RenderWare
Author
Hi
I recieved this letter from a games course to see what they do.
"Following the industry's lead, we teach middleware and APIs
that are most useful for console game development.
For example, for the past 3 years we have taught RenderWare
Graphics, which has been used by a number of game developers
both here and overseas. Some of the highest profile games
have used RWG, including the "Grand Theft Auto" series,
"Burnout", and the "Tony Hawk" games since TH3. In Melbourne,
it was used in "Heroes of the Pacific", the AFL games, and
others.
We don't concentrate very heavily on Windows APIs such as
DirectX or OpenGL, mostly because the console focus of RWG
is more applicable to the local industry. Having said that,
we do look at aspects of both APIs; we introduce 3D graphics
with OpenGL, and look at DirectX when we're doing platform
optimisation and shaders. "
q) so is directx not that useful anymore? I thought xbox does use directx and many games use directx so what is the story with renderware? Can you download renderware api?
a) directx is still very usefull. i think you'll find that you have to pay for renderware :)
DX and OpenGL are still very important, but most of the time they are hidden by the middleware. That said, middlewares often need some specific enhancement to deal with your game particularities, and this is where the DX or OpenGL knowledge helps.
The XBox360 effectively uses a DX-like interface (let's say it is something like DX 9.5, something you'll never see on the PC world), but since creating a fully featured game engine takes a very long time, companies tend to prefer middleware.
Regards,
The XBox360 effectively uses a DX-like interface (let's say it is something like DX 9.5, something you'll never see on the PC world), but since creating a fully featured game engine takes a very long time, companies tend to prefer middleware.
Regards,
Another thing to keep in mind, is most middleware would be useless without OpenGl or DirectX. This is basically why its called middleware, it sits in the middle between your game and the platform your game runs on.
I would be curious to know what framework the school uses now, now that EA snapped up Renderware. It and netImmerse ( or whatever its called now ) were about the only two commerical APIs that were truly generic in execution. ( Unlike say, the doom or unreal engine ).
I would be curious to know what framework the school uses now, now that EA snapped up Renderware. It and netImmerse ( or whatever its called now ) were about the only two commerical APIs that were truly generic in execution. ( Unlike say, the doom or unreal engine ).
Author
I am confused with the gaming world as usual.
Middleware is what again and is knowing directx helpful ? If many games are not created with directx/opnGL is the knowledge useful?
Explain to me what actually happens when creating a game as in what they are using today?
Middleware is what again and is knowing directx helpful ? If many games are not created with directx/opnGL is the knowledge useful?
Explain to me what actually happens when creating a game as in what they are using today?
Usually, you typically build games out of middleware, and middleware is made out of DirectX/OpenGL. The average game developer may therefore never touch DirectX or OpenGL.
'Middleware' is a marketing term for a piece of software that doesn't do anything on its own, but which accesses some lower-level API (such as DirectX) for you. Usually it exists to make your job easier, to make your code more portable, or both. It is not essential, but most people who can afford to use middleware do so, because it is cheaper than writing all the functionality yourself.
That's not to say that DirectX or OpenGL knowledge is useless, as many of the concepts are present in the middleware too. Or you may find yourself writing your own 'middleware' one day.
'Middleware' is a marketing term for a piece of software that doesn't do anything on its own, but which accesses some lower-level API (such as DirectX) for you. Usually it exists to make your job easier, to make your code more portable, or both. It is not essential, but most people who can afford to use middleware do so, because it is cheaper than writing all the functionality yourself.
That's not to say that DirectX or OpenGL knowledge is useless, as many of the concepts are present in the middleware too. Or you may find yourself writing your own 'middleware' one day.
Author
So games are usually made out of programs made from directx say.
So renderware is middleware and it could itself have been developed by directx.
So does that eliminate the need to load in a 3d figure mesh like in directx. The process would be simpler?
Is renderware slow?
What about console games as I thought xbox was made from directx and ps3 from its own api? How does renderware fit in?
So renderware is middleware and it could itself have been developed by directx.
So does that eliminate the need to load in a 3d figure mesh like in directx. The process would be simpler?
Is renderware slow?
What about console games as I thought xbox was made from directx and ps3 from its own api? How does renderware fit in?
Quote:Original post by jagguy
What about console games as I thought xbox was made from directx and ps3 from its own api? How does renderware fit in?
The XBox indeed natively supports DirectX. The PS3 recommends OpenGL (ES) as the low-level API.
But, as said above, most developers (including console games) will not use calls to DirectX or OpenGL directly. The use middle-ware like RenderWare, etc, which handles things like model caching etc. and platform-specific optimizations.
So, the developers program the game using calls to the Renderware API. That library will in turn use calls to, for example, DirectX on XBox and OpenGL on PS3, making it possible to develop for multiple platforms without handling all the itty-bitty details.
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