Torque 3D Development - Beta 3!
by Brett Seyler · 06/24/2009 (1:45 pm) · 130 comments
Thanks for your patience everyone. I know this was a longer stretch than expected between Beta 2 and 3, but wow, we've been busy!
Download Torque 3D Beta 3 from your Account
Again, we have an enormous list of new stuff (see below), improvements (~200), (fixes (100+) and known issues you'll find posting in the Torque 3D forums.
New Stuff in Beta 3!
Shape Editor - This new feature allows you to apply various changes to a mesh after it is loaded. You can merge animations, define nodes, rename meshes, and more. Tutorial video and extensive docs on this are forthcoming, but it's pretty intuitive to play with, so have fun!
Decal Editor - This allows you to quickly paint and edit decals in the scene. On the engine side, we've done a major rework of Decal-related source code, so it's now much more efficient and significantly easier to understand. As with the Shape Editor, we'll have a tutorial video and extensive docs available soon.
Mesh Road Editor - This allows you to quickly prototype a 3D mesh road. We're stressing the word "prototype" here because there's a lot this tool is not yet wired to do. For example, applying an arbitrary mesh profile (for different shaped roads with curbs for example) is not yet possible. This would be an excellent community project if someone want to give it a go, but we're going to leave this as a prototyping tool in this release.
Beta 3 also includes...
Mac / OSX Support for:
- Basic Lighting
- TerrainBlock
- Water
- ScatterSky
- CloudLayer
- Toolbox
- pureLIGHT
For the full monster list of improvements, fixes, and remaining known issues, see the Torque 3D forums for details.
If you're ready to move to Torque 3D, you can still get your $100 OFF pre-order discount right now. This discount will be reduced to $50 OFF at the end of June. If you're already a Torque 3D owner, congrats! Don't forget to post your Beta 3 feedback in Torque 3D Private Forums. We need your help to get to the finish line!
We've still got a ways to go to fully catch up on the Mac / OSX side, but we're moving quickly. Full feature and stability parity with Windows is our goal for Beta 4.
More development blogs to come. This is post #25.
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.
#62
I find that one thing between professional games and indie games is the amount of extraneous material in the level. Bioshock had all this debris everywhere and it looks way better than just an empty room. SO i feel the decal editor will solve this problem. I can't wait to make it.
Also
was this level built in constructor?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39110214@N05/3658141306/sizes/l/
06/25/2009 (6:38 pm)
Great job.I find that one thing between professional games and indie games is the amount of extraneous material in the level. Bioshock had all this debris everywhere and it looks way better than just an empty room. SO i feel the decal editor will solve this problem. I can't wait to make it.
Also
was this level built in constructor?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39110214@N05/3658141306/sizes/l/
#63
06/25/2009 (6:44 pm)
Nope...that was built in 3D Studio Max 
#64
Well you mean a Zone... but no. Zones cull SceneObjects. So if you have one giant DTS that is your level it won't cull submeshes like that.
Still that is something we want to fix, but i don't think it will be for 1.0.
06/25/2009 (7:52 pm)
@ThomasQuote:If i place a portal inside of a bigger DTS, are the invisible polygons ignored? Or can portals only handle the complete mesh?
Well you mean a Zone... but no. Zones cull SceneObjects. So if you have one giant DTS that is your level it won't cull submeshes like that.
Still that is something we want to fix, but i don't think it will be for 1.0.
#65
Why no Wetness & Precipitation demo in beta3?
I hope learning that.....
06/26/2009 (2:31 am)
@matt:Why no Wetness & Precipitation demo in beta3?
I hope learning that.....
#66
(luister ou boet, gee ons die donder se ding, aseblief? ek vra so mooi)
ek het lank laas in "die taal" geskryf, so ek vra om verskoning as daar foute is.
just a guess,
dont take me serious, just kidding, maybe??
drunk. (en gerook)
dunno.
Why no Wetness & Precipitation demo in beta3?
06/26/2009 (3:01 am)
because Gerhard saw how much people wanted it, saw a chance to make money, asked for too much for the solution, and the GG guys told him to stick it in a warm dark smelly place???(luister ou boet, gee ons die donder se ding, aseblief? ek vra so mooi)
ek het lank laas in "die taal" geskryf, so ek vra om verskoning as daar foute is.
just a guess,
dont take me serious, just kidding, maybe??
drunk. (en gerook)
dunno.
Why no Wetness & Precipitation demo in beta3?
#67
not enough time to try everyhting but I may have misunderstood
the "PureLight Demo" listing in the features list, is that a "demo" meaning a demo version of the lighting tool or just referring to the demo scenes featuring PureLight?
