Retro Shading PS1/N64 Style Tutorial

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1. Affine Texture Mapping
The PS1 used affine texture mapping, which did not account for perspective correction. This resulted in the famous texture warping effect, where textures would stretch and distort, especially on surfaces at an angle to the camera.
This "warping" became a signature look of PS1 games and is often emulated in modern games for a retro aesthetic.
2. Vertex-Based Lighting
The PS1 could only perform per-vertex lighting, meaning lighting calculations were applied to the vertices of a 3D model and then interpolated across the surface.
This resulted in a blocky or gradient-like shading effect, as the console lacked the ability to perform per-pixel lighting.
3. Gouraud Shading
Gouraud shading was commonly used on the PS1 to simulate smooth lighting. It interpolated colors across the surface of a polygon based on the lighting values at its vertices.
While this created smoother transitions than flat shading, it often resulted in visible color banding due to the limited color depth of the PS1.
4. Flat Shading
Flat shading was a simpler technique where each polygon was shaded with a single color. This created a faceted, low-poly look that was common in early 3D games.
Many PS1 games used flat shading for performance reasons, as it required fewer calculations than Gouraud shading.
5. Dithering
To simulate more colors and gradients, developers used dithering, a technique that alternates pixels of different colors to create the illusion of a new color.
This was especially common in games with limited color palettes or when trying to create smooth transitions between colors.
6. Unfiltered Textures
The PS1 did not support texture filtering, so textures appeared pixelated and blocky, especially when viewed up close.
This lack of filtering contributed to the "jagged" look of PS1 graphics.
7. Limited Transparency Effects
The PS1 had limited support for transparency. Developers often used dithering or checkerboard patterns to simulate semi-transparent effects.
True transparency was rare and often reserved for specific effects like water or glass.
8. Pre-Rendered Lighting and Shadows
Due to hardware limitations, many PS1 games used pre-rendered lighting and shadow maps baked into textures. This saved processing power but limited dynamic lighting effects.
9. Atmospheric Effects
Developers used creative tricks to simulate atmospheric effects like fog. The PS1 had hardware support for depth-based fog, which was used to hide the short draw distances and create a sense of depth.
Games like Silent Hill used heavy fog to mask pop-in and create a spooky atmosphere.
10. Low-Poly Aesthetic
The PS1's limited polygon count forced developers to use simple, low-poly models. This became a defining characteristic of PS1 graphics and is now often emulated in modern indie games for a nostalgic look.
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[@SmartApe25]

You actually made one , thank you. But I already knew most techniques discussed but still was informative to the uninformed.

[@RembotGamesAU]

when 4.4 drops ill do another on vertex lighting, itll make a big difference!