Torque 3D Development - Beta: Part Deux
by Brett Seyler · 05/21/2009 (6:26 pm) · 108 comments
Hey all! Hope you're enjoying this week's updates to the website. Now, it's time for Torque 3D Beta: Part Deux.
Download from your Account
We have an enormous list of new stuff (see below), fixes (49) and known issues you'll find posting in the Torque 3D forums.New Stuff in Beta 2!
- Material Editor Mesh Selector (allows you to select materials by object)
- Material Selector (an easier way to preview and select materials)
- Spotlights and Point lights for Advanced lighting
- lens flare / corona effects for PointLight, SpotLight, and Sun
- brightness animation effects (flickers) for PointLight and SpotLight
- PointLight and SpotLight can be mounted to a ShapeBase mountpoint
- Instant splash screen for better feedback that the engine is loading
And, from Lara, we have another great tutorial video, this time showing how assets edited in 3rd party applications update Torque 3D in real time. Have a look!
If you're ready to move to Torque 3D, you can still get your $200 OFF pre-order discount right now. This discount will be reduced to $100 OFF at the end of May. If you're already a Torque 3D owner, congrats! Don't forget to post your Beta 2 feedback in Torque 3D Private Forums. We need your help!
We know a lot of you are waiting on an OSX-enabled Beta. Don't worry, we haven't forgotten. We're expecting that to land in Beta 3.
More development blogs to come. This is post #21.
Torque 3D development blogs:
- Post #1 - Kickoff
- Post #2 - Apparatus and Warrior Camp
- Post #3 - Luma's racing kit
- Post #4 - Josh Engebretson and Web Publishing
- Post #5 - Pricing and Licensing
- Post #6 - Pricing and Licensing CONTINUED
- Post #7 - Wetness & Precipitation
- Post #8 - Screeen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO)
- Post #9 - Matt Langley and the Torque Launcher
- Post #10 - Chris Robertson and Collada
- Post #11 - Depth of Field
- Post #12 - Advanced Lighting
- Post #13 - Soft Particles
- Post #14 - World Editor
- Post #15 - Pricing and Licensing ANNOUNCED!
- Post #16 - GDC Live Edition
- Post #17 - River & Road Editors
- Post #18 - Beta is UP!
- Post #19 - Light Rays, Undercity, and the Material Editor
- Post #20 - Mass Market Hardware
- Post #21 - Beta: Part Deux
- Post #22 - Marching Towards Beta 3
- Post #23 - pureLIGHT
- Post #24 - Lighting, Terrain, and Cloth
- Post #25 - Beta 3!
- Post #26 - Coming Soon!
About the author
Since 2007, I've done my best to steer Torque's development and brand toward the best opportunities in games middleware.
#2
Edit: I'll add something more constructive when I've downloaded and tested it :)
Edit II: Seems great, but I can't find a way to enable light rays or bloom.. The ScatterSky, however, is awesome. (I know bloom and light rays were said to be included in Beta 2, but now I'm thinking otherwise..)
Edit III: Light Rays and HDR :)
05/21/2009 (6:39 pm)
Been waiting for this!Edit: I'll add something more constructive when I've downloaded and tested it :)
Edit II: Seems great, but I can't find a way to enable light rays or bloom.. The ScatterSky, however, is awesome. (I know bloom and light rays were said to be included in Beta 2, but now I'm thinking otherwise..)
Edit III: Light Rays and HDR :)
#3
BTW I know its really subtle, but that loading splash screen is great to have.
05/21/2009 (6:54 pm)
While making Undercity I absolutely loved the live updating of art assets in Torque3D. It was frigging awesome having Torque3D on one screen and my editing apps on the other, make a change, watch it update live, I really feel that it helped give that extra little fine tuning touch that was always out of grasp with TGEA. Lara's video really shows how cool it is.BTW I know its really subtle, but that loading splash screen is great to have.
