Olander's Genesis Weather [Free]

thanks!
about the cloud meshes the problem is that I need the camera with a far plane over 10k and making a road that is about 5km or more, is not good...

it wasn't better use a small mesh, with is rendered before all and move it with the camera?

 

The camera far plane should be set to 15k or more in any case case. I placed a camera setup on page 29 in the manual.
I absolutely see no issue with a 5km road and a far plane of 15km.

Personally my design is 10km x 10km for the planet environment 'zones' with 1000m of environmental padding at the edging. This leaves a usable play able area of ~9km x 9km (81km2) for each...which is a very large play area. And there are currently 7 of these in the game.

Moving the mesh with the camera....basically making a small mesh and doing trickery. with rendering queues. This is risky to get into because where does it end? How about water and other things that are part of the rendering queues? Not such an easy answer. So it is best to let Unity handle the rendering and work right within their engine methods. In this fashion things have little chance of breaking and if they don't it is a Unity issue. All of this is the reasoning behind the designing of all of my systems. Work with the engine and never try to convert the engine into what I desire it to be. One of the reasons why I have spent a lot of time working in UE4 as well.

In the end you can choose whatever Day/Night Cycle system with weather that fits your needs....and whatever bugs that continue to plague them to this day.

Fun side note:
GTA5 is the same size and Witcher 3 is 136km2 or (11.66km x 11.66km) <= this is a strange number.

Cheers
O

 

thanks for your reply: i'm just trying to understand how to use genesis weather... the issue for the far plane is that I need a very small near clip plane and with a near of 0.1 a far of 15000 is weird for the shadows (for example) or fps...

 

In fact your near clip plane should be 0.01 the default is 0.3 but I have found that something strange happens with the camera and clipping between 0.1 and 0.5...not certain what it is but this has been present in all versions of Unity 5. I cannot remember if I had this issue in Unity 4 or not.

Also...you will want Unity 5 Occlusion....works great...but then also you will want a good spherical culling technique. I made my own and will not release it, however, this one does it very similar and does work really well. I bought this on a sale to see if I could make any improvements to my own.

Easy Cull: www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/27178
5 USD and really easy to get working.

Just a little info to add....my spherical culling technique uses 4 levels of detail spheres to do the fade out of objects at the desired distances. These spheres move with the GameObject _Player.
1 is dedicated to Trees, Bushes, and Shrubs (I use no terrain trees. Unity terrain has a 65535 object limit per terrain.)
1 is dedicated to Grass
1 is dedicated to Static Buildings and Environmentals (Most of these do not have LODs at all since almost all building meshes are super optimized by their inherit designs)
1 is dedicated to Interactive Objects and NPCs (the script heavy things)

Remember to Fade objects in and out to prevent 'popping'. Then what is left are objects that should not be culled at all. It is a really good technique and dramatically stabilizes FPS/Performance.

Hope that helps
Cheers
O

 

I have your product running without errors but the sky is pink. I've fixed the fog script. No weather appears.

Help please.

 

You have probably already solved this since I have not had any PMs. I cannot reproduce that here.

Pink/Light Magenta is a texture not loading or not the correct skybox is in place. Never seen this before so not sure what could cause this. Perhaps a material was deleted from one of the Sky Sphere Meshes?

Cheers
O

 

I just wanted to say a quick Thank You! It's quite amazing. I'm still trying to get the feel for it to see how well it will work for some hobby projects. My global fog is causing the camera to invert, but I think I found the solution.
thanks again!

 

Hi,

Quite hard to find a video showing Genesis at work ! Do ou plan to make video or make more pics to show off?

cheers

 

Perhaps at some point but mainly the weather is a character in an area/scene...Genesis Weather will always be that. No less and no more. As it was in the NWN1/2 and Skyrim as mods. So there may not be specific videos but it is always in any scenic shots (and upcoming videos) I make and publish on the forums. The weather is so diverse that it is difficult to make that many screenshots or even videos. What it does to Unity GI Lighting is incredible. You can see the difference straight away as well as dynamic bloom and depth of field. There is also a impressive FPS boost as well (depending upon GPU and CPU of course).

I simply felt that since I made a hybrid port to control Time of Day that it was only fitting that once I completed Genesis Weather that I give it away for free to anyone else whom wants an excellent weather system in their framework. I was looking for donations at one point but the intent was always a free gift for the community.

