working in Unity Free !!!!
    - provides various methods for cloud simulation and lighting.
    - provides a method of dynamic Global Illumination approximation for the sun and also include spot & point light GI as well.
    - gives a controllable day/night cycle, with auto adjustment of scattering, clouds etc for that purpose
    - is compatible with SM2.0, deferred and forward rendering, linear & gamma modes and both DX9 and DX11, plus does not require Unity Pro. Ultimate compatibility.
    - give the option to render the sky to cube texture in Unity Pro and use it as Skybox.
    - provide artistic and dynamic controls for the sky rendering (ring mode etc) and the cloud manipulation (local coloration, attractors, turbulence etc).
    - be readilly compatible with ORK Framework (time variable control)

    The "ADVANCED WEATHER" effects include:

    - REAL LIGHTNING: Lightning that can hit actual targets, even as they move and produce optional chain lighting effects

    - REAL TORNADO: Tornado that can actually affect clouds as it passes by realistically and can be manipulated.

    and many more.

    There will be two versions of the asset - The "CORE" and " ULTIMATE":

    The "Core" version will not have Global Illumination or the Advanced Dynamic Weather effects (it will have weather effects, just not the very advanced ones, like cloud manipulation from the hero etc), but will be compatible with the GI Proxy tool,so everyone that has the pack or buy it, will enjoy GI with the core version as well.

    The "ULTIMATE" version will have both Global Illumination and the Advanced Weather effects, plus a big collection of skies to use.
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2022
  2. nasos_333

    nasos_333

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2013
    Posts:
    13,288
  3. Play_Edu

    Play_Edu

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2012
    Posts:
    722
    Coollllllllllll
     
    Deniz-B likes this.
  4. nasos_333

    nasos_333

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2013
    Posts:
    13,288
    The pack has been submitted successfully !!!

    The pack will be available at an initial introductory price (35$ - 50% off). The pack includes GI Proxy asset and is powered by Particle Dynamic Magic for the dynamic and particle manipulation effects.

    Should be up later this week.

    Enjoy :)

    Videos
    Sky Rendering | Volumetric clouds | Volumetric Fog





    VIDEO:


    Sky Master HD video download:
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/79230236/Sky Master/SkyMaster for Unity.avi
    Thanks :)

    The pack will also be updated regularly with many more new features, now i am working on the first update that will enable more cool effects that usually are for Unity Pro only, like Terrain fog from the sun approximation, in Unity Free.

    I will post the progress on terrain fog soon, which is the first step towards the final goal. The volumetric particle clouds demo is also on the way :)

    All effects will be available in Unity Free !!! and Pro.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2018
  5. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Last edited: Apr 22, 2017
    Fibonaccov and Deniz-B like this.
  6. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    UPDATE:

    Some work on the volumetric effects demo. I plan to have rolling clouds come down from the mountain and follow the terain contour.

    The effect is made in Unity Free.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2018
  7. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    The next update is ready as well (v1.2.4) and brings some more features and upgrades to the fog transition system, the new version will be submitted tomorrow.

    This initial release is the "ULTIMATE" version at the price of the core, and includes both PDM special effects and GI Proxy pack, so it is a very big introductory offer, for a limited time.

    Grab it today for only 50% of the final price !!!!

    Enjoy :)

    .
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2018
  8. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    More details on Sky Master

    Create spectacular skies, dynamic clouds and weather systems, with time of day and seasonal changes. Use indirect lighting with Global Illumination Proxy system.

    The system has been created to deliver realistic Skies & Weather effects, with seasons and dynamic clouds, scalable depending on the hardware target. Sky Master works on all platforms and in both Unity Free and Pro.

    Demos:
    Attrium Demo
    Weather demo
    Volumetric Clouds from Ground
    Volumetric clouds fly through


    Features
    - REAL SKY - Physically based atmospheric scattering, for realistic sky rendering & Artistic special effects.
    - REAL CLOUDS - Dynamic cloud formations, affected by season and wind.
    - REAL VOLUMETRICS - Volumetric particle clouds, smoke and haze, that you can fly through. Works in Unity Free and all platforms.
    - REAL SUN RAYS - Dynamic sun beams, with smooth transitions & occlusion system.
    - REAL WEATHER - Seasonal control of weather effects, with smooth transitions
    - REAL STORM - Heavy storm simulation, with dynamic cloud fronts, dynamic lightning & lighting effects
    - REAL TORNADO - Dynamic controllable tornados
    - REAL FREEZE - with Ice system, for ice spreading, propagation and stick to objects.
    - REAL VOLCANO -realistic volcanic erruption, smoke & lava flow.
    - REAL LIGHTING - Global Illumination Proxy for indirect lighting.
    - IBL Proxy for Sky color based lighting.
    - Area lights Proxy (with point lights), GI enabled.
    - Support for Jove point lights for GI.
    - Atmospheric scattering blending with texture in a signle shader (v1.2.3).
    - Cubemap rendering mode for Unity Pro.

