Amplify Impostors - Next Generation Billboards

Hey when I bake an imposters its just blank and nothings there. It generates an object called an imposter but the objects just an invisible outline of the actualy quads of the imposter does anyone know whats going on

 

Hello Ross,

This is usually caused by using an incompatible shader, what's your current setup?

Thanks!

 

I try this cool tool for tree impostors.
I was using Unity 2019.1.10f1 and HDRP 5.16.1
And I can bake impostors successfully.
But when I created tree-impostor and use it as terrain tree (with terrain tree brush).
I ran into incorrect shadowing issue (only happen in game-view, scene-view is good).



I can't figure out what is going on with shadow in game-view,
or what have I done wrong?

Ask for any help or suggestions to solve this shadow issue.

 

Thanks for the heads-up, this might be specific to HDRP. What's the original shader used on the tree?

Thanks!

 

Dear Amplify,

i bought this asset more than two years ago, but never downloaded it, i was waiting for it to exit it's beta phase..but seeing how shaders appears now in pink infront me is heart breaking...

i want to suggest adding a shader graph version of your shaders.. this will ensure that all shaders would work in "most cases" if not all.. even on newest released render pipelines we would be able to rebuild shaders in order to work again..

regards,

 

Hello there,

Amplify Impostors is actually in the process of leaving its beta stage, there have been many improvements/changes since its initial release. Pink shaders, especially when it comes to SRP, are not necessarily a problem; it's a bit of a pitfall that usually ends up being caused by some sort of version mismatch. In any case, we can help you solve it.

To be clear, pink shaders are bound to happen whenever something is used with the wrong version; we can try to mitigate this but the same is true of other shader-based packages.

We need to know what's your Unity version, and SRP version if any; as always, be sure that you are using the latest Impostors version.

We actually used to support Custom Baking with Shader Graph but they closed it off in more recent versions; alternatively, I recommend using ASE for custom baking if you're comfortable with that; alternatively, please use compatible shaders for now.

Thanks!

 

thanks for fast feedback, am using latest unity release 2019.3.8f.. the SRP is set as 7.3.1 it's the new verified version for 2019 latest version..(doesn't allow me now to install previous SRP versions)..am using Universal RP.

btw i noticed in asset store your next update is targeting 7.2.x .. i think you need to skip this version..
Unity jumped to 7.3.1 as the official verfied version.. it skipped 7.2 to offer a verified version of it the 7.2 was only updated/active during 2020 feb.. just one month.. now it's ditched for 7.3.x..
so i suggest moving/upgrading to to 7.3.x directly

thanks!

 

Apologies for the inconvenience there, we're in the process of updating the package.

I'm afraid skipping a version would not significantly speedup the update, nor is it advised as this is an iterative process; 7.2.x support is required due to critical changes made in this version, requirements also present in 7.3.x.

We shouldn't take much longer now, thank you for understanding.

 

I made a prefab referring to your tree prefab (AmplifyImpostors\Examples\Assets\Prefabs\TreePrefab.prefab).
I recreated materials for bark and leave both using HDRP/Lit shader directly.
And then baked impostor from this HDRP fit tree-prefab.
Managed original tree-model and tree-impostor in LOD Group.\

Here is my tree-impostor-prefab.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1buntaDdOnRoTBWMyCFnYPxyoZ6MguyAj
And this is how I made the impostor for terrain tree
https://drive.google.com/open?id=10yp-C_aeMpBlX7yneEuDfmyGbf-UxlMW

 

Thank you for the sample, sadly I can't seem to replicate it on my side. I'm wondering if it could be related to your HDRP setup, would it be possible to test a small project sample with the issue present?





Just to add to your report, I did notice some weird artifacts/flickering when I had both the scene and gameview visible; this was the cases even without Impostors.




Thanks!

 

Thank you for your testing.
Did you also use Unity 2019.1.10f1?
Because I need to work a project with Unity 2019.1.10f1,
I will try newer version later.

 

Please remove this link, don't include our package in any content shared here. There's a public email support for this type of files via support@amplify.pt.

 

Sorry I did not aware that. I have removed url link.
I will send a mail about this issue.

 

No problem, not needed as we got it before you removed it

We do test with several versions to ensure compatibility, we will run a few tests with your sample.

Thanks!

 

Apologies for the delayed reply, short national holiday in Portugal. This does seem to be specific to that HDRP version, let me get back to you as soon as we hear from the Amplify Impostors developer; I'm not sure if there's anything we can do right now other than recommend using a more recent HDRP distribution.

 

No need to apologize.
Thank you.
Cause our project still rely on Unity 2019.1.10f1 + HDRP 5.16.1,
Hope there will be good news later, so we can use this cool stuff.

 

Hello, the impostors in my project look good in my editor but in build they are pink, i didnt seem to find someone else with this problem around here. Im using urp and i even tried lwrp shader. Also i tried selecting "lightweight" in inspector at the standardurp setup since original it comes with "legacy" selected. Unity 2019.3.5f1 here. Ok i see that there is at least one more case like me. Here is my urp version https://gyazo.com/754cccc2cbe5900986a74946734c24de

 

Thank you for understanding, we will get back to you with additional details as soon as possible.

