Skybox resources and skybox quick preview
Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 1:45 pm
Hi,
while cleaning my pc, I also found some skyboxes resources and 2 tools aimed to build a skybox preview (without using UEd 2.0).
Maybe these resources can help someone in his mapping works:
http://www.unreal.shaungoeppinger.com/skyboxes.html
http://www.redsorceress.com/skybox.html
http://www.hazelwhorley.com/textures.html (the source images are not available anymore but you can download the .utx packages anyway)
Take a look at this last link: by clicking the images, you can join the Skybox Viewer webpage (http://www.hazelwhorley.com/scripts/sky ... iewer.html), an Adobe flash component (I think it was developed with Flex SDK) for skybox visualization. Obviously, you can not use it to visualize your own skyboxes (as you know, a compiled flash object can be decompiled but then you've to rebuild and recode the entire component...) but it represents a fine way for previewing skybox graphics.
A similar solution can be achieved by using a relative well-known commercial software called Pano2VR (http://gardengnomesoftware.com/pano2vr.php), which converts panoramic images into Flash/QuickTimeVR 3D scenes. Very interesting but Pano2VR it's not a freeware software and, most of all, it's not so easy to use, the workflow is a bit long even though it works well.
Time ago, I found something better and more simple (and also freeware).
It's about 2 OpenGL-based skybox tools, SkyBox Stuffer and SkyBox Viewer (http://brightideassoftware.com/SkyBox%20Tools.aspx).
SkyBox Stuffer
info: http://brightideassoftware.com/SkyBox%20Stuffer.aspx
download: http://brightideassoftware.com/download ... tuffer.zip
SkyBox Viewer
info: http://brightideassoftware.com/SkyBox%20Viewer.aspx
download: http://brightideassoftware.com/download ... Viewer.zip
In a few words, SkyBox Stuffer takes 6 images (5 + ground image) and packs them into a single file with a .bisb extension that can be then visualized inside the SkyBox Viewer. Very quick and simple !
You can give them a try with your own panoramic images or open the 2 examples I added to the post.
example 1 - Night Sky (files downloaded from the second link above), 5 images without ground
example 2 - BlackHawk (files taken from a map, "BlackHawk", for Urban Terror game), 6 images
It would be also interesting to discuss about designing skyboxes with external tools like Terragen or World Machine but maybe this will the argument of another post...
regards,
Pietro
while cleaning my pc, I also found some skyboxes resources and 2 tools aimed to build a skybox preview (without using UEd 2.0).
Maybe these resources can help someone in his mapping works:
http://www.unreal.shaungoeppinger.com/skyboxes.html
http://www.redsorceress.com/skybox.html
http://www.hazelwhorley.com/textures.html (the source images are not available anymore but you can download the .utx packages anyway)
Take a look at this last link: by clicking the images, you can join the Skybox Viewer webpage (http://www.hazelwhorley.com/scripts/sky ... iewer.html), an Adobe flash component (I think it was developed with Flex SDK) for skybox visualization. Obviously, you can not use it to visualize your own skyboxes (as you know, a compiled flash object can be decompiled but then you've to rebuild and recode the entire component...) but it represents a fine way for previewing skybox graphics.
A similar solution can be achieved by using a relative well-known commercial software called Pano2VR (http://gardengnomesoftware.com/pano2vr.php), which converts panoramic images into Flash/QuickTimeVR 3D scenes. Very interesting but Pano2VR it's not a freeware software and, most of all, it's not so easy to use, the workflow is a bit long even though it works well.
Time ago, I found something better and more simple (and also freeware).
It's about 2 OpenGL-based skybox tools, SkyBox Stuffer and SkyBox Viewer (http://brightideassoftware.com/SkyBox%20Tools.aspx).
SkyBox Stuffer
info: http://brightideassoftware.com/SkyBox%20Stuffer.aspx
download: http://brightideassoftware.com/download ... tuffer.zip
SkyBox Viewer
info: http://brightideassoftware.com/SkyBox%20Viewer.aspx
download: http://brightideassoftware.com/download ... Viewer.zip
In a few words, SkyBox Stuffer takes 6 images (5 + ground image) and packs them into a single file with a .bisb extension that can be then visualized inside the SkyBox Viewer. Very quick and simple !
You can give them a try with your own panoramic images or open the 2 examples I added to the post.
example 1 - Night Sky (files downloaded from the second link above), 5 images without ground
example 2 - BlackHawk (files taken from a map, "BlackHawk", for Urban Terror game), 6 images
It would be also interesting to discuss about designing skyboxes with external tools like Terragen or World Machine but maybe this will the argument of another post...
regards,
Pietro