Torque 3D Development - Release!!!
by Brett Seyler · 09/28/2009 (10:33 pm) · 335 comments
We're finally here. Release day!
Download the Torque 3D 1.0 release from your account now!
It's been a bit quiet for the past month while we sprint to the finish. I've been in Europe demoing Torque 3D to publishers, studios and the press (you'll hear more about this soon). Meanwhile, the whole team here has been putting in a monster effort to bring you the most stable, solid release of Torque ever.
If you've already made the jump, you know that this is a whole new breed of Torque. The tools are ground breaking for development productivity. The content pipeline gets your art into Torque at light speed and live asset updating lets you iterate on your content in tools of your choice and watch them update in Torque instantly.
What's Inside
If you've been following these dev blogs, you've seen almost every feature of Torque demonstrated first hand. You can also find all these details neatly organized on the Torque 3D page as well. So down to details...here's what's in this release:Engine Advanced Lighting* Particle System Revamped Terrain System COLLADA Import Pipeline Audio API Improved Material System Improved Skinned Mesh Performance PostFX System* Improved Water Blocks and Planes Physics (via PhysX)* Live Asset Updating New Tools River Editor Road Editor Datablock Editor Decal Editor Particle Editor Material Editor Shape Editor Viz Toggles Collada Exporter (for Interiors) Improved Tools Terrain Editor Terrain Painter Object Editor GUI Editor | Publishing** Windows (D3D) OSX (OGL) Web (FF, IE, Chrome, Safari) Projects PhysX: Cloth FPS Example: Burg * Limited or N/A on OSX ** Console licenses for all major platforms available separately. Contact licensing@torquepowered.com for details. |
FPS Example? Yes. If you've been a part of the beta groups, you've seen "FPS Genre Kit" as a project in previous builds (including Beta 5). We are planning to build out a much more robust and complete for-pay "FPS Genre Kit" (with improved functionality and documentation), but we want to minimize confusion between the projects. "FPS Example" has all of the same functionality as "FPS Genre Kit" from the betas. What you're seeing here is less content, but primarily a renaming.
Now, some of you are wondering "what's Burg?" Here is your answer...
In a couple weeks, we'll also be releasing Rasmus Deguchi's War Machine demo. Check it out here:
What about...
Gerhard's stuff
From the beginning, we've been very impressed with Gerhard was able to do with older version of Torque. I had hoped to ship Torque 3D with at least one demo of his stuff, but we encountered a few obstacles. Gerhard lost the artist he was working with and on the programming side, we struggled to keep his projects compatible with the Torque core, particularly GFX. Demos like "Wetness", "Depth of Field", "SSAO", and "Soft Particles" all showcase some great artwork and clever extension of Torque. We now have all these technical features in this release and neatly integrated in the PostFX system, with the exception of Wetness. We're going to follow up on that and build a nicer, more flexible implementation of Wetness into PostFX. See the discussion of that here. Much <3 to Pat Wilson and Sickhead for doing all this kickass PostFX stuff, including Light Rays, Scatter Sky and yes, even lens flares / coronas.
Undercity Demo
The Undercity Demo was built primarily to show at GDC last March. We're really proud of what Logan put together for us and we're looking at doing more work on this demo before releasing it either as part of the forthcoming FPS Genre Kit, or as a FPS Example.
Pacific Demo / Forest Kit
The Pacific Demo is built using Sickhead Games' Forest Kit foliage technology add-on. The Forest Kit is slated for a release to coincide with Torque 3D 1.1. This branch is already being actively worked on and you'll hear more about both the 1.1 release and the Forest Kit add-on in the coming weeks. Tom's already posted a nice teaser showing ground cover materials being properly lit by both Advanced Lighting, and Basic Lighting, all with wind animation.
Barricade Demo
The Barricade Demo was originally built to show off Torque technology circa 2006. Yikes. Sickhead Games are working on an updated version of this to be released in the near future.
Warrior Camp Demo
We never got to a point where we were satisfied with the way this looked, so it's been paused until we decide what (if anything) we want to do with it.
Luma's Racing Kit
Still in the works! Luma's been jamming on all kinds of other cool projects, including Rev, but they are working on finishing the Racing Kit in the next few months.
How is Torque 3D licensed?
The Torque 3D 1.x license is currently posted on the Torque 3D page. You can view it there. This document governs the Professional and Studio licenses. You'll find no reference to the "Basic." Why? As I've mentioned on several occasions where it's come up, we were never really hot on the spec for "Basic." It confuses the primary product spec ("Professional" and "Studio" share identical features) in creating a feature delta and frankly, the number of people who've jumped on the "Professional" license has convinced us that a "Basic" version is not really needed. What you'll see contemplated in the EULA we've posted is an "Artist" version instead. What we're considering here is offering a binary only, full-featured version of Torque 3D for $500 / seat. Discounts for owning prior versions of Torque would apply.If you'd like to make your opinion known, log your vote in the form below. We'll defer making a final decision about this for at least a month or two.