Hello, that's definitely not supposed to happen, especially if they are working in the editor. Please pick one, not a good idea to mix URP with LWRP in the same project.

-Can you actually bake new URP impostors in the editor?
-What's your current URP version and target platform?

Thanks!

 

Happy to announce that we're part of the 2020 Spring Sale - Stay home, learn to create shaders or optimize your projects using 1-click impostors!

Learn more: Asset Store

 

getting this in 2019.3.9f1

Shader error in 'Hidden/Amplify Impostors/Octahedron Impostor': failed to open source file: 'AmplifyImpostors.cginc' at line 77 (on d3d11)



Compiling Vertex program with UNITY_PASS_FORWARDBASE DIRECTIONAL LIGHTPROBE_SH INSTANCING_ON

Platform defines: UNITY_ENABLE_REFLECTION_BUFFERS UNITY_USE_DITHER_MASK_FOR_ALPHABLENDED_SHADOWS UNITY_PBS_USE_BRDF1 UNITY_SPECCUBE_BOX_PROJECTION UNITY_SPECCUBE_BLENDING UNITY_ENABLE_DETAIL_NORMALMAP SHADER_API_DESKTOP UNITY_LIGHTMAP_RGBM_ENCODING

 

im getting this one

Assets\AmplifyImpostors\Plugins\Editor\ShaderEditorNode\AmplifyImpostorNode.cs(15,31): error CS0234: The type or namespace name 'RangedFloatNode' does not exist in the namespace 'AmplifyShaderEditor' (are you missing an assembly reference?)

heeelp

 

That's definitely not good, thanks for the heads-up.

-When did the error first showed up?
-What's the renderer, and version, used?
-Is the problem present with the latest update?

This is usually caused by a conflict with another script that's not in its correct namespace; can you replicate the issue in a new empty project? If so, what's your current Unity version?

Please don't duplicate questions, we got your email

You did not mention here that you are using a Unity Beta version, we're unable to support Beta or Alpha builds.

Thanks!

 

I guess that's built in renderer
it first showed up yesterday
upon updating I get this:

so I nuke the editornode and now all i'm getting are these

impostors are pink
I update unity version to 2019.3.10f1...

 

Thanks for the additional details. So it started yesterday after the Unity update or the AI update? (looking for specific project/Unity changes that could have triggered it)

 

Hi,

just got your asset in the sale and it works fine with HDRP 7.3

Is it possible to start baking via script? I would like to integrate it into my tools!

Thanks,
Florian

 

Awesome, thank you for the support!

Yes but it's not too "user friendly", it's not really something we want to encourage at the moment but I will DM you some details.

Thanks!

 

The Unity Update

 

Thanks for confirming it! We tried a couple of update variations but were not able to replicate it on our side.

Can you confirm that the problem persists after importing the latest Amplify Impostors package in your current project? If so, is the problem also present in a new empty project?

I would recommend removing it and re-importing if that's the case.

Thanks!

 

Use our affiliate link and the coupon code SSAFF2020 for an extra 10% OFF on your total sale price; this is valid for all assets, not just ours!

Learn more: Asset Store

 

Hi there! I'm having some problems (I think) trying to set up this asset. I'm using the latest Unity version (2019.3.9f1) and latest HDRP (7.3.1). Maybe that's the reason I'm not getting good results... but I just wanted to make sure.
I've attached some screenshots if you don't mind. I'm getting this NullReferenceExeception and Impostors have these weird look with "redish" spots and distorted mesh.
I imported the package to use it in HDRP and I've tried every type of bake and tweaks available (size, resolutions, pixel padding, axis frames...). The results are more or less the same. I managed to get rid of the red spots taking out the Specular&Smoothness map.

I just wanted to know if I need to make something specific to make it work or it's just because the asset is not supporting latest Unity updates at the moment. Thanks!

https://imgur.com/6Kwb9HH

https://imgur.com/deiOpR8

https://imgur.com/dP2N6GW

 

Hello,

Definitely something going on there, NullReferenceExeceptions are not a good sign. Do you see any other errors/warnings in your console?

I recommend updating Amplify Impostors, re-importing the HDRP package, and checking for errors before and after baking. Be sure to test it on a new empty project, we would be happy to test a sample on our side if the problem persists.

Thanks!

 

Does this work as a sort of distance LOD thing? So when you are close, the regular mesh is shown, but when you move far enough away the object is switched for the impostor? Or is it just for things which are always in the distance, and so you bake it to be an impostor and it's always one in the scene no matter how close to it you get?

Also when does this spring sale / your sale on this asset end?

 

Thanks for replying so quick!
Ok, I've tried it again in an empty & clean HDRP project. The only asset imported is Amplify Impostors and the HDRP support package imported/installed. The NullReference error persists. It happens automatically just anytime I attach the script to any object, even with Unity primitives. Standard HDR/Lit material used everytime. No need to bake or anything, the error will appear just attaching the script to any game object. Still, it allows me to bake the impostor, no problem there...but yeah, that big red warning will always pop up. Maybe it's due to the Unity or HDRP version I'm using, need to try older versions.

