This page describes custom BluffTitler file formats and extensions to standard file formats.

For coders only

This info is only meant for software engineers. You do not have to understand anything on this page in order to use BluffTitler.

• Effect files
• Vector files
• Model files

BluffTitler stores its effects in CFX files. The format has been introduced by Outerspace Software at the release of BluffTitler version 12 as replacement for the deprecated DirectX 9 FX format.

For coders only

This info is only meant for software engineers. You do not have to understand anything on this page in order to use effects. Click here to learn how to use effects

Text and binary

Effects come in 2 formats:

The consumer editions of BluffTitler can only load CFX files. You can compile BFX to CFX with the developer edition. The developer edition is currently not for sale.

Content

• Header
• Textures
• Variables
• Widgets
• Passes
• Cascading shadow maps
• Post processing
• Vertex format
• Matrix parameters
• Vector parameters
• HLSL code

A BFX file header looks like this:

BFX 6
DESCRIPTION "This effect does this and that and also..."
PBR 1

PBR sets the lighting model. It can be 0 (Blinn-Phong) or 1 (Physically Based Rendering)

Up to 10 textures can be used:

Textures are defined like this:

TEXTURE 0 COLOUR MIP * *
TEXTURE 1 NORMAL MIP * *
TEXTURE 2 CUBE MIP * *
TEXTURE 3 ORM MIP * *

1st string is always TEXTURE

2nd string is the texture index [0, 5]

3rd string is the texture type {COLOUR, REFLECTION, CUBE, NORMAL, DEPTH, STENCIL, VOXEL, SKETCH, CARTOON, ALPHA, TONALART, DISPLACEMENT, FUR, ORM, GLOW}

4th string sets mipmapping {*, MIP, LIN}. * means that the effect must not make adjustments.

5th string sets horizontal texture mode {*, CLAMP, WRAP, MIRROR}

6th string sets vertical texture mode {*, CLAMP, WRAP, MIRROR}

Textures can be accessed like this:

float4 c=MyTexture0.Sample(MySampler0, input.tex);
float4 c=MyTexture0.SampleLevel(MySampler0, input.tex, 0);

static const float cPI=3.141593;
static const float cNearClippingPlane=1;
static const float cFarClippingPlane=2000;
static const int cTextureIndex_Glow=4;
static const int cTextureIndex_Depth=5;
static const int cTextureIndex_Stencil=6;
static const int cTextureIndex_Shadow0=7;
static const int cTextureIndex_Shadow1=8;
static const int cTextureIndex_Shadow2=9;
static const int cTextureIndex_Shadow3=10;

An effect file can add 16 extra properties to a layer by using the following annotations:

The 16 extra properties can be defined this way:

float4 Prop0
<
string UIName="My very own variable";
float UIMin=0;
float UIMax=10;
float3 UIDefault=float3(2,0,0);
int UISliders=1;
float UIScale=1;
bool UIInteger=true;
int UIWidget=0;
>

Every property has a widget:

A pass contains render states, links to HLSL code and other properties. A pass is defined like this:

PASS
BLENDING ADDITIVE
ZREAD Y
ZWRITE Y
RGBAWRITE 7
CULL BACK
SOLID Y
CLEARTARGET Y
VS vs_4_0 VS1
HS hs_4_0 HS1
DS ds_4_0 DS1
GS gs_4_0 GS1
PS ps_4_0 PS1

All render states are booleans {Y, N} except the following:

BLENDING can be {NONE, ALPHA, ADDITIVE, SUBTRACTIVE, MAX}

RGBAWRITE can be [0, 15]. Y is accepted as 15 and N as 0.

CULL can be {FRONT, BACK, NONE}

The next pass in the same effect takes over the renderstates of the previous pass. The next effect resets the renderstates.

Every pass must have a vertex (VS) and pixel shader (PS). Hull (HS), domain (DS) and geometry shaders (GS) are optional.

The CLEARTARGET state is only used in the 2nd pass of a postprocessing effect.

When only a single light layer is using shadow maps, 4 cascading shadow maps (CSM) are created. In this situation, textures 6 (near), 7, 8 and 9 (far) are used for the 4 sub frusta.

