Re: [Algorithms] FPS Questions

[Conor S. <cs...@tp...>]

This is where I make evil confessions of things I've done :)

    Well, the main evil thing is actually using a form of AI system to
calculate LoD levels on the fly to get a constant frame rate in specific
environments. A genetic algorithm which modified a neural network style
structure on the fly. The neural network style object used an kd-tree
structure with output vectors stored at corner points of the bounding hyper
boxes.

    The current input vector was pushed down the tree until it found the
node, and linear interpolation between the closest output values was used.
If the frame speed was outside a error metric, then a modifier was used. The
modifiers were genetically terminated also. If a modifier didn't fix a
problem, it was modified as well. The system worked quite well. The kd-tree
structure allowed additional non linear information to be accounted for.
Twas a rather evil thing to do. Maybe one day I'll do a demo.

    The output vectors simply allowed me to map LoD to priorities (eg, the
camera distance) and complexity (eg, how long one LoD element takes) to
output a fairly reasonable estimate in most circumstances.

    I don't know why I feel I need to voice this here and now, but I do :)
And I will probably be laughed at for the sheer insanity of the idea ;)

Mwhuhahahahaha.

Conor Stokes

> As for finding the optimum details settings to get "n"Hz on a machine,
with
> continuous LoD methods, you can get quite close (+/- 5Hz is not too hard
to
> achieve 95% of the time). You have some sensible defaults for rendering
> quality (i.e. how many passes), according to card type, allow the user to
> override them if they feel like it, and then CLOD up or down to get the
> right frame rate (within sane limits).
>
> Tom Forsyth - Muckyfoot bloke.
> Whizzing and pasting and pooting through the day.