DX Studio News

New Brain Controller with DX Studio

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Yet more exciting and new innovative technology is being used with DX Studio. Developers over at the roll7 studios have been working on integrating a headset that reads your brain waves into DX.

Having successful developed a reader application that allows the hardware to send directly to DX, roll7 are now looking to open up development to the DX community. Very soon users of DX Studio will be able to develop games for this hardware and maybe even sell their games to the commercial market.

You can find out more information in the announcements forum .

What's New in v3.1

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here's a detailed list of what's new since v3.0...

NEW: Surface detail tools for grasses, trees and rocks over large areas
NEW: Module manager for automatic large area streaming
NEW: Shadow mapping system for point, spot and directional lights
NEW: Optimized launch and load time
NEW: Hardware skinned meshes and shadows
NEW: Integrated web browser with Flash support
NEW: Edit animation keyframe scripts (e.g. for footsteps)
NEW: Edit Mesh XML and modify mesh resources
NEW: Diffuse lighting and shadow maps on surface detail
NEW: Secure dxmesh format (just export one from a security enabled
document) NEW: system.audio.masterVolume variable (0-1)
NEW: object.soundFind(soundid) function
NEW: ocean.reflectionAmount
NEW: mesh.save(filename) function
NEW: Resource libraries
NEW: Light billboards
NEW: Improved external file support
NEW: Direct scene/mesh/control editing
NEW: Wiimote support
NEW: Improved find/replace (search all)
NEW: Editor configurable attachment for normal attach and physics constraints
NEW: Drag drop support in script via onDrag(e)
NEW: Improved loader and setup
NEW: onFirstUpdate and onBrowserLoad events
NEW: 'Online' icon for web related features
NEW: Unified the toolbars for scene editors into the top level one
NEW: resources.getByteData and resources.setByteData functions
NEW: Surface detail placement via 3D position (XYZ) as well as by 2d map
NEW: Multiple additional maps now supported
NEW: Texture paint tool to help blend between additional maps

We're now working on some new demos and tutorials to show off some of these new features.

DX Studio Version 3.1 Released

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We are please to announce the official release of DX Studio version 3.1.

The main focus for v3.1 has been on large environments and the engine now comes with an advanced terrain and shadow mapping system that allows you to create massive seamless outdoor environments. The design moves beyond the traditional height field approach and, due to the use of a freeform mesh based approach, allows for overhanging cliffs, caves and vertical terrain.

Hardware skinned meshes and shadows are also supported which helps DX Studio display large numbers of characters and dense foliage in the same scene without hitting performance.

Other new release features include an integrated web browser with Flash support, an expansion of the PhysX capabilities, new resource management and file sharing systems for larger projects and Wiimote support.

There are also some great new demos (including a large tropical island that has been split into two and joined with a cave network) and tutorials available on the wiki.

DX User Magazine Launched

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce that the first edition of a new DX Studio Magazine, "DX User Monthly", is now available to download.

The magazine has been created by Dave Young of aRa Aurasoft and is packed with news, interviews, tutorials and contributions from users, as well as bringing together a wealth of information from the forums and wiki.

Issue 01 of the DXU can be downloaded from the wiki here and you can also check out the forum announcement for more details.

Summer 2009 Demo Contest Announced

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In line with the success of our Winter 2008 Games Contest and the upcoming release of version 3.1, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new competition for the best demo made using the DX Studio platform.

This year's contest comes with the additional twist of a theme based on the concept 'Where Are They Now?'. Entrants must feature a lead or supporting character from either a once famous game or from real life and suggest what they might be up to now. For example, perhaps the Dwarf from Golden Axe is now a bouncer or maybe Elvis is actually running a roadside burger van.

Prizes worth over GBP 2,000 are up for grabs (including GBP 1,000 in cash) with awards for 'Best Design', 'Best Innovation' and 'Best Overall'.

The deadline for the competition is midnight (GMT) on the 17th September 2009 and entries will be accepted from both individuals and teams (though teams will have to split the prizes). More information about this can be found on the forum here. You can also find the competition rules and regulations on the wiki here.

Good luck!

v3.1 USB Key Available For Pre-Order Now

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alongisde the upcoming release of DX Studio v3.1, we're launching a new 2Gb USB key which will contain both a copy of DX Studio v3.1 and a new offline version of the DX Studio Guide which could be handy for those with network isolated machines or slow connections.

