Vulkan - cloud reflections

[J1mb022]

Hey there, apologies if this has been posted somewhere already, I did have a good look around but couldn’t find anything. 
With V11.50 getting ever closer to RC, is there any update on cloud reflections? Is this possible with vulkan? 

Thanks 

[sundog]

It is not possible with Vulkan. X-Plane's API does not give us an opportunity to draw reflections under Vulkan, and I don't think they have any plans to change that.

[J1mb022]

Well that’s disappointing 

[manidep271]

I'm somewhat curious about this now a couple months later.  There is another (no names mentioned) developer that has been working on their next version of cloud / weather simulation and they have the ability to show cloud reflections in water under Vulkan.  Is the difference that you are going through the OpenGL to Vulkan arrangement Laminar set up rather than working with Vulkan natively?

[sundog]

Using OpenGL to Vulkan is the only way to do 3D rendering in X-Plane 11.50 in Vulkan mode. They do not expose a way to write native Vulkan code in plugins.

I'm not sure who's promising what in the competition, but don't believe everything you see / hear until it's released. I've seen at least one developer making a lot of claims that are flat out impossible.

Edited September 11, 2020 by sundog

[manidep271]

3 minutes ago, sundog said:

Using OpenGL to Vulkan is the only way to do 3D rendering in X-Plane 11.50 in Vulkan mode. They do not expose a way to write native Vulkan code in plugins.

I'm not sure who's promising what in the competition, but don't believe everything you see / hear until it's released. I've seen at least one developer making a lot of claims that are flat out impossible.

Hi Frank and thanks for the quick response.  I do appreciate it.  I'm new to this forum but my system has been loaded with skymaxx, terramaxx, real weather, and MaxxFX for quite some time.  I do think that SkyMaxx Pro creates the best cloud system but, being a float plane flyer, I do miss the reflections of the clouds in the water.  Here is a screen shot I took just a few minutes ago using the "other" system under 11.5 r3.  This, apparently, is something that can be done somehow.  I don't know how they are doing it.  Thanks for the info about the OpenGL / Vulkan bit on plugins.  I did not know Laminar had totally shut the door on native Vulkan plugins.  Hopefully that will change in the future.

[sundog]

I don't know what product this is, but if this is under Vulkan then it probably works by just modifying X-Plane's built-in clouds rather than replacing them entirely. That would result in reflections still working.

In contrast, SkyMaxx Pro disables X-Plane's built in clouds completely and renders its own in 3D in their place. If you're doing your own 3D drawing in a plugin, you don't have access to the reflection pass under Vulkan.

[manidep271]

17 minutes ago, sundog said:

it probably works by just modifying X-Plane's built-in clouds

I would venture to say that is probably the case as I think about it.  Once the product is installed, there are several options for sky colors and cloud textures that may be used but when a change is made, the user has to open the texture browser, select all the cloud (0-5) textures, and use the "reload" function.  The default clouds are then replaced by the new textures.  Same with the sky colors.

I kind of figured that your entire cloud system replacement was what prevented the reflections but it also allows for a more detailed handling of various types of clouds which is a higher priority than reflections even though I do miss them.  Maybe someday . . .

Then again, I heard a not so rumorish rumor that Laminar may be changing the entire weather system for version 12 so who knows what that will mean. 

[sundog]

Yeah, that all makes sense. It's almost certainly just doing texture replacement, and it your understanding of it all sounds spot on.

Turning off Vulkan mode is always an option for now. SkyMaxx Pro is still very much in active development, so if it becomes possible to draw reflections under Vulkan in the future we'll be on it.