Deus Ex - Alpha Terrain (Simonschreibt)
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Simonschreibt
Visit resource ↗Description
Simon Schreibt's May 2023 post on simonschreibt.de explains terrain blending in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, where Prague levels hide harsh cuts where props meet ground.
Opaque geometry renders first, then flat translucent terrain depth-fades toward surfaces beneath. Simon links BotW ordering, Battlefront blending, Unreal RVT, and Emil Meiton's tangent fix for camera-dependent depth fade.
Fullscreen translucency risks overdraw and sorting, but flat terrain avoids self-overlap. Depth writes discard hidden fragments and support soft particle fades on the ground, unlike opaque early terrain in GTA V.
Tradeoffs include wasted fill under terrain and parallax at shallow angles; comments suggest top-down cameras tolerate the hack better than close first-person views.
Free for intermediate technical artists and graphics programmers studying outdoor translucency and render order.
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