free 3D engine for the Mac?

[GeekNProud]

Ok... I've been searching for EVER for a free 3D game engine that will work on my mac. It's from 1998 and is running OS 10.3 using extra hardware. I've tried Torque from GarageGames but whenever I start it the screen just goes black and does nothing. Makes me mad because it looks good . Anyway I just got this account so I cant actually post in the forums for 48 hours. If i could get feedback on some good free 3D engines that would be good. Oh yeah I know a fair amount of Java so that might help.

[Bluecat]

Have you looked at Ogre? It's an LGPL 3D engine that is pretty well supported. However, it's not complete, you'll need to add audio, networking and other functionality to make a game.

Having said that, there are some projects that have taken Ogre as the basis and have implemented the rest of these features around it. You should check the forums, I've seen the names mentioned there.

[princec]

Java + LWJGL + Xith3D
or
Java + LWJGL + jME (MonkeyEngine)
or
Java + JOGL + Xith3D
or
Java + JOGL + jME

will all do what you want and are all designed for games.

Cas

[GeekNProud]

Is the interface C++ or is that just what the engine was written in? It mentions scripts but they seem to be only for textures and the like.

[GeekNProud]

Is the interface C++ or is that just what the engine was written in? It mentions scripts but they seem to be only for textures and the like.

^That was for OGRE by the way

[Bluecat]

Yeah, the interface is C++ as most developers will write their application in C++ and link to Ogre. (Ogre is also written in C++.) However, there is a Python binding called PyOgre which will let you write your application in Python, while calling Ogre functionality. Those scripts you are referring to are for specifying materials and particle effects and the like, so wouldn't be much use for gameplay specific code as far as I know.

[ggambett]

OGRE is written in C++, and that's one of its strengths, actually - OGRE is one of the few 3D engines that has been designed as opposed to hacked.

[GeekNProud]

Ahhh i should buy a windows. I hate them but people seem to write more stuff for windows. Bahh.

[Bluecat]

Ogre does work on OSX and Linux, not just Windows.

[Robert Cummings]

Are you deliberately obtuse or too lazy to go and check ogre?

[soniCron]

Are you deliberately obtuse or too lazy to go and check ogre?

Well, it's posted in the wrong forum, and with his low post count, I suspect he's avoiding the lurker period. [clicks "Notify Administrator"]

[shaft]

Had to comment on the statement ogre is incomplete because it doesn't include sound, etc. Ogre is a graphics engine, not a game engine. It is a very solid graphics engine.

Most of the engines that include graphics, sound, etc. are usually hacked together messes, place limitations on the developer as to the game type able to be developed, and lock you into following their architecture (which is usually horrible).

I use ogre and most developers who have used it tend to appreciate that it includes only graphics.

[Bluecat]

You are correct. I should have said it is not a complete game engine, not that it wasn't complete. There is quite a difference. Sorry about that.

[GeekNProud]

Are you deliberately obtuse or too lazy to go and check ogre?

I did check ogre and decided against it for the reason that I have no C++ experience at all.

[Robert Cummings]

Well you're better off using blitzmax when the 3d module comes out then. You don't have a prayer using Torque without C++ experience.

Blitzmax is basic with some advanced bits. Thats the only other 3D thing I can think of. Free and Good don't usually come together when it comes to this stuff.

[GeekNProud]

Yeah. I've been looking frequently at blitzbasic.com for updates on the new 3D engine. It's not scheduled till November though, and the cross-platform version of blitzmax came out late...

[Bluecat]

You could learn C++, think of it as a good opportunity to do so. Or, as I mentioned, there is a Python binding for Ogre. You can write your entire game in Python without C++ if you wish. Though getting an understanding of C++ will still be useful if you want to develop games.

[GeekNProud]

thanks i'll look into that. I think I'll lay low for a while since i've already pissed off SoniCron and Robert...

[princec]

Those two are the resident forum goblins and bite any passer by

Try Xith if you already know Java. Or jME.

Cas

[GeekNProud]

i downloaded the xith packages and am slowly getting around to figuring them out... do you know the site for jMe or should i just google it?

[princec]

www.xith.org
www.mojomonkeycoding.com

(for everyone's benefit)

Both APIs are explicitly designed for gaming. Xith3d's primary objective was to be as close-to-API-compatible with Sun's own miserably slow Java3D implementation but fast, and the Monkey Engine grew from scratch using alternative paradigms. Both support 3DS model animations as far as I know, and possibly also Milkshape and B3D and M2D/3D files.

If you need to get into any detail at all with them best go to javagaming.org and post in the relevant topic there. I don't use either engine as I'm a 2D gamer.

Cas

[GeekNProud]

thanks! I made a fun but utterly useless 2D game that I want to attach here but my DropZip isn't working... Do you know the command for compressing a file through the command line? I remember doing it but i dont want to mess it up by doing it wrong.

[Sillysoft]

If you have OSX 10.3 or above you can control-click on the file and do "Create archive of XYZ" and it will make you a zip file out of it.

[Sysiphus]

cas, I think jME loads for sure md2 and md3. At least that I remember.

There's work being done to support a more advanced , the md5, but that's bones and weights and more cpu use, or 3d card requirements. Imho md2 (if the unaccuracy/trembling vertices is ok for the project) or md3(imho it looks better when md3 is used as one piece only, like md2).

It loads also ASE scenery and milkshape models...oh, and I think obj , too.
It has lod(two types, I think) and very advanced 3d stuff.

But usually I'd prefer to stick to low performance, if is planned for shareware games, I don't know. I'd feel safer that way.

There was some initiated effort to load x files. It may be continued in the future.

Now is being added bsp of quake3. (while it'd be more interesting if it were instead HL1 BSPs(free legal compiler, the zhlt tools), or...the BSP that the getic3d free editor/compiler outputs)

From an artist pov at least, jME looks very attractive.

[GeekNProud]

If you have OSX 10.3 or above you can control-click on the file and do "Create archive of XYZ" and it will make you a zip file out of it.

Sweet! I never actually knew what that did... So here's my game (I think... unless I messed up the attachment thing). Click "Birds.class" 'cause i haven't made jar files yet. The controls are in a menu at the top of the window. Just fly back and forth and try to hit the guy.