DeleD Community Edition

[AWM Mars]

I don't normally get excited about finding a VR engine, but this one deserves installing/using.
http://www.esenthel.com/
Its menu system is quirky and takes sometime to get used to, which includes the installation.
I downloaded and installed Visual Studio Express 2010 for this one, and dropped the folders from the EsenthelSDK\Installation\ into the designated Visual Studio folders, for this to work. The key to success, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS lol. There are some good tutorials on their website, linked to the wiki.

To use the various Editors, you have to go to the Tools menu in the SDK install, there you will find Model, World, Networking, Converters editors/programmes, making this a very powerful platform to use. The Converter programme will take care of converting meshes, objs, dae, png, dds, tgas etc etc into relative formats for use.

Like a lot of these type of programmes, you have to copy all your assets to the 'world' folder for use. This will create a couple of folders called Edit and Game, the edit folder contains WIP, the game, the compiled files. There is a programme/tutorial that allows you to create your game into a dll file, that a bespoke player will load. Apparently, the finished game can be targeted for standalone, networking, ipods and other mobile hosts.

The licenses seen quite reasonable considering what you get. My first experience wasn't that good, I couldn't seem to do anything. Then I followed some of the tutorials (you need to replay sections as menu choices are very quick, making it hard to follow). Within minutes I was making some fantastic terrains, dropping objects, trees (that auto wave), grass and tree painting is a doddle (easy).
Material handling, once you fathom how to load materials, you have simple sliders that alter the normal/bump mapping on the fly, including specular, shininess, colour, softness etc etc. I was amazed when loading a simple rock texture, then adjusting the sliders to increase its roughness and 'height', that I was suddenly painting real looking cliffs and rock formations, making slight adjustments, which allowed for a great range of variation from one single texture. Even blending materials was a simple click.

Okay, I've poured enough of my excitement onto this forum, now go see for yourself lol.

EDIT: I had to add, go see how the platform handles water... you can plot a stream/river and the water follows the course with the right flow direction..... and, you can split water to flow in more than one direction.. and there are lakes and oceans.. well, go see lol.
http://www.esenthel.com/?id=tool/world_editor/water
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[granada]

Been trying to work this one out myselfe,Great terrain maker.But realy hard to work out the rest .

Dave
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[AWM Mars]

lol.... I just had to show you this terrain I created in just 5 minutes..

The dynamic shadows are auto turned on from the start, along with the moving clouds/sky-box etc, so you can just get creating. You can turn all those things, including physics etc off at anytime.
Speaking of Physics, it comes with PhysX and Bullet as standard, you can simply select which you want, and, setting any object for collision, is a simple check-box in its properties.
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Politeness is priceless when received, cost nothing to own or give, yet some cannot afford.

Checkout:
http://www.awm.mars.yourinside.com/
http://www.bccservices.co.uk
http://www.localtradecheck.co.uk

[AWM Mars]

[granada]

Thanks for the advice .
(EDIT) Love the river tool

Dave
_________________
AMD Phenom(tm)IIx6 1090t Processor 3.20 GHS
8.00 GB memory
Windows 7 64 bit
Nvida Geforce GTX 580

[paul_nicholls]

@AWM Mars: thanks for sharing this, it seems very cool

cheers,
Paul
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Long live DeleD!

Hi ho...hi ho...it's off 3d modeling I go...