Grungifier - Add detail to your scene without the overhead [COMING SOON]

Grungifier allows you to add character and detail to your game's lightmapped environmental models without the additional performance cost and memory overhead of other methods. This is accomplished by automatically merging "grungemaps" with your lightmaps. This means if you are already using Unity's lightmapping in your scene, your lightmapped scenery can benefit from additional detail without any additional runtime performance or memory overhead!

Benefits:
⋅ Breaks up the monotony of repeating textures
⋅ No additional geometry
⋅ Details conform to irregular geometry
⋅ Virtually no additional memory usage as grunge details are stored in the existing lightmaps
⋅ Can render in a single pass, meaning less fillrate and draw calls compared to other methods of adding detail, such as decals.

For more details, examples, and an overview video, visit the product page here:
www.anbsoft.com/middleware/grungifier

 

Interested. I see its available on your website already. Does "coming soon" mean to the asset store? Will the price be the same?

 

Yes, it has been submitted to the Asset Store and is in review there, but it is already available at the product page as well. The introductory price on the Asset Store and product site is $50. The regular full price will be $100 when the introductory promotion ends.

Thanks for your interest!

 

So is this basically an in editor tool to paint directly on the light map?

 

No, it allows you to assign grungemap textures to your models which are then automatically merged into the lightmaps. To create the grungemaps, you can use mesh painting tools like Maya, Photoshop (which supports 3D models), etc. I am, however, working on a tool that will allow the painting itself to be done in-editor as well and will work seamlessly with Grungifier.

 

mobile?

 

Yes, it works with any models that use Unity lightmaps. It's perfect for mobile because it allows you to add details to your lightmapped models without adding any draw calls, rendering passes, fillrate requirements, or memory usage.

 

Basically the tool itself just multiplies the grunge map with the lightmap considering lightmap atlases and dual lightmaps? The price seems a bit steep as this technique requires a lot of manual work as one has to create not only the grunge map by himself but also has to do a manual remapping of the lightmap UVs?
Also a high resolution lightmap would be required and meaningful UV mapping would waste lightmap space so most of the saved texture space (and therefore memory footprint) would be lost / just moved from regular texture to the lightmap...

I can see some use cases for such a tool, however as the main script (which merges the grunge map with the light map) does not sound very complicated a regular price which exceeds stuff like NGUI or the Big Environment Package feels very expensive.
Just my 2 cents.

 

I took a look at your video, it's very interesting. Are the grungemaps included in the final build? I assume not, but just asking.

 

@BIG BUG
It's basically the same kind of system that is built into Unreal Engine and you see used all throughout things like Infinity Blade, so the workflow is not unfamiliar to people working on those kinds of projects. It does support all the various kinds of lightmaps. The UVs can be generated by Unity, exported with Grungifier, then you just do your painting with a mesh painting app. I'm working on an in-engine tool to allow some fully-featured mesh painting in-editor too, so both of these other steps are reduced so you can remain in Unity to create your content.

As for requiring a high-resolution lightmap, you'd be surprised. If you want fine details like cracks and fine lines, then yes, it'll have to be somewhat high, but if you want some nice pattern-breaking, atmosphere-adding grunge streaks and stains, it's amazing how low resolution a lightmap you can get away with and it adds a ton of appeal to an otherwise dull, sterile-feeling scene.

As for the complexity of the script, I didn't think it would be either when I first began work on it for one of my own projects. After pouring a lot more work into it than I initially expected, I realized it was a pretty valuable tool so I decided to package it up nicely for others to be able to use in their projects.

@Crazy Robot
No, the grungemaps aren't included in the final build. The tool essentially adds no memory usage, rendering overhead, or build size.

 

Grungifier looks interesting, especially when paired with the in-editor mesh painting tool. When do you think the latter is likely to be ready?

 

What a clever idea, Brady.

My interest in this is also predicated on in-editor painting. The convoluted workflow is a bit of a barrier, especially when using modeling plugins built into Unity (for example, ProBuilder).

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation. The painting could work in a way that you basically stamp ready made grunge sprites onto the model. Also another cool functionality would be to have calculated weathering effects.

 

@Toad
I don't yet have an ETA, but it shouldn't be too long.

@Marble
Grungifier does have a menu item that lets you export your mesh with its Unity-generated lightmapping UVs, which can then pull into a mesh painting app. But soon that won't be an issue with the in-editor painting tool I'm working on.

