In one of today's main Gamasutra features, this valuable technical article by Yannick Puech explains how to use DirectX shaders in 3ds Max for video game development, covering the entire production process: from implementation and integration to export.
In the introduction to his article, Puech explains the concept of using DirectX shaders directly in the tool:
"This article will focus especially on shader effects. For example, with a DirectX Shader you can view in realtime, in the viewport, a shader used in your game, for example a normal mapping shader...
Using a DirectX shader material, artists can view the same result in 3ds Max viewport as in the game engine. You can integrate DirectX shaders in your production workflow even if your game engine is not using standard DirectX effects. Indeed, it's possible to export the effects to your specific shader effect format. Also, if you are developing a game not using shaders, you can use DirectX shaders in order to display in Max viewport a specific lighting effects used in the game for example.
DirectX Shaders can help a lot of artists. They provide immediate a feedback. So, real-time DirectX shaders save a lot of time and the gain of productivity in production can be significant."
You can now
read the full Gamasutra feature on the subject, including detailed technical information on this useful concept (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).
