Anti-Aliasing in Halo - new method!

[jcap]

Jelly found this today and talked about it in IRC.


http://mrhaandi.blogspot.com/p/injectsmaa.html (http://mrhaandi.blogspot.com/p/injectsmaa.html)

It's basically just a d3d9. Works with 0 performance hit. You can use it independently or with OS (rename to d3d9_proxy.dll).


injectSMAA

Download
injectSMAA v1.1 (https://sites.google.com/site/mrhaandi/injectSMAA_by_mrhaandi_1.1.7z)

Description


adds "Subpixel Morphological Antialiasing" to an application
is based on "injectFXAA" (written by "some dude")
is supposed to work only with directx 9, directx 10, directx 11, x86 applications
may be incompatible with any other form of antialiasing
may be incompatible with overlays (Steam Overlay, MSI Afterburner, Fraps, ...)

SMAA is a very efficient GPU-based MLAA implementation, capable of handling subpixel features seamlessly, and featuring an advanced pattern detection & handling mechanism.
http://www.iryoku.com/smaa/

(click on the pics to enlarge)

Before:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar90Z5uYgUE/TtauJw7CjiI/AAAAAAAAADU/pTW-U6ezlbQ/s1600/Halo1_NOAA.png

After:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zFe6d8Z8cs4/TtauLP5AL2I/AAAAAAAAADc/6NuUfxyyD6U/s1600/Halo1_SMAA.png

[Jelly]

also note this isnt the same as ATI's MLAA thing; this one doesnt smooth your HUD or menus or chat.

[Higuy]

Awesome.

e: tested this out, works great. thanks for the find.

[Spartan094]

Woop this is very nice.

[EagerYoungSpaceCadet]

Tried it, and it works really nice, no performance decrease... until particles appear on screen and the FPS drops by 30-60% (note this is on my laptop, unsure of my PC)

Still, looks nice and works in nearly every game, so +1 on that.

[Cortexian]

Any way to completely remove the jaggies using this? Ex: Crank up the AA to 32x?

[Pooky]

Am I the only one out there who always prefers raw graphics to any form of smoothing or anti aliasing?

[=sw=warlord]

Am I the only one out there who always prefers raw graphics to any form of smoothing or anti aliasing?
Yes.
no one else uses sandpaper as toilet roll either.

[Cortexian]

Am I the only one out there who always prefers raw graphics to any form of smoothing or anti aliasing?
Yes, you're the only one who prefers your games to look worse than they have to.

[Amit]

Am I the only one out there who always prefers raw graphics to any form of smoothing or anti aliasing?

Why the hell would you want that?

[Pooky]

Yes, you're the only one who prefers your games to look worse than they have to.

Are you shitting me? Sprite based games look horrible with filtering.

http://i.imgur.com/pVJVo.png

WOW, IT'S SO REALISTIC


Why the hell would you want that?

I dunno, I just do. As said above, with sprite based games it looks atrocious, but even with 3D games I still don't care for it.

[Donut]

^ im with you on the sprite thing. when i play games on an snes emulator, i tend to keep filters off for a little while to get the feel of the game in its original form, then i might play around with them and see what isnt awful. i usually use the ones that double the internal resolution and smooth the color difference a bit. i found one that did some strange shit that actually added detail (or seemed to, anyway) in tales of phantasia. havent tested it elsewhere.

in terms of 3d games though, jaggies on non vertical or horizontal lines on polygons are the result of using pixels vs something like vectors on an oscilloscope. AA attempts to bridge that gap. done correctly, it simply looks better. the difference being that it doesnt really affect the game's graphics, rather, just how lines that form those graphics blend into each other. in those two pictures in the first post, is there any discernible difference in the graphics other than polygon lines being smoothed?

[Patrickssj6]

Pooky is not living the smooth way of life.

[Limited]

Are you shitting me? Sprite based games look horrible with filtering.

http://i.imgur.com/pVJVo.png

WOW, IT'S SO REALISTIC



I dunno, I just do. As said above, with sprite based games it looks atrocious, but even with 3D games I still don't care for it.
>_> Sprites don't need AA because they don't have any aliasing. They are designed piece by piece.

