Irrlicht vs Crystal Space vs OpenSceneGraph, your thoughts?

NewToThis · Post by **NewToThis** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:08 am

I was curious, what everyone thinks about the engines/libraries listed above. I know irrlicht is probly the easiest to use, and easiest to understand, and fully featured. But, I have heard that both of the others are much more fully featured, but with a MUCH harder learning curve. I have looked into Crystal Space quite heavily, but I cant find a good "simple" method of using it what so ever, no tutorials, no documentation, no nadda. And I have just recently discovered OpenSceneGraph, so I know nothing realy about it. The only other contender I know of is OGRE, but I have found there "easy" to use "easy" to setup system a little NOT "easy".

Second question, I know that irrlicht is in the proccess of getting a compleatly new materials system, how is that going? Does anyone know how it will function? Will we be able to "define" our passes like OGRE does, so we can do whatever cool effects our hearts can dream up?

Tyn · Post by **Tyn** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:15 am

I don't know the in's and out's but AFAIK all it will do will provide a template of a material type for easy access. You can bypass this and access it directly if you want, it is far more versitle. You can do it like this:

node->getMaterial(0).Ambient = 0.1f

Check the API on SMaterial, the material system AFAIK just changes this material to a preset for you. For example, there is a material flag to set fog on and off, you can also do this directly by:

node->getMaterial(0).FogEnable = true;

As opposed to:

node->setMaterialFlag(EMF_FOG_ENABLE, true);

lantis · Post by **lantis** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:20 pm

Im can say only my opinion about CrystalSpace - its ugly , bugged and
slowly engine.
Some time ago im try use CS in my project - its nearly impossible ;(
Its easy and nice only when you write something like "Hello World" , when
you try to write something like simple game , you can find what CS can
crash without reasons , do function in wrong way , ....
Also CS have very strange BSP renderer

)

Irrlich also have many crytical bugs - but not so many as CS

thesmileman · Post by **thesmileman** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 1:54 pm

I tried to work with CrystalSpace several years ago so my experience may be somewhat dated but I really did not care for it that much. At the time the community did not really like to help noobs which really turned me off. I can understand something where it is like, "Search the fourms you $@#!!" but the people there did not seem helpful even if you were really trying so I left and never returned.

No one seems to have tried Axiom which is a C# Port of OGRE and ODE and I think Crazy Eddies Gui. It is very easy to set up and an excellent community though I do not know how much for noobs. And plus you get to use C#. YEAAAHHHHH!

It is for that reason that I considered leaving the irrlicht community in favor of Axiom but stayed after I saw Niko was soon to have a C# port.

dingo · Post by **dingo** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 4:40 am

Irrlicht is orders of magnitude easier - and therefore more productive.

The beauty of Irrlicht as opposed to CS and OSG is that Niko is in control and drives the engine forward in a thought-out sensible way. With the other two you have many different ppl all contributing, this way it keeps changing and unless you knew what was before and how it was changed then you'll be lost and there is no documentation.

Stick with Irrlicht and when you have the ability to use the others you'll just extend Irrlicht and pass the code to Niko and stay with Irrlicht anyway :)