Shark 3D
 | |
| Original author(s) | Spinor |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Spinor |
| Initial release | February 2000 |
| Written in | C++, Python |
| Available in | English |
| Type | 3D computer graphics, game engine |
| Website | www |
Shark 3D is a 3D software program and engine developed by Spinor for creating and running interactive virtual 3D worlds. It is used for video games, films, animated series, broadcasting graphics, and 3D industry applications.[1]
Shark 3D is mainly used for developing video games (similar to a Game engine), producing films and TV series,[2][3] creating broadcast graphics,[4] and developing 3D applications.
Workflow
Animations are created by "playing" a scene as in video games within a simulated virtual world. This is different to software like Autodesk 3ds Max or Autodesk Maya where you create animations mainly by hand-animating all individual movements.
By recording different characters and objects in different tracks, the animator can create a full scene in multiple iterations. For example, the animator can first play one virtual actor, and then play another while replaying the first one. Recording is physics based, so that a character or vehicle controlled live can physically interact with previously recorded characters and objects.
Features
Shark 3D contains:
- A tool pipeline. Assets like meshes, textures and basic animations are not created within Shark 3D, but imported from separate tools like 3ds Max or Maya.
- Authoring editor[5]
- Physics based recording, replay and track editing
- Shader editor
- Renderer (live and render-to-file)
- Sound system
- Physics engine
- Scripting
The core of Shark 3D is an authoring editor supporting templates and prefabs to reuse entities. Templates and prefabs can be nested to any level and edited live.[6] This allows building up complex scenes or objects with integrated behaviors (e.g. NPCs or complex camera systems based on simple building blocks in a flexible way).
Shark 3D is available for multiple target platforms like Windows and Linux based PC applications, mobile devices and consoles.
The software focuses entirely on real-time. For example, all soft lighting and shadowing in the Shark 3D renderer is completely real-time.[7] This is in contrast to other software packages like Autodesk Maya which are mainly non-realtime or various game engines like game engines as for example the Unity engine or Unreal Engine which use a mixture of realtime and precalculated lighting.
The software is highly modular and can be customized or extended on all layers.
Industry support
Clients
Companies using Shark 3D include Funcom,[8] Ravensburger Digital,[9] Marc Weigert,[10] Siemens, ARD/ZDF/Pro 7/Disney Junior.[11] In 2012 it was the second-most used real-time 3D engine in Europe after Unity.[12]
Awards
Awards given to products based on Shark 3D:
- Norwegian video game studio Funcom's PC and Xbox adventure video game Dreamfall: The Longest Journey was GameSpy's "Editor's choice" of the year 2006[13][14][15]
- Media award "Der weiße Elefant" for the "innovative production" using Shark 3D of "D.I.E. – Detektive im Einsatz" running on Super RTL[16]
- Lara-Award for the game Windchaser[17]
Third-party plugins
- Camera tracking[18]
- Cinector Motion capture[19]
- RTF[20] Massively multiplayer library[21]
See also
References
- ^ "Spinor unveils Shark 3D engine". Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ^ "Shark 3D Engine Interview". Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ^ "EFA Master Class 2014: "HIGH VALUE FOR YOUR BUDGET – The Creative Use of Virtual Production" with Marc Weigert, 2 - 8 June 2014". Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "Neue Gestaltungsfreiheit in der Bluebox". Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ^ "Let's get serious:How video game technology transforms other industries" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-08-28. Slide 4
- ^ "Let's get serious:How video game technology transforms other industries" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-08-28. Slide 15
- ^ "Shark 3D Engine Interview". Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ^ "E3 2004: DREAMFALL: THE LONGEST JOURNEY FIRST LOOK". Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "Shark 3D based iOS-Game tops the German iTunes charts". Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "EFA Master Class 2014: "HIGH VALUE FOR YOUR BUDGET – The Creative Use of Virtual Production" with Marc Weigert, 2 - 8 June 2014". Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "Real-time Renderer Vector" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ^ "European Online Game Survey 2012" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-08-28. Page 6.
- ^ "PC Reviews". Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Xbox Reviews". Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "Dreamfall Game of the Year - PC (Jewel case)". Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "Weißer Elefant für fliegende Fische". Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "Preisträger 2007". Retrieved 2014-08-27.
- ^ "vr3".
- ^ "Cinector".
- ^ "The Real-Time-Framework".
- ^ "Integrating RTF into Shark 3D as a foundation for experiments on OFELIA".