[Pooky]

>_> Sprites don't need AA because they don't have any aliasing. They are designed piece by piece.

read: or filtering


the difference being that it doesnt really affect the game's graphics, rather, just how lines that form those graphics blend into each other. in those two pictures in the first post, is there any discernible difference in the graphics other than polygon lines being smoothed?

Not especially, just the smoothing effect bugs me <_>

[Jelly]

Any way to completely remove the jaggies using this? Ex: Crank up the AA to 32x?

not using this injector. one of the fxaa injectors might work though eg: http://neogaf.net/forum/showthread.php?t=439293

[Cortexian]

Attn Pooky: Halo is not a sprite based game.

Filtering and AA are obviously not for retro games that were made before such things even existed.

Don't be a smart ass.

[Limited]

read: or filtering

Not especially, just the smoothing effect bugs me <_>
You clearly have no idea what the work aliasing actually means. Go look it up before you throw the word 'filtering' into the mix.

[itszutak]

Woah, awesome! I think this completely replaces all the methods in my thread on AA. Will try it out later for myself once I re-install HCE.

[PopeAK49]

Took me awhile to compare the images. That was until I realized that I have dual monitors and I can compare them side by side xD. This is very cool though. The edges of geometry are smooth on everything I see. Very awesome overall.

[Pooky]

Attn Pooky: Halo is not a sprite based game.

ATTN: Failancer, I said the effect bugs me in general regardless of what kind of game it's on. Learn to read.


You clearly have no idea what the work aliasing actually means. Go look it up before you throw the word 'filtering' into the mix.

Yes I do I was just trying to make a distinction so you knew what I was talking about.

Jesus christ guys, I asked a harmless question and get a bunch of smart ass bitching back in response. Someone doesn't like anti-aliasing and was curious if anyone else shares the same sentiment. Why don't you get butt mad about it.

[PopeAK49]

Well I don't see a problem with hating AA. It just seems a bit overboard when people use it in games like Crysis when they think it has to be on to consider the graphics to be 'full settings' when in reality you barley notice a difference in a game like that. Personally, I would have it at 2X AA even if I can run it at 30+ fps just so I can get good performance vs something I would hardly take notice to. Some AA is still nice to have though, but I agree that people make it a bit overrated.

[t3h m00kz]

Comparing AA in a 3d game to a horribly filtered 16x16 sprite in retaliation to our answers is more than just a "harmless question"

[Timo]

Jesus christ guys, I asked a harmless question and get a bunch of smart ass bitching back in response. Someone doesn't like anti-aliasing and was curious if anyone else shares the same sentiment. Why don't you get butt mad about it.

You don't think bringing up sprites in an 18 year old game as a counterpoint for AA in halo was a bit smart ass-y? lol.

[Pooky]

Comparing AA in a 3d game to a horribly filtered 16x16 sprite in retaliation to our answers is more than just a "harmless question"


You don't think bringing up sprites in an 18 year old game as a counterpoint for AA in halo was a bit smart ass-y? lol.

No, because I wasn't comparing. I specifically mentioned AA in a 3D game and sprite filtering as 2 separate things, neither of which I care for.


with sprite based games it looks atrocious, but even with 3D games I still don't care for it.

I seriously can't believe I have to go back and clarify this. I used the DOOM example just because it was the first one that came up in a google search (so that people could see what I was talking about), but I've yet to see a filtered sprite in ANY game that didn't look like shit.

e: also what the fuck, counterpoint? Jesus christ, I'm not counterpointing anything. "I don't like AA, am I the only one who feels this way" does not mean "AA in Halo is bad". Holy fuck.

[Amit]

Jesus fuck guys, he doesn't like AA. Leave him to his weirdness.

[t3h m00kz]

No, because I wasn't comparing. I specifically mentioned AA in a 3D game and sprite filtering as 2 separate things, neither of which I care for.

then

why

did you bring it up in the first place

[Cortexian]

In newer games AA makes everything have less jaggies.

Jaggies are a bad thing.

I guess when we come out with some new way to display things on a screen that don't involve pixels, and actually have no detail limit, Pooky will stop playing games.

EDIT: Just noticed some lag while using this + OS + 6000x1200 res.