Perhaps not the answer you were looking for but the PDF manual steps you through setup/integration quickly and the Weather Manager has the 1-click add to the scene button. From import to fully working is less than 20min.

Cheers
O

 

Actually that's an aswer i can understand though i would love to see some tutos from you on youtube! Anyway, such a system for free needs to be checked! Thanks again man for bringing this to the community!!

I liked your post about normals in CTS forum cause that's so true!! Some times you get textures with great normals and then you see the difference! Dynamic lighting can give some headaches with the bumpiness (still struggling with that!)
I hope Genesis is not a fps killer like some other sky system!
i made my own but it's only swaping skyboxes nothing procedural...

Can't wait to test it!!

cheers

 

Hi,
I downloaded it, tried the demo after fiking global fog. Seems some other scripts are missing on the module?
thanks in advance

 

No need to search for that, i decided not to play the demo and test it right away!! first thing! it works!!
Man thank you!!

 

hehe...good laughs. Thanks for trying it out. And good that you have it working. Please do not get frustrated when looking at the very large scope of this monster. It is built entirely on the principles of Time, Temperature (C), and Relative Humidity (RH%), and global weather types that are part of our own earth but are general enough to adapt to any planet.

Lastly...folks miss the fact that when there is a weather system cloud change (Weather Levels) it happens at night. This can be changed but I did this because in reality most dynamics happen in the cooling stages of evening and nights and changing the clouds at night is visually more appealing than during the day.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask away.

 

Hi

I have a noobish question.

I just discovered Genesis weather system - and downloaded immediately - I'm on Unity 5.6 by the way

In the documentation, it says to make GlobalFog.cs public - so
I downloaded the Standard effects package. However there is no GlobalFog.cs script.

In the ImageEffects folder in the Effects package there's a readme file that says:

The old image effects have been deprecated and moved to the Asset Store: https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/#!/content/83913

We recommend that you now use the new post-processing stack. You'll find it at https://www.unity3d.com/postprocessing


Does this mean that I have to use the old image effects package instead of the new post-processing stack., to make genesis work?

 

@cfred
Thank you.

Right....not so noobish question actually. As it stands you can still DL the old Standard Assets but it is getting more difficult to do. Unity really wants us to move up to the new Post FX Stack....which is actually a good thing to do. To confuse this even further there is a v2 on the Github but the v1 that is still on the Asset Store is a v1 sort of hybrid update.

It appears v2 and v1 act in similar ways....so Genesis Weather is currently moving in this direction. I am also currently integrating Fog v3 by @DavidMiranda for those that purchase it.

There will be 2 separate versions....the current one which will be v1 and then a new one for Unity 5.6+ with Post FX Stack called....you guessed it....v2! LOL I am getting really close...like end of week close.

FYI...The script references to the Post FX Stack are fairly easy to link in but there is a slight amount of code in the Weather Master script that needs some finagling to get it to work automatically....not bad actually.

Cheers
O

 

Hi.
Thanks for answering. I will look forward to th v2!

 

Well...I have the code sync'd up to the Post Processing Effects Stack and the code in the Weather System is working fine.....but.....the values are not actually changing the PostFX Stack members at runtime. So more bleeding edge investigation here.

The clouds update with Fog v3 is going nicely. Needs a lot more play time (watching paint dry time) to make certain it is linked in properly.....but all in all....looking very promising. I have had to add new cloud textures for the High Atmosphere dome to make things look right for atmospheric events.....looking really awesome.

Anyhow...the sort of bad news is that I am on the road for 15 straight days so bouncing from hotel to hotel...but my laptop is capable of doing this stuff while I watch some TV in the evenings. Should easily expect GWv2 to be ready post my return.

Cheers
O

 

Kia ora

thank you very much for giving this out as a God sent to us the don't code.

do I go into gWeatherMaster and comment out the two lines in this error to sort it out or is this more involed

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
gWeatherMaster.SetFog () (at Assets/Genesis_Weather/Scripts/Weather/gWeatherMaster.cs:933)
gWeatherMaster.Update () (at Assets/Genesis_Weather/Scripts/Weather/gWeatherMaster.cs:581)

 

@Kiwi-Hawk

You are welcome.
In regards to the object reference not set. This is simply something not found on an object being searched. In the current version that can be downloaded it is fairly important to have the Unity Image Effects installed since it controls Global Fog, Bloom (dynamically), and Depth of Field (dynamically). The rest of the image effects can be removed without trouble in reference to Genesis Weather. The reason for dynamic control (optional) is that these three change in nature depending upon weather. This gives incredibly realist visuals when viewing in game with a properly tuned camera.

