- What is it?
- An open source (zlib) 3D engine,
first released 2003.
- What computer or emulator will it run on?
- Works with OpenGL, Direct3D8 and Direct3D9.
- Similar products
- 6DX.
Open source under the most liberal of licenses, this small but
powerful 3D engine is the best you can
currently get. Let's take a look at its main features:
- It ties in with several free physics engines.
- IT can tie in with several programming languages.
- It works with Dev-C++. What's the point in having a free engine
if you have to buy Visual C++ to do something with it?
- It has an XML parser. This is important not only for interface
work, XML is becoming increasingly popular to describe in-game
objects.
- It can read out of zip files. Yes, that's important. Do you have
any idea how many files your game will have?
- It can do decent 2D work too.
And in addition to all that, it is really easy to use. A simple demo
(load a map and walk around) may need only a few lines of code. So I
guess it's a good learning tool, too.
Links
- Irrlicht Homepage
- Review on
Freshmeat
In my opinion, the best thing about Irrlicht is the
learning curve. I was literally programming 3D applications after
I had examined the "hello, world" sample program. It uses a
class-based system that is intuitive and easy to remember. It is
also simple, and much of the complexities are handled by the
engine itself, rather than making the programmer
responsible.
- ICE Framework is an attempt to provide a Framework, or skeleton
project, for the IrrLicht Engine which will enhance rapid production
of new projects. The ICE Framework comes ready-to-compile with
example game states, such as an Intro, OptionMenu and Main state.
- Jirr: Irrlicht for Java.
2004-07-28, last modified 2007-05-19
