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» Overview

• written in clean C++ classes
• extensible through plugin based architecture
• the engine is data-driven, loading most of its game data from XML files
• basic services through provider plugins, virtual interfaces to:
  • file provider ( can be simple disk access or pak access to game data files )
  • graphics provider ( can be OpenGL, Direct3D 9 / 10 )
  • sound provider ( can be FMOD, OpenAL, or other API )
  • network provider ( can be Winsock2, DirectPlay, or other API )
  • physics provider ( can be ODE, Newton, Bullet, Havok, AGEIA PhysX or other API )
  • input provider ( can be DirectInput or other )
  • script provider ( can be LUA or another scripting system )
  • game provider ( custom game logic happens here, modding support )
• built-in RTTI ( Run Time Type Information ) on base classes ( classname, usage count )
• cross-platform, currently targeting PC Windows, XBox360 and PlayStation 3 ( consoles in work )
• register class factories ( creating classes by their C++ name )
• class property system ( like that in Delphi/C++Builder or .NET ), each object can have properties which are exposed to the editor and the scripting system
• resource manager ( holds one instance for each resource loaded, unloading when not used )
• other features: smart pointers, advanced logging, dynamic libraries, threads, built-in class commands (issue commands to classes, with a list of arguments), timer, variant class, xml parsing, exceptions, statistics, file functions, math library, and others.
• based on STL containers

» Rendering

• currently based on DirectX 9, and also planning for a DirectX 11 graphics provider
• the rendering pipeline is shader-centric, no more fixed pipeline, supporting up to Shader Model 3.0 and beyond
• implementations : render-to-texture, reflections, refractions, bump map (through normal maps), specular maps, light maps, fresnel term, phong/blinn lighting models.
• vertex and pixel shaders using HLSL/GLSL/Cg
• central shader library
• shader fallback system
• unified lighting based on global shader parameters ( like lights, scene shadow maps, and other parameters )
• image loading supporting DDS,JPG,PNG,BMP,TGA and more
• scene graph and scene nodes for a clear hierachy of the scene
• rendering packets system, each scene node presents a list of render packets (vertex buffers with rendering settings) which it wants to render and the scene graph does all the sorting
• partitioning: octtree, hash space (zones), portal triggers

» Math

• generic math functions ( random number generator, primitive intersections )
• bounding box (axis aligned and oriented), matrix, quaternion, 3D vector, ray, plane classes

» Network

• client / server architecture, for multiplayer on LAN and internet
• MMOG (massive multiplayer online games) layer ( work in progress )
• assign codecs for packet encoding/decoding; reliable / unreliable packets
• TCP/IP based
• servers using multiple threads for communication with the clients, load balancing

» Physics

• currently using NVIDIA PhysX
• rigid bodies, rag-dolls, cloth, joints, vehicles, ropes, soft bodies
• trace ray on every scene node
• convex hulls for simple collisions

» Input

• support for mouse, keyboard, joystick, wheel
• input maps, holding key binds for the game in xml files
• actions and combo actions set for keys

» Animation and meshes/models

• TCB/Bezier/Linear based animation, highly customizable ( keys, tracks )
• every parameter of a class can be animated
• actors: skeletal animation, frames exported from 3D Studio MAX, Maya or XSI through COLLADA file format, cand be blended with IK (Inverse Kinematics) for special cases, like stairs or terrain; works with the physics systems rag-dolls; actors can have slots assigned, for example: weapon placement or backpacks; body parts hit damage, look-at controllers
• cinematic sequences for cut-scenes
• meshes are the raw data
• models have assigned a mesh, and for each submesh of that mesh : shader and textures
• assembly objects are many models assembled in a hierachy-based structure ( for example a vehicle with wheels and gun on top )

» Game provider

• entities, are special scene nodes, populating a world (level)
• the entities can be: actors, terrain, items, triggers or user defined
• streamable worlds
• game state handlers ( like: intro, main menu, in-game )

» Sound

• WAV and MP3/OGG streaming
• 2D/3D sound sources with various effects applied
• blocker geometry, sounds affected by the game's geometry
• in-game sound track change depending on the game state ( battle/peace/alert )

» Scripting

• currently based on LUA scripting language, but any kind of scripting system can be easily integrated
• set / get entity properties from script
• call commands on entities
• create new entities in script

» AI - Artifical Intelligence

• brain, personality, AI agents, waypoints and hint systems ( grid / graph )
• group behavior ( run-away, attack, defend member, hero-like members )
• virtual senses ( smell, sight, hearing )
• AI can use the surroundings / objects in various scopes ( attack, defend, build )

» GUI - Graphical User Interface

• widgets: layer, window, menu, tab, panel, button, toggle button, check box, combo box, group box, image box, label, list box, progress bar, radio, scroll bar, slider, spinner, text box, tree view, 3D viewport, movie player
• central kernel managing the widgets
• in-game console ( can be linked with the logger(s) )
• pixel based fonts, text align, wrapping
• UI stored in XML files, easy to tweak

» Files / game data

• game data locations - the user can define archives or physical directories to load game data, in virtual directories
• archives can be ZIP ( optionally with scrambled headers ) or a custom archiving format / system, the user can even implement a remote internet archive system
• files are loaded into the resource manager, for one-time load and precache

» Effects

• post-process HDR bloom, glow, sepia, tv noise, black and white
• auto-exposure
• cinematic motion blur
• lens flares and coronas
• advanced modular particle system, with many parameters to set
• soft particles
• billboards
• sky dome
• water planes
• fire / explosions / path trails / sparks
  
• object impostors

» Tools

• NytroStudio world ( level ) creation editor, WYSIWYG
• on-place game testing, directly in the editor
• several tool-plugins startable within the editor:
  • Model Editor - import meshes from various formats and save as nytro native mesh format, assign shaders and shader presets for the sub-meshes, assemble many models into a complex object ( assembly object ), setup axis constrains on hierachy, edit slots
  • Actor Editor - skeleton import from various formats, mesh skinning preview, with ragdoll physics setup and testing, animation blending setup, lip sync editing for characters speech, with keyframing and sync
  • AI Editor - with diagrams and connections, behavior / brain building
  • CutScene Editor - with splines for camera movement, cinematic triggers, movie-like effects, keyframing
  • Landscape Editor - create vast, tileable, optionally infinite terrains, with or without vegetation, detail objects like rocks or custom objects, raise / lower terrain with 3D brushes, create caves on top of the terrain using voxel techniques, paint terrain layers with chosen textures and also setup a skybox, fog, viewing distance, vegetation system long distance rendering optimizations ( impostors ), water zones.
  • Font Editor - create font textures and font description files
  • Shader Editor - build a shader from pre-made shader modules, visually interconnected through in/out slots, shader presets editor and edit shader HLSL / GLSL source
    
  • GUI Editor - form editing, 2D / 3D menu editor
    
  • Particle Editor - with particle system visualization and keyable attributes
    
  • Resource Browser - game resources are managed through this tool, as a browseable database
    
• export data from 3D Studio MAX, Maya, XSI or other modelling program through COLLADA file format, and using the collada to nytro tool to get the data ( meshes, animations, skinned meshes bones ) into the engine

» Documentation

• core engine classes are all fully documented ( Doxygen generated, both C++ source files and header files )
• the editor has CHM/HTML/PDF manuals
• subsystems diagrams and engine internal flow charts images
• tutorials and full game examples

» Licensing information