No matter what the results, there will be other changes to the Torque product line up as well. Biggest of all, as of November 1st, 2009, past versions of Torque (TGEA, TGE) will no longer be available for purchase.
What's Next?
A couple weeks ago we spun up an official Torque 3D 1.1 branch for work in parallel to the 1.0 release. The primary goals for the 1.1 release are:1. Performance and optimization
This will mostly be targeted at improving Advanced Lighting (shadows), but the uber geniuses at Sickhead and GameClay keep coming up with ways to get cycles back all over the place. Don't be surprised to see huge improvements (over the already great performance) on mainstream hardware and embedded devices in the next couple releases.
2. Usability improvements
We've a bevy of new tools and we're not silly enough to think we did everything perfect the first, second (or 50th) time, so go, use them. Tell us what you like and don't like. We'll keep improving until they are as perfect as they can be.
3. Particle System refactor
This has been in the works for months actually and Pat (with the help of pureLIGHT) is preparing a fully awesomed-out particle system for 1.1. I'll save going into the spec for a separate blog, but it's going to be all kinds of hawt. Here's Pat showing off wiring up 150 point lights in a PhysX "Lightfall."
4. Core improvements necessary for compatibility with Forest Kit
These are ongoing, but expected to wrap with 1.1 and coincide with the much anticipated release of Forest Kit by Sickhead.
5. OSX feature parity
We're obviously a *little* disappointed we weren't able to get Advanced Lighting to run well enough on OSX to ship with this release (see Alex Scarborough's forum post on Advanced Lighting for details), but we're confident that Torque 3D is the best game engine ever released for OSX games. Basic Lighting (what you're seeing in the Burg Demo) is really a very advanced, very fast forward renderer capable of more than any previous lighting system we've had. Objects and materials can recieve up to 4 lights at a time and each light can cast projected shadows optionally. We'd also like find a workable cross-platform solution for physics. PhysX supports everything *except* for OSX, so we're likely to look at Bullet in the next few months. In all likelyhood, we may never achieve feature parity, but we'll push OSX as hard as it can be pushed for you guys, and then we'll push it harder.
The developer community is already on Torque 3D in a big way. Here are some highlights from past weeks you might not have seen. As always, cool, well made stuff contributed back will go into the core for everyone to use.
Special thanks to Sickhead Games for contributing more to this release than I thought possible. You guys rock!
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 - Documentation
- Post #27 - Beta 4!
- Post #28 - Shape Editor
- Post #29 - Beta 5!
- Post #30 - Collada Import GUI Dialog
- Post #31 - 1.0 Release!!!
- Post #32 - 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.
#202
I have waited for this day to come.
Where this engine started and where you guys have taken it, despite so many obstacles, is mind blowing. I am looking forward to the future of T3D.
-Surge
09/29/2009 (10:59 pm)
GG , Thank-You.I have waited for this day to come.
Where this engine started and where you guys have taken it, despite so many obstacles, is mind blowing. I am looking forward to the future of T3D.
-Surge
#203
09/30/2009 (12:06 am)
Is there a Mac demo? When I download the demo I got "Torque_3D_2009_Tools_Demo_1_0_Mac" and it's filled with Windows exe files. 
#204
First. Congrats to he GG team for giving birth to T3D. I know it has been painful and taken a ong time but it looks like an outstanding product.
I have been very close to buying T3D at least twice in the last months but on the end I controlled myself. Why?
a. Because my game just doesnt require extreme realistic graphics to work. I think it would be overkill. TGE provides all I need right now. A game depends on its gameplay. Graphics are overrated. Lots of top selling games just dont need them. Maybe large AAA titles and companies but Im not one of those.
b. Waiting for the economy to recover. You know when T3D got out at $505 (for TGEA owners) 1 aud was about 0.64 USD which roughly transated to AU$800 forthe engine. Now 1 AUD is anout 0.87 USD and guess what! now the $705 price tag is about AU$800.. so I have lost nothing :)
c. I have more important areas to spend $700 like buying more model packs, paying artists to get my game finished than spendig in a game engine which will occupy space in my HDD and growing virtual dust.
d. I have invested too much time to tweak TGE to do what I want and porting those teaks to T3D will be painful and take a lot of time. This would take me back a lot in my calendar (which is already late).
