New Reflection Feature in Our 3D Engine

December 18, 2015

FRAK WebGL engine has now built in Cubemaps and reflection shader. This gives 3D Wayfinder access to use reflections of surrounding area.

We have added built in cubemaps and cubemap reflection shader to FRAK WebGL engine. In addition reflection with cubemaps is efficient way to create reflective surfaces like glass or mirrors.
Also cubemap reflection is a rendering method. It means that reflective surfaces reflect the cubemap textures.

Cubemaps_and_reflection_shader_frak_reflections_webGL

It will be available for 3D Wayfinder in near future. This will be the effective way to create large glass walls or buildings. It make them more realistic. It might be used also for expensive shopping mall floors.

Next feature in FRAK will be specular map to mark efficiently reflective areas.

Cubemap demo can be found under FRAK repository.

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Bumps and Dents in 3D with Normal Maps

March 24, 2015

With new material management, we have added also normal maps. Normal mapping is a technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents in 3D models – an implementation of bump mapping.

It is used to add details without using more polygons. Which means you can create smaller and faster models for 3D Wayfinder. Normal maps will enhance the appearance and details of a low polygon model by generating a normal map from a high polygon model or height map.

Here is an old town model without normal map:

3D Wayfinder without normal map

In following screenshot is the same model with normal maps applied:

3D Wayfinding with normal map. Bumps and dents in 3D models.

The result will look like the stones are all modeled out in 3D.

Here is the texture and normal map added to this texture:

Texture and normal map

To use normal maps, you have to select “Normal-mapped” for the material from the shader column.

Normal maps material selection

Then press “Edit” and you can upload texture and normal map image:

Selecting material for normal map

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