Release notes version 1.6rev1
Debug Mode has been improved! It now features a new 3D gizmo for moving, rotating, and scaling objects (hold Left Shift and Ctrl to scale). There are new tabs, menu design enhancements, a brand-new object handling menu, and much more!
A crucial technique for rendering high-quality shadows in large-scale environments, balancing performance and detail across varying distances from the camera.
We took a slightly different approach to the implementation to maintain project compatibility, but the idea is the same. Here's how the cascades are typically structured:
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🔴 Red Cascade (Near / Smallest): Covers the closest area to the camera. Uses the highest resolution to capture fine shadow details (e.g., character feet, nearby objects).
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🟢 Green Cascade (Mid-range / Medium): Covers the middle distance from the camera. Balances resolution and coverage. Typically used for buildings, terrain, or objects a few meters away.
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🔵 Blue Cascade (Far / Largest): Covers the furthest visible region. Uses lower resolution to save memory and processing power. Shadows are less detailed but still provide depth and realism in the distance.
Its usage is straightforward:
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Debug: Enables the CSM debug view (works during runtime as well). Useful for visualizing the cascade distribution and adjustments.
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Cascade Proportion: Defines the percentage of the camera frustum each cascade will cover. For example, setting it to 0.250 | 0.250 means the Red and Green cascades will each occupy 25% of the frustum, while the Blue cascade will cover the remaining 50%. Enable the Debug option to visualize these proportions better.
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CSM Size (Medium | Low): Defines the shadow map resolution for the Green (Medium) and Blue (Low) cascades. The Red cascade uses the resolution set by the Size option in the Shadow Quality tab.
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CSM Shadow (Soft | Bias): These settings are the same as those found in the Shadow Quality tab, but applied individually to each cascade. This allows for more precise tuning and control over shadow softness and bias per cascade.
We've made some small changes to the engine's interface to give it a cleaner look. A more significant redesign is planned for after version 2.0.
We've enhanced the post-processing effects. SSR has received major quality improvements and more advanced optimizations.
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Additionally, a new Screen Space Irradiance system has been added.
We've made significant improvements to the engine's frame timing, profiler, and delta time stability. These systems are now much more reliable. Additionally, issues related to unusually high service time have been fixed.
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You can now control the mist using Python, along with several improvements for better performance and flexibility.
def start(self, args):
self.object.scene.world.mistColor = (1,0, 0.8, 0.8)
self.object.scene.world.mistHeight = 1.0
self.object.scene.world.mistDensity = 1.0