One draw call for each shader, with dynamic meshes : The Bob script.

Hi legend411,
Thanks for your interest in Batching tools.
What you describe is very interesting indeed. It is a custom batching solution regarding skinned meshes.
The first and probably the second version of Batching tools will not provide this facility.
I am interested in working out this solution, but I have no assets to work with. My 3d modelling skills do not permit me to create a rigged character. If you have some assets I can work with, as fbx files, I could start working in this solution earlier. Thanks for bringing this up, it has some potential.

Update : Some first attempts for implementing mobile/bumped diffuse shader are not so bad :



Original knife model by elias_t. Still much work to do

 

Sent you some PM's

 

Hi,
Update :

Batching Tools now supports the following shaders :

1. Diffuse
2. Transparent/Diffuse
3. Unlit/Texture
4. Unlit/Transparent
5. Mobile/Diffuse
6. Mobile/Unlit (Supports Lightmap)
7. Mobile/Bumped Diffuse
8. Mobile/Bumped Specular
9. Mobile/Bumped Specular (1 Directional Light)
10. Mobile/Particles/Additive
11. Mobile/Particles/Alpha Blended
12. Mobile/Particles/Multiply
13. Mobile/Particles/VertexLit
14. Mobile/Particles/VertexLit (Only Directional Lights)

Some results from the mobile diffuse shader, using the "9 square wooden shields" unitypackage by Mister Necturus from the asset store :




I have finished developing the first version of Batching Tools, now I will start making some examples and some video tutorials. I have found some 3d assets ( thanks a lot the 3d artists who provided them ) and I will use them for demonstration purposes. So we are closing to a release date, hopefully in less than two weeks.
Thanks for the support,
-Ippokratis

 

Sorry for the late package, was ill/sick It was rushed and the texturing+UV map are pretty nasty. Still hope it helps a bit.

 

Hi Sclumpfsack,
Thanks a lot for the assets provided, they look great ! Hope you get well soon.
Is it possible ( do you allow me ) to use them for demonstrative purposes ( i.e. post images with them ) or distribute them ?
With credits attribution of course.
Thanks anyway,
-Ippokratis

 

to be honest...they are not that great^^ and yes, of course you can use them.

 

Hi,
Many thanks to all the people who send their character models !
For the moment I have frozen new features addition, I must develop now a web page and some video tutorials...

The reason is that I released Batching Tools v 1.0

It is available at the Asset Store, since yesterday.
Forum thread : http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/113508-Batching-Tools
I would prefer to continue the discussion there, thanks everybody for the support !
-Ippokratis

P.s Please read carefully the description and the documentation in the forum thread before you buy the product. Version 1.0 provides a solution for combining materials and its intended use is with Unity built - in batching system. It does not provide custom batching, i.e character batching. I will try to include some custom batching in following versions but please do not base your purchase on this expectation. Thank you.

 

Recommending this to people now, its a solid tool.

 

Hi hippocoder,
Thanks for supporting Batching Tools I am very interested in suggestions - feedback, if you have any, I would love to hear them.
-Ippokratis

 

It has only a little downside, if your meshes are bigger than dynamic batch limit (around 300 vertices) you will need to combine them to a single huge mesh if you want a single draw.

This means you need to use either the CombineChilren scripts at runtime on the whole bunch of shared material meshes, but this will. of course kill lightmapping, but if you dont need lightmapping, this is the best approach, as it allows you to do fast level editing.

or

the furnished CombineObjects scripts which is precalculated. This. approach has the down side of not being able to edit the position and scale of your objects after you baked into a single mesh. But will run great with lightmaps !

Well, we could just start to call this: Static Batching for Unity Indie

 

Hi,
Thanks for the feedback, I responded to this post on the main Batching Tools thread
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/113508-Batching-Tools?p=796418#post796418

Also, Batching Tools v1.3 is available on the Asset Store

Thanks,
-Ippokratis

 

Hey there. I got a problem, and you guys might be able to help.
So... i`m trying to reduce the number of the draw calls. I already have tons of prefabs. i`m just using the TexturePacker for now.
Thing is, i have a list of prefabs, which will be instanced later on, not placed manually in the scene.

Let`s say one of them has 3-4-5 models with different textures.Same shader. For every texture, i manually change it`s properties, from the Texture importer. I set them to "texture type: advanced" and "read/write enabled".
Next, i drag and drop the TexturePacker script on the gameobject that has those 3-4-5 models, and it works, for the moment.

But after i click "apply", to save the changes to the prefab, and change the scene, or refresh this one, every object in the prefab loses his mesh and material. So it`s invisible. How can i fix that?

 

At this point, this script isn't supported anymore, so your best bet is to just get the official Batching Tool that Ippo posted above you...