<![CDATA[Sick Gaming - Game Development]]> https://sickgaming.net/ Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:52:32 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[[Dev News] Modern Game Programming Languages]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113133.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:04:31 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113133.html we run through some of the most exciting new(ish) programming languages.

ODIN

In Their Words

Odin is a general-purpose programming language with distinct typing built for high performance, modern systems and data-oriented programming.

Odin is the C alternative for the Joy of Programming.

Awesome ODIN

ZIG

In Their Words

Zig is a general-purpose programming language and toolchain for maintaining robust, optimal and reusable software.

Awesome Zig

nim

In Their Words

Nim is a statically typed compiled systems programming language. It combines successful concepts from mature languages like Python, Ada and Modula.

Awesome Nim

Beef

In Their Words

Beef is a high-performance multi-paradigm open source programming language with a focus on developer productivity.

Haxe

In Their Words

Haxe is an open source high-level strictly-typed programming language with a fast optimizing cross-compiler.

Haxe for Games

Rust

In Their Words

A language empowering everyone to build reliable and efficient software.

Awesome Rust

Mojo

Write fast code for diverse hardware (spanning CPUs, GPUs and more) without vendor lock-in, in a language that’s both user friendly and memory safe.

Awesome Mojo

You can learn more about other modern programming languages for game development in the below.]]> we run through some of the most exciting new(ish) programming languages.

ODIN

In Their Words

Odin is a general-purpose programming language with distinct typing built for high performance, modern systems and data-oriented programming.

Odin is the C alternative for the Joy of Programming.

Awesome ODIN

ZIG

In Their Words

Zig is a general-purpose programming language and toolchain for maintaining robust, optimal and reusable software.

Awesome Zig

nim

In Their Words

Nim is a statically typed compiled systems programming language. It combines successful concepts from mature languages like Python, Ada and Modula.

Awesome Nim

Beef

In Their Words

Beef is a high-performance multi-paradigm open source programming language with a focus on developer productivity.

Haxe

In Their Words

Haxe is an open source high-level strictly-typed programming language with a fast optimizing cross-compiler.

Haxe for Games

Rust

In Their Words

A language empowering everyone to build reliable and efficient software.

Awesome Rust

Mojo

Write fast code for diverse hardware (spanning CPUs, GPUs and more) without vendor lock-in, in a language that’s both user friendly and memory safe.

Awesome Mojo

You can learn more about other modern programming languages for game development in the below.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] VOID .NET 2D Game Development Framework]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113121.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:16:43 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113121.html
Quote:VOID Engine is a lightweight, modular 2D game framework for .NET.

It provides the systems most games need without trying to become a giant all-in-one engine.

VOID is built around a simple idea:

Give developers solid defaults without assuming those defaults are right for every game.

Use the built-in systems as they are, extend them, replace them, or ignore the ones you do not need.

VOID deliberately stays focused on framework-level systems. Features such as full physics and UI frameworks are left to your game or the libraries you choose.

Void is composed of the following components:

SystemWhat It DoesRenderingBatched sprite and primitive rendering, texture atlasing, shaders, render targets, post-processingRenderer APIPublic renderer-neutral contracts with a pluggable backend architecturePlatformSDL3 windowing, displays, fullscreen modes, events, keyboard, mouse, and gamepadsAssetsMount-based virtual file system, custom asset types, pack loading, LRU evictionAudioOpenAL playback, sound pooling, priority-based voice stealing, category volumesSavingAES-GCM encrypted saves with manifest verificationPathfindingA*, Dijkstra, BFS, and flow fieldsCoroutinesTweens, sequencing, delays, waits, and easingLoggingAsync logging with console and file sinksMathVectors, matrices, rectangles, colors, easing, and random helpersToolingProject templates and encrypted asset packing toolsLDtkLDtk level and asset integration

Key Links

Void GitHub Repository

Void Documentation

LDtk Homepage

You can learn more about the Void gamedev framework and see it in action in the below.]]>
Quote:VOID Engine is a lightweight, modular 2D game framework for .NET.

It provides the systems most games need without trying to become a giant all-in-one engine.

VOID is built around a simple idea:

Give developers solid defaults without assuming those defaults are right for every game.

Use the built-in systems as they are, extend them, replace them, or ignore the ones you do not need.

VOID deliberately stays focused on framework-level systems. Features such as full physics and UI frameworks are left to your game or the libraries you choose.

Void is composed of the following components:

SystemWhat It DoesRenderingBatched sprite and primitive rendering, texture atlasing, shaders, render targets, post-processingRenderer APIPublic renderer-neutral contracts with a pluggable backend architecturePlatformSDL3 windowing, displays, fullscreen modes, events, keyboard, mouse, and gamepadsAssetsMount-based virtual file system, custom asset types, pack loading, LRU evictionAudioOpenAL playback, sound pooling, priority-based voice stealing, category volumesSavingAES-GCM encrypted saves with manifest verificationPathfindingA*, Dijkstra, BFS, and flow fieldsCoroutinesTweens, sequencing, delays, waits, and easingLoggingAsync logging with console and file sinksMathVectors, matrices, rectangles, colors, easing, and random helpersToolingProject templates and encrypted asset packing toolsLDtkLDtk level and asset integration

Key Links

Void GitHub Repository

Void Documentation

LDtk Homepage

You can learn more about the Void gamedev framework and see it in action in the below.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] Gate – An Improved GDScript?]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113115.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:09:43 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113115.html
  • Type-first declarations

  • Null safety

  • Structs

  • Interfaces, traits and namespaces

  • Generics

  • Expressions


All while providing roughly comparable performance.

One challenge with Gate is that Godot doesn’t display non recognized file types in the file browser, meaning you will not see Gate files inside of Godot. Therefore I created this simple plugin called gate_importer, add the following 3 files to your addons folder:

plugin.gd

Code:
@tool extends EditorPlugin var import_plugin func _enter_tree() -> void: import_plugin = preload("res://addons/gate_importer/gate_importer.gd").new() add_import_plugin(import_plugin) func _exit_tree() -> void: remove_import_plugin(import_plugin) import_plugin = null

plugin.cfg

Code:
[plugin] name="Gate File Support" description="Registers .gate files in the FileSystem dock." author="Bob Dole" version="1.0" script="plugin.gd"

game_importer.gd

Code:
@tool extends EditorImportPlugin func _get_importer_name() -> String: return "custom.gate.importer" func _get_visible_name() -> String: return "Gate File" func _get_recognized_extensions() -> PackedStringArray: return ["gate"] func _get_save_extension() -> String: return "res" func _get_resource_type() -> String: return "Resource" func _get_preset_count() -> int: return 1 func _get_preset_name(preset_index: int) -> String: return "Default" func _get_import_options(path: String, preset_index: int) -> Array[Dictionary]: return [] func _import(source_file: String, save_path: String, options: Dictionary, platform_variants: Array[String], gen_files: Array[String]) -> Error: var resource = Resource.new() var filename = "%s.%s" % [save_path, _get_save_extension()] return ResourceSaver.save(resource, filename)

Key Links

Gate Language GitHub Repository

You can learn more about the Gate programming language and what it adds to Godot’s GDScript language in the below.]]>
  • Type-first declarations

  • Null safety

  • Structs

  • Interfaces, traits and namespaces

  • Generics

  • Expressions


All while providing roughly comparable performance.

