MAME HLSL CRT SCANLINE EMULATION PRESETS

[lettuce]

I've just made this animated comparison to show the difference between using my custom rgb effect with nothing else, my rgb effect with sweetfx and normal settings (no tone loss either bright or dark) and the effect with stronger settings (hdr and bloom) which looks pretty cool, although some color details are lost.

http://www.alvarezeninternet.com/temp/s ... d_test.gif

Looks good, im guessing like HLSL though every game looks different with the effect though?

[Elaphe]

You want perfect, use a CRT.

I have a computer with a 15khz graphic card and a TV (Scart) just for MAME, but I also like testing this kind of simulations. We have to be prepared: sadly, CRTs will not live forever.

[NUeda]

Holy crap that looks so much cleaner ! (especially the aperture)
I gotta start using sweetfx....

[lettuce]

Holy crap that looks so much cleaner ! (especially the aperture)
I gotta start using sweetfx....

Get to work NUeda

[cmoses]

Can someone explain what sweetfx is?

Thanks

[cools]

You want perfect, use a CRT.

I have a computer with a 15khz graphic card and a TV (Scart) just for MAME, but I also like testing this kind of simulations. We have to be prepared: sadly, CRTs will not live forever.

Same as me. But you have to realise that current consumer displays are not capable of simulating a CRT accurately, it's still just a best effort attempt.

[Elaphe]

You want perfect, use a CRT.

I have a computer with a 15khz graphic card and a TV (Scart) just for MAME, but I also like testing this kind of simulations. We have to be prepared: sadly, CRTs will not live forever.

Same as me. But you have to realise that current consumer displays are not capable of simulating a CRT accurately, it's still just a best effort attempt.

However, it's exciting to see how many improvements have been made in recent years. The new screens with led technology are brighter and have better contrast and the software is getting more and more configurable. Remember the old days, when we just had scanlines, 50% and 75% and the image was either blocky or blurred.

Answering the question, SweetFX is a post-processing tool, like the hlsl that MAME now includes, or the old enbseries. As far as I know it uses the graphic card capabilities to adjust, tweak, add things, etc to the image you seen in direct3D games. You can play a game with scanlines, with screen perspective, in black and white, with film grain, sepia color, with inverted colors, darkening the edges of the screen, with cartoon look, with a blury image, with hdr effects, etc.

[lettuce]

I've just made this animated comparison to show the difference between using my custom rgb effect with nothing else, my rgb effect with sweetfx and normal settings (no tone loss either bright or dark) and the effect with stronger settings (hdr and bloom) which looks pretty cool, although some color details are lost.

http://www.alvarezeninternet.com/temp/s ... d_test.gif

Can you explain what is need and what settings to achieve the effect in the above link???

[Elaphe]

You need the SweetFX files and folders copied to the root of your MAME folder, a settings file and a .rgb effect (defined in mame.ini, together with the rest of options: stretch, resolution, etc.).

I'm about to finish a script that adds a function to SweetFX: loop through presets. This means you can copy several preset files with different settings to the preset folder and using a key during the game you can change from one to another. When It's finished I'll upload the whole pack, including the SweetFX files, the rgb effect, the presets, the script, etc.

I've been playing with the settings. Look at these effects in a new animated gif: disabled, normal, extreme, old, green.

http://www.alvarezeninternet.com/temp/w ... ffects.gif

[lettuce]

You need the SweetFX files and folders copied to the root of your MAME folder, a settings file and a .rgb effect (defined in mame.ini, together with the rest of options: stretch, resolution, etc.).

I'm about to finish a script that adds a function to SweetFX: loop through presets. This means you can copy several preset files with different settings to the preset folder and using a key during the game you can change from one to another. When It's finished I'll upload the whole pack, including the SweetFX files, the rgb effect, the presets, the script, etc.

I've been playing with the settings. Look at these effects in a new animated gif: disabled, normal, extreme, old, green.

http://www.alvarezeninternet.com/temp/w ... ffects.gif

Thanks, i like the look of the 'normal' png the most

[Elaphe]

You can get the SweetFX shaders, together with my compiled script for looping through the different effects, by clicking on this url:

http://www.alvarezeninternet.com/temp/SFX-Loop-full.zip

Just place all the files and folders in the root of MAME folder. The normal effect is the default one. You can edit my presets in the \SweetFX\Presets folder or add your own presets. While in MAME, use the backspace key to run the loop. If you are not interested in the other effects, just ignore it and don't run SFX-Loop.exe before loading MAME. The normal effect will keep on working as long as the dlls are there. There are some configuration options in injector.ini. Read the included help file if you need for info.

Remember, SweetFX and my script will work with any other Direct3D game, not just MAME.

I've also included my custom rgb effect for MAME. Without it you will not see the scanlines and the grid pattern. Place it in your artwork folder and edit the effect line in mame.ini Of course, disable the hlsl shaders in mame.ini, use direct3d, prescale 1, filter 1, hardware stretch and your monitor's native resolution.

If you have any problem, please let me know.

[Fudoh]

SweetFX does support it's own overlay patterns though. It might be hard to get a proper scanline alignment with a fix overlay from SFX combined with MAME D3D scaling, but I think it would be nice to explore this option, so we can enable scanlines on Doujin titles - even on vertical ones like Crimzon Clover.

[Elaphe]

That's why I'm discarding the CRT effects from SweetFX. I'm using HDR, bloom, sharpen, etc. Hlsl makes good scanlines but the aperture grill is terrible. I prefer a rgb effect for that purpose.

