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Jason Hall
Monolith | Company (CEO)
| Jun 15 2001, 11:35:16 (ET) | hall@lith.com
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*** Monolith Production's Finger Server
User name: hall
Plan modified: Fri Jun 15 08:18:43 2001
6/15/2001
This is a LITHTECH INC. update.
-NOT MONOLITH RELATED-
Hey all.
For those that are interested in more granular detail about the lastest LithTech release and licensing details, you can find more information at www.lithtech.com
Here is a quick summary of the main things that just got added for this last quarter:
BTW - All the features listed below are cross-platform (PC and PS2), except for DX8 sound which is only available for PC.
Object Directory
In the last release the default implementation of the distributed object system provided a highly C++-specific mechanism for declaring distributed objects and setting distributed item attributes. In this release, distributed game objects can be built from simple source text that describes the game object with LithTech's Object Definition Data (ODD), a format that is C++-programmer-friendly but language-independent. The new implementation will include a tool to read objects described in ODD and compile them to C++ objects, ready to use in a LithTech project. Future releases will expand upon this idea to create a language independent database of game objects- an object directory.
Packet Processing Agendas
The current engine provides no support for applying basic packet-modification algorithms such as encryption and compression to outbound and inbound packets. A new packet processing agenda mechanism in the 3.1 release will provide this capability. These agendas provide STREAMS-style support for user-selectable modules that are called at the appropriate time in the inbound and outbound packet pathways. These modules can be applied on a per-connection basis to create a processing item list that acts upon the entire packet before the packet reaches the engine proper for inbound packets and after the packet leaves the engine proper for outbound packets.
Improvements to firewall support
The 3.1 engine will support a configurable client port range which can be utilized to force the client to bind within a limited range of ports which can be documented as “needs to be opened” to support firewalls.
Continued enhancements to Physics
A variety of fixes and enhancements will be added to the new Physics system Released in Version 3.0, including:
· Accurate collision detection between collision primitives (except for mesh-mesh)
· Oriented cylinders added to available set of collision primitives
· Ability to selectively ignore objects or contacts reported by the collision manager
· Collision/intersection with world models returns valid object handles
· Various bug fixes
MAYA World Exporter
The Maya exporter allows the creation and texturing of terrain and brushes within Maya 3. Texture files can be assigned per-face within Maya, and the equivalent .dtx texture will be used within DEdit. Mapping coordinates assigned to vertices in Maya will also be preserved in the conversion to the LithTech format. Geometry can be exported as terrain, or as brushes as long as the rules for valid brushes aren't broken within Maya.
MAX 4 Skin Support
Skeletally animated models can now be created using the Skin modifier included with 3DS Max 4. Character Studio is no longer required for doing skeletal animation within Max.
NUMEROUS DEdit Enhancements
Several significant enhancements have been made to DEdit (not all are listed here), Including:
· Improved tab system and icons
· The ability to view textured models
· Thumbnail views of textures
· Curved surface support
· Selectable input modes similar to both Max and Maya
· More hot-keys and remappable commands
· New extrusion and polygon manipulation abilities
· Referential prefabs
· Improved rendering performance
· Icon representation of objects
· Support for detail textures
· More control over lighting and shadow casting
Referential Prefabs
Referential Prefabs now allows level designers to fully utilize the prefab system in DEdit. It allows them to create more complex primitives and place them throughout their levels. In addition they can simply update the prefab and upon processing the level, all instances of the prefab will be updated to reflect those changes. So now instead of dealing with hundreds of instances of a primitive, they can now deal with a single instance and simply use references.
RenderStyles Viewer
A stand-alone application for viewing RenderStyles is now available. Artists can quickly and easily use the RenderStylesViewer to preview RenderStyles while programmers can still use the RenderStylesEditor to create them.
Support for DX8 Sound
The sound system in LithTech now uses DirectX 8 for its default sound implementation on the PC instead of the Miles Sound System. The sound API from the application developers perspective has not substantially changed. The Miles Sound System can still be used, but it is no longer shipped with the LTDS and is not enabled by default.
2D Window Tool Kit
This release expands the available user-interface classes that allow licensees to spend less time implementing a UI framework and more time designing the UI .
The following new widgets can be created and manipulated through the CUIWidgetManager:
· Slider
· Progress Indicator
· Check Boxes/Radio Buttons
· List Boxes
· Scrollbar
· Drop-Down lists
1/16/2001
Haven't updated in a while... so here goes...
NOTE - THIS IS FOR LITHTECH INC. - THIS IS NOT MONOLITH RELATED
New Policy:
Since the LithTech Development System is updated every 3 months (engine, tools, docs, etc.) I am going to start including into my .plan the list of features/functions/etc. that are going into LithTech on a quarterly basis.
This way, the greater community will be able to see the technology grow, and the rate at which it grows at.
There is also a link that you can go to, if you want to see much greater detail about the quarterly update.
The last quarterly update was on Dec. 15th. On that date, here is what was added and distributed:
New Features for Winter 2000
http://www.lithtech.com/lds/relnotes/WinterRelNotes.asp
Version 2.3 supports the development of games for the Sony® PlayStation® 2 console and for PC games that support Microsoft® DirectX® 8.
For version 2.3, the LithTech Development System includes the following new features. See the Winter Release Notes for complete descriptions.
Enhancements to the Tools Suite (DEdit, ModelEdit, etc.). This includes overall cleanup of the GUIs, the addition of the FxED special effects editor, and the ability to build and texture worlds in 3D Studio Max.
