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NQ-Deckard

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  1. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Vagnluv in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  2. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Serula in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  3. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from StarWuz in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  4. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Feriniya in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  5. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Knight-Sevy in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  6. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from An0ubiS in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  7. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Zychov in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  8. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from admsve in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  9. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Davian_Thadd in Welcome our new CEO   
    Dear Noveans,
     
    Earlier this year, we announced that JC was transitioning to a new role as a board member and board advisor and that Nicolas Granatino, a long-standing backer of Novaquark via Andurance Venture, had been appointed chairman of the board. 
     
    We’re happy to share with you today that Nouredine Abboud has joined the company as CEO of Novaquark. Nouredine has more than 15 years of experience in the industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with an impressive catalog of work that includes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon games. 
     
    As CEO, his primary focus is on the business side of things, so you probably won’t see him participating on the forums much. As we reach the final stretch leading to the launch of the game, the team already in place will continue to work on improving Dual Universe with NQ-Kyrios continuing his work as creative director.
     
    We can’t wait to share with you the exciting things that are cooking for the game and for the company in 2022. Stay tuned!

    Welcome thread is here if you'd like to say hello to Nouredine. 
     
  10. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from DropNod in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  11. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Joxico in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  12. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from TannhainRP in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  13. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from antanox in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  14. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Stan in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  15. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from carlmessy in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  16. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Squidrew_ in DEMETER PREVIEW ON TEST SERVER   
    As announced in the Inside Novaquark: Demeter vlog, the Dual Universe public test server (PTS) will be available to enable players to explore the new features and changes we’ve been working on for the Demeter update. The database has been mirrored from the current build on our live server to the test server so that your inventory, talents, and constructs will be readily available. 
     
    SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
     
    Since Demeter introduces significant server-side changes via the integration of hexoctree technology, we need to ensure that we run a charge test on the PTS to assess the stability of these changes. We’ve planned two dedicated time slots where players will be able to play with Novaquark staff, and we kindly ask you to try to connect to the PTS during these two slots.
     
    There will be two long weekends, of three to four days each, for testing Demeter on PTS:
    October 29th - PTS opens with NQ personnel and players at 13:00 UTC and will remain open until 08:00 UTC on November 1st, and/or...
    November 5th - PTS opening with a potential second event with NQ personnel and players (depending on the October 29th event). PTS server will remain open until 08:00 UTC on November 8th.
     
    You will also be able to play around with mining units, an exciting addition to the game that will negate the need to dig underground. And, with mining units, a new minigame used to calibrate mining units and increase their output efficiency. It will also trigger spawns of rocks for surface harvesting. 
     
    In view of the impending geometry reset, we highly recommend that all players spend some time on PTS to see how their constructs will be impacted. The geometry reset is not a wipe. Structures above ground will not be affected. Anything below ground is still there; you will only need to clear out the dirt around subterranean constructs. Inventory will not be impacted in any way. Points invested in mining-related talents will be credited back to your talent points pool. (Note that this will not be the case for the PTS, as you can simply refund your talent points there by typing /respec in chat and then reconnecting to the PTS.)
     
    DIGGERS GONNA DIG
    It’s important to stress that you will still be able to dig to create underground constructs and do some terraforming. The difference now will be that you won’t collect ore while doing so. 
     
    If you haven’t watched the vlog yet, we highly encourage you to do so. In particular, you should watch this segment that shows how the geometry reset can affect an existing, pre-Demeter subterranean construct and the “quick clear tool” assistance we may be able to offer to owners of very large underground constructs.  
     
    We ask that requests for construct excavation assistance be submitted before Demeter launches. This is available only for static constructs built before the Demeter release. (The launch date for the update is TBD, but we will give plenty of advance notice beforehand.) You’ll need to use this handy form to submit your request, and be sure to include the following information: 
    Owner name (player or organization) Construct Name Construct Size (dropdown) Construct Location (orbital body dropdown) Coordinates An image of your construct  
    Excavation will begin one day after Demeter launches and might take a few days to complete, depending on the number of requests. The queue will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. The sooner you submit your request, the closer you’ll be to the top of the list. It’s important to note that the excavation tool carves out a cube whose dimensions are determined by the voxel boundary box of the construct. Construct owners will still need to do clean-up here and there. For the best results, or if you are under time pressure, we strongly encourage construct owners to do their own clearing, thus ensuring that the area meets your exact standards for form and style.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION
    Feedback and comments regarding Demeter on PTS can be shared in this forum thread.
    Bugs can be reported in this forum thread.
  17. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Markones in INSIDE NOVAQUARK: DEMETER EDITION   
    Members of the Dual Universe dev team joined forces to talk about Dual Universe’s next update, Demeter, which focuses primarily around mining. 
     