#4
I'm getting a MASSIVE increase in FPS, all seems a lot more refined.
now to start abusing it and try make it crash.
hehehehehehe!!!!
05/21/2009 (7:01 pm)
well, like, wow.I'm getting a MASSIVE increase in FPS, all seems a lot more refined.
now to start abusing it and try make it crash.
hehehehehehe!!!!
#5
05/21/2009 (7:01 pm)
Great to hear, honestly didn't have much time to use beta 1 in the last month because I've been so busy but look forward to trying this out. 
#6
05/21/2009 (7:11 pm)
I'd like to see how Torque 3D handles reflections!
#7
05/21/2009 (7:11 pm)
How do I download the beta - it isn't listed on my account picklist. 
#8
05/21/2009 (7:13 pm)
Woot. Hopefully Comcast doesn't decide to be comcastic now. 
#9
05/21/2009 (7:15 pm)
OMG Torque 3D looks so tasty and fun I might have to quit my day job and just make game : ) 
#11
05/21/2009 (7:25 pm)
Wow, looking better all the time. But for my beef with the licencing, I'd be totally on board ;)
#12
05/21/2009 (7:30 pm)
Can't wait to play with it. It's really looking good.
#13
Non-game restrictions are gone, make anything you want with Torque 3D.
While this restriction often makes sense with certain licensees, it's almost never those who are under the $250k annual revenue qualifier, so this is gone now from Torque 3D and won't be coming back. We'll update the licensing graph on the product page to reflect this soon.
05/21/2009 (7:32 pm)
@everyone: I'll probably end up mentioning this again, but we've decided to a change to the online EULA.Non-game restrictions are gone, make anything you want with Torque 3D.
While this restriction often makes sense with certain licensees, it's almost never those who are under the $250k annual revenue qualifier, so this is gone now from Torque 3D and won't be coming back. We'll update the licensing graph on the product page to reflect this soon.
#14
@Brett-- "Non-game restrictions are gone, make anything you want with Torque 3D"
That's fantastic news.
05/21/2009 (7:47 pm)
GREAT downloading now@Brett-- "Non-game restrictions are gone, make anything you want with Torque 3D"
That's fantastic news.
#15
Heheheh ... awesome job as usual GG ... well done.
You now have however posed me with a serious dilemna ... do I stop all current projects in TGEA and move them T3D. Aaaarrrgggghhhhh ... :(
Sweetness at the non-game restriction ... thanks again. :)
05/21/2009 (7:50 pm)
@Davey: I'll take your day job ... anyday. :)Heheheh ... awesome job as usual GG ... well done.
You now have however posed me with a serious dilemna ... do I stop all current projects in TGEA and move them T3D. Aaaarrrgggghhhhh ... :(
Sweetness at the non-game restriction ... thanks again. :)
#16
05/21/2009 (7:57 pm)
Brett, so we can port the Torque MMOKit to T3D without any problems then? I believe the problem before was not being able to include the editor with distributions. 
#17
05/21/2009 (8:00 pm)
That lift of the non-game restriction has more to do with the visualization and simulation market than redistributing the toolset, I believe.
#18
05/21/2009 (8:32 pm)
Thank you guys for noting that change in the EULA, that is important for me. 
#19
This is teriffic news, Thank you!!!! You guys are doing an amazing job with Torque 3D. Downloading now. ;)
John K.
www.envygames.com
05/21/2009 (8:43 pm)
Quote:
Non-game restrictions are gone, make anything you want with Torque 3D.
This is teriffic news, Thank you!!!! You guys are doing an amazing job with Torque 3D. Downloading now. ;)
John K.
www.envygames.com
#20
--Josh
05/21/2009 (8:59 pm)
Good to hear. The splash screen as it loads is nice as well. Is that going to be tied to the other splash screen requirements or will that be replaceable?--Josh
Torque 3D Owner Chris Cain
Looking great, now I can't wait for Beta 3 :D