One challenge with Gate is that Godot doesn’t display non recognized file types in the file browser, meaning you will not see Gate files inside of Godot. Therefore I created this simple plugin called gate_importer, add the following 3 files to your addons folder:

plugin.gd

Code:
@tool extends EditorPlugin var import_plugin func _enter_tree() -> void: import_plugin = preload("res://addons/gate_importer/gate_importer.gd").new() add_import_plugin(import_plugin) func _exit_tree() -> void: remove_import_plugin(import_plugin) import_plugin = null

plugin.cfg

Code:
[plugin] name="Gate File Support" description="Registers .gate files in the FileSystem dock." author="Bob Dole" version="1.0" script="plugin.gd"

game_importer.gd

Code:
@tool extends EditorImportPlugin func _get_importer_name() -> String: return "custom.gate.importer" func _get_visible_name() -> String: return "Gate File" func _get_recognized_extensions() -> PackedStringArray: return ["gate"] func _get_save_extension() -> String: return "res" func _get_resource_type() -> String: return "Resource" func _get_preset_count() -> int: return 1 func _get_preset_name(preset_index: int) -> String: return "Default" func _get_import_options(path: String, preset_index: int) -> Array[Dictionary]: return [] func _import(source_file: String, save_path: String, options: Dictionary, platform_variants: Array[String], gen_files: Array[String]) -> Error: var resource = Resource.new() var filename = "%s.%s" % [save_path, _get_save_extension()] return ResourceSaver.save(resource, filename)

Key Links

Gate Language GitHub Repository

You can learn more about the Gate programming language and what it adds to Godot’s GDScript language in the below.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] Unigine 2.22 Released]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113061.html Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:39:28 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113061.html
Highlights of the Unigine 2.22 release for game developers include:

New Sequencer and Animation System: This update introduces the Sequencer tool, providing a unified timeline for authoring cinematics and driving parameter animations. It allows game developers to animate almost anything—from node transforms to custom C++/C# component fields—and keep it all in a single reusable asset.

Automatic NavMesh Generation: Experimental navigation and pathfinding tools can now automatically generate NavMeshes for game environments. This drastically speeds up the process of configuring walkable areas and complex routing for AI characters.

Dynamic Resolution Scaling (DRS) & Upscaling: The engine now features DRS alongside upscaling improvements to keep frame rates stable during demanding scenes. This allows developers to maintain high visual fidelity on a wider range of hardware, including older gaming consoles.

Physics Engine Improvements: The core physics engine has been refined to provide more stable and highly performant object interactions. These upgrades are vital for creating reliable gameplay mechanics like advanced vehicle simulations and dynamic collisions.

Enhanced Shadow Rendering: The rendering pipeline has been upgraded to produce higher-fidelity shadows without a severe performance cost. This allows technical artists to create more visually striking and realistic game worlds.

VR Multiplayer Project Template: A new out-of-the-box template has been added specifically for building virtual reality multiplayer experiences. It helps developers bypass the complex networking boilerplate required to sync cooperative or competitive VR games.

Surface ID Buffers & Custom Shaders: The release unlocks deeper rendering flexibility by supporting surface ID buffers and custom shader parameters. This gives technical artists and programmers highly granular control over complex materials and bespoke post-processing effects.

Unified AI Toolkit: A new AI toolkit introduces agent-powered world editing and code generation directly into the development workflow. This helps developers automate repetitive world-building tasks and rapidly prototype game logic.

Extended Localization Capabilities: Built-in localization support has been broadened to handle complex writing systems, including Arabic, Hindi, and Thai. This makes it significantly easier for game studios to easily localize their user interfaces and ship to a global audience.

Console Support: Technically this isn’t released, but it has been confirmed to exist and was a major weak spot of the Unigine engine, there is now console support internally at Unigine. Hopefully this is officially released soon.

Key Links

Unigine 2.22 Release Details

Unigine Homepage

You can learn more about the Unigine game engine and the Unigine 2.22 release specifically in the below.]]>
Highlights of the Unigine 2.22 release for game developers include:

New Sequencer and Animation System: This update introduces the Sequencer tool, providing a unified timeline for authoring cinematics and driving parameter animations. It allows game developers to animate almost anything—from node transforms to custom C++/C# component fields—and keep it all in a single reusable asset.

Automatic NavMesh Generation: Experimental navigation and pathfinding tools can now automatically generate NavMeshes for game environments. This drastically speeds up the process of configuring walkable areas and complex routing for AI characters.

Dynamic Resolution Scaling (DRS) & Upscaling: The engine now features DRS alongside upscaling improvements to keep frame rates stable during demanding scenes. This allows developers to maintain high visual fidelity on a wider range of hardware, including older gaming consoles.

Physics Engine Improvements: The core physics engine has been refined to provide more stable and highly performant object interactions. These upgrades are vital for creating reliable gameplay mechanics like advanced vehicle simulations and dynamic collisions.

Enhanced Shadow Rendering: The rendering pipeline has been upgraded to produce higher-fidelity shadows without a severe performance cost. This allows technical artists to create more visually striking and realistic game worlds.

VR Multiplayer Project Template: A new out-of-the-box template has been added specifically for building virtual reality multiplayer experiences. It helps developers bypass the complex networking boilerplate required to sync cooperative or competitive VR games.

Surface ID Buffers & Custom Shaders: The release unlocks deeper rendering flexibility by supporting surface ID buffers and custom shader parameters. This gives technical artists and programmers highly granular control over complex materials and bespoke post-processing effects.

Unified AI Toolkit: A new AI toolkit introduces agent-powered world editing and code generation directly into the development workflow. This helps developers automate repetitive world-building tasks and rapidly prototype game logic.

Extended Localization Capabilities: Built-in localization support has been broadened to handle complex writing systems, including Arabic, Hindi, and Thai. This makes it significantly easier for game studios to easily localize their user interfaces and ship to a global audience.

Console Support: Technically this isn’t released, but it has been confirmed to exist and was a major weak spot of the Unigine engine, there is now console support internally at Unigine. Hopefully this is officially released soon.

Key Links

Unigine 2.22 Release Details

Unigine Homepage

You can learn more about the Unigine game engine and the Unigine 2.22 release specifically in the below.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] Godot 4.8 Dev5 Released]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113110.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:00:45 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113110.html
Quote:Rendering: Mip-level texture streaming[/url]

In the context of an engine such as Godot, “texture streaming” refers to the ability to dynamically load and unload images based on a camera’s relative position. Such a system would allow games to handle significantly more visible textures at any given point in time, which is why such a feature was one of the community’s most desired. Unfortunately, like most highly-desired features, it’s much easier said than done, and the “best” implementation direction isn’t exactly set in stone.

In order to leverage this new functionality, streaming must first be enabled in the project settings, necessitating an editor restart. You can make runtime changes via the 
Code:
TextureStreaming
 singleton.

