BRL 3D Module Progress?

Any information?
Any screenshots?
Current features?
Possible release date? This year or probably not?

Even if it's a vague "things are progressing and possibly around Christmas" type of response would be appreciated.

It may or may not be near completion and it may or may not be completely broken. They may or may not be working on it. They may or may not be documenting the code as we speak.

The fact of the matter is, they may or may not be doing something.

Not that vague. :-P

Well, here is last months news about it:
http://www.blitzmax.com/logs/userlog.php?user=1&log=507

Hmm, sounds as if Mark's getting to grips with shaders now. Does that mean the basic 3d module is complete?

you're kidding right?

A slight hint of sarcasm - but I'd like to proved wrong. ;-)

you're not the only one, bro...not the only one ;)

Oh, good thing another of these threads popped up, the last one was getting stale at half a week old.

What do you mean by "the basic 3D module"?

Mark is not getting to grips with shaders. He is getting to grips with presenting the complex and not very accessible world of shaders in an abstract model that normal people can understand.

Writing the engine is the easy part, presenting it in an intuitive, conciece and accessable fashion is the hard bit.

I think the demos he's released so far, pretty much illustrate that the rendering side (if that's what you mean by basic) is pretty much nailed.

And by the way Toby, no it isn't funny anymore (if it ever was). You should add another code entry ASAP. :o>

things are progressing and possibly around Christmas

...seriously!

Uhoh, now you've done it. I can see a fair few people buying calendars this year for the final count down to Christmas. :)

ah well thanks, that applies perfectly to my beliefs. now i can go back to work with blitz3d without ruffle.

cheers.

Which year? :o>

He speaks!

Toby Zuydiddlydoodly called it: Christmas (though that's actually left over from last year). But still, an actual (possible) release date! Woo-(possibly)-hoo!

Thanks for the update! We needs the 3D precious, yes we does....

It's May currently, as Mark saying this seriously, at least we have a possible date for it...

possibly around A christmas; give or take 6 months either way most likely.

WTF!!

If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, and want to make a game today, try out my BlitzMax Game Framework ... You never know I might add a 3D engine to it by say November ... ;-)

Where do i get the "Grey Alien Ad Blocker" again? ;O)

yeah, I want that blocker too :P

well... to be honest, i'm a lil dissappointed in the timeframe mark announced... i was hoping (expecting) something a bit sooner...

but hey, tv3d isn't going gold just yet... cobra isn't either... neither is TSE... i think the delay in ms vista and dx10 may have something to do with the long range plans of a few of these projects... just a guess mind you...

--Mike

@marc
With chrismas do you mean a more or less final version or something like a first public beta release? If it's the first any guess when such public debug versions will be available?

Hmmmmm, I'm gunna have to call Mark's bluff on this one ;-)

Here is my reasoning:
1. He has learned from past experiences not to set dates, as the community tends to try and hold him to them.
2. He has been known for supprises in the past
3. He's efficient, and never leaves his room (sleeps next to the computer).

So, with that, I figure that means at least a week or two before christmas!

now i know what i want to christmas ;)

lol, well I've got to try. Plus it's doing quite well and I genuinely believe I'm helping people when they get my framework. I'm compelled to tell people about it, like it's my religion or something ;-)

Anyway, maybe Mark is doing a clever business strategy, this works well: Say Christmas, knowing that you'll finish it before then. Release it early and everyone thinks you are God, even though in reality it's taken uh quite a long time.

just gets a bit annoying.

Well, at least maybe it means now it will be another two weeks instead of two days for the next thread to pop up asking when BMax is due.

Christmas if fine by me, Blitz3D will do for now 3D-wise :o)

isn't BMax out already?

wow is it?

isnt it a tool thats advertised for creating *2d* games?

:o)

Really? Christmas this year? ;-)

Hmm, Grey's got his framework which includes various work arounds and now a 3d module coming out. I might start using BlitzMax again.

Good news. There's more than enough 3D engines out there to satisfy people until Max3D is released.

1. At the moment everyone is making noise because the 3D engine isn't here.

2. As soon as it arrives there will be a lot of excitement and plenty of purchases (to offset all the complaining interest it's got so far).

3. People will start to get to grips with it, there'll be plenty of bug reports and complaints about how things work or don't work, as well as compliments. People will whinge about the documentation and wish it had features that it doesn't have.

4. People will start releasing products made with it and people will then start asking "Is it made with Max3D?" instead of "Is it made with BlitzMax".

5. Everybody wonders what BRL will do next.

Judging that Mark was 6 months off with his predicted release date for MaxGui, I'd be willing to bet we don't see Max3D this year. I think June '07 will be more accurate.

I still dont understand why BRl cannot rip the 3d Code from blitz3d and make a MaxRetro3d mod, then the full max3d mode when marks finished it.

(Yes I understand all that its not a dll stuff)
But when said and done its efectivly an addon for blitzBasic, so why not fundge it for Max?

I would buy it as a temp addon.

@H&K that would limit it to directX and therfore windows only, I could only imagine the howls if a windows only 3d module was released lol!

