Has anyone seen this yet?
These guys are working on it.
Yeah, I think there’s a lot of potential in voxel-based rendering. AMD (the ATI nameplate was still in use at the time) released some pretty cool tech demo videos a few years back that demonstrated a real-time voxel renderer that featured ray-tracing.
Seen it. Not super impressed but it’s interesting with new techniques.
Funny they don’t compare their tech against DX11 tessellation when talking about “unlimited detail”. They compare it to DX10 games… so not that confident in their own stuff?
Would be nice if they at least compared it to PS3 and Xbox 360 games on a PC with the same specs so it can be properly valuated against what the limitations that the majority of games companies has to work with. Just Cause 2 for example (before my time at Avalanche) which is used as a comparison in that video has the same content on consoles and PC so of course it’s lower detail as it’s really for another platform with set limitations.
Here’s a good article from Notch (of Minecraft) about it:
http://notch.tumblr.com/post/8386977075/its-a-scam
Like we’ve said before (this isn’t the first thing this company has shown), they’re doing a very specific thing that isn’t entirely new and isn’t very applicable to most games. I’ll be improved when/if they can make a more functional demo (chars, less repetition), but nothing I’ve seen from them shows me that they’re on their way towards that.
What is most amazing is how much exposure these guys generate for not much. Every time they release a video, they end up with an article in the New York Times and shit. I’m sure they’re aiming to be bought out and they probably should be.
What Rob said. Somehow they have a knack for going viral every time they pop their heads out from behind the voxels. We could learn a thing or two. 
Well the new video does mention an SDK release in a few months, so I guess when that’s out it can be seen what you can actually make out of the technology. One note from the showreel is only the attention on modelling, nothing about animations, physics etc.
Thanks for that article Rob, it’s always nice to see both sides of the spectrum.
[QUOTE=Rob Galanakis;11579]What is most amazing is how much exposure these guys generate for not much. Every time they release a video, they end up with an article in the New York Times and shit. I’m sure they’re aiming to be bought out and they probably should be.[/QUOTE]
Not only that, but controversial comments as well.
The lead on that project is nothing short of arrogant, and it really spikes the slashdot meter when he tells everyone how his tech is awesome and everything we are actually doing in the trenches blows.
Good stuff!
If the game industry would have gone with voxel engines instead of poly engines on silicone we’d be working in the medical industry…
It just wasn’t (and still isn’t) practical given the price range a typical user will spend on HW to drive games. One day, sure.
And I too want to see a REAL example of use, not some repeating, static environmental fly thru.
[QUOTE=Amorano;11592]
And I too want to see a REAL example of use, not some repeating, static environmental fly thru.[/QUOTE]
Don’t you know? That’s how you sell an engine in game development, voxels or not. Animation? We don’t need none of your fancy shmancy moving things cluttering up our beautiful static environments.:laugh:
playing devils advocate…even if it was just for static objects, ground planes sure could use some loving in most games…
[QUOTE=djTomServo;11595]Don’t you know? That’s how you sell an engine in game development, voxels or not. Animation? We don’t need none of your fancy shmancy moving things cluttering up our beautiful static environments.:laugh:[/QUOTE]
we have 3d dirt!
[QUOTE=jeremyc;11599]we have 3d dirt![/QUOTE]
we’ve HAD 3D dirt!