iCast v1.5

Introduction

Hi All, in this blog I'm going to talk about the new features coming in iCast v1.5!

As you can see from the screenshot above, we now have a brand new 3D engine that powers iCast (and iProp). It is based on the newest DirectX build (March 2009) from Microsoft and we have found the quality to be a lot cleaner than the previous version.

The new iCast 3D engine Includes:

- REAL isometric view ( not the previous fish eye angle )
- Uses the new (March 2009) DirectX build.

New iCast Features

- Brand New Exporter which incorporates the new features.
- Dynamic Shadows (modifiable via the Shadow Maker Pallette)
- Change Mesh Height/Weight ( modifiable via the Mesh Modifier Pallette)

iProp - Detailed Early Preview

In this blog entry I'm going to talk about some of the cool parts of iProp, our upcoming module for ImmunityCS v1.5, and how it changes EVERYTHING! .. In a good way of course! :)


What Is iProp?

iProp is an ImmunityCS module (program) that gives you a really cool way of designing props for your games / multimedia projects. It allows you to build your prop from a template called a "Prop Class" - for example, from the Inn displayed above. But by the time you're finished designing it, it could be anything of a similar shape, such as a hall, a tavern, or even something futuristic! .. Whatever you can imagine is possible to implement!

When you've finished exporting the final result, you are left with a prop comprised of animations, including a seperately handled door (or opening) animation, shadows, transparency, and layers for use in a 2D workflow (Alternatively, you can export the prop in a variety of 3D formats!)

Appearance Mode

In the screen above (Appearance Mode) you use the customizations to create a texture map for the prop. A texture map is a 2D image that is wrapped around the prop to illustrate it's details.

Other than designing the base texture, you also have lots more control! You can affect it's mesh (the 3D body) by choosing slightly different Mesh Styles or using the new Mesh Modifier!

The Mesh modifier lets you change the shape of the mesh by making it thinner, wider, taller or shorter.

This allows you to use the same Prop Class over and over again and make slight changes to the mesh so they don't look similar when placed next to each other.

Another cool feature is dynamic shadows! iProp allows you to create your own dynamic shadows using an accurate 3D algorithm. The shadows even follow the animations of the actual prop!

( NOTE: Mesh Modifiers and Dynamic Shadows are also being implemented into iCast 1.5 so you can modify characters in the same way! )

You can also apply environments (lighting) which is now a shared library. Any lights created in iCast or iProp are available between modules.

When you've finished setting up the appearance of your prop, you can move on to Preview mode.

Preview Mode

Preview Mode allows you to inspect your Prop by offering you full 3D rotation on the left side of the interface, and a scrollable display of your final texture on the right. From this mode, you can export your texture map (and or UV map) into a graphics program such as photoshop to change the texture or create entirely new ones from scratch! All you need to do is paint over the original, and import the texture back into iProp! This gives you pixel perfect control over your textures!

Layer Mode

Layer Mode is the biggest difference between iProp and iCast. iProp has replaced the "Portrait Mode" with "Layer Mode" to allow you to define how the prop should be displayed in your game / project. This is especially true for isometric based projects (if you are working in top down or side view, you can skip this mode if preferred).

The idea is to draw a polygon to represent which part of the prop should be drawn on top of characters and other parts of your game / multimedia project. The second part involves you to simply draw a square to confine and optimize a "Door" animation.

Export Mode




So that's it! Once we've finished the design of the prop and set it up with Layer Mode, we're ready to export it. With 3D, we simply choose a file format and click the Export button. If we're working with 2D, we choose how many frames we want our animation to have (8, 12, or 16) and then we click export.

The iProp 2D exporter is a very complex program that creates all the frames of your animation at a resolution of 900x900 and adds the shadows and transparancy to each of the frames. It then creates your layers (from Layer Mode) and also creates your Door animations if you've set it up. Finally, all your images are optimized and cropped before making them available to iScape and other exporters.

And here's what the final prop looks like in iScape:


.. It's never been this easy to design props -iProp even takes care of the technical side for you too!

Hope you guys are looking forward to this as much as we are!



-Mel ;)

ImmunityCS v1.5 - First Screenshots!

Everyone at Immunity has been really excited the last few months because we have been working on a fantastic new update for ImmunityCS - version 1.5.

Version 1.5 is full of new features! The biggest of all being iProp, a brand new module that allows you to create amazing quality Props for ImmunityCS. I'll talk more about iProp in my next blog (hopefully tomorrow) in detail but today I'll talk about the various interface updates and framework enhancements.

Interface Refresh and "Themes"

ImmunityCS has had a major facelift. Every button has been updated with new graphics and we have implemented a precise and universal design style across all ImmunityCS modules as well as a new "Themes" feature.

Themes are presets for custom backgrounds and a unique soundset for interface elements such as clicking on buttons, scrolling through lists, dragging windows, etc. You can also turn the audio off completely for people who prefer not to have interface sounds (and of course, you can override any theme with your own background picture!).

Another cool feature is that windows create a shadow over the background which really gives the interface some nice depth to work with. This can be turned off if preferred.


The New Project Viewer

Other than the updated interface, The first obvious update is that Project Viewer is now upgraded to show your exported iProp files.

A new welcome update is that the Quick Export button now works on ALL tabs including iProp and iCast. This is now the new centralized method of exporting your content rather than doing it individually from the various modules.

Yet another update is a feature called "Content Notes". Whenever you export some content, be it a character, a music file, a prop or a scene, you can apply a note for each piece of content. This is helpful for planning your project - for example, you could have 2 versions of the same character, one that is the standard version and one that is hurt. If you need to, you can reset (delete) the notes of your current project with a handy button at the bottom of the notes panel.

Another visual update is that the icons in the list are different depending on what tab you are viewing. There are many subtle updates like this in ImmunityCS v1.5 which really make the product feel polished.

Better Project Management

There are also some improvements in the Project Management area of ImmunityCS. Minor updates include the Project menu being renamed to "File" so it feels more like a Windows program and the Modules menu item being renamed to "Launch" so it is clear that you can launch modules from it.

Another New but small update is the ability to rename Projects. But there is one cool new feature about Project Management:

Backup / Restore

ImmunityCS v1.5 can now backup and restore your projects with a single click. It saves all the content you've created and also includes your widget settings and everything to do with your project while compressing it down into a zip archive that you can backup online, or migrate to a different machine.

Similarly, you can restore a project with a single button too.

In my next blog, I'll talk about the new iProp module in detail followed by the new iCast features and iLoop interface overhaul.

Lots more to come! I hope you guys are as excited about the new ImmunityCS update as we are!

Thanks for reading!

-Mel ;)