Vertex shader instruction counts are generally less of a performance concern on the graphical side than pixel instruction counts, due to the number of vertices on a model generally being significantly lower than the number of pixels that the model draws. A model processed using this technique uses only one additional UV channel more than a standard Static Mesh, but its animations are far less expensive than skeletal animations because they are calculated in real time.
The sample foliage motion material function provides support for hierarchies up to 4 levels deep and 30,000 model elements.Ĭreating motion this way has its benefits. Retrieving sub-object pivot points is now simply a matter of processing a mesh in 3D Studio Max with the Pivot Painter script, importing the files and creating a material using the available Pivot Painter functions. Sample content, like that provided in Content Examples also helps by showing how an animation, like the one featured above, can be generated. The results are fluid and realistic.Ĭreating these types of materials has been made much simpler with the addition of the Pivot Painter 2's Material Functions. Each element is animated using its individual pivot point, direction vector, bounds size and inherited motion. The Pivot Painter material function forms motion inheritance information for each of the model's leaves and branches. The motion shown in the sample video is procedurally generated in real-time using vertex shaders. Those textures can then be referenced inside of Unreal's shader system to create interactive effects. The Pivot Painter 2.0 MAXScript stores the pivot and rotational information in the model's textures.