Billboarding Distant Avatars
Shanie
- Setting in Settings for maximium number of draw calls (or Avatars) to show at a given time (or have it automatic based on framerate).
- Beyond this number of avatars in front of you, the rest will be billboarded in a VR friendly way of the avatar in a standing position AND orientated the correct direction from images taken during upload from the SDK automatically.
| - This means that there will be a screenshot from the top and 8 positions around the avatar, low quality.
Now anyone beyond that reach will have as few polygons as possible and one draw call.
Essentially a higher-quality Doom 2 avatar from far away: https://gamefabrique.com/storage/screenshots/gba/doom-2-03.png
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General Sotheny
This sounds like a cool idea. How would it make the billboard though? During the upload phase would users have to position cameras around the avatar like you would with the avatar icon?
Shanie
General Sotheny: Since the SDK knows how big the avatar is and where it is in the Unity scene (it uploads it after all), the SDK, during upload time, would put the character into a walking pose, automatically throw Cameras on all sides as to get the avatar at all angles (while hiding all the other objects in the scene), create images, alpha out around the avatar in the pictures to make it transparent (use like hot pink background to make it easier), severely lower the quality of the shots, turn these into whatever, cubes or planes or what have you, and billboard them with a VR friendly shader, then upload the images with the avatar..
Neitri
Or they can allow LOD Group component on avatars so we can more easily do this.
Shanie
Neitri: I mean I don't have faith in people/newbies to run LODs, specifically efficient ones that blend materials and minimize draw calls. I find this the happy medium.
Tristen Rouse
My buddy has an avatar with a shader that does this. His turns into a indistinguishable blocks at a distance so I cant see what he's doing but I think this would be an interesting idea if they can get it to work.