Since the first release of MegaFlow we have done numerous updates to fix any issues and add numerous new features to the system with more to come. The main new feature that was added is support for moving flow sources which opens up some cool uses for the system, we have also improved the Texture 3D support so now vector feilds can be used by GPU based particle systems such as TC Particle, and we have improved the Vector field authoring system. Below is a complete list of the changes since first release and there is also a video showing the work flow for the new moving source system.
Changes Since Release
Added beta of the new moving source system.
Added a simple demo scene showing the moving source in use.
Added a Shuriken particle controller that uses moving sources.
Added a legacy particle controller that uses moving sources.
Added method to MegaFlowFrame API to get flow velocity as a world space position. Makes it easier to use for external scripts.
Changes made so users of MegaWires can use flow sources as wind sources for the wire physics.
Improved the inspector layout for the Create Flow system.
Added helper component MegaFlowSample which has two methods to allow you to get easily get the velocity from a flow field.
Updated the docs page for the MegaFlow source to show new options.
Updated the docs page for the Create Flow system to show the new options and inspector layout.
Further Optimizations to the particle controllers.
Changed the Texture3D create mode to fit the TCParticle layout.
Include setting for splines now respected in create flow.
Option to use a Texture3D in create flow mode
You can now resample the current frame to new grid dimensions, handy for testing smaller grids for better memory use.
Added option to add modifiers to the flow creation, so you can add any object with a collider and use that to adjust the flow.
Fixed an issue with missing preview flows not being saved in the scene.
Each frame can now have an offset value, useful if using multiple frames of different sizes.
Added option to the inspector normalize the flow frame data.
Added a preview option for the Create Flow system, so you can quickly see the current flow without having to send it to the flow source.
Fixed issue in Texture3D builder with negative values.
Added API section to MegaFlow docs, GetGridVelWorld, SetFrame, SetMatrix, GetCol methods.
If the MegaFlow Particle component is attached to a particle system you dont need to select a particle system to use, the system will use the object.
If the MegaFlow Legacy Particle component is attached to a particle system you dont need to select a particle system to use, the system will use the object.
Added beta option to inspector to save a Texture3D to the project for the current frame, can be used by GPU shader or particle systems such a TC Particles.
Fixed an exception if particle system was trying to use a flow source with no frame data.
Fixed an exception if rigid body controller was trying to use a flow source with no frame data.
Fixed an exception if effect controller was trying to use a flow source with no frame data.
Fixed a mismatch between cell and vector colors when showing magnitudes.
Added flow arrows to the Create From Spline gizmos to show the flow direction and force for that spline.
Added option to ring display to adjust alpha value.
Splines remain visible when Create Flow object selected.
Option to have Create flow gizmo always on.
Added option to show color of velocity vectors based on either direction or magnitude
Added editable color gradient for showing velocity magnitude
Added option to show color of the grid cells based on either direction or magnitude
Added FLW file format page to website
Added gradient color option to create flow from splines system.
Just a quick post to say the early adopter pricing of $50 for the MegaFlow system will be ending soon, so don’t miss out.
This video is a first look at a new system coming to MegaFlow soon, it allows you to have moving MegaFlow sources in a scene that follow the path of a moving object and allow that object to interact with particles as it moves through them. The first part of the video shows a scene with leaves and smoke and a car driving through them, as expected no interaction happens between the car and the particles. With the Moving source system turned on the car will now react nicely with the leaves and smoke, dragging the particles along in the MegaFlow vector field that is attached to the car. The Vector Field was generated using FumeFX in 3DS Max and imported into MegaFlow.
Overview of MegaFlow
Have you ever wanted to simulate a wind tunnel in your game, or have leaves of snow blow through your village flowing naturally around buildings, speeding up down alley ways or settling slowly in the lee of an obstacle, Lava flowing down a volcano side or Waterfalls cascading over rocks, Or a car stirring up leaves as it drives along a road in Autumn, vortices for your plane wings, perhaps an object floating along fast moving water, tornadoes, or even simulate gravity around objects in space, if so then MegaFlow can help.
MegaFlow is a set of systems that allow you to use Vector Fields to control the movement of objects or particle systems in Unity. Vector fields are a 2D or 3D grids of values that describe the direction and magnitude of velocities for that point in space. The Vector Field can be generated by systems such as Maya Fluids, FumeFX, Krakatoa, etc. MegaFlow can import the files generated by those systems in the form of .FXD or .FXA files, it also has an exporter for Maya that will export any Maya fluid simulation to the MegaFlow .FLW format. You can then import a single frame or multiple frames into the MegaFlow system in Unity and then use that to control the movement of particles from either the Shuriken or Legacy particle system, or control movement of Rigid Bodies or just general objects. Don’t worry though if you don’t have access to any Fluid Simulation software as MegaFlow also comes with a system that allows you to author your own Vector Fields inside Unity using multiple splines to define flow directions and forces.
The movement of objects interacting with the Vector Fields is via a simple physics simulation which has parameters that allow you to control the overall force the field applies and the mass of the objects that are interacting with it, this means you can adjust the look and feel of the flow from either a very tight following of the flow to a subtle influencing only of objects that move through the field. You can change the force the field exerts or reverse the flow direction. All the values can be adjusted at runtime via script of the Unity animation system if required.The physics code used is optimized for performance and makes use of multi threading on any system that has multiple cores for super fast performance even with 10’s of thousands of particles being moved.
If a system such as FumeFX or Maya fluids has been used to create the Vector Fields then that would allow you to place obstacles into the flow, if the flow is then used to control a Particle system you can get even more performance back by disabling the collision system in the Particle system, since the Vector Field will now handle moving the particles around objects in the way, this can get you quite a saving in CPU time in complex scenes. You can off course still use the collision system of the particles or rigid bodies alongside the flow system if you wish.
The Vector Field source can have any number of Vector Fields loaded so you can do animation of flows if required, or just easily swap the flow field being used to change the look and flow of your scene. You can ask the system to show you the flow through the system of objects via the visualization options, or display the flow as either vector lines or colored cells.
Included in MegaFlow are various components to help you use the Vector Fields in your projects. There are components to control the Unity particle systems as well as a component you can attach to any rigid body object that will then allow that object to be influenced by the Vector Field. There is also an example Smoke Gun script that will inject large numbers of objects into a scene so you can see how they flow.
Features
- Support for FumeFX FXD file import
- Support for FGA file import
- Custom Maya Fluids Exporter
- Create Vector Fields in Unity
- Multi-Threaded physics
- Highly optimized physics code
- C# Source Code Included
- Multiple frames of flow data per source
- Control Legacy or Shuriken particles
- Control Rigid Bodies
- Control Normal Objects
- Works in Unity Free
- Works on Mobile devices
- Flow visualization
- Create a 3d Texture from the flow
- MegaShapes Lite included
To find out more about the system please check the MegaFlow section on the menu on the left.
Video Examples
Below are some videos showing the MegaFlow system being used in a couple of scenarios, the first uses a Maya Fluid simulation to simulate the airflow around objects in a scene, the second shows the in Unity creation of Vector Fields from splines and that then being used to control a particle system. The third shows a Vector Field being created inside Unity using splines to define flows.
MegaFlow Update
We have added some new features and fixed a couple of bugs since the first release, listed below are the changes, many more coming.
Added option to add modifiers to the flow creation, so you can add any object with a collider and use that to adjust the flow.
Fixed an issue with missing preview flows not being saved in the scene.
Each frame can now have an offset value, useful if using multiple frames of different sizes.
Added option to the inspector normalize the flow frame data.
Added a preview option for the Create Flow system, so you can quickly see the current flow without having to send it to the flow source.
Fixed issue in Texture3D builder with negative values.
Added API section to MegaFlow docs, GetGridVelWorld, SetFrame, SetMatrix, GetCol methods.
If the MegaFlow Particle component is attached to a particle system you dont need to select a particle system to use, the system will use the object.
If the MegaFlow Legacy Particle component is attached to a particle system you dont need to select a particle system to use, the system will use the object.
Added beta option to inspector to save a Texture3D to the project for the current frame, can be used by GPU shader or particle systems such a TC Particles.
Fixed an exception if particle system was trying to use a flow source with no frame data.
Fixed an exception if rigid body controller was trying to use a flow source with no frame data.
Fixed an exception if effect controller was trying to use a flow source with no frame data.
Fixed a mismatch between cell and vector colors when showing magnitudes.
Added flow arrows to the Create From Spline gizmos to show the flow direction and force for that spline.
Added option to ring display to adjust alpha value.
Splines remain visible when Create Flow object selected.
Option to have Create flow gizmo always on.
Added option to show color of velocity vectors based on either direction or magnitude
Added editable color gradient for showing velocity magnitude
Added option to show color of the grid cells based on either direction or magnitude
Added FLW file format page to website
Added gradient color option to create flow from splines system.
MegaFlow allows you to use the power of fluid simulation software such as RealFlow, FumeFX, Maya and others to generate Vector Field simulations that can then be used to control the flow and behaviour of particles, rigid bodies or any other game object in your projects.
MegaFlow supports industry file formats such as FXD and FGA as well as having a custom exporter for Maya for an xml FLW format. The simulation code in MegaFlow is multi-threaded so runs extremely fast on many thousands of particles.
You can now use the power of Vector Fields to have complex particle flows or for moving any sort of kind object around a scene. MegaFlow will be available soon in the AssetStore and on our website
MegaFlow Demo Video
Just submitted v1.94 of MegaShapes to the Asset Store and to our own store page. This brings some improvements to the spline editing and a series of bug fixes and some changes for the upcoming release of Unity 5.0.
Changes since v1.90
Fixed exception in Terrain Carve if no Loft Layer selected.
Fixed exception if you loaded a spline file with fewer splines in it to a shape that was being used by a loft that used a deleted spline
Fixed an exception bug when duplicating layers.
Updated code for Unity 5.x
Autocurve now does the first and last handles on open splines.
Small fix for Unity 4.x where loft layers were not updating when a spline was edited.
Fixed Path Follow script so it works correctly with spline twist.
Fixed Path Follow script so offset and extra rotation work correctly in all cases.
Added ‘Update on Drag’ option to MegaShape inspector, if checked spline meshes or lofts will update as you drag, off then they will update when dragging stops, for complex lofts this makes it easier to edit splines.
Fixed issues when creating a Clone Spline simple layer from the popup window. ie path and objects not being set
Fixed inspector for spline animations so buttons aren’t hidden.
Just uploaded an update for MegaFiers, since the last update post this brings some fixes to the path follow script and a helper script for moving rigid bodies along splines. Also Made some changes for the up coming Unity 5.0 release and have added the new Bezier Attractor modifier beta which is handy for doing breaking waves.