If an effect is applied to the camera layer, the 1st texture contains the render output. This way it can be used as a post processing effect.

Pixel shader chain

When the effect has 2 passes, the output of the 1st pass is used as the input for the 2nd pass. This can be used to optimize effects, like for example a bilinear blur. Note that this convention makes normal 2 pass effects useless for the camera layer.

When the effect has 4, 6, 8,... passes, the chain is repeated.

The render target is cleared by default. For some effects, like for example a bloom, you don't want this. It can be prevented by setting the CLEARTARGET pass property to N:

CLEARTARGET N

BluffTitler uses the following vertex format:

Meshes generated with the Tubular square, Tubular round, Wireframe, Light discs, Light bulbs and Comb text layer styles abuse the tangent field to store special info: (bulb/bulbs, contour, contours)

All matrices are 4x4 homogeneous transformation matrices in row major format.

All vectors are 4D floats. The coordinate system is left-handed.

The HLSL source code (vertex, hull, domain, geometry and pixel shaders) follows after the HLSL tag:

HLSL

The compiled bytecode follows after the COMPILED tag:

COMPILED VS 0 2708

2nd string is the shader type {VS,HS,DS,GS,PS}

3rd string is the pass

4th string is the size in bytes

Shaders can be shared between passes like this:

COMPILED VS 0,1,2,3,4 2708

The sketch layer of BluffTitler uses the EPS format to import line drawings. The EPS format however is limited to 2D positions. BluffTitler adds a few extensions to make 3D positions possible to store, for example, roller coaster paths. Those extensions are introduced at the release of BluffTitler 7.5. They are BluffTitler specific and not compatible with any other software supporting the EPS format.

For coders only

This info is only meant for software engineers. You do not have to understand anything on this page in order to use 3D sketches. Click here to learn how to use 3D sketches

By default, BluffTitler centres and scales all EPS files to fit in the same box. This can be overruled with the following commands:

%%BluffTitler Scale N
%%BluffTitler Centre N

Other BluffTitler commands:

%%BluffTitler MaxLinesPerCurve x

XYZ are positions, abc are tangents.

X Y moveto
X Y Z moveto
X Y Z a b c moveto

XYZ are positions, abc are tangents.

X Y lineto
X Y Z lineto
X Y Z a b c lineto

XYZ are positions, abc are tangents.

X Y X Y X Y curveto
X Y Z X Y Z X Y Z curveto
X Y Z X Y Z X Y Z a b c curveto

The BO file format has been introduced by Outerspace Software at the release of Bixelangelo version 4. I was meant for debugging only but turned out to be an excellent way to design roller coasters.

The text format does the same as you do in the GUI by adding elements in the WINDOW > Element dialog. The element names and parameters are the same as in the GUI. Here's an example:

Bixelangelo 1.0
Move 0 0 0 0
Element "Straight line"	20
Element "Lift hill" 75 110
Element Dive 50 100
Element "Circular loop" 40 20 0
Element Turn 180 20 00 45
Element "Straight line" 145
Element Turn 180 30 0 45
Close

To open a BO file, start Bixelangelo and choose FILE > Open.... Examples can be found in the Bixelangelo\Media\Sketches folder.

Always start with the header:

Bixelangelo 1.0

The Move command starts a new curve:

Move X Y Z Angle

Element names with a space require quotation marks:

Element "Circular loop" 40 20 0

The Close command is used to connect the last point to the first.

Close

The robotic arm layer of BluffTitler uses 3D models in the OBJ format. BluffTitler extends this format to store robotic arm info.

For coders only

This info is only meant for software engineers. You do not have to understand anything on this page in order to use robotic arms. Click here to learn how to use robotic arms

Arm types

OBJ

#BluffTitlerRoboticArmType 3
#BluffTitlerRoboticArmJoint 0 0 0
#BluffTitlerRoboticArmJoint 0 120 0
#BluffTitlerRoboticArmJoint 0 320 0
#BluffTitlerRoboticArmJoint 0 490 0

The following texture URLs have special meaning: