Community Blogs

Oculus Rift 3D stereoscopic rendering support in SunBurn is here!

2013-03-19T05:16:24Z

Get ready for Oculus Rift ready titles powered by SunBurn

I finally received my OculusRift a few weeks ago and I've been doing a number of fun things with it! Lot's of excitement is all over the web as people want to develop and experience new 3D games within the Oculus Rift. I've updated my Stereoscopic Renderer for full Oculus Rift rendering and I just added headtracking support (new video coming soon below). Check out the video for what it looks like and how to use it. If you need a refresher on how easy it is to get Stereoscopic support in SunBurn check out my blog post here: Stereo3D in SunBurn

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Start coding now: 3D StereoscopicRenderer Plugin

Adding OculusRift support to your game is still under 5 lines of code!

If you have a shipping title and you're interested in adding support, it should be easy. All the samples in SunBurn are super simple to add support just by following the instructions in the plugin. If you run into a snag, just post or even better - crack open the source and fix it!

How can you help? Refining the headtracking integration experience...

This plugin will handle all the heavy lifting for rendering to the Oculus Rift and getting all the headtracking data back from the sensors. By default it will auto update the stereo views to match exactly what you're looking at in the Rift. However, creating a seamless experience with existing character controllers will require you guys to think about the best way to do this. For example, "how do the headtracking an mouse play nice together".

And last but certainly not least Stereoscopic OculusRift support is incoming on SunBurn 2.1!

That's right folks, C# Win8 Modern RT apps running in stereo mode with Oculus Rift support is right around the corner with the upcoming public 2.1 Early Adopter release. I'll be releasing the plugin updates for the 2.1 EA program starting soon. Below is a pic of the stereo renderer running on my SurfaceRT. And for those of you wondering, there were almost no changes to my sources to make this happen, 2.1 really is that close to 2.0! ;)

Go forth and embrace the future of all things stereoscopic (and Oculus Rift) in SunBurn!

-Holophone3D

New ShaderLib release with a new effect and bug fixes plus more!

2013-01-22T21:03:07Z

Hi everyone,

I updated my ShaderLib plug-in with a new effect, VelocityBuffer Motion blur and fixed a few bugs too.

I also put together a video tutorial on how to use the ShaderLib, you can look at it here: https://www.vicogamestudio.com/projects/shader-library-menu

And you may have seen my post in the forums but in case you didn't I'll say it here too. I started a development blog for the new game I'm working on. You can find it here: https://www.vicogamestudio.com/development-blog

Let me know what you guys think.

Preview of a new Post-Processor in VICO Game Studio ShaderLib

2012-12-25T16:27:33Z

First of all Merry Christmas to everyone here in the community especially the guys at Synapse Gaming.

I have been working on a new implementation for a proper Motion Blur, one that accounts for object movement and not just camera movement (already in the ShaderLib).

My implementation uses dual or single Velocity buffers, your choice, to determine each objects speed as well as the camera movement. Here is a little preview of it in action:

In this shot the camera is standing still and the object is moving sideways from left to right.

I hope to finish this up in the next week for all of you to try out.

Thank you.

SunBurn & HLSL Shaders

2012-11-20T09:31:09Z

In this chapter, I introduce HLSL Shaders in SunBurn, the basic framework of the shader and how to get in and start modifying the pixel shader function:

http://dsebj.evolvingsoftware.com/2012/11/20/sunburn-hlsl-shaders/

Cheers,
Sebastian

BEPU Physics Plugin - Character Controller & FPS Camera Tutorial

2012-11-12T19:17:44Z

Continuing on in the BEPU Physics Plugin Tutorials, I've written up the following tutorial which introduces the BEPU Character Control, link it up to a controller and use an FPS perspective camera:

http://dsebj.evolvingsoftware.com/2012/11/12/bepu-plugin-character-control/

Feedback welcome.

Cheers,
Sebastian

Update to the ShaderLib by VICO Game Studio: Added FXAA

2012-10-23T15:49:43Z

Finally got the time to finish implementing FXAA into my ShaderLib, got a few requests for this one.

Here's a little comparison of no FXAA and with FXAA:

Performance is very good, adds only 1ms to the rendering at 720p on the Xbox 360.

Please post any questions, suggestions or comments.

Update:

I believe I forgot to set the FXAA defualts in the component, I'll fix that asap. But in the mean time heres what they should be:

Sub-pixel AA quality: .40

Sub-pixel aliasing removal: .75

Edge Threshold: .166

Edge Sharpness: 8

Console Edge Threshold: .125

Update 2:

Updated resource to automatically set the FXAA defualts in the component., Above is no longer needed but is there for referance.

BEPU Physics Plugin - Tutorial

2012-10-14T10:20:16Z

I've written up a tutorial, to walk through the process of swapping out the in built physics implementation and replacing it with CJ Bailey's Plugin Implementation.

http://dsebj.evolvingsoftware.com/2012/10/14/cj-baileys-of-greedy-goblin-software-ltd-bepu-plugin-1-0-18-3/

Feedback and suggestions for topics, appreciated as always.