Changes since v2.78
Added option to the dynamic ripple modifier to use a readable greyscale texture as obstructions for the ripples.
Made changes to code to stop warnings from Undo system on Unity 5.x
New modifier added, Bezier Attractor.
MegaWrap now works with Create Mega Prefab, Beta feature, works with tested objects on Unity 3.5.
Path Follow script updated to use spline twist values.
Path Follow script updated to have offset and rotation values.
Added example script MegaShapeRBodyPath.cs to show how to connect an RBody to a spline, the rbody can then be moved along the spline using a force.
A little promo video for MegaFiers that shows a few selected features of the system.
Another quick post to say a new version of MegaFiers was released a few days ago, this sees various bug fixes and improvements to both MegaFiers and the basic MegaShapes system included in the asset
Changes since v2.73
Added option of a Frame Delay for Point Cache to improve syncing with Unity animations.
Added a new method to MegaModifyObject MeshChanged(Mesh newmesh) which you can call if the original mesh has been changed, ie dynamic text objects.
Fixed slowdown when using the morph sliders on Unity 4.x.
Fixed error when demo scene scripts not imported.
Added option to export MegaShapes to SVG files.
Fixed warnings in the Undo system for Unity 4.5 and 4.6
Fixed rare exception when loading mor files on 4.5 and 4.6
Point Cache animator Clamp loop mode now works correctly with reverse clips
Morph Cache animator Clamp loop mode now works correctly with reverse clips
Added KML import of splines
Fixed warnings that show up in Unity 4.x
Added Axis value to Squeeze and Squeeze Warp to give more control
Added a Flatten button to the inspector so you can quickly flatten any spline
Added a Remove twist button to the inspector to reset any twists on a spline
Added a SetHeight method to the API so you can quickly set all knots and handles for spline to the same height
Added a SetTwist method to the API so you can quickly set all the knots in a spline to the same twist angle
Added option to choose easing mode for twist values, either Linear or Sine at the moment.
Added id values to the spline knots.
Removed some Debug messages that were left in for Maya morph import.
We have made available a new version of MegaShapes that fixes some issues with the new Multi Material Complex loft layer and also reduces the vertex count in the loft. Below is a list of all the updates since the last MegaShapes update post.
Changes since v1.84
Fixed the issues with using Multi Mat Complex layers as base layers for other layers such as clones, cross alpha values were not being calculated correctly.
Fixed Multi Mat Complex layer where too many vertices and polygons were being created, such lofts will be more optimized now.
Fixed issue where Multi Mat Complex layer would not give correct up values.
Fixed exception when using other loft layers with Multi Mat layer when cross alpha values were out of range.
Fixed exception when using other loft layers with Multi Mat Complex layer when cross alpha values were out of range.
Walk Loft Smooth script now works with the Multi Material Complex loft layer.
Added option to export MegaShape splines to SVG files.
Fixed warnings about obsolete methods in Undo system or Unity 4.5 and 4.6
Fixed bug in Walk Loft Smooth for open lofts when alpha value is 1.0
Fixed exception error in Multi Mat Complex layer.
Conform now works in the Multi Mat Complex layer.
Fix bug when conforming simple mod layer with capped ends causing exception in some cases
Fixed bug in Multi Mat Later where last vertex wasn’t being added if cross distance value was large.
Duplicate layer now works for Multi Mat layer
Duplicate layer now works for Complex Multi Mat Layer
We have been adding more example content maker scripts to Megabook, the latest one allows you to use multiple mesh objects to build your page content, so you just layout each pages content using whatever text system and meshes you like with any number of materials, then using the helper script you select the parent object for each page layout and the book builder will do the rest automatically combining all the meshes and materials it finds under the parent and adding it to the page mesh so that the content will bend and turn with the page. So you can now layout your text in anyway you like using any text system you wish and add in images.
The text in the example above was generated using Text Mesh Pro which is an excellent Signed Distance Field text system for Unity with a ton of rendering options, and as it uses SDF the text will remain crisp and sharp no matter how closely you zoom in, also Text Mesh Pro allows for easy coloring of text and a load of other special effects so making it the perfect partner to MegaBook for creating your content. You can though as mentioned above use any system that builds a mesh.
Broken Window Studios have made use of MegaWires in it’s upcoming Horror Experience game ‘Grave‘. There is a demo of Grave available to download on the game website where you can also help support the development of the game.
We have released an update to the MegaBook system for Unity which allows you to add custom meshes to each page of your book, the main use for this is to add dynamic text to the book system as opposed to just using textures for each page. The system makes use of a helper class so can be used be any text mesh system, in the example below I used the free Typogenic system but you could use TTFText of Text mesh Pro etc. You can also add more than just text meshes, you could add any sort of embellishment to each page. We have also added a hard front and back cover system so you can add nice leather bound jackets to your books.
Example of text using Typogenic
Changes in v1.14
Improvements to the Dynamic mesh system.
Example dynamic mesh script for using Typogenic to add text to book pages
Added beta of system to allow any mesh data to be added to each page as it is built, for example adding text to the page.
MegaBookDynamicMesh component added, use this class to provide the mesh data the book builder asks for.
Added simple example of dynam mesh to the demo scene book. Docs and video coming.
Removed Debug script from object in test scene.
Added beta of hard front and back cover system for your books.