[headlesshobbs]

How does this combo sound?

Mame RGB pattern overlay > HLSL > SLG3000? (filtered in that order)

[Fudoh]

doesn't work out, since HLSL requires high resolutions and the SLG relies on a 1:1 480p output.

[headlesshobbs]

What about matching vertical resolution for the SLG?

Something like 1290 x 480 because you're not trying to add effects that jump between scanlines.

[Fudoh]

what's the point ? Don't you like the scanlines produced by MAME or HLSL ?

Also which display would support such a resolution ?

[headlesshobbs]

what's the point ? Don't you like the scanlines produced by MAME or HLSL ?

They work fine. I just thought I'd throw that in for a suggestion because you were discussing how the resolution settings weren't working with the unit properly.

Also which display would support such a resolution ?

I still have my crt monitor, so that can be squeezed in to 4:3 mode. Also I'm certain mame will help maintain that aspect ratio if you set it up that way on your lcd panel. I know because I've had success with it.

[Overkill]

Holy crap that looks so much cleaner ! (especially the aperture)
I gotta start using sweetfx....

Good luck on that NUeda, but we all would love to see more of your HLSL settings before that, if you can still share with us your updates on the diferent PCBs i will be very gratefull

[Zapf]

Anyone else having problems loading nueda's postimg pics?

You probably should use imgur

[J3SteR82]

SweetFX does support it's own overlay patterns though. It might be hard to get a proper scanline alignment with a fix overlay from SFX combined with MAME D3D scaling, but I think it would be nice to explore this option, so we can enable scanlines on Doujin titles - even on vertical ones like Crimzon Clover.

This needs to at least be tried! Also are scan lines supposed to be larger the bigger the tv?

[Fudoh]

Also are scan lines supposed to be larger the bigger the tv?

they sure are.

[lettuce]

You can get the SweetFX shaders, together with my compiled script for looping through the different effects, by clicking on this url:

http://www.alvarezeninternet.com/temp/SFX-Loop-full.zip

Just place all the files and folders in the root of MAME folder. The normal effect is the default one. You can edit my presets in the \SweetFX\Presets folder or add your own presets. While in MAME, use the backspace key to run the loop. If you are not interested in the other effects, just ignore it and don't run SFX-Loop.exe before loading MAME. The normal effect will keep on working as long as the dlls are there. There are some configuration options in injector.ini. Read the included help file if you need for info.

Remember, SweetFX and my script will work with any other Direct3D game, not just MAME.

I've also included my custom rgb effect for MAME. Without it you will not see the scanlines and the grid pattern. Place it in your artwork folder and edit the effect line in mame.ini Of course, disable the hlsl shaders in mame.ini, use direct3d, prescale 1, filter 1, hardware stretch and your monitor's native resolution.

If you have any problem, please let me know.

Im trying this on MAMEUI64, and have copied over all contents of your zip file to my mame directory, have loaded the SFX-loop.exe, and the mameui64 whilst in game press the backspace key but dont see any change in the effect any ideas?

[lettuce]

Hmm, ok got it working now, guess you cant use a 64 bit build of mame!?. Any way here's some screen shots...just seems a bit too sharp???...

http://i.minus.com/ibx5ucIQynd54p.png
http://i.minus.com/ibbp7URRXbboR1.png
http://i.minus.com/i6KGSzOCqqkZd.png
http://i.minus.com/i4SwZKzDWYZPu.png
http://i.minus.com/iwCj5FbxNwHYX.png
http://i.minus.com/itVF2RCq1MTwN.png
http://i.minus.com/iNp6i38yw8PoT.png
http://i.minus.com/irEAfty7l8j4D.png

[Fudoh]

Your scanlines are not properly aligned to the pixel rows.....

And 10MB screenshots ? Seriously ?

[lettuce]

Your scanlines are not properly aligned to the pixel rows.....

And 10MB screenshots ? Seriously ?

Dont blame me im just using the files that Elaphe has supplied in the zip file above

2560x1140 and no compression bmp is how i roll.

Guess its not too much of problem when you have 110meg download speed

EDIT: just re-uploaded pics for people with sub 100meg internet connections

[lettuce]

I think NUeda;'s 80's HLSL settings look more authentic, same pics just with HLSL settings....

http://i.minus.com/iGTnwVXzQou0l.png
http://i.minus.com/ibdOKNl3IlYI27.png
http://i.minus.com/ibouz7ESPM7Aqo.png
http://i.minus.com/ithZOHyYwFhPH.png
http://i.minus.com/iLQTf1WBPVdll.png
http://i.minus.com/i2am3SmvjvNot.png
http://i.minus.com/ieGq46arkqvKr.png
http://i.minus.com/ibiVmGw9gNrDT9.png

[BuckoA51]

guess you cant use a 64 bit build of mame!?

That's correct SweetFX doesn't support 64 bit yet, you should also disable anything like Xfire, Trillian etc that you might have running that puts an overlay into Mame (or whatever game you're SweetFXing around with).

[Mame4Life]

Just registered to say thanks for the SweetFX mod files...used it on the model 2 emulator, after MUCH tweaking:

[Elaphe]

The difference between the screenshots is mainly in how blocky or blurred they look. You must have something incorrectly configured in mame.ini because they shouldn't look so blocky with my setup. Be sure you have filter 1, prescale 1, hwstretch 1, video d3d, switchres 1. I'll capture some of those screens when I arrive home to show the difference.