Post 10 - Software research

Here is some information about a couple of the suggested game engine and software packages for both augmented reality and behaviour / game physics.

This is a link to a Virtools PDF, giving an overview of what the software has to offer.

I was particularly interesting in the following extract:

"Developers drag and drop behaviours in an intuitive Graphical User Interface to
create complex applications with the high-quality graphics and interactivity found in
top-selling games. For high-end developers, the Software Development Kit (SDK)
and the Virtools Scripting Language (VSL) available with Virtools 4 lets them create
custom behaviours"

Virtools 4. 'Comprehensive Life Platform for Creating Highly Interactive 3D Applications'

This sounds like it would help if the product was to be put into a game engine in order to make it into a tumbling tower artifact.

Here was also another interesting PDF on Virtools entitled: '3DVIA Virtools for Xbox 360'

This looks really good and would help if the product went down the game root, as it shows that you can create a simple game, then export so that it can be played on an XBox 360 console. I think that this makes it very appealing. This sounds as if we could make a game suitable for XBox Live Arcade; again, sounds very exciting.

From this, I then found a YouTube video entitled: 'Virtools Nextgen Solutions'. This demonstrates what could be achieved from using the XBox Export function. It seems to be a promotional video, with some high end rendering. Although this seems very complex compared to our tumbling tower idea, the notion that you can create a virtual world, then simply code it for an XBox 360 interface is very appealing. If not for this project, then certainly as a kind of virtual, interactive portfolio of work.

This information has been sent to the other team mates via Facebook.

PDF Virtools web link: http://www.virtools.com/solutions/products/pdfs/suite_4/ds_virtools40_eng.pdf

PDF Virtools XBox 360 link: http://www.3ds.com/fileadmin/PRODUCTS/3DVIA/3DVIAVirtools/Resources/datasheets/ds_XBOX_3DVIA_EE_LR.pdf

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxDxmF7Mj5c