[url=https://godotengine.org/storage/blog/dev-snapshot-godot-4-8-dev-5/mip-level-streaming-settings.webp]

Once enabled, textures can be imported as streamed textures, utilizing the new texture import type: “Texture2D Streamed”. This new texture type comes equipped with overrides for minimum and maximum resolution for a given texture, so you can safely preserve crucial details on a case-by-case basis. The per-texture properties override the system settings; the default is to use the system settings.

Key Links

Godot 4.8 Dev5 Blog

Godot 4.8 Dev4 Coverage

Godot 4.8 Dev2 & 3 Coverage

Godot 4.8 Dev1 Coverage

You can learn more about the Godot 4.8 Dev5 release, including a quick tutorial/overview of the new Texture Streaming functionality, in the below.]]>
Quote:Rendering: Mip-level texture streaming[/url]

In the context of an engine such as Godot, “texture streaming” refers to the ability to dynamically load and unload images based on a camera’s relative position. Such a system would allow games to handle significantly more visible textures at any given point in time, which is why such a feature was one of the community’s most desired. Unfortunately, like most highly-desired features, it’s much easier said than done, and the “best” implementation direction isn’t exactly set in stone.

In order to leverage this new functionality, streaming must first be enabled in the project settings, necessitating an editor restart. You can make runtime changes via the 
Code:
TextureStreaming
 singleton.

[url=https://godotengine.org/storage/blog/dev-snapshot-godot-4-8-dev-5/mip-level-streaming-settings.webp]

Once enabled, textures can be imported as streamed textures, utilizing the new texture import type: “Texture2D Streamed”. This new texture type comes equipped with overrides for minimum and maximum resolution for a given texture, so you can safely preserve crucial details on a case-by-case basis. The per-texture properties override the system settings; the default is to use the system settings.

Key Links

Godot 4.8 Dev5 Blog

Godot 4.8 Dev4 Coverage

Godot 4.8 Dev2 & 3 Coverage

Godot 4.8 Dev1 Coverage

You can learn more about the Godot 4.8 Dev5 release, including a quick tutorial/overview of the new Texture Streaming functionality, in the below.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] ArmorPaint 1.0 Released]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113100.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:42:21 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113100.html
Features of ArmorPaint include:

3D Painting Software

ArmorPaint is a stand-alone software designed for physically-based texture painting. Drag & drop your 3D models and start painting. Receive instant visual feedback in the viewport as you paint.

Node Based

Work fast with the convenience of nodes. Paint with fully procedural materials. Build fill layers with material nodes. Use brush nodes to create patterns and procedural brushes.

GPU Accelerated

ArmorPaint is designed from scratch to run completely on the GPU. This results in a smooth 4K painting experience on a medium-power integrated hardware. Up to 16K texture painting is seamless using a high-end graphics card.

Ray Tracing

Ray-traced baking, painting effects and viewport rendering running on Direct3D12, Vulkan and Metal is ready. ArmorPaint is powered by an in-house 3D rendering engine to achieve the best painting experience.

Live Link

Integrate ArmorPaint into existing 3D software using the live-link plugins. Blender, Unreal Engine and Unity plugins are available for download.

Baking

Bake texture maps for high-poly models instantly on your GPU. Hardware accelerated ray-traced baking with Direct3D12, Vulkan and Metal support is available.

Path Traced Viewport

Paint models in a viewport with true light simulation. Path-traced viewport rendering with Direct3D12, Vulkan and Metal is available.

Plugins

Enhance any part of the software through plugins with super powers. Integrate new node systems or build custom material nodes.

Key Links

ArmorPaint Homepage

ArmorPaint GitHub Repository

You can see ArmorPaint in action in the below. Even better, we have a step by step showcase of how you can build ArmorPaint on Windows using Visual Studio 2022, as the build process has changed quite a bit overtime and existing tutorials on building it are lacking.]]>
Features of ArmorPaint include:

3D Painting Software

ArmorPaint is a stand-alone software designed for physically-based texture painting. Drag & drop your 3D models and start painting. Receive instant visual feedback in the viewport as you paint.

Node Based

Work fast with the convenience of nodes. Paint with fully procedural materials. Build fill layers with material nodes. Use brush nodes to create patterns and procedural brushes.

GPU Accelerated

ArmorPaint is designed from scratch to run completely on the GPU. This results in a smooth 4K painting experience on a medium-power integrated hardware. Up to 16K texture painting is seamless using a high-end graphics card.

Ray Tracing

Ray-traced baking, painting effects and viewport rendering running on Direct3D12, Vulkan and Metal is ready. ArmorPaint is powered by an in-house 3D rendering engine to achieve the best painting experience.

Live Link

Integrate ArmorPaint into existing 3D software using the live-link plugins. Blender, Unreal Engine and Unity plugins are available for download.

Baking

Bake texture maps for high-poly models instantly on your GPU. Hardware accelerated ray-traced baking with Direct3D12, Vulkan and Metal support is available.

Path Traced Viewport

Paint models in a viewport with true light simulation. Path-traced viewport rendering with Direct3D12, Vulkan and Metal is available.

Plugins

Enhance any part of the software through plugins with super powers. Integrate new node systems or build custom material nodes.

Key Links

ArmorPaint Homepage

ArmorPaint GitHub Repository

You can see ArmorPaint in action in the below. Even better, we have a step by step showcase of how you can build ArmorPaint on Windows using Visual Studio 2022, as the build process has changed quite a bit overtime and existing tutorials on building it are lacking.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] Prowl C# Game Engine Preview]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113075.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:13:00 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113075.html
Features of the Prowl game engine include:

Pure C# Architecture: Built entirely in C# (.NET 10 / C# 14) with zero FFI/interop overhead between game code and engine systems.

Fully Open & Modular: MIT-licensed source code split into independent, standalone libraries, royalty free, open source libraries.

Stand-Alone Runtime: Ships games completely separate from the editor with zero runtime dependency on the authoring environment.

Standard Tooling Support: Uses regular
Code:
.csproj
files, allowing seamless use with Visual Studio, VS Code, and Rider without plugins.

Full-Featured 3D Editor: Includes a Unity-like layout featuring Scene View, Hierarchy, Inspector, Project Browser, Console, and Game View.

PBR Rendering: Supports a metallic physically-based rendering workflow, cascaded shadow maps, and a dedicated render thread.

Node-Based Shader Graph: Features 150+ nodes and cross-compilation (SPIR-V, HLSL, GLSL, Metal) via a Slang wrapper.

Advanced Post-Processing: Includes HDR tonemapping (ACES, AgX), Bloom, GTAO, Screen Space Reflections, Depth of Field, and Volumetric Fog.

Jitter Physics 2: Robust 3D physics engine supporting extensive colliders, 7 constraint types, raycasting, and character controllers.

Spatial 3D Audio: Powered by MiniAudio with support for attenuation, Doppler effects, common audio formats, and a full effect chain.

Terrain System: Built-in quadtree LOD, heightmap/splatmap painting, and holes support.

GPU Instancing & Particles: High-performance GPU-instanced rendering for meshes, grass, trees, and particle systems with multi-module simulations.

Prefabs & Asset Management: Supports nested prefabs with override tracking alongside a GUID-based asset pipeline.

