Hello SunBurn community!

If you follow my blogs you know we’re adding a number of unannounced features to SunBurn Game Engine during the final phase of the early adopter. These features include things like; full material support when using light mapped lighting (see the screen shot below), workflow enhancements, and tightening up the api.

Now we’re ready to announce another block of new features, a new example project, and show a little sneak preview of our GameFest 2011 SunBurn demo...

Transparencies!

Yes, you heard correctly – we’re rolling out transparencies in the next SunBurn update! :) And not just any transparencies, SunBurn’s implementation supports both forward and deferred rendering, and renders in a single pass for optimal performance even in complex scenes.

The transparent rendering utilizes approximate lighting (aka composite lighting) to illuminate objects and even adds some transmittance of light through the surface (eg: inner glow).

SunBurn’s transparency modes now include:

• None – the default, for opaque / solid objects
• Clip – cuts out part of the material based on the diffuse alpha value (great for fencing, foliage, ...)
• Blend – use blending to make the material partially transparent based on the diffuse alpha value (great for glass, crystal, ...)
• Additive – make the material brighten objects behind it based on the diffuse alpha value (great for light beams, lasers, ...)

While there are very few limitations on transparencies, objects using Blend mode should be convex for best rendering quality (the other modes can render concave objects too).

Player Controller and Collision Sliding

We’re also introducing new features that enable you to drop objects into your games and have players immediately control them. First is the SunBurn InputManager, which maps key and button bindings to built-in and user defined events such as:

• Object Move – with directional vector indicating player’s input on the bound keys, stick, or d-pad
• Camera Move – with directional vector indicating player’s input on the bound keys, stick, or d-pad
• Action (1 to n) – indicates the player press a button mapped to an action like jumping, firing, ...
• User defined actions – easily add you own actions
• As well as other built-in actions

These generic actions are used by the new player controller component to move and interact with the player object. Even better you can easily create custom events, key binding, and even controllers independent of each other, for quickly adding game specific controls.

As an example you could use your own controller that responds to the existing InputManager and events. Or use the existing system and add your own events that are passed through it to a custom component. Or all of the above – it’s entirely up to you.

To support smooth player movement we’ve enhanced SunBurn’s collision system, which now supports both its existing collision response as well as sliding for objects that should conform to surfaces instead of bouncing away from them. Also we’ve added overloads to ApplyForce() that allow you to specify the maximum velocity of the object. :)

GameFest 2011 Demo and New Example

This year at GameFest we’re showing off a demo called “Ironhammer’s Crucible”. The demo features a ton of new SunBurn features including:

• Advanced Light Mapping
• Transparencies
• Player Controller
• Input System
• Scripted Events (like player death and respawning)
• Audio System
• Custom Effects
• And much, much more!

 

(an early development shot of “Ironhammer’s Crucible”)

Even more awesome: this demo will become the next SunBurn example, available for you to download, check out, and use in your games!

RVSP for the SunBurn Developer Gathering!

This is a reminder to RSVP via email if you’d like to join us at the SunBurn Developer Gathering at GameFest!

Please note you’ll need to RSVP for a copy of the schedule – as this helps us plan the event by knowing how many people are attending.

We’re kicking off the conference on Sunday with an informal gathering at the Synapse Gaming suite, where we’ll show off SunBurn’s latest tech and talk with attendees about their projects and experiences. On Monday night after the GameFest conference party we’re opening the suite back up for more informal mingling, hang time, and discussions. (read more about the gathering)

The gathering schedule will be sent out shortly and will include more details about the event. We’re looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you there!

-John Kabus

 

Other SunBurn 2.0 Blogs:

1. Announcing the SunBurn 2.0 Game Engine - free upgrade, new editions, and updated features
2. SunBurn 2.0 Collisions, Scenegraph, and Components - new collision system, components, and more
3. SunBurn 2.0 upgrade for our Torque customers - upgrade path for all of our previous TLK technology customers
4. SunBurn 2.0 goes Mobile on Windows Phone 7! - full Windows Phone 7 support, light mapping, and more
5. Holiday, Components, and more! - read about the new components and more
6. SunBurn 2.0: components, perfabs, and more! - more details about SunBurn's new component system
7. Festive SunBurn 2.0 Starter Kits, yum, yum! - first release of the new SunBurn Starter kit
8. SunBurn 2.0.10 update available - streamlined user experience and integrated starter kits
9. SunBurn Dev Journal: Scenegraph Optimizations - faster scenegraph and City Demo with 10,000 buildings
10. SunBurn 2.0.12 Update Now Available! - edit components and custom scene object types in editor
11. SunBurn Update: Windows Redistributable - ship Windows games using only the XNA Redistributable
12. SunBurn Dev Journal: Workflow Enhancements - background importing, shared materials, Visual Studio templates, and more
13. SunBurn 2.0.13 Update: Get it Now! - the latest goodies are now available
14. SunBurn 2.0.14 Update Available! - extended materials and sprite rendering on Windows Phone 7
15. SunBurn Dev Journal: Reflections and Clipping Planes - the return of the Reflection / Refraction example
16. SunBurn Game Engine: Audio System, Drag-Drop, and More! - announcing the new SunBurn audio system!
17. SunBurn 2.0.15 Released - Audio System, Reflections, and Auto-Unwrap! - check out new the audio system and more
18. SunBurn powers British Airways demo at Microsoft's WP7 Mango event - Microsoft and British Airways chooses SunBurn for huge Mango event demo
19. SunBurn Game Engine Storms into Dream Build Play! - see the awesome SunBurn games in Dream Build Play 2011!
20. SunBurn Game Engine: Advanced Static Lighting - as awesome as SunBurn's dynamic lighting only faster!

 

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Posted 08-17-2011 1:15 AM by JohnK "bobthecbuilder"