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Shader programmer needed

Discussion in 'Shaders' started by crimson_diablos, Jun 23, 2007.

  1. crimson_diablos

    crimson_diablos

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2007
    Posts:
    4
    Before I start off, let me first introduce myself. I am student at a Dutch school for gamedesign and development and I am currently working on a game with a small team. Although this game is still far from complete, the shader programmer we currently have is going to quit in about a week. Since we really want this game to work, shaders as a finishing touch are necessary for the feel of the game and therefore we will be needing a shader programmer starting next week, who can take over the work of the current.

    Unfortunately, we cannot give you any money or other compensation for your work, apart from the fact that you will be mentioned in the credits (which have an important role in this project, as the game is purely meant for portfolio only, so we will definitely make clear who worked on it) and on the website that will be created for it. You have to see this project as a learning experience and something you can show to future clients and/or employers.

    Currently we are working in the 3D engine called virtools, but at the moment I havent got any data on it (it isnt installed on the computer I am typing this on), I cannot go into details about the specifics of the shaders as of yet (I am currently trying to get the software installed, but it wil, most probably take until tonight). I can say that the majority of the shaders we will be needing will be postprocessing shaders (at least, thats what I understood from our current shader programmer). Think of simple shaders like bloom type shaders, ranging to more difficult shaders like water. We will try to make it as clear as possible to you what shaders we will be needing (with images and descriptions and if possible even realtime examples), so there is no to worry about that.

    The game is a sidescrolling action-adventure with as theme pirates. In case you are interested, please PM me, and I will try to give you any details you want. As for the first beta (dont expect a lot, it is just to get an idea of what we are making), please follow this link:

    http://80.60.190.55/tech/pirates.html


    Keymapping is as follows:
    A: left
    D: right
    S: duck (A/D for crouching, S to get back up)
    W: enter staircases (one currently works)

    7: switch to previous skill
    8: reset to sword attack skill
    9: switch to next skill
    4: jump
    5: use current selected skill
    6: no use yet (will be implemented in the future)

    Interface is not present yet, so the skill selection is more press and try (and hope it has some effect). When the interface is implemented this will be a whole lot clearer.
     
  2. Samantha

    Samantha

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2005
    Posts:
    609
    If I might be so bold, you may want to consider migrating away from Virtools and make your game with Unity instead. You mentioned that you are early in the cycle, so it wouldn't hurt to download the trial and put your art, sound, and animation assets into Unity just to see how quickly it works.

    The other big thing is that the shaders you're looking for -- Bloom and Water shaders, come standard with Unity Pro. If you need a shader programmer, they will have great examples to start with, so they won't have to create any shaders from scratch.

    If you're interested in trying out a Unity Pro month-trial for Mac OS X, just send an email to support@otee.dk
     
  3. crimson_diablos

    crimson_diablos

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2007
    Posts:
    4
    The problem is that quite currently, we dont have any choice except working with virtools. Virtools is the program our school supplies us with, and since we only had 4 weeks to whip out a core, our core programmer needed something that she could work with and get something working within those four weeks (and since she did have experience working with virtools, but not with other programs, we decided to stick with virtools).

    We were, in fact, thinking of migrating to another program later on (at this moment of time, that program would be Torque), so it is still a possibility it can happen, but the demo of the game will be completely produced in virtools.

    On a sidenote, Unity is mac exclusive?
     
  4. MatthewW

    MatthewW

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2006
    Posts:
    1,356
    Have you tried posting in the Swap Meet (the Virtools forums)? There are also several shader examples included with Virtools. Check Shaders_Effects_Demo.cmo for a glow example you could modify to become a bloom.

    There is an included water example, too, but isn't exactly modular. There is quite a bit of logic happening at the script level.

    The problem with Virtools and shaders is that the Virtools engine predates programmable shaders. HLSL is very much bolted on to the Virtools render engine. As a result, you end up doing a lot of stuff in schematic to prepare a scene for more complex shaders. It's a huge pain to chain a pile of Combine RT Views BBs to get the effect you want, and it usually means your setup isn't very portable from project to project.

    Unity really is a much better solution when it comes to shaders. This is a Unity forum, though, so I'm not quite sure what you were expecting to hear ;)
     
  5. crimson_diablos

    crimson_diablos

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2007
    Posts:
    4
    Well, I was searching for a shader based forum, and I thought I had found it. But apparently I was mistaken (I mistook unity for something else)...

    But indeed, since I now know about what Unity is, I guess asking around here for Virtools based programming isnt going to do much good or add anything to this forum...

    So I will ask a different question: can anyone point me to a good forum that is specifically meant for shader programmers?

    The swapmeetforum is not quite an option, as the only people that are able to produce good shaders (and are, as such, also the most active ones) either work for Xform or Little Chicken, two companies specialising with Virtools in the Netherlands. They will not help a student group with their project.
     
  6. MatthewW

    MatthewW

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2006
    Posts:
    1,356
    In the Virtools community Patrick, angel of dark, and Dom are also fairly knowledgeable with shaders. They're usually helpful if you're polite, but I think they were all becoming disillusioned with Virtools. You could also try the Virtools IRC channel, although I'm not sure if it's still around.

    As you can probably guess, we used Virtools several years. We're actually still a Virtools Authorized Game Developer, last time I looked.

    I'm not sure where to go for shader-specific help. Maybe gamedev.net forums have a shader discussion area?
     
  7. crimson_diablos

    crimson_diablos

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2007
    Posts:
    4
    Thanks! I have joined gamedev now, and asked my question there. Even though I made the mistake that Unity is also a gamedev program, thanks for all of your help! Now to hope I can get some reaction on gamedev.