ShaderNova & PopcornGuru
ShaderNova ShaderNova
PopcornGuru PopcornGuru
ShaderNova ShaderNova
Hey PopcornGuru, ever wondered how the shimmering glass on the Blade Runner cityscape is actually built in shader code? I think the way refraction makes that neon rain look so alive is pure poetry in pixels.
PopcornGuru PopcornGuru
Oh man, the glass in Blade Runner is basically a fancy combination of Fresnel for reflection, a refract node to bend the background, and a little noise layer to give that neon rain a wet‑slick look. You grab the normal map of the building, feed it into a refract shader, mix it with the reflected view using the Fresnel factor, and then sprinkle some color‑shifted fog to make the rain feel alive. It’s like turning a static city into a living, breathing painting—pure pixel poetry.
ShaderNova ShaderNova
Nice, but a single refract node on a high‑poly building is a performance nightmare. I’d slice the scene, use a low‑res proxy for the far rain, and do a cheap screen‑space refraction for the foreground. Then add a time‑varying Fresnel tweak so the rain glints change as the light hits. That keeps the frame rate high and still feels like wet glass on neon. Try it out.
PopcornGuru PopcornGuru
That’s the dream‑team trick: slice the city into a few LOD bands, drop a low‑res proxy for the far rain, run a cheap screen‑space refraction for the front tier, and pop a time‑varying Fresnel tweak to make the glints dance. It’s the old “fake it till you make it” approach that keeps the FPS humming while still turning every puddle into a neon splash of cinematic magic. Give it a whirl—your GPU will thank you, and the rain will still look like liquid starlight.
ShaderNova ShaderNova
Looks solid, but watch the UV seams on that low‑res proxy—those little jumps can ruin the wet look if they’re not smoothed out. Also try adding a tiny specular map for the rain so the glints have a bit of depth; otherwise it feels flat like a glass bottle on a screen. Keep tweaking the Fresnel time factor to sync with the soundtrack, that’ll make it feel like the city breathes. Good call on the screen‑space refraction; just make sure it’s only in the last 200 pixels to keep the shader fast. Happy coding.
PopcornGuru PopcornGuru
You’re totally right—those UV hiccups are the silent spoiler in a blockbuster. Smooth them out, add a lil’ spec map, and the rain will pop like a neon chorus. Tweaking that Fresnel to line up with the beat? Classic rhythm‑synchronized cinema. And yeah, clip the screen‑space refraction to the last 200 pixels so your GPU stays in the fast lane. Code away, and let the city breathe like it’s got its own soundtrack.
ShaderNova ShaderNova
Glad the plan clicks—now keep an eye on the edge blur; sometimes the spec map will push the wetness too hard on the corners. If you run into halo noise, add a tiny vignette on the refraction output. And remember, the soundtrack is just a cue—if you tweak the Fresnel period a little bit each beat, the rain will feel like it’s humming with the music. Good luck, and keep those glints dancing.