[Spartan094]

I do slightly lag when I have OS running with it on my maximum settings which is no were near freelancers specs because I'm using a laptop. But if I take off os blur, specular, and shadows I'm fine.

[Amit]

In newer games AA makes everything have less jaggies.

Jaggies are a bad thing.

I guess when we come out with some new way to display things on a screen that don't involve pixels, and actually have no detail limit, Pooky will stop playing games.

EDIT: Just noticed some lag while using this + OS + 6000x1200 res.

Well, when you increase your field of view the GPU needs to render more on the screen, right? Couple this with a high resolution and I wouldn't be surprised that it lags at times.

[Pooky]

"I don't like AA, am I the only one who feels this way"


then

why

did you bring it up in the first place

It's called a question. One with a yes or no answer. Learn to read.


In newer games AA makes everything have less jaggies.

Jaggies are a bad thing.

I guess when we come out with some new way to display things on a screen that don't involve pixels, and actually have no detail limit, Pooky will stop playing games.

EDIT: Just noticed some lag while using this + OS + 6000x1200 res.

Yeah, because that's what I said at all, Christ you're a tool. Jaggies being a bad thing is a matter of opinion.

[t3h m00kz]

that doesn't even make sense or answer my question in any way

[DarkHalo003]

I usually have AA off to reinforce better performance (not that it matters since eventually my computer freezes about a couple of hours into any game). I mean, AA is alright, but I really never notice it in games where motion is heavy. Even in modern games like Halo 3 where there is no AA (I'm positive), it's difficult to notice unless you're that ADHD. Still, to each his own.

And Pooky, I don't really care too much about AA either.

[Pooky]

that doesn't even make sense or answer my question in any way

Then you can't read. It was a simple question, one which could have been answered without a bunch of sarcastic douche-baggery.

Irrelevant to the topic? Maybe a little bit, but I don't really see what all the fuss is over anti-aliasing when it's such a tiny difference that typically comes with a big performance hit.

[Amit]

Why don't we can the debate? This AA doesn't make too much difference and it's hardly noticeable when moving, but it has no performance hit that I can see. This makes it good.

[t3h m00kz]

I like that idea

stuffin the d3d9 in my ce directory~

[jcap]

Pooky, out of curiosity, do you have font smoothing enabled or disabled?

[Higuy]

we should stop fighting and celebrate that something nice came out that we can enjoy :)

on another note, this works in sapien.

[Limited]

Yes I do I was just trying to make a distinction so you knew what I was talking about.

Jesus christ guys, I asked a harmless question and get a bunch of smart ass bitching back in response. Someone doesn't like anti-aliasing and was curious if anyone else shares the same sentiment. Why don't you get butt mad about it.
You like looking at things with visual artifacts in them? When you look at photographs do you hope they look really grainy?

Pooky, you are extremely weird. I personally prefer shitty shadows and AA rather than the other way around.

DOOM has no visual artifacts, so bring it up was pointless.

[Pooky]

Pooky, out of curiosity, do you have font smoothing enabled or disabled?

Enabled, I think. Haven't checked.


You like looking at things with visual artifacts in them? When you look at photographs do you hope they look really grainy?

Pooky, you are extremely weird. I personally prefer shitty shadows and AA rather than the other way around.

DOOM has no visual artifacts, so bring it up was pointless.

I didn't bring DOOM up, I used it as an example of the effect of smoothing on sprites as opposed to 3D geometry. As I already said multiple times before. That was just the most convenient example. I seriously have no idea what comes up in your head when you read my posts.

[DarkHalo003]

Since we're on the topic of weird shit going down with performance, can anyone help explain to me how to properly enable VSync? For example, I'll have it "enabled" via options in most games (even in HCE), but it has some small horizontal tearing higher up on my screen. I'm starting to think it's the resolution (the games I'm playing are all older, except New Vegas which is a mess anyways and BioShock2 from 2009) since the Resolution is 1330xwhatever. Any suggestions? Sorry if this is going off-topic a bit.

I guess to steer it on-topic a bit, maybe the reason why I'm not bothered by AA is because my resolution is so high in comparison, so I don't notice the pixels as much as when I used to having to play under a 640 res. Regardless, I still end up having Horizontal Tearing while Vsync is enabled even with the Morphological Filtering by AMD for their solution for AA.