 

Is there an easy to follow tutorial on how to achieve real-time lighting on imposters with HDRP?

 

Not by itself, you place it in a LOD Group as you would with other models; you can also use it separately, if it holds up visually - great for background props.

Thanks for confirming it, we will examine the problem ASAP. I will run a few additional tests, this should not happen, I don't recommend using it until we figure out what's happening.

Hey there, I would recommend the first tutorial we released, there are no additional steps other than creating the Impostor. Any problems on your side?

 

I've tried to bake impostors for tree created with unity tree system. It did baked it for trunk, but completely ignored leafs. Is there a workaround for this? https://i.gyazo.com/453996e08e075cb5b964d2f22d8023f8.png

 

Hello,

It works, but does require some adjustments.

1. Amplify Impostors requires a shader that exposes a Deferred path, such as Unity Standard shaders or the SpeedTree shader.

2. The Unity Tree creator will swap out your materials if you make any changes to the tree, meaning that after you've set your own materials, the creator will default to the original ones in some situations; it's important to keep this in mind before baking.

Take that into account and you can create impostors from those assets.

I can confirm that the bake works, you'll simply need to use a compatible shader.(impostor on the right, low amount of views, spherical)



Hope it helps!

 

show us which one

 

The ones I mentioned above; to be more specific the Standard Metallic or Specular(and their equivalent SRP counterparts), and the SpeedTree shader included.

 

Thank you for your patience, we were able to replicate the null ref issue using Unity 2019.3.9f1. However, the issue does not seem to be present using Unity 2019.3.10; one of our devs is going to examine this problem further.

Regarding the actual asset, and I've requested this via email, can you send us the tree used? We need to be sure that we are not dealing with two separate problems here.

Thank you for understanding!

 

Hey there,

We've been running a few tests, trying to replicate the conditions you described, and so far we have not been able to; tested both AI and Unity update paths.Please try to re-download the package and remove your existing Amplify Impostors folder; I can't know for sure what happened, it's not something we've come across.

Please make sure that you also update ASE if it's in the project.

Thank you for your patience, we would love to get to the bottom of this.

 

Failed to mention in the last post, please make sure that you update Amplify Shader Editor as well.

 

Oh, thanks! Yes, I just readed the email. So it's a Unity version thing then, good to know. The NullReference warning happens with any game object, even with Unity primitives, but I'll send you the tree anyway.

 

Yes, the null we can replicate, would be cool to get the red spots as well.

Thanks!

 

Hey there!

Apologies for any confusion, I think we might have been looking at the wrong problem.

1. If you update your Unity version, make sure that you are using the latest version of our packages; this goes both for ASE and AI.
2. When you update Amplify Impostors, you also need to update ASE if you have it in your project. I think that this might be related to the initial problem.
3. If you then manually remove ASE, and you still get errors or warnings, you need to go into Project Settings > Player > Other > Scripting Define Symbols and clear it.


This should correct it, if not, we're going to need a simple project sample with the issue present. You can reach out to support@amplify.pt with any files privately.

Thanks, hope we can figure this out quickly.

 

The issue that I have with this approach is that colors on my leafs become instantly ugly and no amount of changes to standard material settings can fix it. And those ugly colors get backed into imposter. Or maybe I'm doing something wrong?

 

I'm using Enviro and it has a real-time directional light. My scene has no light baking. I noticed that my imposters look MUCH better when baking the object with my directional light set in the night time. If I bake at night, the objects look great during the day cycle. If I bake in the day, the imposters are overly bright in the night cycle. So, I'm now a night baker

BTW, I also get the null reference error bug but since it doesn't really affect anything I just ignore it. Great tool!! Have a nice day.

 

I noticed that by increasing the texture size and decreasing the axis's I could get rid of the blotchy colors on my trees. I think it just has to do with the limited data size and compression of the texture size and how many frames are in it. Quality also improves for me when using the spherical bake type instead of the octahedron. I can also run pixel padding at 0 most of the time with spherical. Also, removing the "Specular & Smoothness" map causes the pink blotchy marks to go away.

 

Before buying I have a question.
Is shader compatible with lower end android mobiles ?

 

Hello,

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, it's just a different material/shader. You'll have to check which maps are being used and replicate the same with a compatible shader such as the standard one; I'm going to guess that it could be missing its normal and smoothness map.

You could also try to use a Speedtree shader, just be sure that you replicate the same thing you have on the default Unity tree shader.

Hold on a second, if you're getting the null ref error something is not right. Did you have Amplify Shader Editor in your project? When did the error first appear, what's your Unity and HDRP version?

What you mentioned shouldn't be a factor, the impostor baked has no baked light information; it will use your reflection/light probes and any active lights, the problem is probably elsewhere.

That does not sound like it's working as it should, can you send us a sample of the original asset and faulty impostor? We need to sort out the error you mentioned in the previous post, there's no way to know what it could be influencing there.

For reference, the octahedron impostors provide smooth blending between views but breakdown and close distances while the spherical impostors hold-up better but without smooth blending.

Yes, it should. What's the lowest device you are targeting?