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@@ -3,17 +3,24 @@
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-### ⚠️ Temporary pre-requirements ⚠️
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+### ⚠️ Before using MonoScene ⚠️
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-This project requires compiling complex effect shaders with +256 techniques.
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+This library was my attempt to modernize MonoGame's 3D support, and eventually to have
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+something useful to use in Virtual Reality projects, provided MonoGame would have supported
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+VR at some point.
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-Current version of MonoGame, 3.8.0.1641, is not able to do that and will fail to compile.
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+Eventually, I hit the limits of what MonoGame can do with graphics. MonoGame prioritizes
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+backwards compatibility and consoles over adding new features, which is not neccesarily
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+a bad thing, but it's indeed hurting MonoGame to keep up with the competition.
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-The issue has been recently resolved and it's available in MonoGame's development branch.
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+To overcome MonoGame limitations, the path many choose is to fork MonoGame to add additional
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+features, __but IMHO this only leads to a fragmented and broken ecosystem__. So it's not
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+a good solution either.
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-MonoGame's minimum version required is: __3.8.1.1825-develop__
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-
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-Also Visual Studio 2022 required for Net6
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+My objective is to keep this project compatible with the official MonoGame, so I'm limited
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+to what its outdated graphics subsystem can do, which led me to __stop development of this
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+library (except for maintenance) until MonoGame improves on the missing features or
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+another fork takes the lead.__
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### Overview
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@@ -22,42 +29,72 @@ currently available in MonoGame, providing a number of much needed features:
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- PBR effect shaders.
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- Full skeleton animation.
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-- Loading asset models at runtime.
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-
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+- Loading asset models at runtime (No Pipeline required)
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+- Basic Scene management
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-### Architecture:
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+### Requirements
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-By design, the data flow of the framework looks like this:
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+- Visual Studio 2022 required for Net6.
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+- MonoGame __3.8.1.303__ for Net6.0
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+- MonoGame __3.8.1.1825-develop__ for NetStandard 2.1
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-__3D Assets ⇒ Pipeline ⇒ Content ⇒ Runtime__
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+This project requires compiling a huge number of techniques that surpassed what was possible
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+with MonoGame 3.8.0, so it absolutely needs the shader compiler that comes with MonoGame 3.8.1
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-The project is split into 3 sections:
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-
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-- Pipeline: utilities and classes to help importing 3D asset files.
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-- Content: classes used to define an intermediate representation of 3D model.
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-- Runtime: framework to consume and render 3D content objects.
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+This framework also has third party dependencies that might prevent this project
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+to be ported to consoles.
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### Limitations
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##### MonoGame's Content Pipeline
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-Right now, It is **not possible** to load glTFs through Monogame's old content processing pipeline;
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-glTFs need to be loaded at runtime, so only projects able to consume `MonoScene.Pipeline.GLTF` library
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-will be able to load glTFs.
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-##### Animations
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+Right now, It is **not possible** to import glTFs through MonoGame's content pipeline.
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-- Due to limitations in the rendering API of MonoGame, glTF's morphing features are not supported.
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-- Maximum number of bones is limited to 72 bones with SkinnedEffect (as usual) and 128 bones with PBR effects.
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+Unfortunately, MonoGame's (XNA) content pipeline is designed in a way that prevents processing many of
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+the glTF models in the wild, also MonoGame's built in model importer uses Assimp, which is only able
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+to handle a small subset of glTF models, and it's missing lots of key features.
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+
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+So glTFs need to be loaded at runtime, which means that only projects able to consume `MonoScene.Pipeline.GLTF`
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+library and its dependencies will be able to load glTFs.
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##### Textures
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-Textures are loaded using Monogame's Texture2D.FromStream, which means all of its limitations apply:
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+Textures are loaded using Monogame's `Texture2D.FromStream`, which means all of its limitations apply:
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- No Mipmaps
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-- glTF texture formats WEBP and Universal Basis KTX2 can't be loaded.
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+- glTF texture formats WEBP and Universal Basis KTX2 are not supported.
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+
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+Not having a content pipeline means the same asset is loaded on all platforms, which might not be optimal.
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+This could be mitigated if KTX2 texture format would be supported, because it's a texture compression
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+format similar to DDS with cross platform capabilities.
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+
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+##### Animations
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+
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+- Due to limitations in the Effects and Shaders API of MonoGame, glTF's morphing features are not supported.
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+- Maximum number of bones is limited to __72 bones__ with SkinnedEffect (as usual) and __128 bones__ with PBR effects.
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+
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+##### Scene
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+
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+Scene management is extremely basic and it's more an example than an actual framework, and it's missing some key features:
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+- Scene culling for models outside the view area
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+- LOD management
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+- Animation blending (it's supported under the hood, but not exposed yet)
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+
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+##### Shaders
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+
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+Shaders are missing three features that I think are key to be able to do decent looking renders:
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+- Shadows
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+- Glow effect
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+- glTF style Vertex Morphing
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+
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+Vertex Morphing is not supported because it exceeds what MonoGame can do right now.
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+Shadows and Glow might be possible, though.
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+I'm not an shaders expert, so it's unlikely I'll do more work with the shaders, I'll try to add some
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+documentation, though.
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#### Credits
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- [MonoGame](https://github.com/MonoGame/MonoGame)
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- [PBR Shaders from Khronos Viewer](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glTF-Sample-Viewer)
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- [SharpGLTF library](https://github.com/vpenades/SharpGLTF)
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+- [KNI engine for VR Support](https://github.com/kniengine/kni/)
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vpenades