PointLight shadow generator uses activeCamera.maxZ instead of light.range -- bug?

[BeanstalkBlue]

I noticed that the shadow generator for point lights sets the shadow generator camera matrix using the activeCamera.maxZ (in .setShadowProjectionMatrix()).

It should really use the point light's range, to have better depth z accuracy since there are no shadows further than the light's range anyway.

It is also using the activeCamera.minZ, which is too far (at least in my case) for the shadows, and causes light bleeding.

Can I set this or do I need to override the setShadowProjectionMatrix function like this:

        BABYLON.PointLight.prototype.setShadowProjectionMatrix = function (){
            [...]
        }

Or is there a better way?

If I am right then I would submit a PR but I am new to Babylon (and Javascript and Typescript) so I thought it is better to ask here instead and let you guys fix it since it is a 1 line change in BabylonJS code.

[BeanstalkBlue]

What I am trying to say is that the Babylon.js function here:

        public setShadowProjectionMatrix(matrix: Matrix, viewMatrix: Matrix, renderList: Array<AbstractMesh>): PointLight {
            var activeCamera = this.getScene().activeCamera;
            Matrix.PerspectiveFovLHToRef(Math.PI / 2, 1.0, activeCamera.minZ, activeCamera.maxZ, matrix);
            return this;
        }

 

Should be this:

        public setShadowProjectionMatrix(matrix: Matrix, viewMatrix: Matrix, renderList: Array<AbstractMesh>): PointLight {
            Matrix.PerspectiveFovLHToRef(Math.PI / 2, 1.0, this.range/1000.0, this.range, matrix);
            return this;
        }

 

Unless I am missing something?

"activeCamera" is not the shadow generator's camera, it is the camera that the player sees the world through, right?

[BitOfGold]

I think you are right:
Just patched my version of babylon with your code, and shadows become much clearer. Much better now! Thanks!
(My camera MaxZ was 20000)

This is not the only problem with point light shadows btw.
It does not work with instanced meshes:
Look at the wrong shadows here. They are coming from the characters behind me.
 

[BeanstalkBlue]

I have point shadows on SPS particles (which I guess are instanced meshes), and it works fine. Maybe there is something going on with the meshes you are adding to the shadowGenerator renderList?

 

Did your instanced mesh error occur after using my code? If so then just to check, set minZ and maxZ in setShadowProjectionMatrix() to something sensible manually (like 0.1 and 100.0) and see if that changes anything.

[BitOfGold]

Well, I dont know what is wrong now.
Tried a few bias values (and I realy do not know what is the correct bias, as it should be one texel above the  shadowed surface, but what size is that? only guessing!)
http://www.babylonjs-playground.com/#EZCUT#20

grey boxes are normal meshes (have some wrong shadow, only in the distance, and only at the right bias setting)
reds are clones (have shadows too)
blues are instances (have no shadows)

Your code does not help if I comment it out.
Edit:
This playground scene is with default camera maxZ... In my scene, it does help!

[BitOfGold]

SPS particles are not instances, they are one mesh generated from shapes.

 

[GameMonetize]

Hey I've just added a new property to each light: light.customProjectionMatrixBuilder

here is how the code looks like:

public setShadowProjectionMatrix(matrix: Matrix, viewMatrix: Matrix, renderList: Array<AbstractMesh>): SpotLight {
            if (this.customProjectionMatrixBuilder) {
                this.customProjectionMatrixBuilder(viewMatrix, renderList, matrix);
            } else {
                var activeCamera = this.getScene().activeCamera;
                Matrix.PerspectiveFovLHToRef(this.angle, 1.0, activeCamera.minZ, activeCamera.maxZ, matrix);
            }
            return this;
        }

So basically you can now write:

light.customProjectionMatrixBuilder = function(viewMatrix, renderList, output) {

     BABYLON.Matrix.PerspectiveFovLHToRef(Math.PI / 2, 1.0, light.range/1000.0, light.range, output);

}