    The framework is written in C# code and the source code is provided. The GI Proxy asset is bundled in the pack.
    .
     
  9. sunari

    sunari

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    It looks really amazing!
    Sky Master supports SM2.0 and forward lighting, it should run on mobile.
    But how about speed on mobile devices?
     
  10. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Thanks :)

    I have only managed to find time to test the sky on my Android (very slow model) and it runs great. Some clouds will work but the volumetric clouds wont be as fast i suppose on mobile. Many of the particle effects will need tweaking and shader replacement to work on mobile as well.

    I will defintly be doing a lot more tests soon, now that all systems are in place and will try to provide a prefab that will be optimized for mobile specifically. This will come at a later update.
     
  11. sunari

    sunari

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    Thanks for your reply.
    I don't need volumetric clouds right now on my project.
    I got purchased, will try it to use on iOS later.
    And please keep supporting for mobile as well ;)

    Thanks again!
     
  12. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Great, hope you like the pack :)

    I would love to see how it works on iPhone, i dont have one so i am limited to Android testing only.

    Also this is the first version of the system, so would be great to see if any platform specific issues come up and i will try to solve them asap.

    If you like i can also send the new v1.2.4, which corrects some issues with fog and other minor stuff, in dropbox link.

    Essentially all the systems can run on mobile, depending on the mobile speed and optimizations needed. Of course will probably not be as cool as on a powerful PC, but that is expected. The good news is that i test everything on my old non gaming laptop, which should be slower than some modern mobile phones i guess :).
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
  13. sunari

    sunari

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    Hi nasos,

    I got tried to play demo scene of Sky Master on my iPhone6(iOS8.1.0).
    It works fine though, needs some optimization as you said so for getting more speed.
    But it's really beautiful:)
    I hope you will provide a prefab optimized for mobile soon!
     

    Attached Files:

  14. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    That is amazing to hear. The attrium scene is one of the heaviest, mainly due to the very unoptimized and not ready for games attrium, which is a free model usually used to showcase the GI.

    I would not recommend using the attrium in a game, but if it can be handled by mobile, then maybe it is not as unoptimized as i though :).

    That is some great news, thanks for the heads up. I will start working on the mobile friendly scene and systems version as soon as i am done with the INfiniDy Trees pack for procedural tree generation, which will probably be submitted tomorrow, since i just solved one of the main performance concerns today.

    Also that scene uses many point lights for the GI if i remember right, so the GI part also requires the mobile friendly setup (which is already done in another scene, i just have to copy it and prepare one scene with all optimizations inside)

    A review for the pack would also be greatly appreciated :), to help it grow faster.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
  15. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    UPDATE:

    The v1.2.4 of the pack has been submitted and pending review at the store.

    It contains a few enchancements and changes to the fog handling.
     
  16. sicga123

    sicga123

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    Got hold of this today, I like the easy artistic manipulation of the skies, that was the selling point for me as I already have the other 2 included packages. Now we could do with a really good 2D dynamic weather system with shadowing effects as none of the current packages for 2D games are particularly good in that regard. Anyway, that's just me rambling, this is a great pack and hopefully after I mess about with it today I'll get time to do a review. Nice work again.
     
    nasos_333 likes this.
  17. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Glad you like the pack :)

    It will also get many updates with cool new features

    For example the volumetric clouds are made with performance in mind, but I can also give more options later for beefier systems.

    Shaders is another thing that i want to extend as much as possible, while still at SM2.0. And that is just a few of the features i am working on right now for the upcoming updates.

    About the 2D, this is also an amazing idea. I will see how i could adapt to a 2D game if possible, will be a cool excercise. That will come after the optimized for mobile prefab.

    I am compiling a list of hints for the system, as well as upcoming features and will post it later today

    A review for the pack would also be great if possible, to help push new features out faster.
     