@Chris, they could call it, "The Not Very Good Max3D retro mod just for Stupid people with Directx" or "TNVGM3DRMJFSPWDX" for short and then the Max users could feel all superior.

(I would still buy it)

lol

You people are scary. I'm honestly glad I don't have the weird user base that Mark does.

@Dark Half:

"3. He's efficient, and never leaves his room (sleeps next to the computer)."

Now if we could just get him to work next to it instead, we'd probably be getting someplace useful. ;O)

WendellM, I did call it, but I wasn't referring to last year - last year was for MaxGUI ;]

Xmas 04 - Max.
Xmas 05 - MaxGUI.

Of course, now that the official BRL guestimate is Xmas 06, I'll be expecting it for Xmas 07. =]

Ahh, that's right....



I'll be passing the wait time playing with Irrlicht: I got GMan's latest mods up and running this afternoon. They've improved since I last looked and they work well (the DLLs can be Moleboxed to provide stand-alone, if somewhat large, EXEs). This way I can do something 3D with Max between now and the end of the year, plus I still have some 2D things to finish up.

Don't moan people! Just look at it the way I do; It's an opportunity not a burden. Sure I'm disappointed it won't be here before Christmas but I've decided to create a prototype version of my next game in Blitz3D so that I can come to grips with the design and have some seriously polished game play. Then all I have to do is create a final version within MAX3D when it gets here rather than start from scratch.

It’s not all that bad my little lovers!

If I'd have known it was going to be so long I'd have started wrapping Ogre3d ages ago...

Since I've implemented oFusion support, I now have an art path from max 3ds to my wrapper (oFusion lets you edit / see stuff as if max was ogre) which has really brought things on no end.

The only reason I didnt do this sooner...
I'll wait for Max3d its bound to be out next month......

This kind of threads must end. Shure i going to buy max3d also and are very excited about it.. and want it now :) but get real. There is no use in asking about it any more because there will be no response. There are good alternatives now. I have been waiting since day 1 of blitzmax and i am tired for waiting. I want to finsh my game/prototype now!

Take a pick and start developing instead.
TV3D Wrapper
Aurora
SOW
Irrlicht wrapper

Well, I hope Mark realizes that some of us appreciate the update!

Yes i appreciate it, because now i know when it can be expected.

Well there was a response this time, which makes any further threads up until Christmas pointless yes. So unless Mark was trying to shut me up or is too optimistic we should leave him alone until then - although it better be finished by then Sibly! ;-) And yes the response was appreciated.

I think I'll push-on now with my 2d in 3d work - although I'm not too impressed that some of the hardworking guys at this site (not BRL) have improved/added work-arounds for BlitzMax.

Anyway, good to hear some sort of response.

yeah... even though it was not exactly wat i wanted to hear :)

ahhhh... i've got plenty to do here... spent the whole day working on external scenery issues... distances and what should show and what shouldn't when a sub is real far on the horizion... ocean brushes and horizon plane interaction with fog... day and night globals for all objects and underwater as well...

still got to add rain, clouds, a solid terrain system, with collision... and try to make it all work without bogging everything down...

i just might be finished this and ready for the 3D module by the time xmas comes around... maybe...

;)

--Mike

Cuz you aint got one.

If its released right before Christmas, perfect Christmas present :D (or starting of September for a bday present)

Oh thanks alot Mark, now I have to decide between a Nintendo Wii, or BMax w/ GUI & Max3d modules for X-Mas if you really do nail that part of the season.

don't make such a deal out of it, Genexi2... get both!! :D

Given that the original release date of Max3D was supposed to be 3 months after MaxGUI, I wouldn't be surprised if the "before christmas" won't happen.

So you spend all year whining for a release date, and when you finally get one, you just shake your heads in disbelief?

And it's such a mystery why BRL doesn't post more often than they do.

i dunno duck... if there was any whining... and i seriously doubt thatthere was... i think it was waiting for some solid word on where we stood... release date... status... whatever... which i really don't find to be totally unexpected...

that said, i've still got a lot to do with what i'm working on now with Blitz3D... so i hope that all the other new game engines are delayed too... that way, my poor lil project won't be too out of date, when and if i finish it...

at that point, i'll start 'whining' a lil more too... till then, it's back to the keys...


--Mike

> till then, it's back to the keys...

Most notably the full stop one.

probably, most notably not... because you wish it...

--Mike

At least tell us how much beer and coke have been consumed so we know this is still ongoing effort.

8)

ohhhhhh, how about a live keystroke logger? Not specifically for each key, just the amount of keys hit per day by mark! And equally a mouse click counter as well.

Have it update daily, perhaps in real time?!? That way people know what days to start to complain about the Max3D module?!?

"Only 12,135 keys hit today, Mark's known average is 15,455, dammit, how long until Max3D??????"

"Hmmm, today he only had one mouse click, oh here, its logging another <thread deleted>"

(please note the sarcasm in this post)

This is perfect, things are coming together, I don't think we should blame Mark for this long delay, bigger forces are at play. All is comming together now, Vista, PS3, Nintendo, Max3d, all this is managed by forces you guys have no idea about.

Well all execept Red October, who is above the avarage talent and understanding then most of us here...

Mark's the Man! :)