@BIG BUG
Yes, stamping or "rubbing" is something I'm working on implementing for the in-editor painter. I've also thought about the procedural weathering idea too. That would be a really interesting feature.

 

yes, please add the mesh painting.

 

Very interested to see how the in-editor painting feature pans out!

 

I just bought this under the premise that mesh painting in the editor will be awesome!

 

Good tool, we are already using it.

Is there some time frame for in editor texture painting ? That would be awesome !

 

I cannot give a definite time frame at the moment, but I am very excited to implement the in-editor painting tool!

 

will Grugifier allow me to edit the lightmap for unity terrain?

 

Terrain lightmaps are not supported.

 

Since the details are baked into the lightmap, does that mean that if i have a realtime light or muzzle flash from a gun or something that hte details will disappear in teh light? Like to the engine they are just shadows?

 

No, baked lightmap shadows don't disappear under realtime lights.

 

Im pretty sure they at least get washed out where they seem transparent under a powerful enough light. Dont they? I mean lightmaps are made to interact with actual real time lights...

 

Aside from that I was also going to ask if there was a way to add to the normal maps? Like the directional lightmaps or whatever u call it. For instance painting a crack or crater in the floor that u actually wanted light to react with.

 

Heres a question for you. Does this support levels of detail? like if i paint on the best level of detail, will that somehow transfer to a lower level of detail?


Edit.. never mind watching your video on how this thing actually works.

 

If you're referring to Mip levels, yes. It covers multiple Mip levels automatically.

 

Is there new version on the horizon?

 

no im not referring to mip levels, im referring to actual model levels of detail... u know how if u bake a light map for LOD in unity it bakes it on every LOD... i was just curious this can somehow transfer the painting of grunge stuff to all LODS in the same positions... or do we actually have to paint it on every single model seperately?

 

I'm also interested in what happens when you shine a light on the lightmaps as you can set it to be affected by lights in the scene....

 

Probably no way around that. Since the grunge is now technically a shadow... its going to be lit up with realtime lights.. so ud probably want to place your realtime lights in specific places that have decals or something. Though i can be wrong, the creator would have to answer that.. this is just my assumption.

 

Doesn't it mainly depend on the shaders how the lightmaps behave when lit with realtime lights...

 

From what it looks like his implementation isnt using any custom shaders or anything.. its just modifying lightmaps. Which still for performance is an awesome approach, im just scared thinking about the amount of hours im going to have to do lod work... transfering the texture to each one. to match up.

 

Ok, well in that case real time lights probably do make the grunges fade. But maybe better wait for response from the op than take my word.

 

Even if they do fade its not the worst thing in the world. Just make the realtime lights fade quickly so the dynamic objects still get lit but not the walls... if ur using it for flashlights however i can understand that might be a problem. I personally feel like the performance boost for mobile would be worth it.. no overdraw decals.

 

i was interested but after the discussion with the real time lightning issues and the amount of manual work outside of unity i am off for now

 

Sometimes to get some worth while performance it takes a little extra work.

 

Did anyone buy this plugin? I see it on the Asset Store with no reviews. And no updates in several months...it looks very interesting though. We don't like to buy things without seeing or hearing some reviews.

 

It has been selling, but no updates have been released yet as none have been required.

 

@Brady,
GRUNGIFIER plugin looks interesting. I would like to use this plugin to add aged look to my game scene.
Demo video presented shows grunge map applied only to one building.
But i would like to apply this to my entire city map. How can go about doing the same. Looks like lots of work. Any suggestion would help.
And one more thing, You are adding reference to raw texture in the editor. Are you discarding it after baking process is done? Because if you have reference to those textures it ll load into memory unnecessarily. Please confirm.
If it helps i will make the purchase. Thanks.

 

@sathya

Regarding your city map, you can definitely do this, but depending on how much detail you want to put into it for each individual building, it could be a lot of work. If you just wanted to add some general "dirtiness" and grime, that would be relatively easy to accomplish. But if you wanted to get really detailed with it, like adding run-off stains to window sills, and the like, then that would be more work.

Regarding texture referencing, the textures are actually internally identified in Grungifier using the asset GUID so as to prevent its inclusion in a build and prevent it from loading at runtime.

Thanks!

 

Is this asset available anywhere?

 

Bumping again, would like to know if this is available for purchase anywhere.

 

It has been discontinued, but see your PM. Thanks!