Just a quick post to say if you are needing support for any of our products then could we ask that you use the Support Ticket System, we get so many emails daily that is very hard to keep track of which of those are support requests and which of those have been dealt with or answered, the support ticket system keeps all the requests in one place and we can easily see which have been dealt with and which have not. Also Support tickets take priority over direct emails. So if you need help please do make use of the Support Ticket System
We have just updated the Terrain Plugin to work with the 2015 version of 3DS Max. If you visit the store page and enter the email used for the purchase you can get the latest version now. The demo version download also includes a demo version for 2015.
We have released an update for MegaBook that fixes a couple of issues and adds some improved features. The change list for version 1.04 is below.
Changes in V1.04
v1.04
Fixed issue in inspector where changing one attached objects values was effecting another.
Attached objects work correctly if book orientation changed, ie vertical books.
Added per attached object visibility override values for more control over the objects.
Added new methods to the API, GetPageCount, GetCurrentPage, GetCurrentTurn
Fixed exception error when adding new attached objects.
Fixed object visibility setting not being updated.
Greatly sped up the inspector when changing params for attached objects.
Added helper spine object
Added simple script example for clicking to change pages MegaBookMouseControl.cs
We have just submitted to the Asset Store and made available on this site our new MegaBook procedural animated books and comics for Unity. You can out all about on the MegaBook section of the website and below is a video introduction to some of the features of the system. We hope to have a webplayer demo uploaded soon to try as well.
MegaBook Video
And a couple of grabs from the MegaBook demo.
Just submitted an update to the asset store. This adds the beta of the new Multi Material version of the complex loft so you can now have any number of different cross sections along your loft with different materials defined. There is no error checking at the moment on material ids so you need to make sure the cross section splines have the same number of knots in them and the material ids match. I added a method in the extra functions section in the inspector to allow you to copy ids from the previous spline so you don’t have to go through every spline in a shape setting the ids for each one.
The terrain carving works with the new layer but at the moment conforming does not work that will be in the next update. We also made some improvements to the carving system making it a little easier to use. The spline system has had some little extras added such as hiding the origin handle as it did get in the way of some knots sometimes and added a snap option to the knot and handle movement.
And there are a few bug fixes as well.
Changes in v1.84
The gizmos for Complex Loft now align correctly if twist mode active.
Added beta of the new Multi Material Complex loft layer.
Copy Knot IDs function added to extra functions section of Shapes inspector. Copies ids from the previous spline in the shape.
Terrain carve works with new Multi Mat complex layer
Terrain carve left and right scale values now dont effect one another.
Fixed a bug when Calc up was on on Clone Rules layer causing meshes to deform.
Knot index now shown in the inspector for easier editing.
Toogle added for drawing the orgin handle that moves all the knots.
Added snap option when positioning knots
Added snap option when positioning knot handles.
This video shows the first test of our new MegaBook system for Unity. This asset allows you to quickly and easily build full books or comics with complete control over the number of pages, and the page turning effects etc. You can ask the system to generate the page meshes for you or you can select to use your own page mesh so you are not limited to rectangular pages.
You have complete control over how the pages bend and twist as they turn, and how far they turn, where they turn and the radius of the turn, so it is easy to turn up just the edge of the pages to get a flip book effect etc.
Another video showing the various options available will be out soon and the system will be in the Asset Store and on our website very soon.
MegaBook Video
A new feature we have just added to MegaShapes for the next update, now you can have your terrains match perfectly to your MegaShapes lofts with a click of a button, the system will match up whatever terrain you have so that the sides of your loft blend in nicely. You have complete control over the distance the blend happens as well as the profile of the blend. So now making race tracks or any other game level with MegaShapes is even easier and more fun. Also remember the system also includes the option to have your loft conform to the terrain, so you can easily meet in the middle if you wish, ie make a flat track then conform that a little to your terrain then carve the rest. It is up to you, you have complete freedom to experiment as everything is procedural. Even while your game is running you can have the the terrain adjust so making track or level editors easy. And again as everything is procedural you can adjust the number of vertices depending on the system the game is running on, or have your levels be built at runtime so making your games much smaller and load faster.
Terrain Blend Video
We have just released version 1.81 of MegaShapes to the AssetStore and our website. This brings the beta version of the new Multi Material Layer that is shown in the images and videos above, allowing for lofts to have multiple materials in a single layer so making it a lot easier to build more interesting lofts such as the race track in the image which uses just two splines and a single loft layer. You have complete control over the density of the mesh produced so making it easy to change the vertex count for different platforms, or for building sections of track at different detail settings to make lod objects etc.
We have also made the spline system a little friendlier to use such as adding buttons to flatten splines or remove all twist angles from a spline and added an easing option for the twist angles to get a smoother transition between angles.
Also we will be increasing the price of the system a little in the near future so if you are thinking of making a purchase don’t wait too long.
Video Showing how to use the new Loft Layer
Changes in v1.81
Added new race track demo scene
Fixed twist angles not being calculated correctly for out of range values on closed splines.
When adding a new knot it will now use the ID and Twist value from the previous knot
Added a Flatten button to the inspector so you can quickly flatten any spline
Added a Remove twist button to the inspector to reset any twists on a spline
Added a SetHeight method to the API so you can quickly set all knots and handles for spline to the same height
Added a SetTwist method to the API so you can quickly set all the knots in a spline to the same twist angle
Added option to choose easing mode for twist values, either Linear or Sine at the moment.
Added id values to the spline knots.
Added beta of new Loft Layer, this uses the new knot id values to assign different materials to the cross section, this allows a simple loft to easily have different materials applied.
