Super-fast high-quality SSAO

Any update on a release date? I bought your bloom asset and am very impressed. Unity's ssao is completely unusable for me. I also tried ssao Pro but it breaks when I use with Lux PBS so that was a no go as well. I am hoping yours will work with Lux in 4.6. I need SSAO!

 

Release! Release! lol

 

Hey, everyone. I feel pretty happy with how it's turned out so far, but I'd like to get a small group of testers to make sure it's functioning as it should for different types of scenes and different hardware. I'd also like some general feedback. If you're interested, please send me a PM with details on what kind of scenes you may have to test this effect with, and what GPU you're using. If testing goes well, I'll be polishing up the UI, cleaning up the code, writing documentation, and then submitting this to the Asset Store.

 

sent

 

I'd like to test it, for sure - but barring that, could you post more images of where your test cases are, visually? I'd really love to see your progress.

 

Any Updates to the status of this project?

If you are still looking for beta testers, let me know

 

+1

 

Beta testing has gone very well! I only want to add a few more features and fix up the UI, and then it'll basically be ready. Writing documentation can be pretty time-consuming, and that has yet to be done. I hope to get this submitted to the Asset Store as soon as possible. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

 

Hey Sonic, I was wondering if you could do a comparison between your SSAO and this one? http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/ssao-pro-high-quality-screen-space-ambient-occlusion.274003/

 

here is some inspiration for ya, http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/9505/953315097.jpg, http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/9733/882746114.jpg, http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/7853/95332406.jpg. showing some badass image effects. keep us updated on your progress!

 

Sonic, the second you release this I'm buying it. Sooooo . . . . hurry please!

 

I'll definitely be buying this on release, looks superb.

 

Hello, sorry that I am newbie on this kind of stuff, will this asset support medium performance mobile devices?

 

Besides SSAO, it looks like sonicether is working on realtime GI as well:
https://twitter.com/sonic_ether/status/568444503062786048

 

(politely pokes SonicEther)

 

(throws money at SonicEther)

 

When does UT hire this guy to integrate his awesome stuff into Unity natively?

 

Never. Unity is happy with including crappy default effects and getting even more money when devs have to purchase better ones in the asset store.

 

Does this work with SpeedTree assets?

SSAO Pro can not handle the semi transparent leaves. Did you test that?

 

Would be interested if you can make a per object field AO... Like the Ambient Occlusion fields technic from Nathan Reed

 

Can we get an update on this project?

 

I would definitely buy this.

And I have a question as well.
Would you include an option to change occlusion color?
I've noticed that games almost always use AO as a multiply, while in reality we (compositors) more often use it as a mask to control gamma/gain. But maybe this is leads to a higher performance hit than simply multiplying black?
I'm wondering why it isn't used more like you would use it then doing traditional compositing.

 

is there an option for just effecting only shadows? with PBR this is rather important.

 

I wanted to update everyone on this project.

As some of you may know, I was invited to exhibit at Unity's booth at GDC. Preparation for this took up all of my time for February and early March. Now that GDC is over, I can focus again on this project.

As soon as I found out that I was going to be going to GDC, I wanted to prepare something impressive that I hadn't really shown off before, which is my 100% dynamic (no precomputation) solution to Global Illumination (for now only works for outdoor scenes lit by sunlight). I'd like to get my GI onto the asset store as soon as possible, so I find myself juggling this project, GI, and working on updating and adding new features to my bloom/dirty lens asset. Since SSAO and GI are closely-related effects, I'd like to release those two around the same time.

SSAO is nearly done at this point. The last thing that I need to figure out is how I can only apply AO to ambient light and not direct light. As Cynicat pointed out, this is very important. It won't be possible with Unity 4, but it'll be quite simple with Unity 5's command buffers. The real challenge will be ensuring that it remains compatible with any shaders or other shader assets (like Alloy). It would be very useful to me if you guys could share with me what other graphics-related assets you use with your projects. I'd like to ensure maximum compatibility.

