Visual3D.NET
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Visual3D.NET™ | |
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 Visual3D Architect™ runtime visual development environment |
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| Developer: | RealmWare Corporation[1] |
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| Preview release: | Community Technology Preview / Expected Q4 2006 |
| OS: | Microsoft Windows |
| Platform: | PC Windows Mobile Devices |
| Use: | Game Engine |
| License: | Commercial
Education Free Non-commercial |
| Website: | Visual3D.NET |
Visual3D.NET is a 3D platform, game engine, and visual development toolset built upon the .NET Framework 2.0, Managed DirectX 9, and the Microsoft XNA software development platform for Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Mobile devices. It is developed by RealmWare Corporation to provide distributed visual development tools, a visual workflow scripting model, and a data-driven application framework that integrate with XNA. It includes the open-source Visual3D Engine for .NET 2.0 with upcoming XNA Framework support, and provides next-generation 3D graphics, physics, and networking capabilities for massively multiplayer online games.
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[edit] Overview
Visual3D.NET is comprised of several key components:
[edit] Visual3D Architect
This is a visual development environment that is hosted within the application under development for runtime design. This is designed with a next-generation Windows Vista look and feel and provides a visual scripting system similar to Windows Workflow from the next-generation Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 managed development API.
[edit] Visual3D Framework
The game engine and runtime framework which manages application workflow, gameplay logic, data modules, scenes, and artificial intelligence
[edit] Visual3D Engine
3D engine based upon OGRE and Axiom 3D engines which implements the DotNet3D API and is optimized for DirectX and XNA. It is the standard 3D engine for Visual3D.NET, but due to the modular design of the Visual3D Framework, it can be replaced with another engine that implements the DotNet3D API.
[edit] DotNet3D
The standard foundation library, utilities, and DotNet3D API abstraction layer interfaces for .NET-based 3D engines.
[edit] .NET Game Development
Visual3D.NET is the successor to the popular RealmForge game engine for .NET, which was featured on the page of Software Developer's Journal as the first promising .NET game development solution. Visual3D.NET is designed as an entirely managed solution developed exclusively in C# to allow any .NET programming language such as C#, C++.NET, Delphi, Visual Basic, JScript. NET (JavaScript), J# (Java) and IronPython (Python) to be used for game development and scripting. This also allows use of the XNA Framework for simplified cross-platform development.
[edit] Use in Education
Visual3D.NET is being used for education in its developers' learning computer science through game creation initiative as well as in next-generation game development. Its visual design environment and expansive choice of development languages allows it to be easily used in the classroom to teach programming languages, computer science concepts, and software engineering principles in hands-on way which motivates students to go beyond the course requirements while working in a practical, project-based environment. A course is being established at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy based around its use and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be updating their relevant courses for its use.
