SH4DOW-DC: open-source self-shadowing soft shadows for Dreamcast
A self-shadowing soft-shadow library for Sega Dreamcast development is released publicly, designed to pair with the SH4ZAM library, with the repo ready to clone.
Calling all Dreamcast developers! Today I am publicly introducing a SH4ZAM-powered self-shadowing soft shadows library to Sega@Dreamcast development. No more blobs, tearing volumes, or staying in the past. Dreamcast now has self-casting, feathered shadows in the big TWO-SIX! Highly recommend that you use it in conjunction with @falco_girgis SH4ZAM library for ultimate GAINZ! I had this shadow system developed for Halo: Dreamcast Evolved and wanted all Dreamcast developers to be able to use this performant shadowing system. Halo: DCE itself allows up to 6 characters on-screen at once to self-shadow with around 3-4ms only for draw time on around 5-6k vertices (YMMV). You can adjust it to your liking, of course. For Halo: DCE, I do the nearest 6 characters on-screen within about 9 metres from the camera before dropping and using only the cones ("fairy feet" as I call them...inspired by OoT). Shout out to @cypress577422 for assisting in squeaking out some more performance. What a helpful dev community! You can clone the repo here and get started immediately: https://github.com/JiltedValkyrie/SH4DOW-DC.git Ask your coding agent to help retarget your meshes to the bones to get it up-and-running quickly (or do it yourself if you care). Happy coding!