Decal System

I don't know which value you have for the ProjectorOffset in the inspector. In the case that it is very small compared to the decal size, you may try to increase it and see if that helps.

 

Dantus if you have time can you check out the linked project, I've separated it down to just the essentials to see if you have any idea of where I'm going wrong. No rush I'm just seemingly blind to what is going on here. All you have to do is load it, hit play and hold shift to see a decal get created. Let go and it stays in place, shift again to drop another. Project hosted here: http://www.rodentgames.com/Downloads/DecalSystemTest.zip

 

@SirManGuy, I can't help you, because you make a lot of things different and there are a too many glitches in your code. Let me give you a few examples.

Code (csharp):

1. Vector3 forwardDirection = Camera.main.transform.up;
2. Vector3 upDirection = -Camera.main.transform.forward;
3. Quaternion forwardUp = Quaternion.LookRotation(forwardDirection, upDirection);

That is just wrong, you can have a look at the example code how it is done correctly.
But this doesn't matter too much, because this only works for the case that the projector is created with a ray in the middle of the screen, which is not the case in your example. So you have to code that on your own.

You also decided to drop the ProjectorOffset functionality completely, that's why you only see 50% of the projection.

 

Dantus: Thank you, even though you said you can't help me you did. That is what I was after was a pair of eyes on what I was missing from your sample code. It was exactly that was the projector position not having the same calculation at all which had killed the display.

 

Hi Dantus. Good job with the plugin, it works pretty well so far, except one thing - when I try to select the projection type to LightmappedDiffuse, or I manually set the UV2 as Lightmapping, unity either crash or the decal mesh completely messed up. I have included some screenshots below:

Diffuse - Looks fine, but without lightmap


LightmappedDiffuse, as well as manually set UV2 as Lightmapping


It also comes with some errors saying

Code (csharp):

1. count <= std::numeric_limits<UInt16>::max()
2. UnityEditor.Unwrapping:GenerateSecondaryUVSet(Mesh)
3. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.LightmappingSupport:GenerateUV2sForLightmapping(Decals)
4. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.EditorDecalsCreator:ComputeLightmapsIfNeeded(Decals)
5. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.EditorDecalsCreator:ApplyDecalsMesh(Decals)
6. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.EditorDecalsCreator:UpdateAllProjectors(Decals)
7. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.DecalsEditorBase:UpdateAllProjectors()
8. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.GenericEditorMode`3:UpdateAllProjectors()
9. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.GenericDecalsMode`3:InspectorGUI()
10. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.GenericDecalsEditor`3:OnInspectorGUI()
11. UnityEditor.PopupCallbackInfo:SetEnumValueDelegate(Object, String[], Int32)

I'm running this on Unity 4.
Any idea? Thanks in advance.

 

I have figured out the answer myself. It seems like there are too many decals in the group. I have to split it into many groups and it works now. Thanks again for the awesome plugin.

 

Code (csharp):

1. count <= std::numeric_limits<UInt16>::max()
2. UnityEditor.Unwrapping:GenerateSecondaryUVSet(Mesh)
3. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.LightmappingSupport:GenerateUV2sForLightmapping(Decals)
4. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.EditorDecalsCreator:ComputeLightmapsIfNeeded(Decals)
5. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.EditorDecalsCreator:ApplyDecalsMesh(Decals)
6. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.EditorDecalsCreator:UpdateAllProjectors(Decals)
7. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.DecalsEditorBase:UpdateAllProjectors()
8. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.GenericEditorMode`3:UpdateAllProjectors()
9. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.GenericDecalsMode`3:InspectorGUI()
10. Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.GenericDecalsEditor`3:OnInspectorGUI()
11. UnityEditor.PopupCallbackInfo:SetEnumValueDelegate(Object, String[], Int32)

According this the call stack, it is clearly a lightmapping issue. As this is a Unity API call, it is without question a Unity bug. In the next version there will be a workaround for at least one lightmapping bug.

 

hello me again from youtube.
i will explane you the problem.

i got an scene and i want to put alot of decals in it ( around 40 - 50 )

my question is if if i do that will then the performance of my game go down alot?

so like now my fps is 60 and if i use decals would it go down then?

so here is my an picture of my level.

if you look at the buildings that you see thay look realy dirty etc...
i did those decals whit photoshop so its just an texture.

if i would replace all those decals with the decal system will my game then run slower?

http://i.imgur.com/MFog269.jpg

 

@DutchWarfare12: The performance should not go down significantly. It only adds meshes which have transparent materials. On desktops you usually don't even notice a difference.

 

This works fantastically! Thank you for this!!

 

EDIT: Nevermind I think i didn't understand. I am all good! Thanks for this awesome system!