As to solve this....until I release version 2 in a couple of weeks (or earlier if I return home faster) the only solution is to really keep with the legacy image effects...which are still quite good when tuned in per my settings provided.

If you really want to get your hands dirty and go without the current image effects then....search for Bloom, Depth of Field, and Global Fog....comment these out or delete. You can leave the since these tie directly to the Lighting Tab.
Examples to leave....or delete.
RenderSettings.fogColor = cFogColor;
RenderSettings.fogStartDistance = fFogStartDistance;
RenderSettings.fogEndDistance = fFogEndDistance;

Cheers
O

 

@Olander stumbled upon your great collection of tools here. They look great, and I have much respect for you to not only put time and effort into this, but also make it free. Sadly, I couldn't manage to get the latest version to work even with the legacy Image Effects asset installed, so I guess I'll have to wait until the next release. Still, very well done!

 

@Reto-Moto
Thanks. Some really good stuff I am giving for free. Lots more private stuff of similar quality level.

Sorry to hear you did not get it working. Did you try the Demo scene? Try that first....if that is not working then it is likely the Global Fog script by Unity. Worst case you can open the scripts like stated above and remove the dynamic Bloom and Depth of Field. I also use the Unity Global Fog as Atmospheric Scattering...you can leave the RenderSettings stuff in the scripts and remove the Global Fog reference as well. Still looks good.

I am working on the road right now and looks to be continuing through this weekend. When I get home I will be completing the updates to Genesis Weather 2. They are quite nice.

Cheers
O

 

Yes, I've tried the demo scene. At first there were a lot of errors, but after importing the proper assets the errors went away. However, the demo scene still did not load correctly. It lists the following scripts as missing (as warnings):

• _MainCamera
• '##SnazzyGrid##(Clone)'
• _Module

I'm going to try and reinstall the package and see if that resolves the issue.

Ends up like this:

 

The warnings (yellow) can essentially be ignored....I usually go back and fix them to get them down to nothing but this happens a lot with Unity changes. You have 2 errors (red) that must be fixed. In fact when I import the Genesis Weather Demo into a blank project....then remove the Bloom, Depth of Field, and Global Fog references in gWeatherMaster.cs & gWeatherFollower.cs & gWeatherManager.cs there are 0 warnings (yellow) and 0 errors (red). So something else must be happening.

_Module is explained in the PDF manual. This is required by the system(s). What this does is act as a central data object and data coordinator. It is a technique designed by Bioware for their various engines also called => object Module...I reverse engineered the technique and implemented it in Unity. It makes many things as well as game configurations and databases very easy to work with.

_MainCamera is the name of your main camera....also explained in the manual. You can change this name in the Weather Manager. Same place where the _Player game object is named. Of note...in my private systems I automatically create these when loading into a scene....however....since other devs have their own naming standards I gave the option to type in the name of these objects.

SnazzyGrid.....have not used it for a looooong time. Not sure why it is in there.

Lastly it appears your clip distance on your camera is still default....should be 0.1 to 15,000.

Hope that helps you try to figure it out.

Cheers
O

 

Haha today I have some free time and I click my bookmark for your website, and it says page not found (for the Unity Genisis page). I haven't had much luck setting up a new scene, even though there aren't any errors, so I think I'll wait for the next release.

 

Web site back up and links available.

There will be NO public release of Genesis Weather v2, it was a ton of work to get Volumetric Fog/Clouds working properly as well as the new cloud/rain/snow FX.....not giving it away for free....nor selling it. So don't bother asking.

 

Still working after Unity 2018.1.0f2. (lots of other 3rd party asset store products broken though...crazy upgrades!!!)

 

I didn't know you were making Genesis2!! Where will we have the chance to see it in action? A game? videos?
Cheers

 

Videos and lots of pics are on a private section of my web pages. I will make public and share. Lots of really awesome pics...nature, weather, towns, characters...etc. Busy at real life work but the hobby continues well. Design also accommodates VR as well (by the design). In VR Mode you are basically becoming the camera in 3rd person (there is a 1st person mode when doing certain things).