  18. kurylo3d

    kurylo3d

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    dont take this the wrong way... I hope u take this as constructive criticism.. because its going to sound like im bashing you. Your demos are S***. Sorry. Everything moves 1000x actual speed.. i see clouds teleporting around changing shape and flickering.. i dont know if im doing something wrong or if your intention was for realism in any way shape or form. If your not getting any sales.. this is the reason im sure. The sliders i adjust seem to do nothing for any effect to why the clouds seem to roll out at 100mph and flicker into different shapes and puffs.... and the rain... is not a selling point.. rain drops that look like they are the size of people..... I'll leave it there...
     
  19. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    These are just a base, you can change everything, including the cloud speed by their relevant particles systems.

    Rain is not a selling point, but is a feature in the pack. Rain drops can be customized as well, everything is open to apply your own desired art, if my more artistic look in everything is not to your liking :)

    Thanks for the input, i dont take anything the wrong way, every opinion and suggestion is more than welcome. It is what shapes my packs to the best. I will make sure to add a more realistic version of the textures and speeds and create a realism oriented demo soon.

    Sales are better than any other of my packs :) btw

    Also you are totally right that i should have added two extra sliders to control the cloud rotation and inside cloud speed, both will be added in later demos.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
  20. sicga123

    sicga123

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    I spent a good couple of hours messing about with skymaster, I had a lot of fun changing the sky colours etc. Interesting to see the demos, I liked the timelapse video aspects of them, showed the potential of the system. Good work.

    I was thinking about how a 2D system might work. In principle it's the same thing, maybe all that would be needed to show correct shadowing would be a tagging system and maybe entering variables giving the visual angle of the 2D ground. In theory this could even be faked now by placing in a collider box angles to mimic say isometric terrain but and using colliders in 3D that were locked to specific collision layers etc. That stuff can always be faked but it becomes rather laborious work and usually is not worth the effort when trying to bring a game in on budget and time. It would be really useful if there was a system that could get uite close to those sort of effects with a minimal of tweaking.
     
  21. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Great :), glad you like the pack

    The time lapse is used to give a dramatic feeling, which was my initial vision. Seems that many users would like a more realistic setting though, so i will be adding an extra prefab with assets to cover that as well later.

    I will also check the ideas about 2D, seems very interesting. Shadowing should be one of the hardest parts. Maybe i will start by doing a 2.5D version first, to see how it may look and then move to handling full 2D environments.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
  22. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Some notes on the demos.

    The clouds do not inherit speed from the speed slider, the slider only controls day cycle speed.

    The cloud speed is set at a pre-specified value and can be changed at any point, depending on the mood and dynamics of the scene. I plan to add a mode to control cloud speed too later together with the day/night cycle, so everything is connected and time lapse effects can have clouds following too.

    Clouds do change color and appear/dissapear based on season and time of day. Only their speed is pre-defined.

    There are two parameters affecting the speed, one is the rotational speed of the whole cloud system and the other the particle emission rate and lifetime of each cloud.
     
  23. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    UPDATE:

    I have found the problem with cloud speed in demos.

    Seems that clouds move faster (inner particle motion) when using a faster PC than my laptop (that would be almost every PC out there i guess), where i develop and test the asset. So this version of the cloud speed adjustments would work best at slower systems or mobile.

    I am working currently on a prefab that will be adjusted for faster PCs and have have more realistic cloud motion.

    Also i will be looking to find why Shuriken does not remain the same between two different speed machines, my scripts use Time.Deltatime so they are framerate and PC speed independent, but Shuriken seems to be doing something wrong there, i will check why this happens. I am using "external forces" tab in Shuriken to apply the inner cloud motion to the cloud particles, so this may be the cause.

    The new settings prefab will come in v1.2.5, along with a mobile optimized one.

    There are also many more things in the works for the pack, i will post a complete list soon.

    Thanks everyone for the input and the suggestions :)

    EDIT: The volumetric clouds do not have the varying speed per PC issue, since i control them with my script and is not based on Shuriken.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2014
  24. sicga123

    sicga123

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    @nasos-303 - there is a sprite shadow creator on the asset store https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/12613
    I have this, although I haven't used it in some time. If I remember correctly, one sets the angle of the shadow for the 2D sprite. To have that sort of system for an entire 2D scene would be great. Probably not so simple, as one would have to take account of 2D objects in a scene that would fall under a shadow. That sort of thing has to be faked or setup manually, and can take an awful long time which is why it is almost never done, the end results not worth the effort in terms of audience reaction or appeal. It is never considered that much either because a lot of developers would not know how to do it, so even if an asset still took time to create that effect, it would at least be an option for those that would have no idea how to do it otherwise.
     
