Recently I've noticed VERY PIXELATED SHADOWS.

What causes that, and how do I fix that?

Here are some settings:

• Preference:  Max Real-time Map Size:  2048x2048
• Light01:  Directional... Shadow... Self-Cast Shadow... Resolution 1024x1024... Bias -10

Why does the shadow look like it's from a 1980 8-bit Atari game?  Is it because of the prop that receives the shadow, the light, the avatar, or some other setting?

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

Not happening here, Dennis

Forgot to check bias though - will re-check.

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Okay, thanks for trying.

I don't remember this being a problem before, but then again, I didn't use shadows much.

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

Currently the shadows are implemented with what is called a "shadow mask". Think of it a big black patch that has to stretch over the entire scene. The bigger the patch, the better it will be.

I suggest maxing it out at 4096. You can also make a HUGE difference by reducing the range to 50%. This is usually still plenty enough range for a scene. Set the blur level to 1 for most situations. The bias adjusts how close to the model the shadow starts. It will make no difference in the quality of the shadow edges, but can reduce unwanted shadow artifacts on surfaces that sometimes occur.

Hi,
I've looked at your settings and am able to duplicate it whenever Stabilized Shadow Map option is checked. Without this being checked i can achieve a normal shadow . Hope this helps :cool:

Good catch :)

I've just tested again here, with that option selected & get the same result as Dennis.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      REALLUSION FORUM ANNUAL PINHEAD COMMUNITY PROJECTS.

       New Pinhead Website & Project to be announced in September 2015

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

looks like chuck has been playing minecraft :w00t:

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I had it UN-checked.  When I checked it, I pretty much got a rectangle for a shadow!

Playing with "Quality Partition" is making a difference too.

ONE DISCOVERY is that I get hugely DIFFERENT results between the DROP SHADOW and the SELF-CAST shadow.  Beyond the intended change in behavior, of course.

I was expecting the self-case shadow to be capable of making nice, crisp shadows (if that's what I want), just like the drop shadow setting does.

Also, as I rotate my viewing angle, I'm seeing all sorts of disturbing "shimmering" artifacts in how the shadows are rendered.  I'm not moving the props, avatars, or the light... only my viewing perspective, so I'd expect the shadows to look the same whether I'm viewing from a little to the left or a little to the right.

I'll play around a bit more, and perhaps I'll try some rendering, and will post a video depending on what I continue to see here.

Thanks again for the ideas.

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

New news...

SPOT LIGHT = Great!  :)

DIRECTIONAL LIGHT = Bad  :(

The spot light behaves wonderfully.  No complaints.  Not today, anyway.  ;)

Additional information about bad directional light behavior... When I rotate my view, when the light is to my back (I'm facing the same direction as the light), all my props darken slightly, as if I was literally standing between the light bulb and the scene.  Also, Chuck's shadow fades to nearly nothing in approximately a +/- 10 degree range of me facing the same direction as the light.

Not sure if that makes sense.  I might start with a brand new scene, and will post a video.

P.S.

How to I embed a video in my post?  I forgot how to put in right in my post, like a picture.  It'll be on Vimeo, though I don't think that will matter.

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

Vimeo should provide you with the "embed" code you need. All you need to do is copy that few lines of code and paste it into your message.