GENERAL DESCRIPTION

An Open-Source (GNU LGPL) 3d graphics API for Game/Visualization Development. 

U3D is NOT a game, it is a library that can be used in order to create a 3d game or any other

3D application. It contains high-level C++ classes in order the programmer to handle 3d objects, sounds, Input/Output and many more (see Features below).

U3D is going to be small, so it is easily downloadable. 

Goals:

- Small, Portable, Fast

- C++ Class-based API

- OpenGL hardware accelerated

- Support for most popular platforms (Linux, BeOS, Unix, Win32, MacOS)

Requirements:

- SDL lib from http://www.libsdl.org

- Mesa3D from http://www.mesa3d.org or any other OpenGL driver

- A C++ compiler, like EGCS (linux) or Visual C++ (win32)

U3D should work on any platform the above libraries support.

FEATURES - ALREADY DONE

- Basic classes (vertices, triangles, lists, groups) and Optimizations

- Quake-style (6DOF) Camera

- Materials/Textures (BMP, TGA... ) with ability to change quality on the fly.

- .ASE (3DSMAX), .BMF (View3DS) file reader

- Dynamic/Static Object Transformations

- Fast View Frustum Culling with Hierachical Bounding Boxes

- 2D Text

- Self Generated Dynamic Level-Of-Detail

- Gouraud (per Vertex) Global and Local Lighting

- Octree Scene Partitioning Scene management

- Pseudo 3D and Global SOUND Sources 

- Collision Detection through Hierachical Bounding Boxes

- Mouse and Keyboard Event Handlers

- Linear FOG

- OpenGL Dynamic Lighting

- Transparency

- Multithreading

- Real Time Shadows

- Simple GUI

- Vertex Arrays

- Multitexturing (can be used for Static Lightmap support)

- Cube Environment Mapping through GL_EXTENSIONS

- Support for T&L GPUs (Nvidia Geforce series.....)

- Dynamically load OPENGL LIBRARY

- Quaternion Rotations

- Billboard

- Particle System

- Basic Networking Classes ( currently Linux only)

- .u3d file format with streaming capabilities

- Per vertex raytracing

FEATURES - WISH LIST

- .3DS/.OBJ Loader

- Real 3D Sound through OpenAL

- Reflections

- Bezier Curves

- Bump Mapping

- Occlusion Culling

- Utility Classes (for terrain generation..... and other)