Experimenting with TV shaders and interesting results

[+Eagle114th 752]

Hello everyone!

This week have been very interesting with tons of researching, experimenting and testing the TV filters and  FX (Shader) files.

What I have learned so far with this theory from observation and countless testing;

SF2 Engine does not allow us to direclty mix the shaders with 3D world for TV screen via radar texture methods.  (UseRadarTexture=TRUE), BUT it does allow us to use sampling to add the 'tilted / hue colors' to the TV.

After testing various .FX, including FLTDTVFILTER.FX, turns out that TWCOLOR1.FX and TWCOLOR2.FX works because it uses sampling methods.

However, after testing TWCOLOR2.FX, what I learend is that only one of colro can be used with taht FX due to Alpha being 1.0 by default, which mean, the last texture laoded will overwrite the first one.  Fortuantely, it got fixed, by setting Alpha to 0.5, which allows me to combine any two colors that would give me various colors.

For example

I have various color texture (mostly JPG, except for Alpha one that have invisible color)



When testing with two colors with updated TWCOLOR2.FX, used this folowing codes in .INI FILE:

 

Quote

[TVDisplayData]
UseRadarTexture=TRUE
DisplayLimitLeft=0
DisplayLimitRight=1024
DisplayLimitTop=0
DisplayLimitBottom=1024
ApplyFilter=TRUE
FilterMaterial=DTVFilterMaterial
OverlayTexture=

[DTVFilterMaterial]
EffectShaderName=TWCOLOR2.FX
DepthBufferCheck=FALSE
DepthBufferWrite=FALSE
RenderedInOrder=FALSE
AlphaTestEnabled=FALSE
CullMode=NO_CULL
LightEnabled=FALSE
UseLightLevel=FALSE
SpecularEnabled=FALSE
EmissiveEnabled=FALSE
FogEnabled=FALSE
AmbientColor=1.00, 0.00, 0.00, 1.00
DiffuseColor=1.00, 0.00, 0.00, 1.00
ZBufferOffset=0.00
PriorityLevel=3
BlendOp=MODULATE
NumTextureStages=2

TextureStage[01].TextureName=cockpit\TV\BLACK.JPG
TextureStage[01].MipMap=FALSE
TextureStage[01].FilterEnabled=FALSE
TextureStage[01].StageColorOp=TEXTURE_ALPHA
TextureStage[01].StageAlphaOp=DIFFUSE_ALPHA

TextureStage[02].TextureName=cockpit\TV\WHITE.JPG
TextureStage[02].MipMap=FALSE
TextureStage[02].FilterEnabled=FALSE
TextureStage[02].StageColorOp=TEXTURE_ALPHA
TextureStage[02].StageAlphaOp=DIFFUSE_ALPHA

The result in-game (A-4E '65)

I was even more curious, what happens if I add third color?
 

Quote

[TVDisplayData]
UseRadarTexture=TRUE
DisplayLimitLeft=0
DisplayLimitRight=1024
DisplayLimitTop=0
DisplayLimitBottom=1024
ApplyFilter=TRUE
FilterMaterial=DTVFilterMaterial
OverlayTexture=

[DTVFilterMaterial]
EffectShaderName=TWCOLOR3.FX
DepthBufferCheck=FALSE
DepthBufferWrite=FALSE
RenderedInOrder=FALSE
AlphaTestEnabled=FALSE
CullMode=NO_CULL
LightEnabled=FALSE
UseLightLevel=FALSE
SpecularEnabled=FALSE
EmissiveEnabled=FALSE
FogEnabled=FALSE
AmbientColor=1.00, 0.00, 0.00, 1.00
DiffuseColor=1.00, 0.00, 0.00, 1.00
ZBufferOffset=0.00
PriorityLevel=3
BlendOp=MODULATE
NumTextureStages=3

TextureStage[01].TextureName=cockpit\TV\BLACK.JPG
TextureStage[01].MipMap=FALSE
TextureStage[01].FilterEnabled=FALSE
TextureStage[01].StageColorOp=TEXTURE_ALPHA
TextureStage[01].StageAlphaOp=DIFFUSE_ALPHA

