Beyond Virtual Development Blog opens
We have launched a new feature on the site - the 'Beyond Virtual' Development Blog. Our development team will be regularly updating this page with the latest news from behind the scenes of BV's development. It's linked under the 'Developers Site' on the left menu for easy access.
If you want to stay up-to-date with the newest BV Features as they are added, check back often!
http://www.beyondvirtual.com/site/?page=dev/blog.php
Beyond Virtual heads to Siggraph!
Shylo Smith (GDGi's Dev Relations / PR Manager) is heading off to the Siggraph conference in LA at the end of the week.
Shylo is currently the Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Siggraph chapter - email Shylo (Shylo at GekidoDesigns dot Com) if you want to hook up a meeting to discuss Beyond Virtual and how it can help your team Develop Once, Deliver Anywhere!
http://www.beyondvirtual.com
Beyond Virtual Development Blog opens
blog updates
for those that are interseting, there have been a number of updates to the blog...
GUI Widget library
Indeed, the widget library was one of our early priorities for this specific goal.
You can create completely skinnable complicated interfaces like those seen in World of Warcraft or other RTS type games, or have something as simplified as is seen in Steer Madness.
Interface's can be a combination of 2d GUI widgets as well as seperate 3d viewports - the minimap and directional arrow in Steer Madness, for example, are independent 3d viewports that are drawn overtop of the standard 3d view.
This can be used for a wide range of things - for example a window can open with a 'video' of a character talking to you, similar to what Deus Ex & Splinter Cell have for example. This viewport can be an actual 3d view of a character in another area of the gameworld.
You can show & hide panels easily (and during gameplay) - not to mention customizing the BV tools themselves. The World Editor for example has the variuos sets of controls divided up into seperate panels, much like typical photoshop palette's (among other apps). Each panel is independent and remembers it's last position as well, so if you have a specific layout and customized workflow, then the tools adapt to your workflow very easily.
Next on the list are various player controllers that are inherited from the default player controller.
fyi, Controllers are to BV as Entities are to RF.
We already have a GTA-type of smart floating camera system for 3rd person view, next on the list is traditional FPS controls, as well as a number of custom first person viewpoints that we are using for some of our contract projects in development.
You will be able to easily customize your player viewpoint much like RF, except that each controller itself can have custom camera controls as well. For example, when you get in a car to drive (or be a passenger), the car controller will override the default player controller input & camera to give you driving controls.
Things are coming along well...
You can create completely skinnable complicated interfaces like those seen in World of Warcraft or other RTS type games, or have something as simplified as is seen in Steer Madness.
Interface's can be a combination of 2d GUI widgets as well as seperate 3d viewports - the minimap and directional arrow in Steer Madness, for example, are independent 3d viewports that are drawn overtop of the standard 3d view.
This can be used for a wide range of things - for example a window can open with a 'video' of a character talking to you, similar to what Deus Ex & Splinter Cell have for example. This viewport can be an actual 3d view of a character in another area of the gameworld.
You can show & hide panels easily (and during gameplay) - not to mention customizing the BV tools themselves. The World Editor for example has the variuos sets of controls divided up into seperate panels, much like typical photoshop palette's (among other apps). Each panel is independent and remembers it's last position as well, so if you have a specific layout and customized workflow, then the tools adapt to your workflow very easily.
Next on the list are various player controllers that are inherited from the default player controller.
fyi, Controllers are to BV as Entities are to RF.
We already have a GTA-type of smart floating camera system for 3rd person view, next on the list is traditional FPS controls, as well as a number of custom first person viewpoints that we are using for some of our contract projects in development.
You will be able to easily customize your player viewpoint much like RF, except that each controller itself can have custom camera controls as well. For example, when you get in a car to drive (or be a passenger), the car controller will override the default player controller input & camera to give you driving controls.
Things are coming along well...
screens of the new gui
here's a few screens (sneak-preview) of the new GUI elements in action.
Here's the object viewer with the new GUI - panels can be moved, it remembers the previous positions, etc...
And the level editor:
this world is very much a work in progress, but you can see the semi-transparent GUI elements and the various widgets in action here...all of these can be used to create your own custom gui very easy
Here's the object viewer with the new GUI - panels can be moved, it remembers the previous positions, etc...
And the level editor:
this world is very much a work in progress, but you can see the semi-transparent GUI elements and the various widgets in action here...all of these can be used to create your own custom gui very easy