[*Percentage-closer soft shadows*] are a technique from 2004 that allow
shadows to become blurrier farther from the objects that cast them. It
works by introducing a *blocker search* step that runs before the normal
shadow map sampling. The blocker search step detects the difference
between the depth of the fragment being rasterized and the depth of the
nearby samples in the depth buffer. Larger depth differences result in a
larger penumbra and therefore a blurrier shadow.
To enable PCSS, fill in the `soft_shadow_size` value in
`DirectionalLight`, `PointLight`, or `SpotLight`, as appropriate. This
shadow size value represents the size of the light and should be tuned
as appropriate for your scene. Higher values result in a wider penumbra
(i.e. blurrier shadows).
When using PCSS, temporal shadow maps
(`ShadowFilteringMethod::Temporal`) are recommended. If you don't use
`ShadowFilteringMethod::Temporal` and instead use
`ShadowFilteringMethod::Gaussian`, Bevy will use the same technique as
`Temporal`, but the result won't vary over time. This produces a rather
noisy result. Doing better would likely require downsampling the shadow
map, which would be complex and slower (and would require PR #13003 to
land first).
In addition to PCSS, this commit makes the near Z plane for the shadow
map configurable on a per-light basis. Previously, it had been hardcoded
to 0.1 meters. This change was necessary to make the point light shadow
map in the example look reasonable, as otherwise the shadows appeared
far too aliased.
A new example, `pcss`, has been added. It demonstrates the
percentage-closer soft shadow technique with directional lights, point
lights, spot lights, non-temporal operation, and temporal operation. The
assets are my original work.
Both temporal and non-temporal shadows are rather noisy in the example,
and, as mentioned before, this is unavoidable without downsampling the
depth buffer, which we can't do yet. Note also that the shadows don't
look particularly great for point lights; the example simply isn't an
ideal scene for them. Nevertheless, I felt that the benefits of the
ability to do a side-by-side comparison of directional and point lights
outweighed the unsightliness of the point light shadows in that example,
so I kept the point light feature in.
Fixes#3631.
[*Percentage-closer soft shadows*]:
https://developer.download.nvidia.com/shaderlibrary/docs/shadow_PCSS.pdf
## Changelog
### Added
* Percentage-closer soft shadows (PCSS) are now supported, allowing
shadows to become blurrier as they stretch away from objects. To use
them, set the `soft_shadow_size` field in `DirectionalLight`,
`PointLight`, or `SpotLight`, as applicable.
* The near Z value for shadow maps is now customizable via the
`shadow_map_near_z` field in `DirectionalLight`, `PointLight`, and
`SpotLight`.
## Screenshots
PCSS off:
PCSS on:
---------
Co-authored-by: Alice Cecile <alice.i.cecile@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Torstein Grindvik <52322338+torsteingrindvik@users.noreply.github.com>
Hello,
I'd like to contribute to this project by adding some useful constants
and improving the documentation for the AspectRatio struct. Here's a
summary of the changes I've made:
1. Added new constants for common aspect ratios:
- SIXTEEN_NINE (16:9)
- FOUR_THREE (4:3)
- ULTRAWIDE (21:9)
2. Enhanced the overall documentation:
- Improved module-level documentation with an overview and use cases
- Expanded explanation of the AspectRatio struct with examples
- Added detailed descriptions and examples for all methods (both
existing and new)
- Included explanations for the newly introduced constant values
- Added clarifications for From trait implementations
These changes aim to make the AspectRatio API more user-friendly and
easier to understand. The new constants provide convenient access to
commonly used aspect ratios, which I believe will be helpful in many
scenarios.
---------
Co-authored-by: Gonçalo Rica Pais da Silva <bluefinger@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Lixou <82600264+DasLixou@users.noreply.github.com>
# Objective
- Fixes#14974
## Solution
- Replace all* instances of `NonZero*` with `NonZero<*>`
## Testing
- CI passed locally.
---
## Notes
Within the `bevy_reflect` implementations for `std` types,
`impl_reflect_value!()` will continue to use the type aliases instead,
as it inappropriately parses the concrete type parameter as a generic
argument. If the `ZeroablePrimitive` trait was stable, or the macro
could be modified to accept a finite list of types, then we could fully
migrate.
We want to use the clustering infrastructure for light probes and decals
as well, not just point lights. This patch builds on top of #13640 and
performs the rename.
To make this series easier to review, this patch makes no code changes.
Only identifiers and comments are modified.
## Migration Guide
* In the PBR shaders, `point_lights` is now known as
`clusterable_objects`, `PointLight` is now known as `ClusterableObject`,
and `cluster_light_index_lists` is now known as
`clusterable_object_index_lists`.
As a prerequisite for decals and clustering of light probes, we want
clustering to operate on objects other than lights. (Currently, it only
operates on point and spot lights.) This necessitates a large
refactoring, so I'm splitting it up into small steps.
The first such step is to separate clustering from lighting by moving
clustering-related types and functions out of lighting and into their
own module subtree within the `bevy_pbr` crate. (Ultimately, we may want
to move it to `bevy_render`, but that requires more work and can be a
followup.)
No code changes have been made other than adjusting import lists and
moving code. This is to make this code easy to review. Ultimately, I
want to rename "light" to "clusterable object" in most cases, but doing
that at the same time as moving the code would make reviewing harder. So
instead I'm moving the code first and will follow this up with renaming.
## Migration Guide
* Clustering-related types and functions (e.g.
`assign_lights_to_clusters`) have moved under `bevy_pbr::cluster`, in
preparation for the ability to cluster objects other than lights.