  25. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Such a complex system would be made easier if the game was 2.5D, beeing completly 2D would be rather hard to emulate with detail or realism.

    I think there are some assets that do simple dynamic shadows, i will check what they do and see if it makes sense to try and offer such a solution for Sky Master.

    The 2.5D though would be nice to have and since it can be done much easier, i plan to provide a demo for it soon.
     
  26. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    UPDATE:

    I have been working on the cloud speed and soon i will be able to provide a demo with a more realistic approach to cloud speed and other minor fixes (sky sphere is now bigger so clouds do not cut through at a few spots, some lightning speed considerations etc)
     
  27. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    UPDATE:

    A new video, showcasing the volumetric particle clouds and sun beam system.
     
  28. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Volumetric Haze video


    All effects work in Unity Free.
    .
     
  29. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Evenings are about to get more dramatic in summer and winter in the new prefab. New Shuriken particle cloud speeds (slower and more realistic), shader based flat clouds and more volumetric cloud controls in speed and lighting are coming in the next update.

    Features planned for the next update:

    - Volumetric clouds will have local shadow, rain and lightning systems
    - More detailed lightning effect, with smaller line rendered based emissions from thecurrent effect
    - Shader based flat cloud bed dome, to emulate flat clouds without (or together with) particles
    - Many more options in volumetric cloud formations, more variance in shaping, motion and dynamics
    - More control options for fog
    - Option to have two suns at the same time
    - Dynamic Light beams with occlusion for other light sources besides the sun (spot & point).
    - Mountain adjusted volumetric clouds, for Skyrim like effect
    - Mobile friendly and realism focused prefabs of the sky system, together with new texture packs and shaders
    - The lightbeams will change their color according to the sun color in the next pack update.

    Also please let me know if there are other features you would like to see in the pack.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2016
  30. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    A small demontration of what is possible with the artistic atmospheric scattering and sky rendering system.

     
  31. sicga123

    sicga123

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    @Nasos - Yes, a 2.5 d system would be great as well, the kind of games I'm thinking of would probably benefit more from a 2.5 D than a pure 2D anyway. Besides, once one starts down that road one never knows where it leads, could be that building a 2.5 d system suggests how to create a pure 2D system as well.
     
    nasos_333 likes this.
  32. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    I will start with the 2.5D and already have many ideas, especially for the volumetric clouds, i think would be great in such setting. And i will be working at that right away, since my current WIP on SKy master is new volumetric cloud formation and motion options, would be a great time to insert the 2.5D specific functionality at this point.


    Also i have started uploading the new videos in Vimeo, that has far better quality than when i upload in youtube.

    Here is the first one, showing some of the sky rendering options and artistic features like halo sun.

     
  33. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Some effects in the upcoming demo. I have integrated the volumetric controls in the prefab as well and this will be the base for the cloud motion control, that will be updated for v1.2.5. The clouds already have a wind option, this script will control them by changing the wind properly.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2016
  34. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    The introductory offer will be extended for a few more days.

    Get the pack while it lasts for more than 50% discount.

    The final price will be $80.
     
  35. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    A note for Advanced FX Creator and Sky Master
    The Advanced FX Creator contains the GI Proxy version without the Sky Master updates, so if both have to be in the same project, it is advised to install the Advanced FX Creator first and then Sky Master, in order to replace the GI Proxy files with the latest ones, that also support day/night cycle.

    A note on cloud speed
    The storm clouds speed in the demo prefab is made for a time lapse style. The speed can be adjusted by two means. One is the moving speed around the map that can be adjusted with the rotation script parameters, which is attached to the clouds and the other is by controlling the cloud speed from Shuriken properties, the external forces and initial speed tabs, plus any other forces and speeds that have been applied for the demo purposes.

    A realistic non time lapse version of the main Sky Master prefab is also in the works and will have cloud speeds pre-adjusted.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2014
  36. IFL

    IFL

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    Is PDM included in this asset, or just a subset of it?
     
  37. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Only a small subset that was relevant to the weather effects and adapted for them, plus some new features that are not in PDM yet, like the volumetric Haze particle system and the volumetric particle clouds system.
    .
    This first "ultimate" version of Sky Master contains the whole of GI Proxy as well. There will be a more affordable version after this one goes to the normal 80$ price, that will not include GI Proxy and cost around 50-60$.
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2014
    IFL likes this.
  38. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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  39. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    One free Sky Master pack has been granded :) from the offer.

