Destroyable buildings

[Jenner]

How hard would it be to program a full scale destroyable city block?

I had a dream last night being in a mech shooting the shit out of an office building fight club style.

Just a thought

[zephoid]

if fully destructible, expect 1/5 your fps. if partially destructible/ pre-scripted destructions, expect 1/2 to 1/5 depending on how well crysis is programmed and how much destructible environment it supports. with most people barely getting 30 fps in crysis, dont expect it at all. wait for the next mechwarriors game, that might have destructible environments.

[=KoS= Saber15]

How hard would it be to program a full scale destroyable city block?

I had a dream last night being in a mech shooting the shit out of an office building fight club style.

Just a thought

It wouldn't be hard (besides some modeling) if it had Mechwarrior 4 style destructable buildings; shoot them enough times and they explode and magically vanish.

If it is more like the destructable shacks in Crysis, it'd be much more hard to do, and would be a performance hog.

[shadowkiller]

I have recently discovered how to do cinematic physics so that could be an option.

For those that dont know cinematic physics is a pre calculated physics scene that has been baked into an animation and there is no limit of the amount of objects you can have. Each object is technically physicalized but they do have collision and can push the player and other objects. It looks great and the performance impact is minor.

examples...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pyz_Uq3oTU  <--- sxploding buildings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kAJZ4kvv_0  <----collapsing bridge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzhMAz2NuP4  <---- when the advisor escapes

[Virt]

Looks awesome - get cracking!

[Jaso the Sniper]

Looks awesome - get cracking!

yeah! also make most of the animations like that to lower performance impact

[shadowkiller]

Looks awesome - get cracking!

yeah! also make most of the animations like that to lower performance impact

Doesnt work that way as the anim always plays the same way....

Anyways, here is a little test i made. Looks pretty cool.

Keep in mind this is running REALTIME and is not a pre-rendered video. The phyics have been baked into the animation however they do collide with objects (look close at the mechs) and are solid to the player. When the animation is finished the objects become solid static objects that the player can walk on/hide in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HINGH77jC9Q

Blow up a building and the rubble would impeed vehicle movement but provide perfect cover for BA.

[Jaso the Sniper]

hholy frick awesome! update those maps (or get new ones)!

[Snowball]

Anyways, here is a little test i made. Looks pretty cool.

Keep in mind this is running REALTIME and is not a pre-rendered video. The phyics have been baked into the animation however they do collide with objects (look close at the mechs) and are solid to the player. When the animation is finished the objects become solid static objects that the player can walk on/hide in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HINGH77jC9Q

Blow up a building and the rubble would impeed vehicle movement but provide perfect cover for BA.

Damn shadow, nice work.  This doesn't affect FPS nearly as hard, correct?  If so, this could be used for some pretty convincing stuff in regards to destructible terrain/buildings.

[Jaso the Sniper]

could you make lava flow and cool down? awesome if yes, you could have dynamic maps!

also, clearcut might take less frames with it if you update the trees

[Brainwright]

also, clearcut might take less frames with it if you update the trees

Huh.  I have to wonder if this method would put a stop to the infinite sliding some destruction events get, where one of the pieces just keeps tumbling down a slope ignoring all concepts of friction.

[shadowkiller]

Please ready my post again. These objects are NOT physics objects. They collide with physics objects but dont really react like physics objects. (pushes physics objects away) Thats why its possible to have so many objects. Its not somthing i can use to replace real physics objects like clearcut trees. Its just to enhance cinematic style scenes (exploding buildings etc) with the LOOK of thousands of physics objects but without all the calculations. (already calculated and baked into the animation)

[Jaso the Sniper]

oh, ok then, but would lava work?

[Brainwright]

Please ready my post again. These objects are NOT physics objects. They collide with physics objects but dont really react like physics objects. (pushes physics objects away) Thats why its possible to have so many objects. Its not somthing i can use to replace real physics objects like clearcut trees. Its just to enhance cinematic style scenes (exploding buildings etc) with the LOOK of thousands of physics objects but without all the calculations. (already calculated and baked into the animation)

Yeah, I'm not really familiar with how animation in a 3D game engine works.  I'm just curious if we can't pre-package the destruction of trees into something more regular.  There isn't a single asset that should really be tossed around by such small trees as we currently have, even battle armor.  The only real problem I can think of is calculating damage from collisions, which I think is overstated against battle armor.  If anything, you should only take damage from impacting the trees.

Oh, that does give me a thought, though.  If the objects created when the trees are destroyed can't obstruct, it might lead to some odd behavior.

If there are even objects created at all.  Goes to show you my knowledge of the subject.

[Pentence]

What shadows getting at is that a premade destruction scene is built into the 3d object. So all of the buildings that are the same 3d object will break exactly the same way. This dosent involve the physics engine actualy calculating anything therefore saveing resources.

So that being said to answer a few questions,this might work with laval flow to SOME extent but only when coupled with flowgraphs for damage effects. Also  yes these objects wouldnt slide around after the animation ends as it becomes STATIC this means it DOSENT  move around.