My point is. Not everybody really needs T3D. TGE is a powerful engine and able to take your game to completion. Maybe in the future when I start a new project I may start with T3D. Meanwhile TGE has everything I need. I only can feel sad (but not surprised) for TGE being dropped. I realy hope GG decides to open source it.
Luck!
Guimo
09/30/2009 (2:09 am)
Its possible nobody will read this post (page 11 alredy?) but there it goes anyway.First. Congrats to he GG team for giving birth to T3D. I know it has been painful and taken a ong time but it looks like an outstanding product.
I have been very close to buying T3D at least twice in the last months but on the end I controlled myself. Why?
a. Because my game just doesnt require extreme realistic graphics to work. I think it would be overkill. TGE provides all I need right now. A game depends on its gameplay. Graphics are overrated. Lots of top selling games just dont need them. Maybe large AAA titles and companies but Im not one of those.
b. Waiting for the economy to recover. You know when T3D got out at $505 (for TGEA owners) 1 aud was about 0.64 USD which roughly transated to AU$800 forthe engine. Now 1 AUD is anout 0.87 USD and guess what! now the $705 price tag is about AU$800.. so I have lost nothing :)
c. I have more important areas to spend $700 like buying more model packs, paying artists to get my game finished than spendig in a game engine which will occupy space in my HDD and growing virtual dust.
d. I have invested too much time to tweak TGE to do what I want and porting those teaks to T3D will be painful and take a lot of time. This would take me back a lot in my calendar (which is already late).
My point is. Not everybody really needs T3D. TGE is a powerful engine and able to take your game to completion. Maybe in the future when I start a new project I may start with T3D. Meanwhile TGE has everything I need. I only can feel sad (but not surprised) for TGE being dropped. I realy hope GG decides to open source it.
Luck!
Guimo
#205
I tried in on a window vista and window xp computer and it work but it doesnt run on windows 7. The game tries to start and then crashes.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciate, i really want to check out what is new in Torque3D vs TGE 1.5.2
09/30/2009 (2:17 am)
does anybody have any ideas as to why the windows demo does not run on window 7 x64. I tried running it as a administrator as well as under compatiblity mode. I have a directx 9 compatible video card (7800gt (pixel and vertex shader 3.0)).I tried in on a window vista and window xp computer and it work but it doesnt run on windows 7. The game tries to start and then crashes.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciate, i really want to check out what is new in Torque3D vs TGE 1.5.2
#206
The only purpose that would serve would be to ensure support for people who have pirated T3D.
09/30/2009 (2:33 am)
Quote:A small question/request (which I know is absurdely impatient of me) but will you be opening up the private forums to public access as with other non-beta engines?
The only purpose that would serve would be to ensure support for people who have pirated T3D.
#207
We have run it here under Windows 7 X64 without any issues. For now try updating your drivers with the latest from nVidia, as well as grabbing the latest DirectX runtimes from microsoft.com/directx
Post followup in the public Torque 3D forums, so as not to derail the blog and to get more eyes on your issue.
09/30/2009 (2:45 am)
@Carlton University #0008We have run it here under Windows 7 X64 without any issues. For now try updating your drivers with the latest from nVidia, as well as grabbing the latest DirectX runtimes from microsoft.com/directx
Post followup in the public Torque 3D forums, so as not to derail the blog and to get more eyes on your issue.
#208
TORQUE FTW!!!! YEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
09/30/2009 (8:12 am)
This is the momment we all have been waiting for!!!! My life has a new meaning!!!! :PTORQUE FTW!!!! YEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
#209
it's a real censorship and it's really funny and inapplicable! :-) I suppose you used a legal support to write the license, but I think that point should be checked again.
There's no way you can restrict my right to talk about Torque Game Engine or any other products (or any other topics!), at least until I don't reveal some details covered by a signed NDA.
I don't understand the comparison with the Nvidia PhysX license: they simply put many restrictions about using logo, trademark, and so on, but I don't need their approval to talk, just because I'm using their SDK. :-)
09/30/2009 (8:42 am)
I agree with Gary, Damien and Jaimi. The clause:Quote:Prior to issuing any press release, Licensee shall submit the proposed content of the release to Licensor for approval, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
it's a real censorship and it's really funny and inapplicable! :-) I suppose you used a legal support to write the license, but I think that point should be checked again.
There's no way you can restrict my right to talk about Torque Game Engine or any other products (or any other topics!), at least until I don't reveal some details covered by a signed NDA.
I don't understand the comparison with the Nvidia PhysX license: they simply put many restrictions about using logo, trademark, and so on, but I don't need their approval to talk, just because I'm using their SDK. :-)
#210
09/30/2009 (11:04 am)
I have only one question... whats the name of the song in the first video? :p 
#211
I can also confirm, I am running it on Windows 7 X64 with no problems (except Gideon's run cycle, old one was better, lol)
09/30/2009 (12:30 pm)
@Carlton University #0008I can also confirm, I am running it on Windows 7 X64 with no problems (except Gideon's run cycle, old one was better, lol)
#212
09/30/2009 (12:31 pm)
My spin: Garage Games are helping us write press releases, for free?! WOOOOOO! 