    Another 3 free packs remain !!!! The offer will last until the end of the year.
     
  40. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Grab Sky Master for half price for a few more days.

    The offer will last until end of December.
     
  41. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Two things to note:

    The Cut_height parameter in "VolumeCLoudsSM" script controls when the clouds will go dark for night, it checks the sun position relative to this defined height and lerps cloud color to black. If the columetric clouds appear black, this parameters must be set accoring to the new cloud height. The demo has it at 10000 by default, but if the terrain needs to be in 0,0,0, then this must go to zero as well.

    Another note is about "Seasonal Terrain SMYMASTER" script, that controls the terrain coloration during seasons. If the terrain is changed to another, this script must be attached to the new terrain, or the SkyMaster main script will throw an error.

    These tips clarify two possible issues that may appear in adapting the system to new scenes.
     
  42. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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  43. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Happy new year to everyone :)

    The pack will be low price for a few more days. I will submit the new price tomorrow, but the review will probably finish next week.
     
  44. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    The review probably wont be done today, so the pack should be half price for a few more days !!!

    The final price will be $70 ($35 currently) and it contains GI Proxy pack as well.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2015
  45. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Last edited: Jan 6, 2015
  46. kurotatsu

    kurotatsu

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    I bought Skymaster, and it is awesome the videos really sold it.

    You need to make some video tutorials on its implementation, and update the PDF to include a step by step set up from scratch, so we can have a deep understanding of how to actually bring it into our projects.

    This will help your sales, I promise.
     
    nasos_333 likes this.
  47. nasos_333

    nasos_333

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    Volumetric Clouds script options and associated particle system.


    Thanks for buying and supporting the pack :).

    The system uses a single prefab that can be brought directly in a project and there are a few things that need to consider. I plan to provide a PDF tutorial with the various details on individual systems, with a more organized structure than the manual later, probably after i have finish the v1.2.5 update.

    Here is a quick guide for the implementation in a new project:

    1. Insert the latest prefab in the game scene (the v1.2.4 folder one in the current version)
    2. Adjust the whole prefab system position, so the sample terrain matches your terrain, then rotate the system based on where you would like the sun to rise from and set to.
    3. Copy the terrain script (SeasonalTerrainSKYMASTER) to your terrain gameobject and erase the sample terrain (if needed)
    4. The volumetric clouds have a "Cut_height" parameter that must change based on the new height the cloud system center has from zero height. This parameter controls the lighting calculations cut off at night and the height is the one where the sun is considered as occluded and clouds turn black. If clouds appear black during day time, this is the parameter that must be checked and changed.
    5. The prefab contains a hero and a camera in [Character] gameobject in the prefab root, both should be disabled or erased in order to use the game's camera/hero properly. The new hero must be inserted in the Hero parameter in the main script (SkyMasterManager), in order for the local system option for haze, butterflies etc to work. If the hero is instantiated, an extra script is needed to grab him (from a tag or the game manager) and assign to the hero parameter.
    This only affects the Haze, butterflies, rain and snow, which need to be parented to and follow the hero, when the local options are checked.
    6. For any extra trees that need to follow the seasonal color changes, add the "SkyMasterTree" tag and assign the materials of the sample tree or a material that has the color property (renderer.material.color in code).
    7. The current sky shader (SkyMasterShaderE) is applied to the sky dome (SkyMaster SKY gameobject) and controls the atmopsheric scattering through the main SkyMasterManager script.As if v1.2.4, this shader has been extended with a texture blend feature, so you can use the SkyMasterShaderF_Textured shader in its place (change in the Sky Sphere material called "SkyMasterSkyMaterial") if a texture needs to be blended with the sun and scattering effects.
    8. If there are any clouds that need to be disabled, can be done so by disabling their particle renderer at any point.
    9. The "Sun System" gameobject in the prefab root, contains the sun and moon objects and lights. These can be move along their forward vector, if the sun needs to be closer or further away. Normally the sun/moon should be on the sky dome, in order to best match the shader sun light. the moon in the current implementaton is opposite to the sun, this can be changed by script and i plan to have a separate moon cycle in a later update.
    10. The SkyMasterManager is the main script that takes care of all the cloud motion, sky and seasonal changes etc. To take control over the seasonal changes, disable the "Seasonal Change Auto" parameter. To take control over the time of day disable the "Auto Cycle Sky" parameter or play with the "Current time" one.
    11. The volumetric cloud system in v1.2.4 is a fully featured volumetric cloud solution and separate from the other particle clouds, using only one draw call and supports sun beams with occlusion from collisions and from the clouds volume. For the occlusion to work with the sun beams, they must be assigned to the "Sun Shafts" list in the"VolumeticCLoudsSM" script (found in the Volume Cloud Bed gameobject in the prefab). The sun beams must also be parented to the sun and look towards its target (usually mid of the terrain).
    12. The sun light will always look at the SunTarget object (found parented in the sun system), the sun beams should be aligned along the sun and sun target vector when the game starts. The prefab already has a sample set of beams setup.
    13. The volume clouds particle count depends on the particle system Min/Max Emission parameter.
    14. The volumetric clouds have an integrated renewal system that can instantiate a new cloud system to renew clouds when the current ones reach over a certain threshold distance (Bound parameter). The speed the distance is reached depend on the wind settings in the cloud script (Speed, Multiplier and Wind parameters).
    15. The current volume cloud speed implementation has a variability per cloud speed adjustment (which means some clouds will move faster and some slower with the same wind settings). This is only a sample implementation and the next update will offer a lot more options in both cloud formations and motion. The "Volumetric Cloud Bed fly through" scene and "SkyMasterDemo 3" script contain a sample of different motion controls (like make the clouds rotate by controlling the wind parameter externally).
    16. The "Divider" parameter controls how many clouds there will be in the volumetric system. The Min/Max Emission particle count is divided by this number and the resulting number of particles is assigned to each cloud.
    17. The Global Illumination system is attached to the sun object and is disabled by default. It can be turned on by enabling the "LightCollisionsPDM" script attached to the sun. The "Cut_height" will disable the sun GI at night, if the sun is below this height (same parameter use as in volumetric clouds).

