Project CARS – Build 427 Released.

A new weekly build of Slightly Mad Studios’ WMD-powered Project CARS title is out.
Build 427 for all members to enjoy.

Build 427 (15/3/13, Team Member+)

Bug Fixes:

* Fixed the FFB being missing issue
* Fix for Controls screen showing the Edit page whenever you go in there
* Amended handling of puddles in road shader to prevent specular white-out

Render:

* CDynamic Envmap class now uses the new per face mip map level generation DX11 code
* DX11 Texture Class support for per Cube Face mipmap generation support, via per face ShaderResourceViews
* Fix for dynamic emap not getting used on the car
* Inverted facing direction for double sided polygons – corrects lighting be inverted

Shaders:

* Re-enable MotionBlur dither

Base:

* Initial changes switching over to use the BAppSection framework. General tidy-up of the sections code
* Ensure that custom blocklist allocs/free calls match up when using default new/delete

GUI:

* Added WMD requested physics key mapping hooks (brake bias, pit speed limiter, ignition & starter key, adj anti roll bars) – awaiting links to the physics so not yet functional

Audio:

* Increase in volume for AI sounds after reports that AI were difficult to hear. This will be ultimately controllable via sliders in the UI eventually

Trees:

* 3D palm tree instances – self shadowing and transmissive light effect added, textures tweaked in mips

Tracks:

* Belgian Forest: Added missing emissives, adjusted emmissive levels, added viewer placed lights poles, speakers,changed kerbs color in chicane after first long straight. added emmissive night skyring
* Belgian Forest: Fixed wrong crowds positions
* Eifelwald: Added new crowds
* Glencairn: Added new racecontrol building+tstacks, added missing textures 

Vehicles:

* BMW M3 GT4: CoG raised, new ARB ranges, final drive tuning allowed

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Build 426 (14/3/13, Senior Manager)

Render:
* Shader error message given more detail
* Fix for lods on reflection
* Improved cloud env map settings for performance + setup new face offset for this map.
* Reduce cloud env map resolution – it’s only ever convolved so 128×128 is way more than enough for low to high reflections
* Fix a performance issue with Envmaps when MSAA was enabled (this incorrectly cleared the phase 3 depth) but since the envmap never uses MSAA the depth can be shared (provides a 1.5-2.5% overall speedup)
* Fix clearing of the convolve render-target – the convolve renders to the whole quad and the clear is no longer needed for SLI/XF
* Add ‘face offset’ support to the CDynamicEnvmap class – allows each envmap to have a unique face offset so they aren’t all rendering the same faces each frame which causes peaking loading
Enviroment:
* Added AddKeyLight and RemoveKeyLight methods to EnvironmentManager for main menu usage
* Add cloudenvmap place holder setting for when the viewsettings are re-enabled again
HUD:
* Fix for HUD ‘lite’ not working
* RUF logo added to splash screen and Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone!
Shaders: 
* Changed the variable-range glossiness control to use mip-biasing on the envmap lookup, as well as blending to the specular convolution, this removing the odd looking pin-sharp reflections on semi matte surfaces
* Fix for basic translucent shadow-gen missing shader discard! it previously relied upon alpha coverage to work at all!
Tracks:
* Solitude Rennstrecke: New export
* Solitude Rennstrecke: New AIW
* Moravia: Exported sitting crowds + crowds placement
Vehicles:
* Pagani Huayra: Alpha2 driver anims

Build 425 (13/3/13, Senior Manager)

Base:
* Fixed input related leaks
* Fixed PS3 unity compile
* Added dump on exit if leaks detected in main pools on PC (debug and release only currently)
Render:
* Setup code to increase number of spotlights based on weather we are wishing to render at high quality or not
* Fix for bad exclusion flag in Rear View Mirror rendering (probable cause of disappearing vehicles in online)
* Viewsettings for Static envionment map optimised. (saves around 50k triangles (4%) in a typical scene
* Enable Anisotropic filtering on Foliage (including instanced Foliage) shaders and shadow map generation
Shaders:
* Fixed missing use of specular strength in wheel shader (this resulted in over-bright wheels on shaded side of car)
* Converted light glow billboard shader to be drawn in post blur phase – this fixes a problem with glow billboards sorting incorrectly with headlight glass on certain cars
Tracks:
* Heusden: Tightend up cut tracks further through chicanes 1 and 2. Adjusted the AI line through Chicane 2 so they run wide off the exit onto the grass
* Heusden: Added missing fences, sign posts, adverts and 100 markers
Vehicles:
* Ford Capri: Updated AO and added wheel LOD’s
* Ariel Atom 300: smoothed torque curve similar to Hondata reference
* BMW M3 E30: Fixed UV mapping

Build 424 (12/3/13, Manager+)

Common:
* New GUIName entries
* Added main PhysX header to main header of Support Physics library, to allow more convenient use of PhysX SDK
* Updated include paths of all common library projects that use Support Physics (directly or indirectly), so PhysX headers are visible to them.
* Removed unnecessary includes of main PhysX header from .cpp files of Support Physics library
Base:
* Ensure that msg queue alloc goes to the correct new overload
TweakIt:
* Change so FOV is updated from Tweakit
Animations:
* Tidy up vehicle anims code and switch to mix or play animations to avoid replacement of existing animations in some cases (such as wipers replacing suspension ones)
Render:
* Implement Shadow LOD scaling and size culling + fix identification of non player vehicles in vehicle meshes
* DX11 Fix Alpha to Coverage setting – sorts out crappy looking foliage/transparencies on ATI cards in all AA modes without MSAA. MSAA modes are correct as is
* App Side hookup main menu and new renderer downsampling scales.
* Render Task re-ordering for HDR Motion Blur – moves ForwardPostBlur rendering which incorporates both MB and Windscreens directly after the Forward rendering task
* DX9/DX11 Renderer support for HDR motion blur in the Post Processing control module
* Add DX9/DX11 Renderer helpers for downscaling width and height scaling
* Added new double-sided render contexts in preparation for use in plants etc
Shaders:
* MotionBlur shader – fixed for HDR support + fixed for fringe bug in all modes except MSAA
* Windscreen and Visor ForwardPostBlur shaders adjusted to work in HDR
Bug Fixing:
* Fixed memory leaks and missing file/line & trace info for a number of allocs
* Fixed memory leaks and missing file/line & trace info for a number of allocs. Added leak dump on exit in all configs (assert currently disabled)
HUD Editor:
* Better quad selection now based on Mesh bounding box and projected screen coordinates
* Fixup the Editor HUD view cycling to use the new control method
Tracks:
* Heusden: Darkened some textures
* Bathurst: Turn 12 and last corner inside cut tracks tightened up one curb width
* Eifelwald: New sitting crowds
Vehicles:
* BMW M3 E30: Fixed car colour. No more just red BMW’s
* BMW M3 E30: Fixed UV mapping

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