    In this vlog, you’ll meet: 
    NQ-Sesch, General Manager of Novaquark-Montreal NQ-Kyrios, Creative Director NQ-Entropy, Game Designer NQ-Sirg, Technical Director NQ-Deckard, Live Ops Specialist  
    Topics include:
    How we're implementing a new voxel grid on planets called hexoctrees, which will significantly decrease database costs and improve performance for players. The fundamental changes to mining, including the removal of underground ore, how mining units work and how their efficiency can be optimized. How the management of territories is impacted with the introduction of monthly ownership fees among other changes. How these changes include a reset of the planets’ geometry and the potential impact on some players with underground bases. How Novaquark is trying to help such players ahead of the launch of Demeter.  
    To allow players the opportunity to see and experience these changes first-hand, including the effects of the geometry reset on their constructs, the public test server will be available soon with a preview of Demeter. The PTS will host a fresh copy of the database from Live so that all of your inventory and constructs will be waiting for you there . 
     
    We highly encourage DU community members to watch the vlog and join us on PTS to try all the things. Questions or comments about the vlog? We have the perfect place for those on our forum. 
     
  18. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Markones in DEMETER PREVIEW ON TEST SERVER   
    As announced in the Inside Novaquark: Demeter vlog, the Dual Universe public test server (PTS) will be available to enable players to explore the new features and changes we’ve been working on for the Demeter update. The database has been mirrored from the current build on our live server to the test server so that your inventory, talents, and constructs will be readily available. 
     
    SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
     
    Since Demeter introduces significant server-side changes via the integration of hexoctree technology, we need to ensure that we run a charge test on the PTS to assess the stability of these changes. We’ve planned two dedicated time slots where players will be able to play with Novaquark staff, and we kindly ask you to try to connect to the PTS during these two slots.
     
    There will be two long weekends, of three to four days each, for testing Demeter on PTS:
    October 29th - PTS opens with NQ personnel and players at 13:00 UTC and will remain open until 08:00 UTC on November 1st, and/or...
    November 5th - PTS opening with a potential second event with NQ personnel and players (depending on the October 29th event). PTS server will remain open until 08:00 UTC on November 8th.
     
    You will also be able to play around with mining units, an exciting addition to the game that will negate the need to dig underground. And, with mining units, a new minigame used to calibrate mining units and increase their output efficiency. It will also trigger spawns of rocks for surface harvesting. 
     
    In view of the impending geometry reset, we highly recommend that all players spend some time on PTS to see how their constructs will be impacted. The geometry reset is not a wipe. Structures above ground will not be affected. Anything below ground is still there; you will only need to clear out the dirt around subterranean constructs. Inventory will not be impacted in any way. Points invested in mining-related talents will be credited back to your talent points pool. (Note that this will not be the case for the PTS, as you can simply refund your talent points there by typing /respec in chat and then reconnecting to the PTS.)
     
    DIGGERS GONNA DIG
    It’s important to stress that you will still be able to dig to create underground constructs and do some terraforming. The difference now will be that you won’t collect ore while doing so. 
     
    If you haven’t watched the vlog yet, we highly encourage you to do so. In particular, you should watch this segment that shows how the geometry reset can affect an existing, pre-Demeter subterranean construct and the “quick clear tool” assistance we may be able to offer to owners of very large underground constructs.  
     
    We ask that requests for construct excavation assistance be submitted before Demeter launches. This is available only for static constructs built before the Demeter release. (The launch date for the update is TBD, but we will give plenty of advance notice beforehand.) You’ll need to use this handy form to submit your request, and be sure to include the following information: 
    Owner name (player or organization) Construct Name Construct Size (dropdown) Construct Location (orbital body dropdown) Coordinates An image of your construct  
    Excavation will begin one day after Demeter launches and might take a few days to complete, depending on the number of requests. The queue will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. The sooner you submit your request, the closer you’ll be to the top of the list. It’s important to note that the excavation tool carves out a cube whose dimensions are determined by the voxel boundary box of the construct. Construct owners will still need to do clean-up here and there. For the best results, or if you are under time pressure, we strongly encourage construct owners to do their own clearing, thus ensuring that the area meets your exact standards for form and style.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION
    Feedback and comments regarding Demeter on PTS can be shared in this forum thread.
    Bugs can be reported in this forum thread.
  19. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from i2eilly in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  20. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Cabana in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  21. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Geo in DEMETER PREVIEW ON TEST SERVER   
    As announced in the Inside Novaquark: Demeter vlog, the Dual Universe public test server (PTS) will be available to enable players to explore the new features and changes we’ve been working on for the Demeter update. The database has been mirrored from the current build on our live server to the test server so that your inventory, talents, and constructs will be readily available. 
     
    SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
     
    Since Demeter introduces significant server-side changes via the integration of hexoctree technology, we need to ensure that we run a charge test on the PTS to assess the stability of these changes. We’ve planned two dedicated time slots where players will be able to play with Novaquark staff, and we kindly ask you to try to connect to the PTS during these two slots.
     
    There will be two long weekends, of three to four days each, for testing Demeter on PTS:
    October 29th - PTS opens with NQ personnel and players at 13:00 UTC and will remain open until 08:00 UTC on November 1st, and/or...
    November 5th - PTS opening with a potential second event with NQ personnel and players (depending on the October 29th event). PTS server will remain open until 08:00 UTC on November 8th.
     
    You will also be able to play around with mining units, an exciting addition to the game that will negate the need to dig underground. And, with mining units, a new minigame used to calibrate mining units and increase their output efficiency. It will also trigger spawns of rocks for surface harvesting. 
     
    In view of the impending geometry reset, we highly recommend that all players spend some time on PTS to see how their constructs will be impacted. The geometry reset is not a wipe. Structures above ground will not be affected. Anything below ground is still there; you will only need to clear out the dirt around subterranean constructs. Inventory will not be impacted in any way. Points invested in mining-related talents will be credited back to your talent points pool. (Note that this will not be the case for the PTS, as you can simply refund your talent points there by typing /respec in chat and then reconnecting to the PTS.)
     
    DIGGERS GONNA DIG
    It’s important to stress that you will still be able to dig to create underground constructs and do some terraforming. The difference now will be that you won’t collect ore while doing so. 
     
    If you haven’t watched the vlog yet, we highly encourage you to do so. In particular, you should watch this segment that shows how the geometry reset can affect an existing, pre-Demeter subterranean construct and the “quick clear tool” assistance we may be able to offer to owners of very large underground constructs.  
     
    We ask that requests for construct excavation assistance be submitted before Demeter launches. This is available only for static constructs built before the Demeter release. (The launch date for the update is TBD, but we will give plenty of advance notice beforehand.) You’ll need to use this handy form to submit your request, and be sure to include the following information: 
    Owner name (player or organization) Construct Name Construct Size (dropdown) Construct Location (orbital body dropdown) Coordinates An image of your construct  
    Excavation will begin one day after Demeter launches and might take a few days to complete, depending on the number of requests. The queue will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. The sooner you submit your request, the closer you’ll be to the top of the list. It’s important to note that the excavation tool carves out a cube whose dimensions are determined by the voxel boundary box of the construct. Construct owners will still need to do clean-up here and there. For the best results, or if you are under time pressure, we strongly encourage construct owners to do their own clearing, thus ensuring that the area meets your exact standards for form and style.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION
    Feedback and comments regarding Demeter on PTS can be shared in this forum thread.
    Bugs can be reported in this forum thread.
  22. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Shaman in DEMETER PTS PREVIEW - Discussion Thread   
    Hello Noveans!
     
    We would love to hear all your feedback on the PTS version of Demeter, come and join us and let us know here what you think.
    Bugs should be reported here.
  23. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from Shaman in DEMETER PREVIEW ON TEST SERVER   
    As announced in the Inside Novaquark: Demeter vlog, the Dual Universe public test server (PTS) will be available to enable players to explore the new features and changes we’ve been working on for the Demeter update. The database has been mirrored from the current build on our live server to the test server so that your inventory, talents, and constructs will be readily available. 
     
    SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
     
    Since Demeter introduces significant server-side changes via the integration of hexoctree technology, we need to ensure that we run a charge test on the PTS to assess the stability of these changes. We’ve planned two dedicated time slots where players will be able to play with Novaquark staff, and we kindly ask you to try to connect to the PTS during these two slots.
     
    There will be two long weekends, of three to four days each, for testing Demeter on PTS:
    October 29th - PTS opens with NQ personnel and players at 13:00 UTC and will remain open until 08:00 UTC on November 1st, and/or...
    November 5th - PTS opening with a potential second event with NQ personnel and players (depending on the October 29th event). PTS server will remain open until 08:00 UTC on November 8th.
     
    You will also be able to play around with mining units, an exciting addition to the game that will negate the need to dig underground. And, with mining units, a new minigame used to calibrate mining units and increase their output efficiency. It will also trigger spawns of rocks for surface harvesting. 
     
    In view of the impending geometry reset, we highly recommend that all players spend some time on PTS to see how their constructs will be impacted. The geometry reset is not a wipe. Structures above ground will not be affected. Anything below ground is still there; you will only need to clear out the dirt around subterranean constructs. Inventory will not be impacted in any way. Points invested in mining-related talents will be credited back to your talent points pool. (Note that this will not be the case for the PTS, as you can simply refund your talent points there by typing /respec in chat and then reconnecting to the PTS.)
     
