[vworld-tech] Graphics engine question

[Brian Popp]

There's also some open-source engines out there worth looking at.
CrystalSpace3D (http://crystal.sourceforge.net) is being used successfully
on an open-source MMORPG called Planeshift (http://www.planeshift.it/). The
demo looks very respectable. OGRE (http://www.ogre3d.org/) is pretty
popular, but I don't know of any mainstream commercial projects using it
yet. I've heard of a few immature projects using an engine called NeoEngine
(http://neoengine.sourceforge.net/) but I'm not sure how mature it is. 

As you can expect, most of these open source engines are in a constant state
of flux so you should probably be pretty flexible and forgiving if you
choose to go this route.  

-----Original Message-----
From: vworld-tech-bounces at cubik.org [mailto:vworld-tech-bounces at cubik.org]
On Behalf Of Jeremy Noetzelman
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2004 9:17 PM
To: vworld-tech
Subject: Re: [vworld-tech] Graphics engine question

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004, Alex Chacha wrote:

> I am looking for a 3D graphics engines library, written in C++ for
direct X
> that will serve as a front end to my virtual world.  I have been pushing
off
> the grpahics engine as much as I could, but time will come when I have
to
> take the plunge.  My specialty is in writing quest engines and magic
systems
> and I have not had as much exposure to 3D development other than college
> project long time ago (I can write an MFC app that uses a directX
surface,
> but why write an engine from scratch when there may be a one already
> written).

I'd suggest you take a look at The Nebula Device
(http://nebuladevice.sourceforge.net) .. it's a very nice 3d Engine with
an excellent architecture.  It's been used for a number of commercial
games, and has a great license.

Tools support is still a bit sparse, but work is moving continually
forward on that.

There's certainly a few other low cost or free engines out there, but if
you're looking for a graphics library/engine and not a game engine,
Nebula is what I'd suggest.


> Seems getting an evaluation of one of the bigger commercial engines
(like
> gamebryo) requires a funded company, but to get funded VCs was to see a
> demo... the old chicken and the egg problem.

If you're set on a 'big commercial' engine you can always ask them to work
with you on 'post funding payment' ... I know a few teams who've done that
with Gamebryo and other engines.  Be prepared though, if you go that route
you probably won't get much in the way of support from them.