This mod gives the in-game anomalies a new and enhanced visual effect which mimics the gravitational lensing effect around a static spherical blackhole (or wormhole). It derives from the blackhole effect I created for my previous mod Singularity Burst Cannon. I managed to get rid of most of the workarounds in that mod so now the effect can integrate into scene more seamlessly.

In principle the lensing shader/material in this mod can be applied to other objects such as bullets, planets and Jump Gates.

Warning: This mod will CRASH the game if used with MSAA on! The other two anti-aliasing methods (FXAA/SMAA) seem to be fine, but I'm not sure about the stability.

Warning: This mod changes how the game handles distortion in general, so be aware it might cause problems even if you are nowhere near an anomaly. And remember to turn on Distortion in X4's Graphics Settings, or the anomalies would be invisible.

Update 19 April, 2023: Version 1.3

Compatibility with X4 6.0.

Update 29 April, 2022: Version 1.3

Updated for the Tide of Avarice DLC. Added some unique effects for the special pair of anomalies in the ToA DLC. This version requires the DLC so it is listed in the Optional Files.

NOTE1: Do not enable both the ToA and non-ToA versions simultaneously, they will conflict with each other.

NOTE2: Slightly adjusted the black part of the anomaly to avoid rendering very strongly lensed regions, because the ToA sectors have no environment maps. Still if you look at anomalies in the ToA sectors from the boundary of your screen, you will see black glitches due to lack of environment maps (I do not know why only the ToA sectors are missing these maps).

NOTE3: This version is significantly bigger due to new textures for the special ToA anomaly effect. 

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Update 16 April, 2022: Version 1.1

Thank DeadAirRT on Egosoft's forum and JupiterKasparov on Nexusmods for their tips and help, I now know how to patch the mod files properly. This version can be installed like any other mods and require no additional steps. This is now the Main File.

Installation: Extract the mod files to [path to X4 root folder]\extension

NOTE1: If you have installed the v1.0 version, please remove the old mod files, including the shadergl folder that you copied to the game's root folder, completely and revert any changes you possibly made to 06.cat and 06.dat before installing v1.1.

NOTE2: I added an anomaly to my Ship Test Site mod, consider this gamestart if you want to quickly see the new visual effect.

NOTE3: This mod may not be compatible with other mods that modify  \shadergl\high_spec\xu_distortion_apply.ogl
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There are some modifications I do not know how to patch properly so this mod has two versions: Lite and Full, please see below.


•  Lite Version: This version sits in the Main Files section in the downloading page. This version is clean in the sense that its installation does not require any modification of the vanilla game files, just some addition like most other mods. The drawback is that this version cannot draw the actual 'black' part of the blackhole, so a real hole is left there. Moreover, this version cannot handle strong lensing region properly so there is some visible defects. 
  

Installation steps: 1. Extract the mod files to [path to X4 root folder]/extension;
2. Navigate to the folder just extracted [path to X4 root folder]/extension/new_anomaly_sbh_lite;
3. Move/Copy the shadergl folder from the mod folder to X4's root folder (the folder where X4.exe is located). 

• Full Version: This version sits in the Optional Files section in the downloading page. This version includes a little modification to the vanilla game files which currently I do not know how to patch properly. Now the 'black' hole can be drawn properly and the strong lensing region is properly handled by environment maps. It also has the potential to render a wormhole with the central 'black' region being replaced by some texture representing the other side of the wormhole (currently not enabled). But these pros come with a significant cost:
  

!!!!
This version modifies the vanilla game file so will make your game itself, and any playthroughs initialized or saved in this game client, modified no matter you disable this mod or not, so use it at your own risk.
!!!!

Installation steps: 1. Extract the mod files to [path to X4 root folder]/extension;
2. Not mandatory, but I strongly recommend you backup the 06.cat and 06.dat in X4's root folder (the folder where X4.exe is located) before proceeding with subsequent steps.
3. Get the X Catalog tool from Egosoft's official site or Steam TOOLS;
4. Open the XRCatToolGUI.exe and click Import catalogs... button to import the 06.cat in X4's root folder;
5. Click the Append to catalog... button and select the sbh.cat in this mod's folder [path to X4 root folder]/extension/new_anomaly_sbh then confirm.
6. Each time when 06.dat and 06.dat is updated in a game update, you will have go through the above steps again.