Context Menum Help now works for Complex and Multi Mat layers
First look at a new layer type being added to our MegaShapes system, the track in this image is built with a single loft from one path spline and one cross section spline, all the materials and textures are added and blended by the new Multi Material layer.
The new Multi Material layer allow you to define a material per spline section and the vertex color system in MegaShapes also allows you to blend multiple textures on each of those textures. The track is one single mesh procedurally created and easily editable in the editor or at runtime. You can off course make use of the other layer types on the system to add more detail, ie crash barriers, trees, place objects etc. We will be adding a video showing how the track was built very soon.
Video showing the new Layer
Been doing a lot of updates to MegaFiers and MegaShapes recently and below you can find all the changes to both systems since I last posted about updates. One of the main new features is we have added a per knot twist value to the spline system, you can control the twist via a gizmo in the editor for each knot of type in the values in the inspector, this now makes it a lot easier to add rotation to your spline meshes or to any loft that makes use of that spline. Also any other system that makes use of splines will now also take the twist into account so path follow for example. MegaShapes also sees a lot of bug fixes and improvements, check the list below.
Spline Knot Twists
Video showing the new knot based twisting working.
MegaFiers BezPatch Deform
Video showing the Bez Patch deform object in MegaFiers
Changes in MegaFiers
Knot twist values now used by World Path Deform.
Knot twist values now used by Path Deform.
Changed the knot twist handle to make it simpler and less cluttered.
Fixed a slowdown that could happen with twist handles enabled.
Added beta support for twist values per knot.
Knot twist value now used in the extruded mesh options box, tube and ribbon
Path Follow script can use knot twist values
Character Follow script fixed.
New methods in API to Interpolate and get twist along with position
Added a BuildSplineWorld method to the api so splines can be built from world space points.
Added a beta of a new path follow script that will allow characters to be constrained to a path but otherwise be allowed to move freely and jump etc while on that path MegaCharacterFollow.cs
Changes in MegaShapes
Fixed the Create Layer popup window so the params are correct for all layer types now.
You can now select the spline to use in the Complex loft layer when the path shape has more than one spline.
Walk Loft smooth works correctly when loft uses a curve value other than 0
Walk Loft works correctly when loft uses a curve value other than 0
Curve value now works correctly on Clone Spline Rules layer
Fixed end caps being one tri short in some cases on simple loft layer
Fixed bug causing extra un needed vertex being added per cross section in simple loft layer
Fixed bug where a duplicated layer was not showing up in the until its vertex count changed.
Fixed the exception that was reported when layers were copied.
Fixed bug where you could not set the init values in the layer create window for simple and complex lofts.
Complex loft now works with knot twist values.
Clone Spline Simple layer now works with knot twist values
Clone Spline layer now works with knot twist values
Clone Spline Rules layer now works with knot twist values
Scatter Spline layer now works with knot twist values
Walk Loft smooth now works with complex lofts as well.
Walk Loft smooth bug fixed where position was wrong if loft not at 0,0,0
Walk Loft smooth now works with the twist values
Changed the knot twist handle to make it simpler and less cluttered.
Fixed a slowdown that could happen with twist handles enabled.
Added beta support for twist values per knot, currently works for Simple Loft Layer.
Knot twist value now used in the extruded mesh options box, tube and ribbon
Path Follow script can use knot twist values
Character Follow script fixed.
New methods in API to Interpolate and get twist along with position
Added a BuildSplineWorld method to the api so splines can be built from world space points.
Fixed a bug in the Simple Loft layer where the cross section vertices were not calculated correctly.
Added another option to the Simple Layer UV params, ‘Calc Y’ will work like Phys UV but keep uv x between 0 and 1 and calc y based on length.
Added a beta of a new path follow script that will allow characters to be constrained to a path but otherwise be allowed to move freely and jump etc while on that path MegaCharacterFollow.cs
We have submitted some updates to MegaFiers, MegaShapes and MegaScatter. These updates bring a few bug fixes to all systems as well as adding new features, check the change list below for what has changed for each Asset. We have also done some video guides for the MegaScatter system and a video showing some of the spline editing features available in all three of these packages.
Video Tutorials
Tutorial 1 – Basics of Scatter Mesh.
Tutorial 2 – More advanced features of Scatter Mesh.
Tutorial 3 – Spline Editing features.
Changes in MegaFiers v2.69
Fixed a bug in constant speed open splines that have been reversed.
Beta of new Create Prefab system added, will work with wrapped meshes as well.
Point Cache modifier can now use one cache file to define mapping then load another for actual cache data, so no longer does the first frame have to match the fbx file.
Fixed a bug where constant speed interpolation was not being used for open splines.
Added the ability to create animated splines inside Unity, you can now add keyframes for splines and have them played back for you.
Added BezPatch Mesh object, useful for image warping.
Added MoveSpline methods to API for easy moving of entire spline
Added RotateSpline methods to API for easy rotation of entire spline
AutoCurve Button now only updates the current spline being edited
Added Gizmo to allow current spline to be moved in the editor for easy repositioning
Easier to add knots to a spline, click and drag the mid point circle to add new point
Added option to apply Bind Warp modifier to all siblings, right click inspector and click Add To Siblings
Warp gizmos will now show up on newer versions of Unity.
Dyanmic Hose system updated to match latest MegaShapes version.
Small fix to the tyreripple script, works correctly with box colliders now.
Changes in MegaShapes 1.73
Fixed bug when constant speed opened splines are reversed.