Question about having characters and/or dynamic objects running around scene. I am using the decal system for striping on parking lots and roads on Unity terrain. If I have characters running around will the projectors also project the striping on to them? At least it seems that way while I am placing them. Any solution to this issue? Thanks in advance.

Gary

 

Hey Gary
I am glad you found it out on your own. Just in case that someone else has the same question:
Everything you create in the editor won't be changed at runtime. If a character or any other mesh moves through a projector, it won't be affected by it. All decal changes at runtime have to be implemented explicitly. All the decals created in the editor are only meshes at runtime.

 

Hi Dantus. Can you explain what the difference between DecalProjector and WrappedDecalProjector is? I didn't see the Wrapped versions mentioned in the videos or in the demos, but I see you're using them in the RuntimeDecalsUpdater you posted on the previous page.

 

I keep getting this error when projecting decals onto a mesh either an LOD group or single mesh

"Shader wants tangents, but the mesh doesn't have them UnityEditor.DockArea:OnGUI()"

using the shader "Decal/Cutout Diffuse". It continues to kick out the error until Unity crashes.

also seeing this notification a lot when placing decals

"-1, -1, 0, 2.842171E-14
UnityEngine.Debug:Log(Object)
Edelweiss.DecalSystem.DecalsMesh:Add(Vector3[], Vector3[], Vector4[], Vector2[], Vector2[], Int32[], Matrix4x4, Matrix4x4)
Edelweiss.DecalSystem.DecalsMesh:Add(Mesh, Matrix4x4, Matrix4x4)
Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.EditorDecalsCreator:AddProjectors(Decals, DecalProjectorComponent[])
Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.EditorDecalsCreator:UpdateChildProjectors(Decals, Transform)
Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.DecalsEditorBase:UpdateChildProjectors()
Edelweiss.DecalSystemEditor.DecalProjectorEditor:OnSceneGUI()
UnityEditor.DockArea:OnGUI()"

We are using Unity 4.2.0b3

My current workaround is when the number hits 100, I clear the log.

any thoughts?

thanks
-Lee

 

DS_DecalProjector inherits MonoBehaviour, while DecalProjector doesn't. DecalProjector was basically created for runtime purposes to make it possible to work without game objects. DS_DecalProjector instances can't be used directly with DecalsMesh's, whereas DecalProjector instances can. If you want to work with DS_DecalProjector objects at runtime, you need to wrap them with WrappedDecalProjector. That one can be used with DecalsMesh's.

 

@gizm0san, thanks for the report.

Decal/Cutout Diffuse doesn't use tangents and I am not getting any messages in Unity 4.1.3. As I don't have access to Unity 4.2, it is not possible to reproduce the issue. I can't do anything about that one until 4.2 is released.

The second issue is already known and resolved internally. Those useless messages will disappear with the next release.

 

Ah! It all makes sense now. Thanks, Dantus.

 

HI

Been using your decal system for a bit, it's great. I have one issue though. I wrote some code to apply numbered labels
to objects at runtime, but I'm on mobile so get small jitters when doing it this way.

I had been re cutting the mesh etc each time i updated, but the projector dimensions etc are always the same, so I'm trying
to just change the UV rect index used in the hope that just the uvs will be updated (is this what will happen?)

Anyhow, in my old code it seems to work, but that's using a unity font texture and I've decided to go for using my own glyph
map so I can have strokes etc around the label numbers.

Here is a little bit of code I thought might work on an existing Decal setup

Code (csharp):

1. private var decals : DS_Decals;
2. private var projector : DS_DecalProjector;
3. private var proj : Edelweiss.DecalSystem.DecalProjectorComponent;
4.  
5. function Start () {
6.     decals = gameObject.GetComponent(DS_Decals);
7.     projector = gameObject.GetComponentInChildren(DS_DecalProjector);
8.     projector.uv1RectangleIndex = 2;
9.    
10.     decals.UpdateDecalsMeshes(decals.LinkedDecalsMesh as Edelweiss.DecalSystem.DecalsMesh);// (decalsMesh);
11. }

the UV rect index of the projector changes but the mesh doesn't seem to update. What am I doing wrong?

Also with this approach I'm hoping i can remove the actual model meshes from this prefab so it is just the decal
mesh, as I'm only updating the UV rect I shouldn't need to recut the mesh and thus don't need the model any more right?

Thanks for any help
Tom

EDIT
Little more info, this line

decals.LinkedDecalsMesh

is at fault, so how do I get the DecalsMesh from an existing DS_Decals?

 

Hey Tom

No matter how you try to achieve that functionality, you won't be successful at the moment, because only updating the uv information is not possible. This feature will be in future version, likely in a Pro edition. At the moment, it is nearly impossible to achieve that.

