I just noticed the use of SSAO, Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (shadows), in Skyrim. If you watch the trailer at 1:27 there is a robed guy walking down a street. He starts off in shadow then walks into the light and his clothes get lighter etc. So it looks like we have got SSAO in Skyrim! :celebration:
Feel free to discuss.

EDIT: Added a poll just for kicks!

SSAO isn't "light level" sort of shadows - the name is actually very appropriate. Screen Space - it happens on the rendered image - Ambient Occlusion - Occluding details based on the surroundings. Basically, it adds shadows around objects, it's not at all responsible for how lighting affects objects.

Nice one, I havent noticed that. It looks cool.

Shadow mapping != SSAO. Shadow Mapping has been confirmed since the GI article.

As far as I can see there is no SSAO in Skyrim. At least not on consoles. I will hope for SSAO on PC.

Sadly, at 1:27 what I see is a high amount of aliasing on the shadow map. You can see the jaggy edge as the shadow drags down his back. I take it they didn't implement Cascaded Shadow Mapping or PSSM, which provide higher shadow resolution nearer to the camera, via an LOD system of sorts for shadow mapping. It takes multiple maps of course, maybe they didn't have the VRAM to spare.

Can the 360 do this shadow thing you are talking about? This is why I think the trailer was a PC port and not a 360 port.

My only complaint is the Rivers. Other than that, I loved it.

Well I should say I hated the ending because it looked like he was flying or levitating and we all know that is not in the game at all. :sadvaultboy:

What about the hunter stalking the elk in the Autumn forest, check out those shadows. But that's nothing compared with cinematic design and direction of the game. That's what I'm excited about.

We have know about the epic lighting since the first screen shots came out and you could see it. This isnt exactly news. >.>

SSAO isn't exactly present in the game, either, as I already stated above. SSAO is a very specific technique.

Frankly, the thread should be closed, or the thread title changed. It's misleading.