Confirmation of "HDRP Time of Day" and Gaia Pro 2021 Roadmap

[mroshaw]

Hi!

I'm really confused by the messaging going around regarding "HDRP Time of Day".

I understood from the beginning, when I bought Gaia Pro 2021 in August 2021, that what was then called "Procedural Skies" was getting a full on update, to work with HDRP, within the scope of the Gaia Pro 2021 roadmap.

This seemed to have been supported by the inclusion of "HDRP Time of Day" in recent Gaia Pro 2021 builds, which is great. Conversations with Josh on this very forum also seemed to support the inclusion and ongoing support and development of "HDRP Time of Day" in Gaia Pro 2021. Then I saw "HDRP Time of Day" being released as a separate asset, which is understandable as it's a great feature, but that did make me start to wonder what was happening.

I then read this on the PCW Discord, where Adam responded to this very question:

Quote

 

Soul River: New HDRP day night asset included in Gaia Pro 2021? or should it purchased separately?

Adam: The old one is in 2021. The new one, or a version of it will be on Gaia Pro 2022. We can not release it until the new version of gaia pro 2022 is ready to go. Eta for that is a month or so.

 

So, I wondered if you could clear up for me exactly what it is that will be included in Gaia Pro 2021, and how that will or will not differ from the "standalone" HDRP Time of Day, and what is to be included in the Gaia Pro 2022 package going forward? What is "the old one" and how will that differ in features and support to "the new one"?

I hope this all makes sense, and please understand that I'm just trying to clear up my own confusion. What I really want to understand is where I stand with my investment in Gaia Pro 2021 and any impact this might have on my HDRP projects now and in the future.

Thanks again!

[mroshaw]

Hi!

Another observation. The "HDRP Time of Day" Asset Store page says that it's supported in Unity 2021.3 and above:

Adam said of the "new HDRP Time of Day":

Quote

We rewrote it and added a stack more capability, and used a whole bunch of Unity 2022 features. It is not possible to put it into Gaia Pro 2021 as then it would break 2021 compatibility

So again, I'm just really confused. Are there to be 3 versions of "HDRP Time of Day"?

1. A version in Gaia Pro 2021 that has limited capability and won't be developed further.
2. A standalone version on the Unity Asset Store that supports Unity 2021.3 and above, but is different to what's in Gaia Pro 2021.
3. A version in Gaia Pro 2022 that has additional capability beyond that of the Asset Store version, that is supported only on Unity 2022 and above?

I really am not trying to be an ass here, I just want to be really clear on what the future holds for Gaia Pro 2021 and ToD, and I hope that you agree that the messaging is very confused and contradictory. If the best thing for me is to buy the Asset Store version, and get the best of both worlds, I'll do so. But before I do, I just want to be absolutely clear on the roadmap for ToD in Gaia Pro 2021, so I don't waste money when I've already invested many hundred of pounds into my existing PCW assets.

Thanks again!

[Peter]

Hi @mroshaw, as you observed correctly the HDRP Time Of Day asset was used as a basis to deliver the Time Of Day / Sky system in HDRP for Gaia that was missing for quite some time due to the rapid development of the HDRP pipeline. The version that is embedded in Gaia will mostly stay as it is feature-wise and will only receive fixes where necessary.
The standalone version of the HDRP Time Of Day system will be actively developed as a separate asset on the asset store / on Canopy.
For Gaia Pro 2022 we plan to remove the embedded HDRP Time Of Day but you will automatically own the standalone version as well if you own Gaia Pro 2022 - this means you can install it where needed.  This would be a first step towards making Gaia more modular and less bloated, while also offering users who do not want Gaia but could use a sky system a chance to buy it separately.
If you are planning to get Gaia Pro 2022 anyways, and can wait until then, it would be better to wait and use the embedded version in 2021 for now as you would receive the standalone version together with 2022 then.

[mroshaw]

Thanks for the clarification, Peter!

I totally understand, though I'm a little disappointed that the "HDRP" replacement for Procedural Skies that was always "coming soon" for Gaia Pro 2021, effectively isn't even a replacement, feature wise. I'd understand it if you drew a line under it once the basics were implemented, like integration into the Gaia API, Interior Zones, Weather Zones etc, so personally I feel it falls a little short in giving Gaia Pro 2021 users what they've been waiting for. Obviously, nothing is promised, but "coming soon" certainly made it feel like we'd get a more complete HDRP solution.

Anyway, I understand that you need to focus and fund future development, and you've been really helpful in putting some clarity on where things lie! So thanks again, and good luck with the Gaia Pro 2022 release - I'll have to get saving my pennies! 😁