Minecraft: Adding Shaders to a C++ Clone
Last time, the creator added a world generator to their Minecraft clone, complete with biomes, caves, and structures. Now, they are ready to add shaders to enhance the visual experience.
Challenges and Solutions
The creator shares their experience of playing Minecraft with shaders on a new laptop, which looked amazing but ran at a lower frame rate. They aim to achieve better visuals without compromising performance in their clone.
They discuss the implementation of lights in Minecraft, using a flood fill algorithm, and the complexities involved in debugging the program. The creator also explains the use of PBR (Physically Based Rendering) texture packs to enhance the visual quality of the game.
Optimizing Performance
As they continue to work on the project, the creator encounters the need for point light sources and shadows. They share their process of adding glowstone and implementing shadows for a single light source to improve the visual effects.
They humorously discuss the challenges of fixing shadows and reveal their plan to use the project for their master’s thesis, promising more videos on the topic in the future.
Rendering Engine Decisions
The creator deliberates on whether to make the renderer deferred or not, ultimately deciding to opt for a non-deferred shading approach, citing modern engines like ID engine 7 as an example.
Performance Measurement and Community Involvement
They share their experience of creating a profiler to measure performance and discuss the challenges of profiling OpenGL. Additionally, they mention seeking help from a Discord server called shaderLabs to improve the visual animations of leaves and grass in their clone.
Overall, the creator provides an insightful and engaging narrative of their journey in adding shaders to their C++ Minecraft clone, offering a glimpse into the complexities and creative problem-solving involved in game development.