We currently have an effect utilizing Forcefield in World // Zero that creates an aura-like surrounding of a player’s model. It used to render over the character very nicely, but now it becomes a solid blob when trying the same effect.
I’m not sure when this started taking place, but I believe it’s only been a few days since, because we shipped this update with the effects last week.
Here’s what it should look like:
Here’s what it currently looks like in-game right now:
Both of these images had the forcefield parts’ transparency properties set to -1.
The way I’m making the effect is cloning the part, sizing it to part.Size*1.1, making the clone part’s properties set to how I want it to look, and then welding it to the same position.
I noticed that there’s more depth to the forcefield effect, so artifacts don’t need to be as close to the edge to be showing the forcefield effect. Whatever the case is, it’s really ruining the effect we had going.
It almost looks like the forcefield depth effect didn’t work for you previously, leaving you with just the fresnel effect, and now it suddenly switched back on.
IIRC depth is visible as soon as geometry is close to to the forcefield (without needing to intersect with it), so it would make sense that a forcefield this close over the character would be all covered in it.
So image #1 is with depth disabled, and image #2 is with depth enabled.
I do not understand why the forcefield material is so quirky when it comes to having depth enabled or not.
When I used the forcefield material, depth was disabled on it most of the times. I tried it on multiple objects, different settings, but no matter what I tried the depth just wouldn’t work when I wanted it to. The forcefield introduction thread lists both options, but doesn’t explain why or when depth is supported/enabled.
This should honestly be toggleable. Right now the depth effect is just like “eh, maybe I will work now, but I don’t know about later” which is just ridiculous.
If you developed this effect only last week, this is probably a result of this issue reported two weeks ago getting fixed, which would make this issue not a bug but rather intended behavior.
Increasing the transparency or making the parts larger might help restore the effect.
Too bad there aren’t any material-specific properties. If such feature would exist, you would be able to toggle intersection/depth easily, and create the effect you want.
Yes, unfortunately this is a result of fixing the lack-of-intersection-effect bug. The bug was active for a few weeks. The ideas proposed by @PeZsmistic are the only short term workarounds I can think of.
Unfortunately doing what Pezsmistic suggested does not produce an effect up to par with the quality that we’re looking for. Maybe someday in the future we can apply an overlay Fresnel effect to parts or something, but I understand why this patch was necessary. Thanks everyone!
I’m encountering a similar problem where I made a fire effect with the Forcefield.
The effect looks normal when my graphics are below 16.
But as soon as my graphics goes over 16 it looks like this:
I understand this is due to the forcefield glowing on intersection, though I’d wish there was a way to prevent that from happening, just like it doesn’t happen when my graphics are under 16.