Input Action System: Action phases, composite bindings (e.g., WASD layouts), and multi-device support (keyboard, mouse, gamepad).

Script Hot-Reloading: Iterate on game logic quickly inside the editor without restarting the application.

Cross-Platform Build System: Export standalone applications with packed asset files (
Code:
.prowlpak
) for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Modular Ecosystem Sub-Libraries: Powered by specialized companion libraries handling UI (flexbox-style immediate mode), vector graphics/typography, 64-bit mathematics, serialization, and shader compilation.

Key Links

Prowl GitHub Repository

Prowl Modular Libraries Repository

Prowl Discord Server

You can learn more about the Prowl Game Engine and see it in action in the below.]]>
Features of the Prowl game engine include:

Pure C# Architecture: Built entirely in C# (.NET 10 / C# 14) with zero FFI/interop overhead between game code and engine systems.

Fully Open & Modular: MIT-licensed source code split into independent, standalone libraries, royalty free, open source libraries.

Stand-Alone Runtime: Ships games completely separate from the editor with zero runtime dependency on the authoring environment.

Standard Tooling Support: Uses regular
Code:
.csproj
files, allowing seamless use with Visual Studio, VS Code, and Rider without plugins.

Full-Featured 3D Editor: Includes a Unity-like layout featuring Scene View, Hierarchy, Inspector, Project Browser, Console, and Game View.

PBR Rendering: Supports a metallic physically-based rendering workflow, cascaded shadow maps, and a dedicated render thread.

Node-Based Shader Graph: Features 150+ nodes and cross-compilation (SPIR-V, HLSL, GLSL, Metal) via a Slang wrapper.

Advanced Post-Processing: Includes HDR tonemapping (ACES, AgX), Bloom, GTAO, Screen Space Reflections, Depth of Field, and Volumetric Fog.

Jitter Physics 2: Robust 3D physics engine supporting extensive colliders, 7 constraint types, raycasting, and character controllers.

Spatial 3D Audio: Powered by MiniAudio with support for attenuation, Doppler effects, common audio formats, and a full effect chain.

Terrain System: Built-in quadtree LOD, heightmap/splatmap painting, and holes support.

GPU Instancing & Particles: High-performance GPU-instanced rendering for meshes, grass, trees, and particle systems with multi-module simulations.

Prefabs & Asset Management: Supports nested prefabs with override tracking alongside a GUID-based asset pipeline.

Input Action System: Action phases, composite bindings (e.g., WASD layouts), and multi-device support (keyboard, mouse, gamepad).

Script Hot-Reloading: Iterate on game logic quickly inside the editor without restarting the application.

Cross-Platform Build System: Export standalone applications with packed asset files (
Code:
.prowlpak
) for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Modular Ecosystem Sub-Libraries: Powered by specialized companion libraries handling UI (flexbox-style immediate mode), vector graphics/typography, 64-bit mathematics, serialization, and shader compilation.

Key Links

Prowl GitHub Repository

Prowl Modular Libraries Repository

Prowl Discord Server

You can learn more about the Prowl Game Engine and see it in action in the below.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] September Free GameDev Assets Round-Up]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113095.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:01:39 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113095.html
In addition to the Epic Games giveaway there are a few other new free resources of note. The Unity Asset store have resumed their Free Publisher Giveaways, this week it’s a Fog City (Mega Bubble) – cyberpunk, be sure to use the code ILRANCH2026 at checkout.

Over on Bundle Foundry we have the just launched Unreal & Unity Stylized Character Mega Bundle and the Master Character & Asset Art Tutorial Bundle – both with free tiers available. The Complete Game Audio Toolkit – Music & SFX Bundle by OVANI SOUND still also has a few remaining free Cyberpunk sounds pack. Do be aware, some of them have a limited number of free assets available, so act quickly!

The August free Fab asset giveaway consists of the following assets:

Kenney of Kenney.nl fame also released an updated version of their completely free City Kit(Industrial) pack with several new 3D models included.

If you are interested in getting these assets into other game engines, check out our various guides available here:

You can see all of these assets in action and several other free game development asset giveaways in the below. Links on this page may help support GFS in used (and thanks if you do!).]]>
In addition to the Epic Games giveaway there are a few other new free resources of note. The Unity Asset store have resumed their Free Publisher Giveaways, this week it’s a Fog City (Mega Bubble) – cyberpunk, be sure to use the code ILRANCH2026 at checkout.

Over on Bundle Foundry we have the just launched Unreal & Unity Stylized Character Mega Bundle and the Master Character & Asset Art Tutorial Bundle – both with free tiers available. The Complete Game Audio Toolkit – Music & SFX Bundle by OVANI SOUND still also has a few remaining free Cyberpunk sounds pack. Do be aware, some of them have a limited number of free assets available, so act quickly!

The August free Fab asset giveaway consists of the following assets:

Kenney of Kenney.nl fame also released an updated version of their completely free City Kit(Industrial) pack with several new 3D models included.

If you are interested in getting these assets into other game engines, check out our various guides available here:

You can see all of these assets in action and several other free game development asset giveaways in the below. Links on this page may help support GFS in used (and thanks if you do!).]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] ARMA Game & Game Engine Source Released]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113090.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:12:14 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113090.html
The best part of the source code release is Bohemia Interactive recently did a pass through the code, bring it up to C++ 20 standards. As part of the remaster they altered the source code to run on modern operating systems using modern hardware. Details of the remaster:
  • Native 64-bit support for Windows and Linux

  • New OpenGL 3.3 renderer tuned to preserve the original atmosphere

  • Modern input handling with support for modern peripherals and Steam Deck

  • Support for modern resolutions and ultrawide aspect ratios

  • Restored spatial audio support

  • improved stability and performance on current systems

  • LAN multiplayer, dedicated server support, and Voice over Network

  • Experimental Join in Progress support for compatible missions


The source code is available on GitHub under the GPL v3 license.

Key Links

ARMA Cold War Assault Source Code on GitHub

Remaster Steam Announcement

ARMA Cold War Assault on Steam

You can learn more about the ARMA Cold War Assault / Poseidon game engine open sourcing and the history of the ARMA game engines in the below.]]>
The best part of the source code release is Bohemia Interactive recently did a pass through the code, bring it up to C++ 20 standards. As part of the remaster they altered the source code to run on modern operating systems using modern hardware. Details of the remaster:
  • Native 64-bit support for Windows and Linux

  • New OpenGL 3.3 renderer tuned to preserve the original atmosphere

  • Modern input handling with support for modern peripherals and Steam Deck

  • Support for modern resolutions and ultrawide aspect ratios

  • Restored spatial audio support

  • improved stability and performance on current systems

  • LAN multiplayer, dedicated server support, and Voice over Network

  • Experimental Join in Progress support for compatible missions


The source code is available on GitHub under the GPL v3 license.

Key Links

ARMA Cold War Assault Source Code on GitHub

Remaster Steam Announcement

ARMA Cold War Assault on Steam

You can learn more about the ARMA Cold War Assault / Poseidon game engine open sourcing and the history of the ARMA game engines in the below.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] Unity 6.6 Released]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113080.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:50:23 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113080.html
Highlights of the Unity 6.6 release include:

Content Directories

Content Directories offer a flexible approach to local content management without forcing you to define your AssetBundle layout up front. Games can load only the exact assets they need, while teams using Addressables can adopt this workflow using their existing APIs.