Bitmapped font support. The first of a series of planned high-level GUI toolkit enhancements. Monospaced and Proportional bitmap fonts can be created and displayed at various sizes and colors. Access is also provided to the individual character polygons to allow custom effects.
Enhancement and Documentation of the .LTA file format. For this release, the .LTA file format becomes the official work format for models and worlds. The .LTA file format is an ASCII format readable by all the tools, and it can be compiled to a binary format for the engine. Documentation describes how models and DEdit files are organized in the format, and how to use the tools and libraries associated with the .LTA exchange file format.
Preview of the Game Objects Library. The preview includes an architecture overview and an inaugural set of components for the Game Objects Library. There is also a sample object demonstrating their use.
Documentation additions and enhancements. This release includes documentation of the new PS2 support, and enhancements to the LithTech API Reference (now 750 pages), the Game Content Creation Guide and the Programming Guide, at nearly 250 pages each.
Improved sphere env mapping on models. On both rigid and skinned models, the world matrix is now correctly calculated into the u/v equation.
The FlipScreen flag FLIPSCREEN_CANDRAWCONSOLE is now an End3D flag of END3D_CANDRAWCONSOLE. This was done to support drawing the console with 3D only primitives and to eliminate lockscreens. If you are doing multiple Begin3D/End3D blocks, you should only specify the default flag, END3D_CANDRAWCONSOLE, on the last End3D.
The ILTDrawPrim interface is expanded to support more render states and prim types. Many of the function names and the prim structures are changing. Going forward, this will be the primary interface for custom rendering.
Processor now supports selection of an inverse quadratic falloff lighting model. This lighting model matches the D3D and PS2 model lighting equations. If you are using either of these lighting models (D3D TnL is the default model packing format in version 2.3), we recommend that you also switch to this world lighting model. This lighting model generally yields more realistic lighting. Note that if you have built your levels with the older lighting models, your levels will probably appear darker and you will probably need to increase the radius of many of your lights to compensate.
The renderer now statically links to the engine.
New Comm and MPM Libraries
New MaxTerrainExport Option
Texture Image Reloading and Scaling in DEdit
Adjusting Mapping Coordinates in the Worlds
Visibility Sample Demonstrates Hullmakers and Terrain Occluders
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If you want to see what was in the previous update before the Dec. 15th drop go to this link:
http://www.lithtech.com/lds/relnotes/FallRelNotes.asp
New Features for Fall 2000
For version 2.2, LithTech publishes its API Reference, announces a new exchange file format, enables DEdit hotkey binding, and adds hardware transform and lighting, Lambert lighting and improved Static Sunlight, and spherical collision detection features.
In addition, version 2.2 includes the following new features. See the Fall 2000 Release Notes for a complete description.
LithTech Publishes API Reference
DEdit Gets Hotkey Binding
Lambert Lighting and Static Sunlight Behavior on Terrain
Direct3D Render Path Adds Transform and Lighting
New Exchange File Format for Tools
Spherical Collision Detection
Projected Texture Shadows
Changes to vector.h Yield Performance Benefits
Maya Exporter Supports Maya 2.5
New Utility Converts .TGA <=> .DTX
Support for Online Game Services
Beta Release of ClientFX Special Effects and FxED Special Effects Editor
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The next LithTech quarterly release will be around March 15th! Lot's of neat stuff coming in that one!
11/7/2000
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BILLY "WICKED" WILSON AT VOODOOEXTREME!!!
Much love from myself and Monolith to you man! Thanks for all the love and support, you 27 year old bastard...
Hope you have a great b-day! I told Apache to send me the invoice for those birthday sheep he got for you. It will be my treat! ENJOY! ;)
Seriously though, we are all fans of your site and want you to know that you have built something special there and appreciate your (and your team's) hard work.
Have a happy birthday.
-Jace
11/1/2000
The new LithTech website is up.
More information/webpage tweaks/modifications will be done to it, but if you want to get the gist of the page check it out at:
http://www.lithtech.com
10/11/2000
At approximately 8:30 pm on October 10, 2000 (yesterday) something horribly painful happened to me, and I'm not in the best of moods...Here is the scoop:
...So I'm at Gold's Gym doing some fairly straightforward free weight flat bench press with 315 pounds and suddenly I feel my left pectoral muscle start to tear itself off of my bone structure (the area where the pec connects to the upper left arm - up above your armpit underneath some of your front shoulder meat).
As the bar moved downward during the press and stretched my pecs wide I could literally feel the fibers and whatnot stretching and snapping underneath my skin on the left side. The process happened so suddenly that I didn't see it coming. One second the weight was moving just fine and I felt completely in control and confident, the next second, I feel the equivalent of a cable or a rope starting to stretch, fray and unravel due to great tension on my left pec and then the realization that I have 315 pounds pinning me to the bench, just resting on my ribcage.
So, there you have it - the "King of Teh MONSTARS" will be unable to hit the gym and work out his upper body for a while. This really sucks because I had been maintaining my body weight around 250 - 255 for quite some time and was getting ready to make my big push to 275, but now there is no way that is going to happen any time soon... The failed goal... :(
That is the part that sucks about working out - you have to maintain all the muscle that you've worked so hard to put on! Now that I can't work out for a while (at least my upper body), I get to watch all that effort go down the tubes...
Truly disappointing... for me anyway...
Well, at least I have the pleasant memory of feeling my bodily tissues tear, stretch, snap, and fray. That's at least worth something from a story telling standpoint. :/
On a different note -
If everything continues along smoothly, NOLF may be going gold this week... We will see.
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