I have a cheap "fake" solution to this problem, which is using a luminosity threshold to limit the application of AO on bright areas of the screen. It works at times, but it's certainly not a solution I'm happy with relying on.

Changing occlusion color is a feature I plan on including as well.

 

Sounds awesome! can't wait! unity needs good AO. i especially need it for an art style i've been playing with. its ambient lighting(think overcast day). no shadows, just GI. makes the colors pop like nothing you've seen. hides model artifacting really well also. i come from a CG background so the fact unity can do that now is super cool. however, unity's AO is really shoddy. kinda smudgy.

one thing that caught my attention was temporal AO. uses temporal re-projection on the AO samples. looks really good and forgoes the blur effect. i know its super hard in unity right now due to the lack of a velocity buffer. but considering they have said they are working on TXAA and mentioned adding a velocity buffer, that might be more of an option in the future. was an interesting read http://www.cg.tuwien.ac.at/~matt/tssao/ssao.pdf.

 

Are any of these effects capable of operating at the same time (SSAO, GI, bloom), or must they occur sequentially? I'm very nooby about all of this, but I gather using a lot of separate post effects can be inefficient.

 

@sonicether Will there be an option to turn off the "AO in shadows only" feature? Personally I like the look you get when it's applied in direct light. I know it's not "strictly accurate" or whatever, but it makes for a really grungy visual style, like dirt accumulating in the cracks.

It sounds like the version I want is already finished, sort of?

 

Good news. I am waiting for this asset and check this topic daily.

For the graphics-related asset (I am not sure your work as an impact on this):

RTP https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/5664
Skyshop https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/8880
Shader Forge https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/14147

Please please please, after you finished what you have to finish : do a Screen Space Reflection asset.
I know you can do it ; the one you made for the SEUS is perfect.
We really need good reflections, and actually there is nothing good as Candela's team stopped developing their asset and Candela ( https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/15851 ) doesn't work in Unity 5.

Your bloom asset is awesome, by the way.

 

Please check if it works with SpeedTree. They have semi transparent leaves and this might pose a problem to SSAO.

 

just a reminder - this isn't a thread about Candela ......

 

Regardless if another user is incorrect or correct about candela, please keep it to your own thread. This is a thread about Sonic Ether's products. I'd hate to revoke forum posting permissions to enforce this.

I've had to delete several posts about it.

 

thank you

 

Noticed some bugs-

SSAO shades polys with speedtree foliage, rather than being restricted to the leaf textures. Is there anything that can be done?

 

was thinking... could we have an occlusion power? put the final occlusion value through a power(to control the curve). would be nice for when you want to customize the falloff of the shadows.

 

This is likely an issue with how the speedtree foliage shader writes to the depth buffer.

Absolutely, it's already implemented.

 

*hug*

 

bring on the SEAO

 

Very interested in either helping to beta test, or purchasing ASAP! Preferably both

 

Same here! Pssst Sooooonic!!!

 

I'm down with a beta as well! CGI graphics nerd here to help/give you money.

P.S. for anyone who wants it, i just tested this guys script to get post effects in the scene view and it works amazingly. except with unity's AO sadly. works with ambient obscurence for some reason. http://www.quickfingers.net/quick-bites-04-scene-view-fx/

 

Still no word on release of this?

 

I think it's just about ready, guys. I've fixed the last few bugs I could find and I'm putting together the final pieces to submit this to the Asset Store. I apologize for the wait!

 

woohoo finally!!

 

WOOHOOOOOOOO! YAY! ambient lighting here i come!

 

Is that Speed Tree transparency related bug fixed?

 

Hope we can get it this week!. Works with fog? If not. Comes with a distance falloff? Works with 4.6?

 

I'm literally counting the days until the asset is ready. That being said, I am also very eager for the updates to SENBDL. Cheers!

 

YAY!!! Cant wait!

 

Someone tell me why should I buy this instead SSAO PRO?

 

color bleeding, ao tint, sonic ether is awesome, it looks really good. personally can't say whether its better or worse than ssao pro but i love sonic ethers stuff so ill give it a shot. also color bleed looks awesome.