    DIGGERS GONNA DIG
    It’s important to stress that you will still be able to dig to create underground constructs and do some terraforming. The difference now will be that you won’t collect ore while doing so. 
     
    If you haven’t watched the vlog yet, we highly encourage you to do so. In particular, you should watch this segment that shows how the geometry reset can affect an existing, pre-Demeter subterranean construct and the “quick clear tool” assistance we may be able to offer to owners of very large underground constructs.  
     
    We ask that requests for construct excavation assistance be submitted before Demeter launches. This is available only for static constructs built before the Demeter release. (The launch date for the update is TBD, but we will give plenty of advance notice beforehand.) You’ll need to use this handy form to submit your request, and be sure to include the following information: 
    Owner name (player or organization) Construct Name Construct Size (dropdown) Construct Location (orbital body dropdown) Coordinates An image of your construct  
    Excavation will begin one day after Demeter launches and might take a few days to complete, depending on the number of requests. The queue will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. The sooner you submit your request, the closer you’ll be to the top of the list. It’s important to note that the excavation tool carves out a cube whose dimensions are determined by the voxel boundary box of the construct. Construct owners will still need to do clean-up here and there. For the best results, or if you are under time pressure, we strongly encourage construct owners to do their own clearing, thus ensuring that the area meets your exact standards for form and style.

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION
    Feedback and comments regarding Demeter on PTS can be shared in this forum thread.
    Bugs can be reported in this forum thread.
  24. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from WarrenOne in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
  25. Like
    NQ-Deckard got a reaction from GEEKsogen in VOXEL COMPLEXITY AND THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL   
    Voxels make up almost everything you see in the world of Dual Universe. Currently, most creations are made using the basic tools we provide with standard shapes such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, wedges, and tetrahedrons. 
     
    More intricate designs can be achieved through the art of ‘voxelmancy’ where players customize the shapes of voxels using a variety of methods and techniques based on how voxels react to each other when placed. This very advanced technique allows voxelmancers to place each corner of a voxel exactly where they want it. To do that, they use what is called a ‘voxel reactor’.
     

     
    Voxel reactors, as amazingly useful as they are, have three major drawbacks:
    They are time consuming to use. They are not very intuitive for beginners. They are laid out in a checkered pattern in all three dimensions.  
    The last item on that list poses some technical problems. 

    VOXEL COMPLEXITY
    When we are effectively applying a checkered pattern of voxels of different colors or even air, it creates a relatively large amount of small surfaces. This doesn’t really pose a problem for a single reactor, but can be a performance burden for some voxel libraries that consist of thousands of reactors.
     
    With more and more detailed constructs of complex design being built, it’s become problematic for the ‘mesh service’ system that generates the shapes that you see when not in build mode. On a few rare occasions, highly-detailed constructs may not render at all or their honeycomb will disappear. 
     
    To prevent this from happening, we will gradually implement a limitation to the complexity that can be created in a single chunk of voxels. It will start with a simple complexity gauge in Demeter:
    With the launch of Demeter, you will start by seeing a new feedback gauge while building which highlights the region you’re actively working on and will appear as a bar in the HUD that indicates the complexity level of that region as a percentage.  In a future update (exact update number still to be discussed), we will introduce the eagerly-awaited vertex precision tool (Known to many of you as the fabled vertex editor) as a way to ensure that the limitation to voxel reactors doesn’t hinder players’ ability to create amazing constructs in the game. (More on that below.) In a subsequent future (and yet undefined) update, we will enforce the complexity value limit to be 100% for any new voxel operations. As such, old constructs and blueprints will not be altered by this but may become unalterable if they are above the limit in a region. Rest assured that if you have an existing construct that’s above the limitation, you will still be able to use it as is.  
    With all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

    THE VERTEX PRECISION TOOL
    There is currently a bit of a gap between learning how to build using the basic tools and more advanced voxelmancy techniques, something we’ve wanted to address for a long time. The introduction of the vertex precision tool in a future update will allow you to take any vertex (a corner of a voxel) and move it to a new location on any of its three axes inside the vertex's moveable area at different resolutions. This will provide an intuitive way that fills that crucial gap between basic building and advanced voxelmancy to fine-tune your builds.
     
    See the video below for a demonstration of how this works. Please keep in mind that the video only shows an early prototype, but we think it’s already promising enough to make you as excited as we are about the possibilities of this tool.
     
     

     

     
    VENI, VIDI, VOXIED
    I came, I saw, I voxeled 
     
    We hope that these voxelmancy changes, along with all of the great new Lua functions added in the Selene update, will inspire and encourage you to make even more amazing things than you already are. 
     
    Check out our Tutorials page for even more ideas and tips on using voxels to bring your creativity to life in Dual Universe. 
     
    As always, we’d love to hear your comments and answer your questions on the forum. 
     
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