Added loop mode to Path Follow script so you can pick from Clamp, PingPong, Loop or none.
Added loop mode to Shape Follow script so you can pick from Clamp, PingPong, Loop or none.
Fixed a bug where constant speed interpolation was not being used for open splines.
Added the ability to create animated splines inside Unity, you can now add keyframes for splines and have them played back for you.
Added MoveSpline methods to API for easy moving of entire spline
Added RotateSpline methods to API for easy rotation of entire spline
AutoCurve Button now only updates the current spline being edited
Added Gizmo to allow current spline to be moved in the editor for easy repositioning
Fixed inpsector issue when selecting a new loft in some components
Added MegaWalkLoftSmooth which moves objects on lofts perfectly smoothly
Made it easier to add knots to a spline, click and drag the mid point circle to add a new knot at that position
Changes in MegaScatter v1.09
Fixed a bug where constant speed interpolation was not being used for open splines.
Added the ability to create animated splines inside Unity, you can now add keyframes for splines and have them played back for you.
Fixed a bug where objects with disabled colliders would be disbaled after a scatter
Added option to include children of Ignore objects in the ingnore list
Improved the inspector for Ignore objects
Warnings about GetChildCount fixed.
Slight change for Unity 4.x for enabling objects after scatter.
New feature, support for proxy collision meshes in Mesh Scatters so can have much simpler mesh colliders
Added FailCount values to inspector so you have control over how long scatter will try to find places before it quits
Fixed bug with colliders for scatter meshes being used by lower layers
Option to have no colliders added to scatter mesh objects
Option to disable colliders during scatter for Object scatters, stops things piling up
Added missing color variations option to Scatter Object Texture
Improved the surface offset method so works correctly in all cases
Added option to generate mesh colliders
Added option to generate mesh tangents
Fixed bug that could caused aligned surface objects to be incorrectly aligned
Added support for generating lighmapping uvs for mesh based scatters.
Fixed example scene scatter along object not having correct values.
We have just released MegaScatter the procedural object placement system and it is available now on our Webstore or in a couple of days from the Unity AssetStore at an early adopter price of $50. The docs for the system are available now on the website if you select the MegaScatter option on the left hand menu you will find the pages that describe what it does, the various scatter objects and the scripting API etc. We have also uploaded the Demo made using our MegaScatter system, all objects in the scene apart from the house, well and trees are generated and positioned at run time. It is quite a complex scene but you can open the options and adjust the detail setting to increase or reduce the amount of objects scattered in the scene. You can also toggle the various image effects. Hold Mouse Left button to swing the camera, wheel to zoom and keys W and S to roll the ball.
We will be uploading some tutorial videos on the system over the coming week as well as adding more requested features to the system, so if there is anything you would like to see let us know.
Click Image to launch demo
MegaScatter is a system that allows you to easily scatter any number of objects in to your scene into areas either defined by splines or by textures. You have complete control over how many objects of each type are added to the scene as well as how they are placed. You can define random rotation, scaling, offset values as well as color variation. Objects can be told to place them selves on any underlying terrain or collider objects and align themselves to that object. You can define limits such as the slope angle an object can appear on as well as a range of heights so you can easily have grass appear a low levels turning to rocks at higher levels. The scatter system can also be told which objects in the scene to not scatter on and how far away from those objects an item can be places. And objects can be told not to overlap themselves or other objects in the scatter layer.
Objects can be scattered either in the editor or can be scattered at run-time to the options you have defined. Scattered objects can either be scattered as copies of the objects themselves ot the system can be told to combine all the meshes to massively reduce the Draw Call count. Another great advantage of having the objects scattered at run-time is greatly reduced file sizes and loading times. The demo scene in the video is only 10Mb when the objects are scattered at run-time, the same scene produced normally would be 43MB not to mention the hours it would take to position the objects by hand.
And another great advantage of the scatter system is the scene can very easily be re scattered to suit different platforms or CPU usage without having to rebuild the scene or having etc in the editor.
Video of MegaScatter Scene
The demo scene just contains a simple terrain and a model of a house, everything else in the scene (apart from flying things) is added procedurally at runtime with MegaScatter using 1 simple flower object, 2 simple grass objects and 2 rock objects. All the color variations, scaling, rotation etc is handled by the system and at any time you could just say I want more or less objects and the scene will be repopulated for you. Even the data that drives the swaying plant shader is generated by the system with control over how the plants react.
Just been putting the finishing touches to a our MegaScatter system that allows you to easily scatter objects in your scene with areas defined by splines. So you can easily define regions for plants, trees rocks etc and then choose the objects you want to position in that area and have the system place those objects for you either in editor mode or at runtime. The system can either scatter objects individually or it can be asked to combine the meshes to reduce draw calls. Below is a video from version 1 of the system that was not released, we have extended the functionality and ease of use of the system with more features coming soon. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for features they would like to see added please do let us know.
MegaScatter Early Video
New versions of MegaFiers and MegaShapes are in the Asset store and the webstore, this sees an improvement to the SVG importer to cater for lines that describe filled shapes, also improved performance on the interpolation of constant speed splines. Also in MegaFiers I have added a little example script to show how an object can be made to show a wake if moved over a dynamic ripple mesh.
Changes in MegaFiers v2.62
Added TyreRipple.cs helper script to show how objects can leave wakes in Dynamic Ripple meshes.
Update to the SVG importer to handle path ‘m’ commands with multiple values ie fill a shape.
Improved performance of spline interpolation when using constant speed.