And even if that functionality would exist, you need to go through the steps to create a DecalsMesh, initialize all the projectors, pass the meshes, ... . The future implementation will be based on that, but there will be a way to just update the uvs for an existing projector.

 

Thanks for the info

I started to feel that was the case, which is understandable.

So as I only have a few labels needed, I'll just bake them into prefabs and use them that way.

Thanks for the info, and the great decal system.

Tom

 

Hi to all. I have a problem, i must do bullet hole, I use this framework, decals a complete, but if I create the prefab in hit.point it so far from collides point, please help me how to create a bullet hole int hit point. Wait opinions.

 

Welcome to the forum!

Making real time bullet holes is not that trivial. But there is already quite some code bundled with the Decal System, like BulletExampleCS.

 

like i said im now back in unity working on a project i started a while back now, cant wait to download this and try it out i will post back in a couple weeks

 

Ok, thanks. I use it. First: sometimes i have a bad view of bullet hole quote sreenshot . Second i must send ray from some point, not from camera. Earlier in my project i do this so:

Vector3 DirectionRay = transform.TransformDirection(Vector3.forward);
RaycastHit Hit;
if (Physics.Raycast(transform.position, DirectionRay, out Hit, Range))
{

//do something
GameObject go = (GameObject)Instantiate(sparks_prefab, Hit.point, transform.rotation);

}
How can i do this. P.S. sorry for my english, it's don't my own language

 

@sheff_master: Your questions are not really about the Decal System, but more about how to program or implement something in Unity. The examples in the Decal System should be sufficient and contain enough explanations, such that you can achieve what you want.
Please ask those kinds of questions in the scripting section.

 

Okey, but why i see bug(you see it on screenshot) or it's a trick. I did't change anything in project. On objects like a terrain cube or sphere it lookes great. But on terrain((

 

That is not a bug. You can try to place projectors in the editor. If you position them with a flat angle to a surface, it will look like that. Instead of using the direction of the camera for the projector rotation, you can also use the normal vector of the surface at the position the raycast hit it.

 

Ok, thanks. I will sort out. Have the Decal System manual or documentation?

 

I apologize if this has already been asked or covered, do the decal meshes inherit any vertex color information from the target mesh? Could be very useful for a number of things and I didn't see anything about it in the docs.

Also, I assume the cost of generating the decal meshes increases based on the tri count of the target mesh? (noticing some slowdown on certain meshes during run time generation)

Fantastic product by the way, amazing that you aren't charging for this, thank you!

 

Sorry for the late reply. I haven't got any notification.
Yes, there is a manual. It's a pdf that is comes with the Decal System. Further there is a zip file, containing the api documentation. Take care that you don't extract the zip in your project.

 

There is no direct support for vertex colors yet. It is already implemented and will be part of the next release.

You are right. The computational complexity heavily depends on the number of vertices and triangles.

 

That is great to hear about vertex colors. Will see if I can come up with any local optimizations for speeding up application of decals to my large meshes, thanks.

 

Hi, I have an issue with the Decal system. I like it and it is easy to use but my decals will not be in the same position I placed them after I am done.

For example: I place grunge and blood stains on the walls and play in editor and it looks fine. I save and do a build of it or just load the scene again and almost all of the decals are in random positions in space, facing the right way still just not on the walls they're supposed to be on, not on any object as far as I can tell, like maybe the offset changed on its own or something.

Has anyone encountered this issue before?

 

So far, no one reported such an issue. Can you share a little more information/screenshots or a reproduction?

 

goodnight,
I just discovered the existence of your application because I am new in untiy.
in my "serious game" that I develop, I want to give the player the opportunity to color a part of a mesh during the game (see Figure 1 and 2).
I want the player to be able to configure the size of the sticker then it returns the location (x, y) of the sticker. I tried to achieve this with setPixels but I can not do it: (
Can you tell me if the decal system can do what I want?
one last thing, I have to save the scene at the end of the game (I use a database).

Thank you very much for your help

 

@Logiquefloue, that should be achievable with the Decal System. My only concern right now is the vertex count of your model/s in Blender. In the case that you want a decal on an object with 20k vertices, the computation will take some time.
It would be quite simple to save the decal projector data in the database to reconstruct them at another time.

 

Hello Dantus,

Thank you very much for your reply

The mesh images it was not optimized for the game My example will be between 2k and 10k. The computation time is not a very important parameter in this case.
The player can move and resize the image where he wants?

thank you

 

@Logiquefloue, the player can get those options if you implement it accordingly. There is nothing in the Decal System that prevents it.

 

All right.

I'll download it tonight . To support you, and thank for your reactivity to answer questions and help others to make a donation is the minimum

bye

 

Hi all,

Let me start off by saying thank you Dantus for creating an awesome piece of free software.