 

Can't wait to see that!!

Makes me wanna play again with Genesis..

 

@eaque

Here are two shots of Genesis Weather v2 in morning action. The main difference between v1 and v2 is I added two lower meshes with different gradients for the Underside of the clouds. I also take a low poly mesh of the terrain to move cloud shadows across the 'surface' of the landscape. I also upgraded the textures and added some 'Chopped' out pieces of the original Genesis Weather Domes for distance clouds to rotate very slowly to simulate distance motion. The customized Unity Skybox and Cloud Shaders are all the same as v1. And yes...those are FLAT textures....just 6 layers of them.

Here are the two shots.

 

Oh my godness!!!
It's FANTASTIC!! Never seen such a realism before, only in movies.....!!
Clouds are so detailed so well lighted it's delicious for our eyes!
Many thanks for posting thoses pics!
Breathtaking....

Congrats!

 

I have 7 of these landscapes (of different varieties based upon regions) each is 64km2. They are referenced to my hand painted in photoshop map. I overlayed a grid as well. The map is made to print perfectly on a 24"x36" with 1" border for the framing (so the map is 23"x35")

Map Link: http://www.standsurestudio.com/AoOG/Maps/World of Anvarath - Age of Ost Galanhad.png

Map with Grid Link: http://www.standsurestudio.com/AoOG/Maps/World of Anvarath - Age of Ost Galanhad - Grid.png

Also updated my model to the final generation 4 as well. Changed the pics of Brighid on the web page.
Ok...enough ego stroking. haha! I think things are finally coming together! Now to add some 3DForge towns and Olander's Castle Kit to these landscapes and show it off for possible kickstarter! Getting close!

Cheers!
O

 

I guess you can....

I will be following your journey!! I understand why you don't want to sell Genesis2 right now.
It's such Key point for a game and visually it kicks some ass (sorry for saying that)

Any Unity forum for "World of Anvarath"?

ps: more pics here would be a delight!

Cheers

 

I am looking for a good weather asset quite a long time now and I was so glad to have found yours!

I thought you'd do it for the sake of open source and the community, so it is very disappointing that now that you have your most complete solution, you just abandon the old one. (I mean, it is not working anymore. I get import errors because of PP Stack v1, I guess...)

Dont get me wrong, its your stuff and you can do what you want ofc, but I followed your posts from your Time Of Day plugin until now just to uncover this...

Kudos though for everything you gave!

 

The version available is connected to Unity Post Processing v1 or Legacy (although getting really difficult to find the old scripts). The included demo scene in the package has everything needed to run in there. There is no compatibility to Unity Post Processing v2 but is not that far of a stretch for someone to implement it. I don't use the Unity Post Processing...I use HBAO, Beautify, and Amplify FXAA....in that order and these never break between Unity versions. Some others have good success with PRISM and various other combinations.

And that is the point. This weather solution is a very realistic simulation, with very high performance, 100% Source C#, Detailed PDF, and Free for you to make it your own (Not to Package Up and Resell). I give the details on how to connect it to a Post Processing Interface...it is up to you to connect it your your Post Processing and make it your own. In fact I converted this exact weather to C++ in UE4 and do it exactly the same way but connecting into UE4's Post Processing is different but works. I am currently in Unity 2018.3.0 and UE4.21 and this weather still works flawlessly. The pics above a couple posts are in Unity but at this point both Unity and UE4 I have looking identical.

I will say that this weather system is not just a click and magic happens weather. Read the PDF and the 'Why' behind this and play with all the variables I made public for a reason. Doing great weather is like watching paint dry...really boring. However, there are enough buttons to click and do things to see things happen in real time. Also don't forget that the cloud domes only change at night for visual fidelity....but I explain this...and it is really easy to change.

My ArchVis customers absolutely love being able to change the time and weather to get the shots they want for their products/customers. Amazing fidelity to be honest.

Good luck and thanks for the kudos!
Cheers
O

 

How do I get this asset working with Unity 2020.2/Post Processing Stack v2?

 

All files are no longer available. I have been cleaning up my FTP and decided that it has been plenty long enough to host these. I have them on my NAS drive so if needed I can FTP specifically if needed. Send a PM request. Email notifications do not work well from Unity Forums but I log in a couple times a month.

Cheers
O

 

great memories with genesis!! thanks man!