Constant speed defaults to Normalized Interp for interpolation.
Changes in MegaShapes v1.69
Update to the SVG importer to handle path ‘m’ commands with multiple values ie fill a shape.
Improved performance of spline interpolation when using constant speed.
Constant speed defaults to Normalized Interp for interpolation.
We have just submitted updates to both MegaFiers and MegaShapes to the Asset Store and to our web store. In MegaFiers we have updated the Melt modifier with a thickness value so fully melted objects can have a height instead of being totally flat, also added the Melt system as a Space Warp so you can easily melt multiple objects as they move towards the warp.
MegaShapes has also seen the inclusion of the new transport frame system which will allow for loops to be done more easily removing the ugly twists that could appear. The loft system has also seen some performance improvements and some bug fixes. We have also nearly finished a system that will optimize generated lofts removing unneeded vertices from flat sections of lofts so expect to see that in a future update.
Changes in MegaFiers v2.61
Flatness value added to Melt modifier to control the thickness of fully melted mesh
Flatness value added to Melt Warp to control the thickness of fully melted mesh
Fixed Undo error in 4.3 and other warnings.
Added a ‘smoothness’ value to MegaShape which is used by the AutoCurve method, a value of 0 will result in sharp corners, a value of 2 will give very wide entries into knots, a value of 1.1 seems to be the best value for smooth curves.
Unity 4.3 new undo support.
Removed unused meshes from package.
Changes in MegaShapes v1.68
Added new transport frame method to simple loft layer allowing for loops to be created with no ugly twists
Added new transport frame method to complex loft layer allowing for loops to be created with no ugly twists
Performance increase with the loft system, moved check for layers so not happening every frame.
Removed unused Update methods
Added flipcap option to Simple Loft so you can flip the endcaps if used separatley from the main loft
Added flipcap option to Complex Loft so you can flip the endcaps if used separatley from the main loft
Added option to MegaShapeLoft inspector to disable Undo checks, some 4.3 users have reported slowdowns in the Undo system in 4.3
Fixed exception in MegaShapeLoft Start which could happen when creating a new Loft
Added MegaPathFollow, which is a simple spline following helper script.
Fixed errors in undo system.
We have just released an update to the asset store and on our website. This brings an improvement to the Plant Poles system where it will not preserve the existing wire params if you update the pole planter params, so before if you built a wire and then adjusted all the physics params etc then changed a pole planter way point those settings were reset, now they aren’t making it much nicer to tweak things. Also if you had added you own child objects under the plant poles objects they were destroyed, now they aren’t.
Changes in v1.03
Wire window now shows arrows and spacing details.
Pole Planter now preserves wire settings if you change any settings on exisiting wire.
Pole Planter will only delete Wire objects from the children list so you can add your own child objects without them getting destroyed if you update the Pole Planter settings
Objects attached to planted poles will now work correctly if plant poles values change.
One of the issues that has frustrated me a little when using our MegaShapes system is the issue of gimbal lock when dealing with twisting looping lofts such as you would get when trying to build a roller coaster object, well I sat down the other day to figure out the maths to fix the issue and finally figured it out, so the next update to MegaShapes will see the new improved transport frame method included which will make life much more pleasant for any users who have been wanting to make looping tracks etc. Below is an image that shows the old transport frame method on the left with the nasty twists in the loop and on the right the same loft with the new method, much nicer.
We have just submitted MegaWires to the Unity Assetstore so we have added the docs for the system to the website. You can find out all about the system at the MegaWires Section of the website. You can read about the various components that are included with the system and what all the various params do. Also included with the system is 42 different pole types to get you started on adding dynamic wires to your scene all with predefined wire connection points. An image of all the different pole prefabs included in the package can be seen below and we hope to add more poles and pylons over time.
MegaWires is a new editor extension for the Unity Game Engine we will be releasing very soon, it allows for easy setting up of dynamic physics controlled wires in your scenes to add a little extra detail and movement to your games.
The system uses a custom physics system to simulate the high tension wires you get between telegraph poles and electrical pylons. The system includes 42 different poles to get you started but you can add your own poles and pylons very easily. You have complete control over the complexity of the physics used to simulate the system as well as over the meshes it produces. You can have Wind effects added to cause your wires to sway about and there are helper scripts to allow objects to be hung or attached to the the wires in the scene.
The system is optimized for game use with built in options to disable the whole system or parts, as well as a LOD system to turn the physics off on spans based on distance but with automatic waking up of the physics if a pole would say fall over in your scene.
More videos will be added showing the features of the physics and wind systems, the meshing options and the other helper scripts included with the MegaWires package.
Introduction to MegaWires
MegaWires Physics and Meshing basic options
We have just uploaded a bug fix for the 3ds max Terrain plugin. A recent set of Windows updates had caused issues with the licensing system we are using for the plugin causing it to hang on startup. This has been fixed now so if you were having that problem with the plugin or in the past had to load the plugin via the Plugin Manager then this update will fix those issues for you. To get the latest version just visit the store page and enter your email address you used for the purchase and a new download link to the latest version will be sent out to you.
We have released updates to both MegaFiers and MegaShapes. A new feature in the MegaShapes package (also included in the MegaFiers version) is a helper script to make it easier for multiple objects to follow a spline path in a connected way for example a train. The system allows you define the spacing between objects and also allows wheels to be steered separately from the main object if you want.