Serialize Dictionaries

Unity 6.6 natively supports dictionary serialization directly in the Inspector without requiring custom wrapper code or boilerplate logic. Serialized dictionaries appear in an intuitive two-column key-value layout and feature compile-time validation rules for unsupported signatures.

2D Lighting Rendering Layer Support

2D lights can now utilize Rendering Layers alongside Sorting Layers, offering fine-grained control over which lights affect specific GameObjects. Furthermore, Unity can strip unused 2D light shader variants to optimize project performance.

Compile Shaders with DXC for DX12

A new setting in Shader Build Settings allows projects targeting DirectX 12 to compile shaders using the DirectX Shader Compiler (DXC). This unlocks modern HLSL and Shader Model 6 features—such as wave intrinsics and native 16-bit support—while improving compatibility with modern GPU profilers.

WebGPU Production Ready

WebGPU has officially graduated out of experimental status to become a fully supported, production-ready graphics API for Web builds. It brings modern desktop-grade rendering and compute shader capabilities to browser games, alongside new Graphics Device Filtering for seamless fallbacks to WebGL 2.

Compute Light Map Baking

The new Unity Compute Light Baker integrates directly into the Scriptable Render Pipelines Core stack using compute shaders and the Unified Ray Tracing API. It replaces older backend pipelines to deliver significantly faster generation times for lightmaps, light probes, and Adaptive Probe Volume data via hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Fast Enter Play Mode (Default)

To prepare for the move to CoreCLR in Unity 7, entering Play Mode now defaults to reloading scenes only without forcing a full code domain reload. This drastically speeds up iteration times when switching from Edit to Play mode in the Editor.

New Build Analysis Window

The Editor introduces a dedicated Build Analysis window to track build histories, compare builds, and inspect detailed timing statistics. It helps developers locate the largest asset dependencies, compare changes across Content Directory builds, and pinpoint the root causes of build failures.

Key Links

Unity 6.6 Release Discussion

What’s New in Unity 6.6

Unity 6.6 Release Notes

Unity Bundle on Bundle Foundry

Unity Bundle on Gumroad

You can learn more about all of these new features in the Unity 6.6 release in the below.]]>
Highlights of the Unity 6.6 release include:

Content Directories

Content Directories offer a flexible approach to local content management without forcing you to define your AssetBundle layout up front. Games can load only the exact assets they need, while teams using Addressables can adopt this workflow using their existing APIs.

Serialize Dictionaries

Unity 6.6 natively supports dictionary serialization directly in the Inspector without requiring custom wrapper code or boilerplate logic. Serialized dictionaries appear in an intuitive two-column key-value layout and feature compile-time validation rules for unsupported signatures.

2D Lighting Rendering Layer Support

2D lights can now utilize Rendering Layers alongside Sorting Layers, offering fine-grained control over which lights affect specific GameObjects. Furthermore, Unity can strip unused 2D light shader variants to optimize project performance.

Compile Shaders with DXC for DX12

A new setting in Shader Build Settings allows projects targeting DirectX 12 to compile shaders using the DirectX Shader Compiler (DXC). This unlocks modern HLSL and Shader Model 6 features—such as wave intrinsics and native 16-bit support—while improving compatibility with modern GPU profilers.

WebGPU Production Ready

WebGPU has officially graduated out of experimental status to become a fully supported, production-ready graphics API for Web builds. It brings modern desktop-grade rendering and compute shader capabilities to browser games, alongside new Graphics Device Filtering for seamless fallbacks to WebGL 2.

Compute Light Map Baking

The new Unity Compute Light Baker integrates directly into the Scriptable Render Pipelines Core stack using compute shaders and the Unified Ray Tracing API. It replaces older backend pipelines to deliver significantly faster generation times for lightmaps, light probes, and Adaptive Probe Volume data via hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Fast Enter Play Mode (Default)

To prepare for the move to CoreCLR in Unity 7, entering Play Mode now defaults to reloading scenes only without forcing a full code domain reload. This drastically speeds up iteration times when switching from Edit to Play mode in the Editor.

New Build Analysis Window

The Editor introduces a dedicated Build Analysis window to track build histories, compare builds, and inspect detailed timing statistics. It helps developers locate the largest asset dependencies, compare changes across Content Directory builds, and pinpoint the root causes of build failures.

Key Links

Unity 6.6 Release Discussion

What’s New in Unity 6.6

Unity 6.6 Release Notes

Unity Bundle on Bundle Foundry

Unity Bundle on Gumroad

You can learn more about all of these new features in the Unity 6.6 release in the below.]]> <![CDATA[[Dev News] August GameDev Deals Round-Up]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113085.html Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:41:55 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-113085.html
Unity Asset Store

Unity Fresh Assets 50% Off Sale

Unity Asset Store – Publisher of the Week Sale

Fab

Fab Sales – No Specific Sale or bundle right now but over 5K assets marked as on sale

Gumroad

Super Summersonic Limited-Time Mega Discounted Unreal Engine Bundle (Use code SS80 at checkout)

Super Summersonic Limited-Time Mega Discounted Unity Engine Bundle (Use code SS60… possibly SS80 at checkout)

Bundle Foundry

Game-Ready Worlds: Unreal & Unity Bundle – By Befour Studios

Blender & Unreal Engine Environment Mastery Bundle

The Mega Rural Unreal Engine Environment Bundle

The Complete Game Audio Toolkit – Music & SFX Bundle by OVANI SOUND

Unreal Engine Art Tutorial & Systems Mastery Bundle

Humble Bundle

Open World Essentials 2

KitBash3D Industrial Lands

The Builder’s Vault by Hivemind

Complete RPG Creator Bundle

Best of Leartes – Gigantic GameDev Assets and Tools Bundle

Cyberpunk Audio Cache Bundle

Audio Forge – GameDev Music and Voices Bundle

Blades, Blasters and Beasts Character Bundle

Using the above links to purchase assets may help support GFS (and thank you so much if you do!). If you want to convert an asset from one game engine to another be sure to check out the following guides:

You can learn more about the huge number of gamedev sales and bundles running in July in the below.]]>
Unity Asset Store

Unity Fresh Assets 50% Off Sale

Unity Asset Store – Publisher of the Week Sale

Fab

Fab Sales – No Specific Sale or bundle right now but over 5K assets marked as on sale

Gumroad

Super Summersonic Limited-Time Mega Discounted Unreal Engine Bundle (Use code SS80 at checkout)

Super Summersonic Limited-Time Mega Discounted Unity Engine Bundle (Use code SS60… possibly SS80 at checkout)