Cheers,
Sebastian

BEPU Physics Plugin - Compound Bodies

2012-10-02T14:05:01Z

Greetings fellow SunBurners!

Some of you may be aware of my BEPU Physics Plugin which I released just before SunBurn was updated to incorporate improved physics.

I had considered scrapping it to be honest, since the updated SunBurn physics made it largely obsolete. But after some thought and consideration I decided that I like using components as a means of attaching physics bodies to scene objects. It may not be for everyone, but it kinda just makes sense to me. Plus I get to use cones, cylinders, capsules and mobile convex meshes!

So my BEPU plugin will live on for now.... and with that I bring you... compound bodies!! Ta-daaa!

[UPDATE 26/10/2012] - Version 1.0.18.4 now available

I've just finished an update to my BEPU physics plugin which introduces a number of new features as well as bug fixes:

In-built character controller (can be used for player and NPCs)
Improved debug drawer (uses instancing model drawer rather than brute force)
Several bug fixes (thanks to DSebJ for helping me with testing... bugs can so easily be missed when doing everything yourself)
Copy and Paste functionality for physics components.
Improved compound body builder workflow.
A fancy new UI

As I've just mentioned, the workflow for the compound body builder has been changed which is why I've deleted the previous content from this blog. Instead, I now have a few tutorial videos:

Using Convex Hulls

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Compound Body Builder Tutorial

(Please visit the site to view this media)

And a new one for the vehicle plugin too...

(Please visit the site to view this media)

And finally a MASSIVE thanks to DSebJ for his help with testing this latest release!

IGF now officially hosted in github.com

2012-09-24T12:59:46Z

It’s been a long time since I had the opportunity or reason to post a new entry in this blog mainly because my son and current daily job don’t let me enought spare time to move on my side projects.

Still, today, I received an email from Jeff (BinaryContruct) who have been using IGF intensivelly for his own game and thus improving the framework in many areas that were making sense for him. He gently already shared his work through patches on Codeplex but due to the lack of time on my side to apply them, he asked me if he or I could create a new repository on github.com to pursue on IGF’s development, bug fixing and improvement until I get more spare time.

I therefore created a new open source repository on github.com (http://github.com/Indiefreaks/igf/) and moved there the latest commit you’ll find in Codeplex.com: the official IGF repository stands now on github.com.

The main reason why I agreed with Jeff’s point is that git is first and foremost an amazing source control system and I love the way you can use either locally or remotelly easing most of the daily branching/merging and repository maintenance tasks.

This is actually great news for IGF users as it’ll allow everybody to fork and push back their suggestions or bugfixes without having to wait for me to get back in the train

TDC BRAZIL 2012

2012-07-12T22:21:02Z

Hello everybody. I was a speaker at the event TDC BRAZIL 2012, where I talk a little about how to develop games for Windows Phone with SunBurn. Below I leave some photos of the event. Thank you.

More informations: http://futurongame.com

Persio Flexa showing Futuron being edited in SunBurn game editor.

Speakers TDC - Several tracks of content simultaneously.

Brain 2 Version 0.12 -> Now with Depth of Field and Stereoscopy!

2012-07-08T02:08:43Z

Download link: http://brain2.codeplex.com/

(Direct Link -> http://brain2.codeplex.com/releases/view/90773 )

What changed (from 0.11)?

-> Stereoscopic Rendering, both 2D and 3D. 3D Works perfectly until now, tested with my new 3D monitor and the effect is great. No Anaglyph Red/Cyan will be used, because they destroy the colors of a image, and for me quality is a better point than anaglyph.
-> Supported Stereoscopic Types: LeftRight / TopBottom. It's possible to invert the Images.
-> ISteresocopicManager was created. The default manager for that interface is DefaultStereocospicManager for the Default Rendering(2D or 3D), and SunBurnStereoscopicManager for for SunBurn Rendering in 3D. Currently, the SunBurn one won't work with 2D Stereoscopic.
-> 2D Stereoscopic works but don't works. I'm not quite sure how to render more outside/inside the tv on 2D, I understand the concepts in 3D but not in 2D. Though, the effect works. To use it, set the StereoOffset on the Sprite.
-> Camera System : Now Cameras got more interfaces, like the Target and Up.
-> Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 libraries updated. Still, it won't load any skinned/avatar animations, because the key is wrong(look for it on the Assembly Util if you really need it).
-> LOTS of improvements to the Editor. Still not usable, but soon it will be.

-> On Demos and SunBurn Demos:
-> If you press F2 you will turn on Stereoscopic Manager. If you press F1 you can swithc the order of the frames.
-> Made the Sprites Samples go faster(I dont think anyone waited 700 frames for it to end)
-> On Sample Game
-> Now the Weapon gets out of depth when you zoom, just like in Call of Duty games. This made using the Depth of Field Post Processor.