[Pooky]

What's your refresh rate?

[DarkHalo003]

What's your refresh rate?
The standard 60Hz? I know for Halo that's what it is. As for games like New Vegas, Oblivion, and Bioshock 2, not exactly sure. Either way, there are still Vsync issues with HCE, so something is aloof. My laptop is pretty boss and should run all of these games with no issue (6GB RAM, i7, 2GHz blah blah, Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB dedicated).

[Amit]

I always have VSYNC turned off. My FPS usually never goes above my refresh rate. My hardware ain't that good lol. Even with VSYNC disabled in Halo, though, my FPS is capped at 60FPS for some reason.

[PopeAK49]

Your graphics card driver should have a utility option in which you can select a game and enforce settings such as vsync. A menu should show the utility if you right click your desktop.

[Amit]

Ahh, I just looked in AMD Vision Control Center and under Gaming setting I found this piece of info:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h262/amit9821/Capture-28.png

Apparently when it's set to Always On (Quality side of slider) the drivers will have VSYNC turned on regardless of what the application setting is. What confuses me is that Always on will sync your FPS to the Refresh Rate to prevent tearing, but I have mine set to Always off and my FPS never goes higher than 60FPS and it looks like it's being held back. Does Halo limit the Frame rate to 60 FPS? I doubt it since the VSYNC option would become obsolete for most people.

[DarkHalo003]

I saw that before my last run, but it didn't help after 5 minutes. I'm going to run my Resolution at 1048 to see if that would help. One issue I keep having is that my mouse cursor (like, the default one for Windows Desktop) appears randomly on my screen, strangely right above where the horizontal tearing is occurring. A link there maybe?

[flyingmonkey3]

To my knowledge, Halo doesn't limit frame rate unless you select the 30 fps option.

[itszutak]

...or vsynch on :eng101:

[Sean Aero]

To my knowledge, Halo doesn't limit frame rate unless you select the 30 fps option.
Let me correct you a bit.

- Using -vidmode especially at high res (unsupported res?) will force VSync.
- ATI card CCC options always force settings regardless of the application.
As Amit pointed out the control center has effect on your game.

Amit, you should consider downloading Radeon Pro (does not work with sauce) if you're interested in being able to set things the way you like.

[Amit]

Ahh, I'm using vidmode to force 1680x1050. So Vsync is there. Oh well, 60FPS is plenty. CCC does everything I need it to. And not being able to use OS is out of the question haha.

[DarkHalo003]

Yeah, still having issues. Vsync doesn't work for some odd reason. It's enforced on my Radeon settings and in the game settings. Unless it might just be my computer have 4 cores (idk, just throwing out shit) and the programs not having the clue about what to do with the extras, I'm not sure what the problem is. Just enabled TrifleBuffering in Radeon settings since it mentions Vsync. I'm also pondering if I should go into BIOS and mess with some values....

[Amit]

Whoa there, slow down. The BIOS can do not a single thing to help you here. TripleBuffering is the term and it'll only help you if VSYNC is activated and works. This has nothing to do with your CPU either. It's all GPU related.

Use the snipping tool to give us a snapshot of your Vertical Sync settings in CCC. I posted an image of mine on the previous page. You want yours to be to the far right of the screen. There's also a way to force it to 60FS. Add -vidmode width,height,refresh rate to the end of halo's target line. This is what mine looks like:

-vidmode 1680,1050,60

That's all.

[DarkHalo003]

2543

[Amit]

What the fuck, it should be working. Oh well, just use the vidmode argument in the shotcut's target line and that should clear things up.

[seanthelawn]

Anyone else randomly crash while using this and Xfire at the same time?

[EagerYoungSpaceCadet]

Don't use Xfire. It doesn't work with overlays (Steam overlay, Fraps)

[Kornman00]

Don't use Xfire. It's a shitty product.

[itszutak]

Xfire's still around? Haven't heard about it in years.

[seanthelawn]

Yeah I signed in today for the first time in a ridiculously long time. Shit's broke.

[{XG}Gijs007]

Just use radeon pro to run halo with MLAA and disable vsynch.
Note: I've noticed that radeon pro can crash ocasionally with 69xx card's however it works fine with my 4670.