You can pre-order the new key now from this link, and it will be shipped on the day of the 3.1 release:-

http://www.dxstudio.com/usbkey.aspx

DX Studio v3.1 Coming Soon

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We are please to announce that DX Studio version 3.1 has now entered public beta stage and that we are planning on a full release in June.

A key new feature for version 3.1 is an advanced terrain and shadow mapping system which will allow you to create massive seamless outdoor environments. The design moves beyond the traditional height field approach and, due to the use of freeform meshes, allows for overhanging cliffs, caves and vertical terrain.

Some of the other key new features for the 3.1 release include an integrated web browser with Flash support, hardware skinned meshes and shadows, an expansion of the PhysX capabilities, Wiimote support, and resource management and file sharing systems for larger projects.

We've also managed to get in lots of other features and fixes so, if you would like to find out more, please keep an eye on our announcements forum as we will be updating this regularly.

If you can't wait until the official release of 3.1 then you can apply to join our Beta program by simply emailing a request to the support team.

'User of the Month' Competition Winner for December

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We are very pleased to announced that the DX Studio 'User of the Month' prize for December goes to BUnzaga for his brilliant help to other forum users and sharing details of his latest projects, such as Quest Windows and Multi-user Documents.

Special thanks should also go to Miko for his continued work on the wiki (for example DXMesh API - Next Steps: Texturing) and Janet Merai for the amazing amount of work that has gone into her series of DX Studio Video Tutorials (which can be found here via a site that has been kindly hosted by Miko).

The 'User of the Month' competition is now on hold until April when we will be announcing an exciting new set of contests for 2009.

Winter 2008 Games Competition Winner Announced

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well this has been an incredibly tough one to judge, but we've made our decision.

The winner of the DX Studio Winter 2008 Competition is myxini with his entry 'Stewardess 16'.

A runner up prize also goes to 'Meridian Core'.

Our reasoning behind the decision is that Stewardess represented a complete game with a strong styling and effective music track. There was good replayability and interesting progression.

Meridian core looks fantastic and has good interaction, but was pipped to the post by the completeness of Stewardess.

Below is a quick summary of the judges comments for all the other final entries:

Block Blast

When finished we could see this being a smash hit on the Wii (imagine with the WiiMote)!? Excellent game design, just needs the menus, sound and higher levels.

DX Pool

Jaw dropping visuals and some impressive coding to distribute the PhysX results over the network, although we had a few problems with the taking turns. As a tech note, the FPS could be massively boosted by switching off the engine 'collision' and using physics onPhysicsContact only.

scuDX

This has probably the most promise of many future games as it's a system like this that powered games including Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle and Indiana Jones. I think this will be the root of some triple A point and clicks in 2009.

Snowboarding

Nice use of physics to create a fun snowboarding game. Still needs a bit of tuning to get the most out of it.

Forgotten Memories

By far the most immersive game - truly scary, with brilliant graphics, sound and music. A very near winner, but for the game competition we just needed a few more puzzles to solve. When finished this will be holding its own against Silent Hill.

Sirocco

Very stylish game with a great feel. Just needed some more puzzles or enemies.

Snowblocks

A cool idea on an addictive theme well realized in DX Studio. This could certainly be built on with some interaction between the stacks causing different effects.

Scribbled Monster

An original game with a surreal feel, slightly horror even? Really nicely done with well designed events and actions.

Arena

Certainly the coolest loading screen, and the high score table was a great touch. A few more enemies, particles and sounds would have really boosted this one to the top.

Need For Cheese

An original puzzle game - we really liked the level design and increasing difficulty.

Operation Brahmastra

A well programmed full on shoot em up game with great sound effects and good menus.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who has taken part in making this such a brilliant contest. All the games are available to play now via the Winter 2008 Games Competition page on our Wiki.

DX Studio Support Services Launched

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In line with a growing demand for in-depth technical support, we are pleased to announce the official launch of our new DX Studio Support Services.

The services are aimed primarily at our commercial customers (but open to all) and include tailor made training days, consultancy, script coding, bespoke engine extensions, asset creation and even complete turnkey solutions.

If you are interested in finding out more, please visit our new Support Services webpage.