quote: Original post by Khawk Your questions have been answered, as the new contest pages have been put up. This one is a bit more different than the previous contest, but I'm interested in seeing what people can create. Also, I did not mention it on the page, but the sponsor for the contest is interested in recruiting people who enter. (it's a professional developer) So best of luck to those who go for it!

I took a look and it sounds pretty interesting. Unfortunately I don't know 3d and I'm not sure I want to learn it... though I imagine I could figure something out in a month in a half. Anyway, be interesting to see what everyone comes up with! Good luck to all, - n8 P.S. For APIs, is Glide another possibility? P.P.S. Any plans to archive the old contests? (where will you put the post-mortems if you don't?). nathany.com Edited by - nathany on 5/14/00 2:04:29 AM

Ahhh craps! Looks like I''m out of this one. At least I''ll get to work on my research. Good luck, make some exciting stuff folks.

I was gonna avoid 3d apps like a plague , but it looks like I got learn real fast Earth , fire , water , no problem wind ? We''ll see. Someone has been watching too many Captain Planet Cartoons

All vague notions must fall before a student can call himself a master.

I just looked at the contest page and I''ve got one question: What do they mean by an interactive 3D scene? Do they want us to make a game with characters etc, or a graphics demo with a little user interaction. The specifications seem to be rather ambiguous.

If it''s a 3D earth, fire, wind, and water themed game their after then I think I''ll enter, but if its just a flashy graphics demo then I think i''ll leave it.

(Also, does anyone know if there will be multiple winners like the last contest?)

quote: Original post by JonHobson
I just looked at the contest page and I''ve got one question: What do they mean by an interactive 3D scene? Do they want us to make a game with characters etc, or a graphics demo with a little user interaction. The specifications seem to be rather ambiguous.

Sounds like that at minimum it could be a scene containing these elements that you "fly around in" with the mouse. But I bet you a small game would have a higher chance of winning



nathany.com

I was thinking the same thing. I would much rather write a game than some graphics scenes you could look at and have limited interaction. Also are we alowed to used engines we have previously developed or are we to start from scratch

it is interesting to note that with the induction of solar plasma into the forms of matter, we now have four, that more than roughly correspond to the old-school elements:

Gas = Air
Liquid = Water
Solid = Earth
Plasma = Fire

Just more evidence that ancient peoples were not as stupid as we like to think. Some ancient societies claimed that the whole world was made up of these four states of being. Still others added a fifth to the mix: the quintessence, the spirit, the heart (just for you captain planet fans). In essence, some of the things we really can''t explain, creation, the human conciousness.

I''m wondering how long before we classify Quintessence as the fifth form of existance. Heh.



Where does the Landfish live? Everywhere. Is not the Landfish the Buddha?

From what i understand, the interact seems to be there to, besides demonstrating 3D realtime rendering knowledge/skills, also check your ability to pick and interact 3D objects from the world (with raypicking and stuff?)

As for the API stuff, AFAIK, the guideline is low-level immediate mode API, meaning any that goes along the following line

lock3DScene
drawLinesAndAFewVertex
drawMoreAndMaybeSetTexture
unlock3DScene

As for those that are not accepted are more or less along the line

init3DDevicesAndStuff
addObjectToSceneSoThatItPersistAndYouCanForgetAboutDrawingItButJustCallRender
Render3DScene

I believe that if you had a scene graph engine sitting upon a low level immediate API it would still be acceptable, because it does demonstrate your skills at 3D scene object managament.

quote: Original post by thekid
Also are we alowed to used engines we have previously developed or are we to start from scratch

I asked Kevin that in an email and he said it is okay to use old code (of your own). So yah.

- n8



nathany.com

To answer some of these questions and concerns:

You can create a game if you want. The reason I said just a scene (like a demo), is because creating a full blown 3D game would require alot more work. We won''t turn down or disqualify games. In fact, much of this contest is left open for the contestant to imagine and implement some original work, hence the vague rules and descriptions. I won''t try to give ideas, but just know that the only real limitations are that it must be 3D, it must have some sort of interaction (minimally moving around), and that it must have the four elements. Apart from that (and those API rules), you have free reign.

Also, you may use engines that you have previously created. I just don''t want to see something created using Genesis 3D, or the Blitz Engine, or Crystal Space, etc.

I am slowly but surely collecting the postmortems, and I will be archiving the old contests. I just can''t do everything at once.

Hope that helps.

Kevin