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Need help deciding if Irrlicht is right for my newb project

Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 5:38 pm
by macron12388
So, Irrlicht is PURELY graphical. I mean, a rough overview, it draws meshes, adds cameras, lights, you can create custom shaders, and THAT'S IT RIGHT!?
That is what I need, I am planning on using other smaller libraries for sound and networking and such, and might even write my own.

I just don't want things like what blender does, it has a whole bunch of stuff integrated into it, that I don't need, I mean it's like trying to run a marathon in swamp mud.

If Irrlicht only takes care of rendering, with it's neato OpenGL backend, and it ONLY takes care of graphics, and any "game engine" that creates object classes, and such can be something else entirely in c++, then that's good.

Here's what I need to do

MyOwnGameEngineInC++ : "Ok, do this, this and this, okay check for key presses, okay lower health there, okay check that collision.

"Hey Irrlicht! I have these meshes ready for you to render, I have CustomObject "Player1" at positionblabla, and add a light that lasts 3 seconds at positionB.

Irrlicht: "Okay, I'm on it."

I know it's kind of silly, but is this the way Irrlicht would work (sort of)?

Thanks! :)

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 9:39 am
by Andreas
Hi macron,
I know it's kind of silly, but is this the way Irrlicht would work (sort of)?
i think, basically you're right. Irrlicht provides a few other features besides rendering a 3D scene, like a GUI system and classes for file handling (e.g. XML files), but 3D handling is its main purpose. And you have to write all the "game-engine-glue" which is required to integrate e.g. a sound engine in your game.

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 5:24 pm
by macron12388
Ok, thanks, that's really what I need. It will take longer and be more challenging, but the performance and great capabilities should really show.