    Other things to note:
    - The particle clouds require regulation in emission based on the target system specs. For example i worked on the cloud particle speed in my laptop and as a result clouds are moving much faster in new PCs. This is a Shuriken issue i suppose, since the cloud system speed is done with my script that is frame rate independent. The inner cloud motion is handled by Shuriken. These do not apply to the volumetric cloud system, where i have full control over both the particles and motion.
    - The volumetric clouds script keeps a structure with every cloud center, so if any per cloud effects need to be applied, this structure makes it much easier. The next update will contain local per volumetric cloud rain, lightning, shadow and many more effects.

    I hope these help, i will compile a PDF with more pics and details too and post it soon (and integrate in the next update).

    A review for the pack would also be much appreciated :), to help me work faster on the next update (which will be rather big, with new shader based flat cloud dome, many more options in volumetric cloud formation, motion & lighting, expanded lightning, more ready prefabs for various styles and much more)
     
  48. nasos_333

    nasos_333

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2013
    Posts:
    13,288
    One more thing to note:

    When using Skyshop, in the SkyShop manager the "Apply to the game automatically" must be turned off, otherwise the shader of the Sky will not work correctly.

    Please if possile let me know if this works this way for each individual case.
     
  49. nasos_333

    nasos_333

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2013
    Posts:
    13,288
    Here is the first version of the new SkyMaster Setup Guide, that contains a summary of all systems for reference and setup steps for use of the system in new scenes. The details on the most advanced systems (like the ice painting/propagation etc) are described in detail in the manual. I have also linked the manual and the sky settings library PDFs, for the complete documentation.

    Sky Master Setup GUIDE

    Sky Master Manual

    Sky rendering effects
    .

    Please let me know if the guide is going in the right way and what else could or should be changed/added. The numbers in red circles correspond to the text details in page 3-4.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2015
  50. nasos_333

    nasos_333

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2013
    Posts:
    13,288
    Sky Master - Two sun and halo effectsSky Master new pack


    UPDATE:


    The new Sky Master pack is ready for release and will be submitted this week. This new pack will not include GI Proxy and some of the most advanced particle effects (Turbulence and Ice propagation/stick etc)

    The system will contain everything else in Sky Master ULTIMATE, like the volumetric clouds and haze, advanced sky rendering and particle effects like rain, storms, tornados etc

    The cost will be significantly lower at $55 and the pack will start at an introductory $25 price for a limited time.

    This new version will be ideal for everyone that already has GI Proxy pack and/or Particle Dynamic Magic and needs the volumetric cloud/haze/smoke effects and sky rendering / weather simulation.

    Every customer that already bought Sky Master has bought the ULTIMATE edition with all advanced effects and GI Proxy included, and the name of the pack will be changed to reflect that.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2016