We present the next project, created using the Alternativa3D 8 engine - MMO-game “Bitva” (for now only in Russian).

This is turn-based MMORPG with 3D-graphics in post-apocalyptic setting with elements of fantasy. Developed by Dudez a Russian company using the technology Stage 3D.

Video tutorial by Tom Krha describes how to create a simple 3D shooter in Alternativa3D 8. Learn more about how to build the next generation of action games with new the Flash Stage 3D API. This session will cover the key steps required to create an advanced first-person shooter gameplay, such as creating a scene and adding a person, movement, shooting, camera following, animations, and more, all in the context of 3D.

Today on December the 20th of 2011 we successfully released the first public build of AlternativaPhysics engine. The technology is provided as SWC-library. You can use it free of charge even in commercial projects, but it is required to put a link to alternativaplatform.com in your project.

AlternativaPhysics is a library for simulation of physics interaction of different bodies. It allows you to work with different geometric shapes and it is integrated with Alternativa3D for easy and convenient usage.

AlternativaPhysics features

Improved stability
Stability of different complex structures (stack, pyramid and others).

Constraints
Maximum distance
Fixed distance
Ball-in-socket joint
Hinge joint

A wide variety of geometric shapes
Triangle, rectangle
Box, sphere
Cone, frustum, cylinder
Convex polyhedron
Hierarchical primitive
Triangular mesh

High performance
The engine is optimized for AS3.

Integration with Alternativa3D
Integration of graphical and physical representations in one object. Automatic updating of the physical scenes and images.

Native event system

Try AlternativaPhysics and tell what you think!

Launch demo
Download AlternativaPhysics
Read documentation
Check tutorials
Discuss AlternativaPhysics in official forum

Colleagues, from today our online model viewer, formerly known under the working title editor.alternativaplatform.com, is officially called AlternativaPlayer. It is available at a3dplayer.com.
The viewer lets you not only view 3D-models, but also publish them in blogs and websites.

Read more in previous news and in official forum.

Alternativa3D got on the cover of the digital magazine Flash & Flex Developer’s Magazine!
One of the central themes of the December issue became our engine. In an article entitled “What is Alternativa3D” the training center consultant Yuri Maltsev talked about Alternativa3D and how to get started with our technology.

Read the December issue of Flash & Flex Developer’s Magazine in PDF-format

Meet fresh update of online 3D-models viewer editor.alternativaplatform.com.

Change list:

• we added 3ds format support;
• now you can display model animation;
• we added possibility to export scene to A3D format;
• we redesigned interface.

Also in new viewer version we realized more detailed diagnostics of Engine and Flash Player limits violation with uploaded model. For example, if vertices quantity in any object exceeds the limits, user receives notification.

In the section “3D-engine” on the official AlternativaPlatform website the plugin for the 3DS Max 2012 has appeared. It adds the ability to import/export 3D-models in the format of A3D. The plugin is implemented as a 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the 3DS Max 2012.

In the new version we added 3DS format parser, the method of finding a ray intersects with an object of Mesh type and realised export to the binary format.
Download Alternativa3D 8 engine.

A3D binary format now supports the objects of Skin type and the light sources.
Download format specification.
Download 3DS Max 2010 plugins for exporting to A3D format.
Download 3DS Max 2011 plugins for exporting to A3D format.

Also we made changes in the model viewer editor.alternativaplatform.com.

New in Alternativa3D 8.17.0:

• ParserA3D: added the import of objects of Skin type and the import of light sources;
• Added Parser3DS class for import models from 3DS format;
• Added intersectRay() - The method of finding a ray intersects with an object of Mesh type;
• Added AxisAlignedSprite class to display plane oriented along one axis to the camera;
• Export to the binary format A3D is supported;
• Added debug mode displaying of objects bounds;
• Added primitive Plane;
• GeoSphere primitive has normals and tangents of vertices after creation;
• Normalmaps supported with left-sided system of coordinates in StandardMaterial.

Changed in Alternativa3D 8.17.0:

• Decal: removed the offset property and changed the logic of work;
• StandardMaterial: fixed a bug with lighting of some light sources;
• FillMaterial: color in construstor is grey by default now;
• Box: constructor is optimized;
• Box: fixed a bug in the cloning of the primitive. Surfaces is not duplicated now;
• WireFrame.getResources() allows parameter resourceType now.

Changed in model viewer:

• Saving settings of export and publications in SharedObjects;
• Automatic dividing of the skin with large quantity of bones;
• Various improvements to the interface, fixed bugs.

New Alternativa3D tutorials were published on wiki:

•  Alternativa3D 8 for Dummies. Part I
•  Alternativa3D 8 for Dummies. Part II
•  Alternativa3D 8 for Dummies. Part III

These tutorials were made for newbies. They teach you how to create simple projects on AS3 using Alternativa3D 8.

Also, two tutorials about connecting Alternativa3D ( version 7 and 8 ) to the best knowns IDEs were published on wiki:

• Getting started with Alternativa3D 7
• Getting started with Alternativa3D 8

To your attention we introduce the new public engine build Alternativa3D 8.12.0 which supports the Flash Player 11 Beta 2. So this version of the engine is completely compatible with the latest Flash Player build at the present moment. We have also accelerated the mouse events system and added the orthographic mode to the camera.

Complete list of changes

•   The public version Flash Player 11 Beta 2 is now supported.
•   The orthographic mode has been added to the Camera3D.
•   The MouseEvent system has been optimized and accelerated.
•   Logo “AlternativaPlatform” has been updated.
•   Now when objects are added and removed from the parent, the event will be sent (Event3D.ADDED, Event3D.REMOVED).
•   The ability to change the property renderToBitmap into View after creating has been added.
•   The height and width of the View has been limited to the minimum size of 50×50.
•   Bug in mouse events system when used skins divided on surfaces by divide() was fixed.
•   A bug has been fixed in Decal.
•   Skin lighting algorithm changed to more precise one.
•   ParserCollada: Fixed a bug when binormal vector of the vertices of the object was incorrectly parsed.
•   The value of backgroundAlpha in the View constructor changed to 1.0 by default.
•   VertexLightTextureMaterial now draws correctly without lights in scene.
•   MouseEvent3D was moved from alternativa.engine3d.core to alternativa.engine3d.core.events.
•   A bug has been fixed in Object3D.dispatchEvent().
•   The offset property has been added to the constructor Decal and it is compulsory.
•   Now the offset property can be copied using the clone () method of class Decal.
•   The ratio property has been removed from View class.
•   VertexLightTextureMaterial now can be used with skin with the maximum number of bones in surface no more than 33.

Download Alternativa3D 8.12.0.