Abstract
Building realistic virtual environments is a complex, expensive and time consuming process. Although virtual environment development toolkits are available, many only provide a subset of the tools needed to build complete virtual worlds. One alternative is the reuse of computer game technology. The current generation of computer games present realistic virtual worlds featuring user friendly interaction and the simulation of real world phenomena. Using computer games as the basis for virtual environment development has a number of advantages. Computer games are robust and extensively tested, both for usability and performance, work on off-the-shelf systems and can be easily disseminated, for example via online communities. Additionally, a number of computer game developers provide tools, documentation and source code, either with the game itself or separately available, so that end-users can create new content. This short report overviews several currently available game engines that are suitable for prototyping virtual environments.
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Notes
The e-Tourism environment developed by Berger et al. (2007) uses the Torque Game Engine [see http://www.garagegames.com/ (last access 17/7/07)]. However, this game engine requires a commercial licence for non-game development and will not be discussed here further.
For a comprehensive database of 3D engines see http://www.devmaster.net/engines/ (last access 17/7/07).
http://www.crytek.com (last access 14/7/07).
http://www.farcry-thegame.com (last access 14/7/07).
http://www.crytek.com/technology/index.php (last access 14/7/07).
http://crymod.com/filebase.php (last access 18/7/07).
http://crymod.com/ (last access 18/7/07).
http://www.idsoftware.com (last access 14/7/07).
http://www.idsoftware.com/games/quake/quake3-arena/ (last access 14/7/07).
An augmented reality gaming system based on the Quake engine is described in (Piekarski and Thomas 2002).
http://www.idsoftware.com/business/history/ (last access 14/7/07).
Gouraud shading is a method used in computer graphics to simulate the differing effects of light and colour across the surface of an object to eliminate intensity discontinuities (Foley et al. 1990, p 736).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quake_III_engine (last access 14/7/07).
The Quake III source code and development tools are available at http://www.idsoftware.com/business/techdownloads/ (last access 14/7/07).
http://www.idsoftware.com/games/doom/doom3/ (last access 14/7/07).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_3_Engine (last access 14/7/07)
http://www.modwiki.net/wiki/Doom_3_engine (14/7/07).
http://www.touchdownentertainment.com/ (last access 14/7/07).
http://www.whatisfear.com (last access 14/7/07).
For details on Blinn and Phong lighting models see [Eberly (2007), pp 96–97].
http://www.havok.com/ (last access 18/7/07).
http://www.touchdownentertainment.com/jupiterEX.htm (last access 14/7/07).
http://www.touchdownentertainment.com/jupiterEX.htm (last access 14/7/07).
ftp://ftp.sierra.com/pub/sierra/fear/updates/ (last access 14/7/07).
http://www.valvesoftware.com (last access 15/7/07).
http://www.Half-Life2.com/ (last access 15/7/07).
http://counter-strike.net/ (last access 15/7/07)
http://www.valvesoftware.com/files/SOURCE_InfoSheet.pdf (last access 15/7/07).
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Hammer (last access 15/7/07).
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/ (last access 15/7/07).
http://www.steampowered.com (last access 15/7/07).
http://www.interlopers.net/ (last access 15/7/07).
http://www.editlife.net/ (last access 15/7/07).
http://www.epicgames.com/ (last access 16/7/07).
http://www.unrealtournament3.com/ (last access 16/7/07).
http://www.unrealtournament.com/ (last access 16/7/07).
http://www.unrealtechnology.com/html/technology/ue2.shtml (last access 16/7/07).
Binary space partitioning [Eberly (2007), p 354].
http://www.unrealtechnology.com/html/technology/ue2. shtml (last access 16/7/07).
http://udn.epicgames.com (last access 16/7/07).
http://architectonic.planetunreal.gamespy.com/ (last access 16/7/07).
http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/ (last access 16/7/07).
http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/ (last access 15/7/07).
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded in part by the Nuffield Foundation (Grant URB/34118). Footnote 44
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Appendix: Engine comparison
Appendix: Engine comparison
Table 1 compares and contrasts some of the important features that relate to modification and editing of games using the engines considered in this report.
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Trenholme, D., Smith, S.P. Computer game engines for developing first-person virtual environments. Virtual Reality 12, 181–187 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-008-0092-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-008-0092-z