Bundle Foundry

Game-Ready Worlds: Unreal & Unity Bundle – By Befour Studios

Blender & Unreal Engine Environment Mastery Bundle

The Mega Rural Unreal Engine Environment Bundle

The Complete Game Audio Toolkit – Music & SFX Bundle by OVANI SOUND

Unreal Engine Art Tutorial & Systems Mastery Bundle

Humble Bundle

Open World Essentials 2

KitBash3D Industrial Lands

The Builder’s Vault by Hivemind

Complete RPG Creator Bundle

Best of Leartes – Gigantic GameDev Assets and Tools Bundle

Cyberpunk Audio Cache Bundle

Audio Forge – GameDev Music and Voices Bundle

Blades, Blasters and Beasts Character Bundle

Using the above links to purchase assets may help support GFS (and thank you so much if you do!). If you want to convert an asset from one game engine to another be sure to check out the following guides:

You can learn more about the huge number of gamedev sales and bundles running in July in the below.]]> <![CDATA[JetBrains Investigated by FBI in SolarWinds Hack Probe]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-101489.html Sun, 10 Sep 2023 17:59:24 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-101489.html JetBrains Investigated by FBI in SolarWinds Hack Probe

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jetbrains-investigated-by-fbi-in-solarwinds-hack-probe.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jetbrains-investigated-by-fbi-in-solarwinds-hack-probe.jpg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>JetBrains, maker of popular development software including the likes of IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, Project Rider, the Kotlin language and even the <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/jetbrains-mono-a-font-for-programmers/">Mono font</a>, are being investigated by the FBI as part of the SolarWinds hack probe according to the New York Times. The product in question targeted in this investigation is their build management solution <a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/teamcity/">TeamCity</a>. Please keep in mind, this is just an investigation at this point, there is no guilt established and no indication JetBrains products have been compromised.</p>
<p>From the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/russia-cyber-hack.html">New York Times article</a>, JetBrains deny any knowledge of a compromise in their software:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p>JetBrains said on Wednesday that it had not been contacted by government officials and was not aware of any compromise. The exact software that investigators are examining is a JetBrains product called TeamCity, which allows developers to test and exchange software code before its release. By compromising TeamCity, or exploiting gaps in how customers use the tool, cybersecurity experts say the Russian hackers could have invisibly planted back doors in an untold number of JetBrain’s clients.</p>
<p>Government officials are not certain how the compromise of the JetBrains software relates to the larger SolarWinds hacking. They are seeking to learn if it was a parallel way for Russia’s main intelligence agency to enter government and private systems, or whether it was the original pathway for Russian operatives to first infiltrate SolarWinds.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Information on the JetBrains investigation are limited, there is also an extremely short article <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/global-cyber-jetbrains/fbi-probe-of-major-hack-includes-project-management-software-from-jetbrains-sources-idINL1N2JH2AA">on Reuters</a>. The <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/solarwinds-hack-officially-blamed-on-russia-what-you-need-to-know/">extent of the SolarWinds hack </a>continue to grow daily. After the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKKdwdkDYEk">video </a>was published, JetBrains have issued a response to the New York Times article, included in full:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/russia-cyber-hack.html">New York Times has published a story</a>&nbsp;in which they point to JetBrains being under investigation and somehow related to the SolarWinds breach that recently took place.</p>
<p>First and foremost, JetBrains has not taken part or been involved in this attack in any way. SolarWinds is one of our customers and uses&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/teamcity/">TeamCity</a>, which is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/help/teamcity/continuous-integration-with-teamcity.html">Continuous Integration and Deployment System</a>, used as part of building software. SolarWinds has not contacted us with any details regarding the breach and the only information we have is what has been made publicly available. It’s important to stress that TeamCity is a complex product that requires proper configuration. If TeamCity has somehow been used in this process, it could very well be due to misconfiguration, and not a specific vulnerability. Furthermore, security is our top concern and we notify and manage updates transparently in our&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.jetbrains.com/?s=security+bulletin">Security Bulletin</a>.</p>
<p>Secondly, we have not been contacted by any government or security agency regarding this matter, nor are we aware of being under any investigation. If such an investigation is undertaken, the authorities can count on our full cooperation.</p>
<p>We remain open to answering any and all questions regarding this matter and as always are committed to delivering the best possible products and services to our customers.</p>
<p>Thank you<br />Maxim Shafirov<br />Chief Executive Officer</p>
</blockquote>
<div class="code-block code-block-1"> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-format="autorelaxed" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5156240514307514" data-ad-slot="1997524572"></ins>
</div>
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https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2021/01/...ack-probe/]]> JetBrains Investigated by FBI in SolarWinds Hack Probe

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jetbrains-investigated-by-fbi-in-solarwinds-hack-probe.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jetbrains-investigated-by-fbi-in-solarwinds-hack-probe.jpg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>JetBrains, maker of popular development software including the likes of IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, Project Rider, the Kotlin language and even the <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/jetbrains-mono-a-font-for-programmers/">Mono font</a>, are being investigated by the FBI as part of the SolarWinds hack probe according to the New York Times. The product in question targeted in this investigation is their build management solution <a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/teamcity/">TeamCity</a>. Please keep in mind, this is just an investigation at this point, there is no guilt established and no indication JetBrains products have been compromised.</p>
<p>From the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/russia-cyber-hack.html">New York Times article</a>, JetBrains deny any knowledge of a compromise in their software:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p>JetBrains said on Wednesday that it had not been contacted by government officials and was not aware of any compromise. The exact software that investigators are examining is a JetBrains product called TeamCity, which allows developers to test and exchange software code before its release. By compromising TeamCity, or exploiting gaps in how customers use the tool, cybersecurity experts say the Russian hackers could have invisibly planted back doors in an untold number of JetBrain’s clients.</p>
<p>Government officials are not certain how the compromise of the JetBrains software relates to the larger SolarWinds hacking. They are seeking to learn if it was a parallel way for Russia’s main intelligence agency to enter government and private systems, or whether it was the original pathway for Russian operatives to first infiltrate SolarWinds.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Information on the JetBrains investigation are limited, there is also an extremely short article <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/global-cyber-jetbrains/fbi-probe-of-major-hack-includes-project-management-software-from-jetbrains-sources-idINL1N2JH2AA">on Reuters</a>. The <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/solarwinds-hack-officially-blamed-on-russia-what-you-need-to-know/">extent of the SolarWinds hack </a>continue to grow daily. After the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKKdwdkDYEk">video </a>was published, JetBrains have issued a response to the New York Times article, included in full:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/russia-cyber-hack.html">New York Times has published a story</a>&nbsp;in which they point to JetBrains being under investigation and somehow related to the SolarWinds breach that recently took place.</p>
<p>First and foremost, JetBrains has not taken part or been involved in this attack in any way. SolarWinds is one of our customers and uses&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/teamcity/">TeamCity</a>, which is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jetbrains.com/help/teamcity/continuous-integration-with-teamcity.html">Continuous Integration and Deployment System</a>, used as part of building software. SolarWinds has not contacted us with any details regarding the breach and the only information we have is what has been made publicly available. It’s important to stress that TeamCity is a complex product that requires proper configuration. If TeamCity has somehow been used in this process, it could very well be due to misconfiguration, and not a specific vulnerability. Furthermore, security is our top concern and we notify and manage updates transparently in our&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.jetbrains.com/?s=security+bulletin">Security Bulletin</a>.</p>
<p>Secondly, we have not been contacted by any government or security agency regarding this matter, nor are we aware of being under any investigation. If such an investigation is undertaken, the authorities can count on our full cooperation.</p>
<p>We remain open to answering any and all questions regarding this matter and as always are committed to delivering the best possible products and services to our customers.</p>
<p>Thank you<br />Maxim Shafirov<br />Chief Executive Officer</p>
</blockquote>
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</div>


https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2021/01/...ack-probe/]]> <![CDATA[AI Powered Art Tools]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-101475.html Sun, 10 Sep 2023 00:54:39 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-101475.html AI Powered Art Tools