TextureStage[02].TextureName=cockpit\TV\WHITE.JPG
TextureStage[02].MipMap=FALSE
TextureStage[02].FilterEnabled=FALSE
TextureStage[02].StageColorOp=TEXTURE_ALPHA
TextureStage[02].StageAlphaOp=DIFFUSE_ALPHA

TextureStage[03].TextureName=cockpit\TV\RED.JPG
TextureStage[03].MipMap=FALSE
TextureStage[03].FilterEnabled=FALSE
TextureStage[03].StageColorOp=TEXTURE
TextureStage[03].StageAlphaOp=DIFFUSE

The resault:

I have many files to share here, so anyone can have resources, information, and files to experiment with, not only TV, also any thing else in SF2.

IN the files "TW SHADER FILES.zip" it is extracted files using SF2 Extractor and the file names inside each file's header are corrected to avoid the confusion.

TW SHADER FILES.zip

And in the file "TW SHADER FILES - NEW", there are updated TWOCOLOR2.FX, along with new TWCOLOR3.FX and TWCOLOR4.FX, you can experiment with various texture files.

TW SHADER FILES - NEW.zip

In the file "TW FX FILES INFORMATION.txt", it contains summary of each shaderas.  It seems too bvious for us who already are familiar with it, but it does not hurt to at least have it.  I used SearchGPT to assist with me. WIthout it, it would have taken me too long time.

TW FX FILES INFORMATION.txt

 

Finally, the file "FX FILES CONTENTS.txt" have long list of Shader's codes, consdier it as 'hand book" for quick references to any shader codes.

FX FILES CONTENTS.txt

 

RIght now I am continuing to experiment with many thories I have about sampling techniques to turn TV into grayscale for early CRT TV in early cold war aircraft.


Eagle114th

TW FX FILES INFORMATION.txt

Edited Thursday at 11:08 AM by Eagle114th

[+ravenclaw_007 7,658]

nice find 

how about a black and white TV screen for EO guided weapons   , would that be possible ???

[+Eagle114th 752]

34 minutes ago, ravenclaw_007 said:

nice find 

how about a black and white TV screen for EO guided weapons   , would that be possible ???

I would love to have that too!

However, after days of experimenting and trying countless testings; It only ended ujp giving me black screen on TV screen.

It turns out that, the most pracical thing to do is to use multi layers of textures:

Main texture (gray) to 'simulate' gray scale sorta

next layer CRT lines and other graphic on top of it, with transparent background (alpha)

then final, the darkness adjustment, darker around corner, less dark (more transprent) toward center

That is what I am doing now.

However, ti does not mean I have given up finding the way to have 'true grayscale" I hope someday it can be figured out.


Eagle14th

Edited Thursday at 02:11 PM by Eagle114th

[+Eagle114th 752]

For now, by color sampling methods, I am doing my best to give it a 'feeling' of old 1960s CRT and grayscale sorta of.

Based on this:



Here is top layer (1960s CRT effects)

PLEASE NOTE, I am not trying to make TV actauly being grayscale because it is not possible right now.  Rather, by arts and styles, I am making it feel like you ahve ojld CRT TV from 1960s, by adding the gray hue / tilt on top of TV with old CRT style on top of it.

This is the result:

 

However I am still exploring to see what more I can do to further improve the sense of 'grayscale'. 


Eagle114th

Edited yesterday at 10:58 AM by Eagle114th

[+Eagle114th 752]

Hello everyone

After testing with various texture as color filter for TV, this is the best I can do that would make it seem like you are using old CRT TV:

 

 

UPDATE: WIth excellent ideas from Menrva, added the noises' to CRT effect layer, here is latest screenshot:

Created four textues for testing color filters

 

This one is the best, not too transparent (clear) nor too dark

Along with top layer (TGA) containing CRT style texture:

Eagle114th

Edited yesterday at 11:59 AM by Eagle114th

[+daddyairplanes 10,608]

that is wicked