3D rendering effects overview on Windows Phone 7 Series with video

Microsoft demonstrated all the new effects available in the XNA Game Studio 4.0 release during a GDC session and my pal Chuong from Pocketnow had the chance to capture it on video. The first video principally covers the new guidelines and resolutions supported by WP7 (WVGA & HVGA). Microsoft is also suggesting to developers that developing intensive 3D games at WVGA isn’t really recommended. Using the build-in hardware scaler seems to be the preferred solution. For example, a game can be rendered by the GPU at 600×360 & then upscaled to 800×480 by the scaler (same aspect ratio) to achieve greater framerate. I’m guessing that this is what Apple is implementing on the iPad (iPhone apps are upscaled for “free”) and feature higher-res iPhone phones.

Tse second video is an overview of the 5 new effects added to the XNA 4.0: BassidEffect, DualTexttureEffect, AplhaTestEffect, SkinnedEffect & EnvironementMapEffect:

Here’s description of each one of them:

BassicEffect:
– 0-3 Directional lights
– Blinn-Phong Shading
– Optional Texture
– Optional Fog
– Optional Vertex Color

DualTextureEffect:
– For lightmaps, detail textures, decals
– Blends two textures
– Separate texture coordinates
– Modulate 2X combine mode
– Good visuals at low pixel cost

AplhaTestEffect:
– For billboards & imposters
– Adds alpha test operations (pixel kill)
– Standard blending is free with all effects
– Only need alpha test if you want too disable depth/stencil writes

SkinnedEffect:
– For animated models and instancing
– Game code animates bones on GPU
– Vertex skinning performed by the GPU
– Up to 72 bones
– One, tow or four weights per vertex

EnvironementMapEffect:
– Oh Shinny!
– Difuse Texture + cube environement map
– Cheap way to fake many complex lights
– Frsnel term simulates behaviour when lights reaches a surface and some reflects, some penetrates