06/26/2009 (6:34 am)
I worked with Beta 3 all last night - great BTWnot enough time to try everyhting but I may have misunderstood
the "PureLight Demo" listing in the features list, is that a "demo" meaning a demo version of the lighting tool or just referring to the demo scenes featuring PureLight?
#69
It runs like a dream on my system, can't wait to get stuck into it.
06/26/2009 (9:06 am)
As a Mac user, I thank you. You've made me a very happy person :DIt runs like a dream on my system, can't wait to get stuck into it.
#70
06/26/2009 (10:33 am)
There is no wetness and precipitation in Beta3 because it is not yet fully compatible with GFX.
#71
06/26/2009 (1:42 pm)
The pureLIGHT Demo is just scenes featuring the results on pureLIGHT...not an actual demo of the pureLIGHT tool.
#72
www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/94475/1#comment-642591
Warning: might be an ignorant question since I'm new to the DIF's...
06/26/2009 (5:22 pm)
With the new portal stuff... Is Torque Constructor and DIF's still needed to create the zones (for culling)?www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/94475/1#comment-642591
Warning: might be an ignorant question since I'm new to the DIF's...
#73
Are you guys planning on having PhysX for the mac?
Will Torsion ever be ported to the mac?
Thx.
06/26/2009 (5:23 pm)
Hooray, thank you so much for the mac port. Just have a few questions. Are you guys planning on having PhysX for the mac?
Will Torsion ever be ported to the mac?
Thx.
#74
Is it only for users who subscribed for beta testing or something like that?
06/26/2009 (5:24 pm)
Hmm, how come I can't find it at all in my account?Is it only for users who subscribed for beta testing or something like that?
#75
www.garagegames.com/products/torque-3d
06/26/2009 (5:47 pm)
Diego, Torque 3D Pro is a $1000 license:www.garagegames.com/products/torque-3d
#76
I've been a TGEA and TGE owner for over 5 years now, and although torque 3D is shaping up to be something out of a wet dream, I feel that there is one thing that may be lacking, and has been lacking for years.
The cloud/sky/sun system has always been so default, and well.. lets face it, static skyboxes are just plain boring. So I'm proposing you guys should work on some sort of dynamic versatile all in one sky/cloud system (that produces realistic results), and that the sun object be more versatile aswell, even have a moon object, all that can be drastically changed with custom graphics. (You know its a torque game when you see the fxsun.) NOT TO MENTION... Can you imagine if we had dynamic cloud shadow-casting? That would add so much to an environment. I just think these are all things that have left outdoors torque scenes... somewhat empty.
If all of that were to be implemented I would be buying this in a heartbeat. Other than that, great work guys, Beta 3 looks stunning.
06/27/2009 (11:44 am)
Just a comment\suggestion:I've been a TGEA and TGE owner for over 5 years now, and although torque 3D is shaping up to be something out of a wet dream, I feel that there is one thing that may be lacking, and has been lacking for years.
The cloud/sky/sun system has always been so default, and well.. lets face it, static skyboxes are just plain boring. So I'm proposing you guys should work on some sort of dynamic versatile all in one sky/cloud system (that produces realistic results), and that the sun object be more versatile aswell, even have a moon object, all that can be drastically changed with custom graphics. (You know its a torque game when you see the fxsun.) NOT TO MENTION... Can you imagine if we had dynamic cloud shadow-casting? That would add so much to an environment. I just think these are all things that have left outdoors torque scenes... somewhat empty.
If all of that were to be implemented I would be buying this in a heartbeat. Other than that, great work guys, Beta 3 looks stunning.
#77
The sky system you can have in Torque 3D is above and beyond most AAA games you can pick up off the shelf.
So, hope that speeds along your purchase ;)
06/27/2009 (8:25 pm)
@Cameron - The atmosphere we have implemented is leagues beyond what TGE or TGEA could have accomplished: procedural cloud systems, full sun and atmosphere control, hooks into a Time of day object for a day/night system. There is even releigh and mie scattering fields (I had to actually research the science behind these O_o)The sky system you can have in Torque 3D is above and beyond most AAA games you can pick up off the shelf.
So, hope that speeds along your purchase ;)
#78
06/28/2009 (8:56 am)
Being a MAC user, with Beta 3 was about time to get back into Torque. Can't wait to learn to use Torque tech to then produce something cool :)
#80
06/28/2009 (11:55 am)
@TacoX - Yes, full source code is included with all the beta versions.
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