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ai-powered-art-tools.jpg" width="2560" height="1440" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ai-powered-art-tools.jpg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>Today we are going to look at two vastly different AI powered art generation tools, Luminar and NVIDIA GauGAN Beta. Luminar is a powerful art processing tool, a cross between Photoshop and Lightroom, but AI assisted. We recently covered <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/luminar-4-with-affinity-photo/">Luminar hands-on including how to use it with Affinity Photo here</a> and it is currently (2021-01-05) in the <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/software/aipowered-photo-editor-with-luminar-4-software?partner=gamefromscratch">final 24 hours of a Humble Bundle sale</a>.</p>
<p>NVIDIA GauGAN on the other-hand is a web based application that is <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/research/ai-playground/">part of the NVIDIA AI Playground</a>. GauGAN is described as:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p>GauGAN, named after post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, creates photorealistic images from segmentation maps, which are labeled sketches that depict the layout of a scene.</p>
<p>Artists can use paintbrush and paint bucket tools to design their own landscapes with labels like river, rock and cloud. A style transfer algorithm allows creators to apply filters — changing a daytime scene to sunset, or a photorealistic image to a painting. Users can even upload their own filters to layer onto their masterpieces, or upload custom segmentation maps and landscape images as a foundation for their artwork</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can learn more about GauGAN <a href="https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2019/07/30/gaugan-ai-painting/">here</a>, while technical details of the algorithm in the <a href="https://github.com/NVlabs/SPADE">open source implementation hosted on GitHub</a>. You can try an already trained version of the algorithm in action <a href="http://nvidia-research-mingyuliu.com/gaugan">here in your browser</a>.</p>
<p>These are not unique examples in terms of machine learning or AI enhanced art creation tools. In early 2020 <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/unity-acquire-artengine-maker-artomatix/">Unity acquired Artomatix</a>, the creator of ArtEngine, an AI driven material creation tool. Another project that was recently <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/cascadeur-now-in-open-beta/">featured on this site</a> is Cascadeur, a physics based animation tool that uses machine learning to help with animations. <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/deepmotion-animate-3d-alpha-review/">DeepMotion Animate 3D</a> is another recently featured machine learning based application, that takes simple 2D footage and makes a 3D rig and animation from the results.</p>
<p>The key thing in all of these tools thus far is they don’t seek to replace the artist, but augment them using deep or machine learning algorithms. You can check out NVIDIA GauGAN and Luminar in action in the <a href="https://youtu.be/SIUdUPjeatg">video </a>below. For a VERY limited time you can get Luminar on <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/software/aipowered-photo-editor-with-luminar-4-software?partner=gamefromscratch">Humble Bundle here</a>. [Expires 01/06! — GFS can receive a commission on Humble purchases]. So what do you say, are AI powered art tools the future?</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ast-oembed-container"><iframe class="youtube-player" width="1500" height="844" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SIUdUPjeatg?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation"></iframe></div>
</div>
</figure>
<div class="code-block code-block-1"> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-format="autorelaxed" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5156240514307514" data-ad-slot="1997524572"></ins>
</div>
</div>


https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2021/01/...art-tools/]]> AI Powered Art Tools

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ai-powered-art-tools.jpg" width="2560" height="1440" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ai-powered-art-tools.jpg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>Today we are going to look at two vastly different AI powered art generation tools, Luminar and NVIDIA GauGAN Beta. Luminar is a powerful art processing tool, a cross between Photoshop and Lightroom, but AI assisted. We recently covered <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/luminar-4-with-affinity-photo/">Luminar hands-on including how to use it with Affinity Photo here</a> and it is currently (2021-01-05) in the <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/software/aipowered-photo-editor-with-luminar-4-software?partner=gamefromscratch">final 24 hours of a Humble Bundle sale</a>.</p>
<p>NVIDIA GauGAN on the other-hand is a web based application that is <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/research/ai-playground/">part of the NVIDIA AI Playground</a>. GauGAN is described as:</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
<p>GauGAN, named after post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, creates photorealistic images from segmentation maps, which are labeled sketches that depict the layout of a scene.</p>
<p>Artists can use paintbrush and paint bucket tools to design their own landscapes with labels like river, rock and cloud. A style transfer algorithm allows creators to apply filters — changing a daytime scene to sunset, or a photorealistic image to a painting. Users can even upload their own filters to layer onto their masterpieces, or upload custom segmentation maps and landscape images as a foundation for their artwork</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can learn more about GauGAN <a href="https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2019/07/30/gaugan-ai-painting/">here</a>, while technical details of the algorithm in the <a href="https://github.com/NVlabs/SPADE">open source implementation hosted on GitHub</a>. You can try an already trained version of the algorithm in action <a href="http://nvidia-research-mingyuliu.com/gaugan">here in your browser</a>.</p>
<p>These are not unique examples in terms of machine learning or AI enhanced art creation tools. In early 2020 <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/unity-acquire-artengine-maker-artomatix/">Unity acquired Artomatix</a>, the creator of ArtEngine, an AI driven material creation tool. Another project that was recently <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/cascadeur-now-in-open-beta/">featured on this site</a> is Cascadeur, a physics based animation tool that uses machine learning to help with animations. <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/deepmotion-animate-3d-alpha-review/">DeepMotion Animate 3D</a> is another recently featured machine learning based application, that takes simple 2D footage and makes a 3D rig and animation from the results.</p>
<p>The key thing in all of these tools thus far is they don’t seek to replace the artist, but augment them using deep or machine learning algorithms. You can check out NVIDIA GauGAN and Luminar in action in the <a href="https://youtu.be/SIUdUPjeatg">video </a>below. For a VERY limited time you can get Luminar on <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/software/aipowered-photo-editor-with-luminar-4-software?partner=gamefromscratch">Humble Bundle here</a>. [Expires 01/06! — GFS can receive a commission on Humble purchases]. So what do you say, are AI powered art tools the future?</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ast-oembed-container"><iframe class="youtube-player" width="1500" height="844" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SIUdUPjeatg?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation"></iframe></div>
</div>
</figure>
<div class="code-block code-block-1"> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-format="autorelaxed" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5156240514307514" data-ad-slot="1997524572"></ins>
</div>
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https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2021/01/...art-tools/]]> <![CDATA[Scatter for Godot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-101458.html Sat, 09 Sep 2023 06:09:02 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-101458.html Scatter for Godot

