Shaders

As graphics designer, I also learn how to program shaders. Few tools already exist to design shaders like Shader FX for 3DSmax. Nevertheless, you have not a full access to different render targets, and you can't directly watch what happens in the vertex and fragment shader. I mainly used XNA librarybecause it's quite simple, using C# language, and above all, I'm free to play with render targets, stencil buffer, and manage my render passes. I often write my shaders in HLSL but I also use Cg language for other projects.

Nonphotorealistic Pencil Shader

Here is a test that I did with XNA - This render uses several techniques. These are standard passes using a multi render target (MRT) : color / lightning pass, normal pass and a Z-depth pass. I do also a depth render from the light vector to create a shadow map effect. Normal and Z-depth passes are used to create rim light, outline, and fog effect. At each frame, I also make a separate render of a custom particle system. This way I obtain a pencil drawing map. Lastly, I blend this different kind of "doodles" using the first 3D render.

Test scene that I have created to test the pencil shader.

Nonphotorealistic Painting Shader

I'm currently working on a paint effect. I have tried different techniques, and right now, I'm working on a medley using at first, a simple render of geometries, then, an analysis of this pass, and at last, a particles painting (2D). The critical point is the second part, to determine a good vector field. I'm currently using edge detection (with a simple 3x3 convolution filter), and then a distance transform algorithm - But I'm not fully satisfy of this method: there is too much flickering movement between frames (I will try soon with a Kuwahara filter). I also displace particles with a motion pass.

Paint effect screenshots.

Fluid Effects

I'm still working on fluids shader for the game project Puddle. Those tests use also XNA library - there is no real fluid simulation, I work only the fluid render. By rendering different particle's information (velocity, id, pressure), I'm able to change the type of fluid material (specular, color, refraction, transparency).

Puddle fluid effects screenshots.

Shaders Test Video