We are making a student game where the main character is made out of ink and when he dies we want the player to explode into a blob of ink that stays within the world. Placing the decal projector in the world works flawlessly and gives us the look we are aiming for but unfortunately I can’t figure out how to make it work when the character dies in game.

I have gotten the projector to spawn but it appears as the exact shape of the decal that is already placed in the world. It looks like I need to update the “Decal Mesh Renderer” during runtime but I can’t seem to achieve this no matter what I do.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

@Andy_Rhetoric, runtime updates are by far not as easy as modifying decals at runtime. The only way to achieve that is by implementing something comparable to the bullet example scripts for you needs.

 

Hi Dantus,

Thank you very mush for all what you are doing here ...

my question is about the data serialization: i need to know what should i store in my db (i'm using sqlite) so i can reconstruct decals saved from previous session (per user, date ...)

Thanks again !

 

I can't tell you that without knowing your system. When you have setup a gui for the user, you will know all the parameters that can be changed. So those will be the ones that have to be saved. The Decal System comes with a zipped api. You may check all the details in there, meaning which data is in the decals, which data is in the projectors and so on. That should give you a solid basis.

 

Hi Dantus,

Thanks for this great system!

In earlier posts in this thread, you mentioned that to animate a decal (I'd like to do a flip-book style animation by rotating through the UV rectangles) it would be most efficient to go right to the UVs and manipulate them. I am writing a dynamic decal class based on your Bullet examples and I can see the m_DecalsMesh.UVs array, but updating the Vector2 values in this array by itself doesn't seem to modify the decal display.

At one point when I was hacking around with the BulletExampleDynamicObject.js script I had the first decal applied to the sphere flipping (by setting the m_DecalProjector[0].uvRectableIndex and then calling m_DecalsMesh.CalculateProjectedUV1ForActiveProjector(), but that only worked if there was a single projector so that the 0th projector happened to be the active projector). If that's the restriction I need to live with, I can adapt to that, but I'd prefer to be able to have 4 or 5 projectors per decal system instance for my application.

Any suggestions?

I can build the code to manipulate the UVs, if I understand how to access them in a way that will update the display. I don't need to use the UV rectangles if it would be easier to calculate the UV values myself and apply them. I suspect that I'm missing the method to call to cause the new values to be applied or looking at the wrong UV values.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

-David

 

@David, after any change to a decals mesh, you need to call

Code (csharp):

1. m_Decals.UpdateDecalsMeshes (m_DecalsMesh);

which takes all the data you manipulated and applies it to the actual meshes.
With the next version, there will also be a Decal System Pro, which will have direct and faster support for this kind of scenarios.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for the quick reply Dantus! I'll give that a try.

After looking at your colored bullet example, I realized that I have enough info to actually go directly to the mesh UVs and manipulate them directly for the particular decal I want to "flip" to the next part of the animation. This will be more work in my code, but it should only update the UVs for the particular decal I'm changing. Of course if I'm animating all the decals in a system, would it be just as fast to call UpdateDecalsMeshes()?

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the "Pro" version of your Decal System!

-David

 

@DavidS_A52, at the moment you are faster when you manipulate the mesh uvs directly. With that I don't mean the DecalsMesh's uvs, but the Unity Mesh uvs. If you are manipulating the DecalsMesh's uvs, you still need to call UpdateDecalsMeshes as this is the step where the data from the DecalsMesh instance is passed to the actual meshes.
In the Pro version, you will be able to preserve the arrays for uv/uv2, such that it is not necessary to create new arrays from the internal lists each time when you call UpdateDecalsMeshes. This is made for the case that the number of vertices stays unchanged. Further, it will be possible to just update the uv/uv2 for a specific projector and pass only the uv/uv2 via to the preserved array to the mesh(es).

 

Hi.
First off, I love decal system!

Second, I barely understand what it is actually doing. xD
I managed to cut bits of code out of the example scripts (I copied the "AddDecalProjectorDynamic" and "AddDecalProjectorStatic" functions and variables) so that my shooting script applies decals to dynamic and static objects.
However I have this issue where decals "stretch" when the input ray is at a low angle. How would I go about making it so that the decal doesn't stretch depending on the angle? (IE, the decal is always the same dimensions)

 

@Bamboy, at the moment the projector rotation is always along the camera's direction. That's the point you need to change. If you pick instead the normal of the surface which is hit by the ray, you will be able to mostly eliminate that stretching. (I don't have the time to provide you any code at the moment.)

Hope this helps

 

I'm having issues where the decal is way above the object it's supposed to be on top of. I'm using Unity 4.1.5f1. I place the decal projector onto and inside the object, and the meshoffset is already 0. I can get it to touch the surface only if the decal projector is all the way inside the object, but that's only when the culling angle is 180 and it's showing all the way through.