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/scatter-for-godot.png" width="1920" height="1080" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/scatter-for-godot.png" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>Today we are looking at Scatter for the Godot Game Engine. Scatter is a Godot add-on that makes it incredibly easy to instance mesh objects in your game level. This makes level design tasks like placing grass, paths, fences, etc incredibly simple. Additionally Scatter supports instancing multiple meshes (think different tree meshes to make a forest) in the same scatter, excluding splines or points from being scatter targets and more.</p>
<p>Scatter is an open source project with the source code <a href="https://github.com/HungryProton/scatter">hosted on GitHub</a> under the MIT open source license. The project is implemented as a simple Godot add-on, so simply clone the repository into your projects Addons folder (or create one if you don’t have one already). Next load your project, go to Project Settings, then Plugins and make sure Scatter is enabled.</p>
<p>Once scattered is enabled, you create a Scatter object. This is a spline path that defines the boundaries of the scatter object. You need to add a ScatterItem child to your Scatter, then add a MeshInstance to the ScatterItem. This mesh instance is the 3D model that will be “scattered” around the boundary defined by the Scatter path.</p>
<p>The creator of the Scatter add-on also created Concept Graph for Godot, an excellent procedural generation extension we <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/concept-graph-procedural-content-generation-for-godot/">previously covered here</a>. You can learn more about Scatter for Godot and see it in action in the <a href="https://youtu.be/MB3Vz6JFAOA">video </a>below.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
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https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2021/01/...for-godot/]]> Scatter for Godot

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/scatter-for-godot.png" width="1920" height="1080" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/scatter-for-godot.png" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>Today we are looking at Scatter for the Godot Game Engine. Scatter is a Godot add-on that makes it incredibly easy to instance mesh objects in your game level. This makes level design tasks like placing grass, paths, fences, etc incredibly simple. Additionally Scatter supports instancing multiple meshes (think different tree meshes to make a forest) in the same scatter, excluding splines or points from being scatter targets and more.</p>
<p>Scatter is an open source project with the source code <a href="https://github.com/HungryProton/scatter">hosted on GitHub</a> under the MIT open source license. The project is implemented as a simple Godot add-on, so simply clone the repository into your projects Addons folder (or create one if you don’t have one already). Next load your project, go to Project Settings, then Plugins and make sure Scatter is enabled.</p>
<p>Once scattered is enabled, you create a Scatter object. This is a spline path that defines the boundaries of the scatter object. You need to add a ScatterItem child to your Scatter, then add a MeshInstance to the ScatterItem. This mesh instance is the 3D model that will be “scattered” around the boundary defined by the Scatter path.</p>
<p>The creator of the Scatter add-on also created Concept Graph for Godot, an excellent procedural generation extension we <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/concept-graph-procedural-content-generation-for-godot/">previously covered here</a>. You can learn more about Scatter for Godot and see it in action in the <a href="https://youtu.be/MB3Vz6JFAOA">video </a>below.</p>
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<div class="ast-oembed-container"><iframe class="youtube-player" width="1500" height="844" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MB3Vz6JFAOA?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation"></iframe></div>
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https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2021/01/...for-godot/]]> <![CDATA[Blender in 2021]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-101443.html Fri, 08 Sep 2023 06:46:40 -0200 xSicKxBot]]> https://sickgaming.net/thread-101443.html Blender in 2021

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blender-in-2021.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blender-in-2021.jpg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>The Blender Foundation have just announced their “Big Projects” list for Blender in 2021. It is hard to argue that 2020 wasn’t a banner year for Blender development, with <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-82-released/">three </a><a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-90-released/">major </a><a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-91-released/">releases</a> as well as the first ever <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-83-lts-released/">LTS release</a>. Through 2020 we saw improvements to the Blender UI/UX, sculpting tools, modeling, EEVEE, Cycles and so much more. We also saw a record number of massive companies coming on board the Blender development fund. With the release today of the <a href="https://www.blender.org/press/big-blender-projects-for-2021/">projects list</a>, we get insight into the Blender priorities in 2021, including priorities such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>launch of a new open movie called Sprite Fight</li>
<li>the everything nodes project, where everything in Blender will be able to be driven procedurally using nodes (see <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-92-geometry-nodes/">Geometry Nodes in action here</a>)</li>
<li>all new Asset Browsers editor window for better content management</li>
<li>massive improvements to the VSE or Video Sequence Editor</li>
<li>EEVEE real-time rendering improvements including Vulkan support, motion blur, depth of field and possibly raytracing</li>
<li>VR improvements including the ability to use VR controllers and author content in virtual reality</li>
<li>Cycles rendering improvements especially related to perfromance</li>
<li>Animation 22 (previously Animation 2020), an effort to improve animation tools in Blender, <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/amazon-aws-join-blender-as-corporate-sponsor/">sponsored by AWS</a></li>
<li>improved pipeline and USD support, Pixar’s open interchange format</li>
</ul>
<p>You can learn more about the Blender’s accomplishments in 2020, as well as the new projects in 2021 in the <a href="https://youtu.be/mU387jw8UNU">video </a>below.</p>
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<div class="ast-oembed-container"><iframe class="youtube-player" width="1500" height="844" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mU387jw8UNU?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation"></iframe></div>
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https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2021/01/...r-in-2021/]]> Blender in 2021

<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blender-in-2021.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" title="" alt="" /></div><div><div><img decoding="async" src="https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blender-in-2021.jpg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>The Blender Foundation have just announced their “Big Projects” list for Blender in 2021. It is hard to argue that 2020 wasn’t a banner year for Blender development, with <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-82-released/">three </a><a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-90-released/">major </a><a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-91-released/">releases</a> as well as the first ever <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-83-lts-released/">LTS release</a>. Through 2020 we saw improvements to the Blender UI/UX, sculpting tools, modeling, EEVEE, Cycles and so much more. We also saw a record number of massive companies coming on board the Blender development fund. With the release today of the <a href="https://www.blender.org/press/big-blender-projects-for-2021/">projects list</a>, we get insight into the Blender priorities in 2021, including priorities such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>launch of a new open movie called Sprite Fight</li>
<li>the everything nodes project, where everything in Blender will be able to be driven procedurally using nodes (see <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/blender-2-92-geometry-nodes/">Geometry Nodes in action here</a>)</li>
<li>all new Asset Browsers editor window for better content management</li>
<li>massive improvements to the VSE or Video Sequence Editor</li>
<li>EEVEE real-time rendering improvements including Vulkan support, motion blur, depth of field and possibly raytracing</li>
<li>VR improvements including the ability to use VR controllers and author content in virtual reality</li>
<li>Cycles rendering improvements especially related to perfromance</li>
<li>Animation 22 (previously Animation 2020), an effort to improve animation tools in Blender, <a href="https://gamefromscratch.com/amazon-aws-join-blender-as-corporate-sponsor/">sponsored by AWS</a></li>
<li>improved pipeline and USD support, Pixar’s open interchange format</li>
</ul>
<p>You can learn more about the Blender’s accomplishments in 2020, as well as the new projects in 2021 in the <a href="https://youtu.be/mU387jw8UNU">video </a>below.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ast-oembed-container"><iframe class="youtube-player" width="1500" height="844" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mU387jw8UNU?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation"></iframe></div>
</div>
</figure>
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https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2021/01/...r-in-2021/]]>