-> SunBurn Specific
-> Depth of Field : Now you can use a Depth of Field effect with SunBurn.
-> Gaussian Blur : Blurs a RenderTarget. Should work without SunBurn, but it's specific for the DOF Processor on SunBurn.

-> Rewritten the Skinning System. Works way better now, with a lot of improvements.

-> New Samples

-> Several improvements to the Shooter Library

That's it =) .

Update for the ShaderLib from VICO Game Studio

2012-06-13T20:26:49Z

Finally found a bit of time to update and fix some bugs for my Shader Library.

No new effects just yet but I do have FXAA, God Rays and Gamma post processors in the works.

Please test out this release and let me know what you think or any bugs you may find. As well as any recommendations.

Thank you.

Brain 2 Version 0.11 and a Series of Tutorials!

2012-06-07T05:27:37Z

Download link: http://brain2.codeplex.com/

(Direct Link -> http://brain2.codeplex.com/releases/view/89105 )

New Version of Brain 2, 0.11, which includes several news:

-> Kinect Functions. Currently, you can get the Color, Depth and Skeleton Buffers from the Kinnect, and show them on-screen. Face Recognition is in test stage, and doesn't work as it should right now.

-> Re-named every folder on Brain 2 project's folder, making the projects easier to find. I follow this system:

At the start of the name, I put a key:

Brain 2 -> If it's a main Brain 2 project(the projects 'needed' for making the Engine work)
Extern -> A project that encapsulates an External library, like the BEPU and SunBurn
Helper -> A project made only to work with Brain, but is not entirely connected to the Engine. For example, the Shooter System.
Sample -> A Sample
Tools -> A Windows Forms game Tool(might be console too)
[Platform] [Name] -> Especific for a platform, like "Windows Helper - Kinect"

-> Added an SSAO Post Processor, took here from the website, made by Filip

-> Included the Language Manages, as well as the Language Editor(will update a tutorial soon this week)

-> Now WorldObjects and Sprites are animateable

-> The Model Exporter is on it's way but still not working =(

Links to the Tutorials:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiZ6g8eTMNI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkf7-G5H3Ks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tPQFS3uyMw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXcge74wypY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUjO8XiPctY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT54MmyCa4o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmng2Scxh1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37m7iWMGNWM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF_RYqksAD0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiWtUYfwiw8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A32Y6uihyeg

SunBurn specific tutorial:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

This is it! If you want to help in the project, by doing anything, just say the word, and you can be added to my contributors list on Codeplex =).

IGF got Coding4Fun notice ;)

2012-05-24T23:39:15Z

Greg Duncan, a Channel9 member, wrote an article about IGF on Coding4Fun! :)

IGF Article on Coding4Fun

Can you imagine how proud I could get with it?… I mean, a one year one man only open source project for a niche market which is C# xna game developers who acquired a SunBurn engine license got an article in a website with a such visibility…

Awesome!

Hope it get even more game developers in this wonderful environment mix of C# / Xna / SunBurn & IGF ;)

Brain 2 - Now Open Source!

2012-05-21T20:26:25Z

Brain 2 is now finally Open-Source!

Download link: http://brain2.codeplex.com/

What is Brain 2? Brain 2 is a Game Engine, that combined with SunBurn can do awesome stuff!

How can I use Brain 2 with SunBurn? Just download the latest Source from the Codeplex source control!(or just go to the Download section, and download the v0.1 release, it's the newest). All SunBurn Integration projects are inside the Brain 2's solution.

Is there any info/doc about it? I'm working on a documentation for the Engine, and on some tutorials for YouTube. The first thing you 'd want to do before downloading Brain 2 is to install this complement: http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/2d81fec6-71f3-4fa5-87b4-c2aa18e42f92/ . It's called "Collapse Solution". Brain 2' solution has over 52 projects, and has more to come(o__O yes, I know, it's too much).

Look at some screenshots took from the SunBurn samples*:

* -> If the Engine's Instance OnDevelopment Property is true, you can press F5 and take screenshots anywhere. SunBurn is compatible with this, and all the screenshots below were taken using this method =)

What are the next things to be added to the Engine?

-> FPS System(First Person Shooter) = The Engine already have a library called "Brain 2 FPS" which contains useful stuff to combine BEPU and Brain 2, making it easy to make an FPS game. It's not finished yet, and will be combined with Brain 2's Bullet System(not sure if they are going to stay on the same library, because non-FPS games can still use the Bullet System for other stuff)

-> Visual Scripting = The Visual Scripting and the VS Editor are already started and 'working'. Soon it will be really useful for public.

-> Scripting = Not even started yet, but it's on my list.

-> RPG System = A System to make RPG games without the need to code, only the Editor (just like the FPS system, but you can use it without coding/with coding, it's your choice).

-> Model Exporter = Model Exporter made to WORK with SunBurn and Brain. Not working yet, but the final idea is to make an exporter that can export/import even the "devil's mesh" with animation and hell on board(YES, I hate DirectX and FBX formats).

-> Mannny more