MegaFiers also sees a couple of bug fixes as well as some additions to the common params for each Modifier, you can now add a label to each modifier so in the event you have a lot of modifiers attached to an object you can track down the one you want by looking at the ‘Label’ string. Also a LOD value was added thanks to Sergio Barrera which allows for modifiers to be disabled or or enabled via a lod system, a LOD manager helper script is also included.
Train Follow Video
Changes in MegaFiers
Added a Label field to each modifier so making it easier to find the exact modifier you need in a complex stack.
Added code provided by Sergio Barrera have a LOD value for each Modifier so they can be turned on and off via a lod manager.
Included the Mod Lod manager helper script for managing modifier lods.
Bug fix, when using meshes that change vertex counts the internal data structures were not being updated correctly, again thanks to Sergio Barrera this has been fixed.
Train follow has debug lines for easier editing.
Added helper script MegaTrainFollow that allows for multiple objects to follow eg like a train with carriages
Changed in MegaShaps
Train follow has debug lines for easier editing.
Fixed bug in Clone Spline Simple where axis value was being used correctly to calculate repeat count.
Fixed bug in Clone Spline Simple where loft was not being positioned correctly over spline if spline not at 0,0,0
Fixed bug in Clone Spline where loft was not being positioned correctly over spline if spline not at 0,0,0
Added helper script MegaTrainFollow that allows for multiple objects to follow eg like a train with carriages
New versions of MegaFiers and MegaShapes are in the Asset store and the webstore, this sees the new conform system being added to the general meshing options in MegaShapes, so now you can have the mesh generated from the spline in any of the available modes i.e. Fill, Box, Tube, Ribbon conform to any target mesh or terrain, so you can easily use the ribbon mode for example to lay a road over a terrain.
Changes in MegaFiers 2.52
Conform added to fill spline meshing option.
Conform added to box spline meshing option.
Conform added to tube spline meshing option.
Conform added to ribbon spline meshing option.
Changes in MegaShapes 1.60
Conform added to fill spline meshing option.
Conform added to box spline meshing option.
Conform added to tube spline meshing option.
Conform added to ribbon spline meshing option.
Added beta of new Conform feature which allow lofts to conform to a mesh or terrain.
Fixed bug when creating lofts from script where an invalid index exception was being generated, thanks to FredPointZero
Added Align Cross slider to Simple Loft layer to define how much the cross section aligns to the path spline, similar to the teeter value in the complex loft.
Just to a quick message to say that after the major storm that hit the south of England at the weekend we have finally after 3 days in darkness got power back here, so if you emailed us over that time we will be getting back to you as soon as we can.
Just done another update to MegaFiers that is in the Asset Store and on our webstore now, this sees a bug fix for the system that shows the vertex mapping debug info for when a morph fails to map correctly, this helps you see what is causing the error. And we have added a beta of a new modifier, the conform system we added to MegaShapes is now in MegaFiers as a modifier, so you can easily conform one mesh onto another so for example you could have a flat road mesh and want to lay that over a terrain or a ground mesh, the conform modifier will do that for you. Below you can see a video showing the modifier as well as one showing the conform system working in the full version of MegaShapes. You can more info on the Conform modifier on its Help Page
Conform Video
Just submitted an update for MegaShapes which sees a tiny bug fix for those who were getting an exception when creating Lofts from scratch via scripting, and we have also added a beta of a new feature. We were asked if lofts work with Terrains and we thought that it would be nice if they did so we have added a ‘Conform’ feature to the Simple Loft layer (other layers will also get have it in the next update). With this feature you can select per layer an object for the loft to conform to, it could be a terrain or a mesh object, the system will then make the loft fit the target object, so you can now create simple flat road loft and then have that go over a terrain object. You can adjust how much the loft will conform to the target as well as set an offset so it can float above the target. The loft will update in real time if you change the terrain or mesh or move the spline etc and any other loft layer that uses the conforming one will automatically update as well, so fence layers or objects placed on a loft will all stay positioned.
MegaShapes Conform
We have had a busy week with updates to MegaFiers, MegaShapes and MegaGrab being released.
MegaFiers Update
The updates to MegaFiers sees a couple of bug fixes along with the removal of warning messages that have appeared when the system is imported into Unity 4.1 onwards. The Maya blendshape exporter is seeing a few improvements, we still have one more thing we need to add but waiting to hear from Autodesk.
Changes in v2.50
MegaGrab disabled for platforms that do not support it.
Fixed all warnings when importing into Unity 4.1 onwards
Fixed a bug in the dynamic ripple causing an error when changing physics rows and col values.
Small change to dynamic ripple to work with Unity 4.2 better, box collider not being detected sometimes.
Maya exporter update to handle multiple targets (targets must be present in Maya)
Maya exporter update current blendshape weights now exported instead of being set to 0
MegaShapes Update
The MegaShapes also sees some small bug fixes and a major issue has been fixed with Unity 4.1 onwards where layers could not be selected correctly in the inspector.
Changes in v1.57
MegaGrab removed if platform is not webplayer or standalone.
Fixed warnings that have appeared in Unity 4.x
Fixed a bug that give exceptions if you used scatter layers with a complex loft.
Made changes for Unity 4.1 onwards that stopped you being able to select layers correctly in the inspector.
MegaGrab Update
We have just added the ability to grab sequences of images all using the upscaling and AA values if you want so you can render out a sequence of very high quality high res anti aliased images which you can then join together using your favorite software to build an HD or even 4k video of your game. The help page on the website has also been updated to show the changes and the new inspector for MegaGrab.
