New Parallaxing Shader image - Rise of the Mandalorians mod for Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption

For those who don’t know, parallax is the term used to describe distant objects moving past us slower than near objects. How this applies to the new shader is simple. Take 2D texture data (basically just an image file) and plug in a normal map, which supplies volumetric data (XYZ axes) based on color. Usually a normal map defines how a 2D texture interacts with light data, where the simulated color volumes cause certain pixels to show a highlight or shadow depending on the position of the light source in relation to said texture. Parallaxing takes this one step further by telling the GPU to “extruded” pixels based on this data and the angle of the game camera. In other words, if my normal map says that this 2D texture should have a crater in the middle of it then depending on the position of the game camera, it will stretch, hide, or move certain pixels in order to simulate a truly 3D object…without the need to actually model one. So as I scroll my camera over said texture, perspective is simulated…that crater won’t just stay a circular shape. The pixels will actually be manipulated so that as I view it from a more oblique angle, it looks like an actual scoop out of the earth (ie: can no longer see the bottom of the crater from extreme angels). Little details in my texture like rocks will appear to actually sit ON the terrain, rather than just be a flat texture. The examples above help to demonstrate:

1) An exaggerated example of what parallaxing does, so you can see it in action. This is a flat texture which normally depicts a rocky surface, like a riverbed. You can clearly see how it is pulling pixels to try and simulate a bunch of 3D objects. Again, this example is exaggerated.

2) A more natural example of how this shader looks in an in-game environment, when parallaxing small rocky textures.

3) Obsidian being rendered on Mustafar. The white line shows the actual map geometry, while the thin blue lines show where the shader is attempting to parallax. You can see how this adds more “depth” to a texture, beyond what a regular normal map can do.

4 and 5) Additional in-game examples, showing how even on more subtle surfaces, parallaxing can have an effect.

FYI, this shader is a WORK IN PROGRESS. I understand some details may no be perfect in the screenshots above. All in good time...

I also want to thank Doci from the Yuuzhan Vong mod team for collaborating on this. He and I troubleshot this shader for a while to get it about 90% done, where I finished up later that day. Really appreciate your teamwork here!