#213
1: If I'm planning to launch a website for a game we are currently developing in TGEA (and plans to port to T3D), do I need your approval of said launch, mentioning that it will use T3D, etc ?
2: What if you dont like my game, is my engine purchase then just a waste of money?
3: If we plan to include cutsom made terrain editors, to support a modding community it's a breach of the EULA ?
4: Are staff answers here enough, or do I need to mail / fax ?
09/30/2009 (1:22 pm)
I already did the congrats, but I have 4 questions. Some are actually already asked, but yet to be answered!1: If I'm planning to launch a website for a game we are currently developing in TGEA (and plans to port to T3D), do I need your approval of said launch, mentioning that it will use T3D, etc ?
2: What if you dont like my game, is my engine purchase then just a waste of money?
3: If we plan to include cutsom made terrain editors, to support a modding community it's a breach of the EULA ?
4: Are staff answers here enough, or do I need to mail / fax ?
#214
One other point I wanted to make. Torque 3D is capable of pushing high end graphics as you mentioned. However, its also very capable of pushing lower end graphics with Basic Lighting and other tweaks. We know that a lot of you guys make games for a market that doesn't necessarily have Crysis level computers, therefore we did everything we could to make Torque 3D usable on everything from notebooks to high end machines. I'm not a developer but if I had to venture a guess I would say a scene in TGE would run just as fast if not faster in Torque 3D on the same computer.
09/30/2009 (2:11 pm)
@Guimo - I agree with just about everything you wrote. For those very early on in their projects the switch to Torque 3D is relatively painless. For people such as yourself, deep into a project, I think its best to finish up and release your game using TGE or TGEA (or any other engine you are currently using) and then look at porting your project or starting a new one on Torque 3D. One other point I wanted to make. Torque 3D is capable of pushing high end graphics as you mentioned. However, its also very capable of pushing lower end graphics with Basic Lighting and other tweaks. We know that a lot of you guys make games for a market that doesn't necessarily have Crysis level computers, therefore we did everything we could to make Torque 3D usable on everything from notebooks to high end machines. I'm not a developer but if I had to venture a guess I would say a scene in TGE would run just as fast if not faster in Torque 3D on the same computer.
#215
09/30/2009 (2:49 pm)
hmm i still havent heard any official response to the license/Eula issue. 
#216
The toolset, for instance, is not only at a whole new level, also has a huge potential for new improvements or ideas.
09/30/2009 (2:51 pm)
Also, although Guimo is accurate about not changing codebase at the middle of the river, is also fair to said that the diferences from TGE and T3D are far beyond the graphics.The toolset, for instance, is not only at a whole new level, also has a huge potential for new improvements or ideas.
#217
This could not be more true. Today I've been rebuilding a proof of concept that I've done twice before with TGE and Flash from scratch. TGE took 1 month, Flash took 2 months, and T3D is looking like it's going to take about 2 days give or take a day.
09/30/2009 (3:36 pm)
Quote:The toolset, for instance, is not only at a whole new level, also has a huge potential for new improvements or ideas.
This could not be more true. Today I've been rebuilding a proof of concept that I've done twice before with TGE and Flash from scratch. TGE took 1 month, Flash took 2 months, and T3D is looking like it's going to take about 2 days give or take a day.
#219
09/30/2009 (3:59 pm)
Toolset is really one of the bigger reasons to upgrade. If time is money then you are going to be saving a lot of money compared to TGE/TGEA. A lot of work and thought went into making that aspect of using T3D a much better experience. GG should make a video of designing a zone in TGEA and then in T3D just to show how much time is saved :-). 
#220
yes the graphics in T3D are pretty but that is not all that is different by a long shot! I hear too many people say oh well I dont need T3D because I dont need shiny graphics. In my opinion the shiny graphics are a small part of why you would use Torque3D. The main would is to be more productive. T3D is far more intuitive as far as the editors and things of that nature.
09/30/2009 (4:13 pm)
@Guimo:yes the graphics in T3D are pretty but that is not all that is different by a long shot! I hear too many people say oh well I dont need T3D because I dont need shiny graphics. In my opinion the shiny graphics are a small part of why you would use Torque3D. The main would is to be more productive. T3D is far more intuitive as far as the editors and things of that nature.
Torque Owner John Durbin (NitoRPG)
I'm downloading the demo now and can't wait to check it out!