Feel you are ready to start? Then write a letter to int@alternativaplatform.com, name the topic you’d like to develop and describe your experience in tutorial making.
Adobe MAX conference is over and now we can absolutely legally disclose some detailes about Alternativa3D 8 engine with new Flash player support. Due to Molehill 3D API with hardware 3D acceleration support in new Flash player, Alternativa 3D 8 will draw more than 3 millions of polygons with high performance. And due to vertex and pixel shaders support it is possible to use modern special effects like lighting, shadows, particle system, posteffects etc. To simplify development of applications engine will be complemented with handle tools for designers. Finally, API of A3D 7 and A3D 8 will be maximally similar to provide smooth porting from 7 to 8.
Possibilities of new technology were shown during first time presentation of new Flash player at the Adobe MAX conference in Los Angeles on the 25th of October. Showcase called MAX Racer was created specially for this event. It is a racing game where player drives sport car near Los Angeles Convention Center controlling it with keyboard, steering wheel, joystick or gamepad. Application is intended for several players but uses peer-2-peer connection instead of server.
You can watch video from MAX Racer at the alternativaplatform.com in Showcase section. Application demonstrates such A3D 8 features as high speed drawing (hundreds of thousands of polygons with 60 FPS), advanced shaders (reflections on the car body and buildings) and realistic physics. There are also anti-aliasing combined with semi-transparent objects and light maps for realistic lighting.
Two browser-based online games built on Alternativa3D 8 are already in development. The first is an in-house real-time sci-fi action-RPG Ostrova Online. The second is postapocalyptic turn-based MMORPG Metro 2033 Online which is developed by Open Games. AlternativaPlatform acts as a technical partner, providing 3D-engine, server side and technical support.
Videos from both projects can be watched at alternativaplatform.com. Also you can find free version of Alternativa3D 7 engine there. A3D 7 is used in a commercially successful browser-based 3D shooter Tanki Online. There are a lot of 3D-sites and applications built on it, including Toyota and Volkswagen promotional projects.
Everybody can get and use Alternativa3D 7 absolutely free. The latest, improved and enhanced version of the engine can be downloaded with no charge. It is just necessary to place the link to AlternativaPlatform company in case of using engine in some projects. Today Alternativa3D 7 is one of the most advanced solutions for realizing 3D in the browser.
Main flasher’s event of the year - Adobe MAX - is in full swing. Just minutes ago Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch finished his presentation “Welcome to the Revolution” during General Session of the conference. For the first time Adobe showed new Flash player, using application MAX Racer by Russian company AlternativaPlatform to present it. Four years of hard work on Alternativa 3D engine were not in vain.
One of the main parts of new Flash-player is a set of 3D APIs codenamed Molehill. It drastically changes Flash scene due to the hardware 3D support. There are months before final release of the player, but Alternativa already works on Alternativa 3D 8 based on it. MAX Racer showcase built on A3D 8 by Alternativa with the help of American studio Mythos Labs took central place during General Session.
This showcase impressed the crowd! Imagine graphics like in a modern racing game with reflections, realistic lighting, hundreds of thousands of polygons with 60 FPS, close to real physics… And all of these right in the browser!
Although, MAX Racer is only the beginning. Alternativa now works on two browser games based on A3D 8 engine. Videos on these games are demonstrated at the company’s booth in Los Angeles Convention Center. Alternativa CTO Anton Volkov will provide in-detail look at A3D 8 engine and new Flash player abilities in the report during Adobe MAX on the 27th of October.
If you could not attend Adobe MAX personally, you still can watch its most spectacular part — General Session. There Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch will show abilities of new Flash player. And there is a big chance you’ll be amazed. :-)
You can visit General Session through online translation. Please, read, where and how watch it.
First, Alternativa 3D 7 is free now. Anyone can use it in his own project without any charges. However, in case the technology is used in commercial project it is necessary to place the link to its developer — Alternativa company. Check out technical features of the engine at the restyled version of Alternativaplatform.com.
Second, Alternativa works on Alternativa 3D 8 engine based on new Flash player with the next generation 3D API’s. It’s all what is possible to say about it before Adobe MAX. Till new Flash player is in a work-in-progress stage and barely be ready earlier then in a year we offer to use A3D 7. More than likely it’ll be possible to port projects based on the seventh version to A3D 8.
Third, Alternativa already prepares its own project on A3D 8 and participates as a technical partner in another one project based on A3D 8.
And, finally, fourth, Alternativa prepares presentation at Adobe MAX this year. We have a booth and sponsorship like IBM and Freescale, for example. You can check out our reports at MAX on the 27th of October. We’ll start at 5:00 pm in area 515B (registration).
Alternativa3D v7 is available at the moment, terms of use are discussed in every certain case. The main criterion which influences the cost is the level of our involvement into the project. As practice proved, the engine has to be adjusted to the needs of each project (effects and picture vs performance, choice of certain features).
Update! Alternativa3D will be free for any use. Link to the pre-release version in comments.
For example, Alternativa3D 7 is successfully used in our project Tanki Online; the engine can also be used in projects with character animation.
If you decide to use Alternativa3D 7, send project description and short text about your team to management@alternativaplatform.com — we will contact you and discuss the scheme of cooperation. Collaboration in investment search is also possible.
Technical information about Alternativa3D version 7: (more…)
This is a unique example of how to use 3D in website navigation. In the heart of it is a simplified simulator of a car: driving the small but smart IQ the user can view sections of the site just approaching them.
Typical features of the site: the user gets information about Toyota IQ dynamics simply using navigation, in other words, on a native level. One can’t exclude the gaming side of the navigation - view of the site becomes a jovial and pleasant occupation. Rolls and skidding of the car during big turns look rather realistic!
Our good friends from “Multivitamin” combined Tanki Online and their touchscreen, thus organizing multi-touch support on Flash 10.1. The legendary player Sun took part in the video.
In fact, this horrible word means changing of texture’s resolution depending on camera distance (for detailed info view Wikipedia). The strategy helps to get rid of noise on long-distance objects and greatly increases drawing performance.
