Mobile games vfx

General Discussion
12

Hi Temzy,

if you doing something for mobile or tablets.
There some technical limitations, which it is important to now.
So I am speaking now from my own production experience!!!

  • just 3 UV sets possible

  • Small textures sizes, mostly maxim size 512x512. So is hard to use it for sprite animations.
    special if you need a sharp and clear shapes, you will have less frames.

  • textures have to be power of two (standard in real time games)!
    for example 8x8, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64, 128x128, 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024, 2048x2048, 4069x4069 etc.
    could be also 1024x256 or 2048x512.
    We used square sets but this can change form engine to engine,or from production to production.
    Important is just that width and height have to be divisible by “8” and by “2”
    I would use “Power of two” also in pre-rendered stuff,
    the memory use this texture numbers more performance as random numbers.

  • Skeleton/Bone rigs takes too much performance! Use skeleton/bone meshes so less as possible.

  • No post process available! Bloom is working on the most high and Mid devices.
    Expect from special written scripts or plugins for engines. Be careful with this scripts they can took to much
    prefomance.

  • limitation of draw calls. Every Material is a one draw call. Don’t use to much materials as important.
    But the good think with effects is, mostly they just popping up for a second or few seconds.
    Depend on how long the effect is visible in the game you have some freedoms to go more crazy as usual.
    Just be care full! :slight_smile: .

  • Particle count, mesh count. Don’t use 100 of particles for a one emitter, or dont use 1000 of polygons for a mesh particle!

  • no vertex animation manipulate by pixel. (Just at higer Shader/Material Feature Level like E3.1 (vulcan or metal)).

  • reflection/refraction take to much preformance. Try to don’t use it! Maybe usefull for Highend Mobile/Tablet devices.

  • no blob meshes, until higher Feature Level, like E3.1 for Vulcan or Metal.

  • highest shader Models on mobile/tablets are “Vulcan” from Samsung and “Metal” from i OS.

If you never did real tim VFX, play first with engines and learn make your effects, and afterwords try to keep this points. Have fun!!! :slight_smile:

I hope I dind’t scared you!!! :smiley:

Cheers
Emre

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