UNIGINE Engine just got it's newest 2.15 release, let's see what's inside:
- Node-based material graphs with the visual editor
- New water system with individual control over each wave
- Advanced data compression for Landscape Terrain
- Sandworm tool upgrade: online GIS sources, distributed generation
- Extended Mixed Reality support for Varjo XR-3 headset
- Editor plugins system
- UnigineEditor: updated Brush tools, new Asset Browser, and other improvements
- Improved IG high-level weather system
- Mars demo 1000x1000 km in size
Visual Material Graph Editor
One of the primary updates is the new node-based Material Editor. It’s main goal is to help developers visually create their own materials without writing a single line of code.
To achieve that, we combined all the benefits of both code-based and node-based programming.
It has loops, portals, connectors, expressions, subgraphs - everything to make the programming process more convenient and clear. And the system itself will highlight the spot where you made an accidental mistake.
Water system improvements:
Realistic real-time water simulation, precise control over each individual wave for complex hydrodynamics simulation, waves and physical objects interaction, smooth sea state change, seamless water pattern at any distance. Two out-of-the-box options: automated and manual wave control.
Advanced Data Compression for Landscape Terrain
Imported landscape map files are now compressible due to the new Compression tool that allows you to significantly reduce the file size (compression ratio is up to 100:1).
The Compression tool presents two texture compression profiles: Lossy and Lossless, as well as a custom option.
Important note: compressed map layers files are not modifiable at run time.
Sandworm Tool Upgrade
- Distributed computing through a united computer network of Master and Workers: Master assigns tasks and Workers perform tasks assigned to them. Source files and cache are stored in a shared folder.
- Updated Building Generation Feature. Buildings with various roof types are generated automatically either according to provided GIS vector data or randomly. All the featured materials look more realistic and immersive.
- Post-processing filters (tonemappers) to fit your project’s visual requirements.
Extended Mixed Reality Support for Varjo XR-3
With support of Varjo SDK 3.3.0 we added a chroma key for fast change of environment as well as depth testing. Now you can merge real and virtual worlds together by utilizing the depth-sensing capabilities of XR-3 and XR-1. It has also become possible to track real-world static and moving objects with markers put on them, using the video pass-through cameras.
Usually used in Flight Simulators, XR-3 key quality is the dashboard text visibility that other VR-headsets couldn’t provide.
Editor Plugins
In our effort to make your development process as fast and convenient as possible, we encourage you to make your own domain-specific tools for user-generated content based on UnigineEditor functionality.
Creating Editor plugins has become easier in 2.15 with SDK Browser integration and two project templates (Engine GUI Window and Materials) that can be used as a basis.
UNIGINE Editor
In addition, we’ve redesigned Editor’s UI for existing Editor Modes, and made other major changes:
- New Cluster Brush Editor. Place numerous objects at a time with brush strokes.
- Improved Clutter Brushes. Brush tool updates make painting on masks for Grass, Clutters, and Clusters more convenient and intuitive with an accurate current brush position. Objects are now generated on the fly as you draw, all objects using the same mask are updated at once.
- Asset Browser Improvements. More flexible and convenient than ever.
- Advanced Import of Materials from FBX-Assets. Once the FBX model is imported, it's automatically assigned with proper texture presets.
Improved IG High-Level Weather System & IG Plugin
Manage both global and regional layered weather.
Create numerous equal-sided or arbitrary regions, add multiple layers to them and control each of them separately.
Manage visibility, pressure, temperature, humidity, cloud coverage (with all the existing types of clouds supported), precipitation, wind and other parameters per layer, set up region positions, thickness, altitude, transition bands, etc.
Demos, Add-Ons, and Samples
Mars Demo
Available only in Sim Edition of SDK.
Introducing Mars - a new demo project with 1 million square kilometers of Mars surface recreated. You can drive a rover around the planet and view the Gale Crater using a 20x scopes support!
This demo showcases features of the Landscape Terrain system. No static meshes involved.
Features:
- Based on the real data from space missions
- Highest geometry and texture detailing possible (up to 1 millimeter per pixel)
- 1000 x 1000 km area size
- 8 x 8 km high-detailed zone (0.25 m / pixel mask density, 1 mm / pixel for detailed 4K textures)
- Dynamic craters (100 x 100 x 25 m) can be placed in real-time anywhere
- Rover tracks as another demonstration of real-time modification of terrain surface
- Up to 20x scopes
Updated CraneRope Sample
The CraneRope sample was rewritten to use a Rope Body with a set of optimizations to stabilize rope behavior. Now you can use real-world masses in kilograms for the load to be lifted.
For your convenience, we added a set of controls:
- Keyboard keys for grabbing and dropping the load
- Keyboard keys for changing the rope length
- Debug Visualizer toggle key
- Load weight slider
Vegetation Add-On
The Vegetation add-on was extended with a set of small plants and a new pine making the total count of vegetation species reach 50 types, most of them having 2-20 variations.
Additional Updates:
Realistic BRDF. We created our own BRDF to make sure that light distributes and reflects as naturally as possible.
We also just published a video-showreel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbd7l9iKa78
Main release page:
