Voxels in Irrlich ?

pixartist · Post by **pixartist** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:01 pm

Hi, I just installed the Irrlicht engine + .NET wrapper, and I was wondering if you could give me a little advice how to create a voxel-based engine in irrlicht. I'm not familiar with irrlicht and not too familiar with 3d-programming, but I still would like to try.

I don't want help on physics/collision/other gameplay stuff yet, just what the best way would be to translate a 3d array of voxels into a "renderable" object in irrlicht. Thanks

sure, I could use a billions box-meshes, but I guess that would kill the performance, since it will still draw ALL faces...
(I tried 256x256x1 and it lagged quite a bit :/)

Luben · Post by **Luben** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:39 pm

You might want to implement the marching cube algorithm.
The main reason that 256² cubes lagged for you is probably how you implemented it; it'd result in just as many draw calls. Better to make a big mesh(or many of a nice size) and render it.

Note that a voxel is not the same as a cube. A voxel can be seen as a 3d pixel, It has a position and a color. It's not textured, is not necessarily of a certain shape or size. A lot of people seem to confuse voxels for textured cubes in a grid.

pixartist · Post by **pixartist** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:35 pm

Well, okay, I want an engine similar to minecraft etc. which often is called "Voxel Engine"

Seven · Post by **Seven** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:41 pm

Luben · Post by **Luben** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:47 pm

Incorrectly called a voxel engine. Even if i and everyone i know called the moon a star, we'd be wrong. Now you know, please help spread the truth to the ignorant masses

@Seven
C4 ?

pixartist · Post by **pixartist** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 12:12 am

Luben wrote:Incorrectly called a voxel engine. Even if i and everyone i know called the moon a star, we'd be wrong. Now you know, please help spread the truth to the ignorant masses

@Seven
C4 ?

yeah, still that post did not help me at all :/

randomMesh · Post by **randomMesh** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 12:14 am

Luben wrote:@Seven
C4 ?

I guess he meant http://www.terathon.com/c4engine/index.php

pixartist · Post by **pixartist** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 12:22 am

So is there a mesh batching class for .NET users for irrlicht or will I have to write my own?

randomMesh · Post by **randomMesh** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 12:24 am

pixartist wrote:So is there a mesh batching class for .NET users for irrlicht or will I have to write my own?

There is one for C++ in the irrExt repository. You'd have to port it to .NET.

Luben · Post by **Luben** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 12:38 am

pixartist wrote:
Luben wrote:...
yeah, still that post did not help me at all :/

I didn't think you were still looking for help, i gave you sound advice in my first post. :p

kalvinorama · Post by **kalvinorama** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:49 am

You can do that with this method :
http://developer.nvidia.com/node/158

you've have to be a little comfortable with GPU programming.
i've made something like that, but i can release because it was for my work.

Hope it can help you

Adler1337 · Post by **Adler1337** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 3:04 pm

pixartist wrote:Well, okay, I want an engine similar to minecraft etc. which often is called "Voxel Engine"

Yet another minecraft cloner

I am starting to hate that game.

ChaiRuiPeng · Post by **ChaiRuiPeng** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 3:45 pm

Adler1337 wrote:
pixartist wrote:Well, okay, I want an engine similar to minecraft etc. which often is called "Voxel Engine"
Yet another minecraft cloner I am starting to hate that game.

not even kidding... like how many threads have we seen regarding a clone for that game this week?

3?

agghhh i just got major dejavu

pixartist · Post by **pixartist** » Fri Apr 15, 2011 5:05 pm

I'm not planning on making a minecraft clone, I just like the concept a an entirely destructible environment

hayate · Post by **hayate** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:19 am

OT

Adler1337 wrote:
pixartist wrote:Well, okay, I want an engine similar to minecraft etc. which often is called "Voxel Engine"
Yet another minecraft cloner I am starting to hate that game.

Did you prefer the average "how-to-do-MMORPG-fast" thread ?

/OT