Introducing Woof3D, a new crossplatform 3D API

[jahc]

Woof3D is a shared library for Amiga, Windows95 and Linux x86. It offers a very SIMPLE way to create 3D program in C.

So Woof 3D is a graphic engine mainly a 3D engine for texturing 3D polygons much more like 3D cards.
It evolved a lot from it's starting in May 2000 and now offers high level and low level fonctions for 3D and 2D graphics.

Why an other  3D engine ?
=========================
# Cause Woof3D is very  SIMPLE to program. You don't need to know
  anything about the supported OS  
# Cause Woof3D offer true cross platforming with  Linux X86,
  Windows95, AmigaOS 68K versions (one C source for all).
# Cause Woof3D offer high level functions like direct Vscape
  or Caligari files handling.
# CauseWoof3D also offer basic 2D and 3D primitives that allow
  to program lots of simple graphics softwares like OS-friendly games.
# Cause beginners in C langage dont have to know about pointers
  or dereferencing to use Woof3D
   
Supported platforms
===================
# PC x86 with Windows95 and DirectDraw (2D hardware acceleration)
# Amiga 68k with  AmigaOS 3.0-3.9 and Cybergraphics/Picasso96  
  (2D hardware acceleration ) or any computer emulating an Amiga
  the same way (with WinUAE,  DosUAE, etc…)
# Amiga 68k with AmigaOS 3.0-3.9 and a Warp3D 3D card (3D hardware
  acceleration )
# PC x86 with Linux and Xwindow (2D hardware acceleration )

Installation
============
# AmigaOS
 copy woof3d.library to LIBS:
# Windows
 copy woof3d.dll in C:\Windows\System
# Linux (install as root)
 cp libwoof3d.so.1.0 /lib
 ln -s libwoof3d.so.1.0 libwoof3d.so.1
 ln -s libwoof3d.so.1 libwoof3d.so

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[yssing]

Greta.. Anything that makes programming easier, or should I say faster,  is very welcome :-)

[bloodline]

2 eternal questions:

1. how fast is it?
2. when is the AROS port going to be ready?

 :-D

[olegil]

What about:

3. where's the powerpc version? Windows PPC, Linux/PPC,  WarpOS, PUP, etc ad nauseam :-)

I find it amusing that someone would port something to Windows x86, Linux x86 and Amiga m68k. Obviously there's gotta be some right thinking endian-wise, but you still only support ONE cpu of Linux?

[Elwood]

Could you compare this with Mesa (or OpenGL) ?
Thanks.


BTW, Did you notice that it's more "difficult" to install this on Linux than on Amiga and Windows ?
And they say Linux is good !  :-P  :-D

[woof]

Hi

I am the author of Woof3D

SPEED: Its not very fast cause it's sotfware rendering except for the Amiga version that also can use Warp3D. It will evolve
as we say "Paris ne c'est pas fait en un jour"
(Paris wasn't made in one day)
Aminet is full of home-made simple WB games that can today benefit ot the 3D functions of Woof3D

AROS: i must found some docs about how library are interfaced/compiled on AROS
(main part will stay the same = an Amiga library)
but woof3d.library for AROS will happen....

PPC and others versions:
I have difficulties to find docs (or people knowing) about PPC libraries for the Amiga (only got a Morphos example) and i dont have a PPC (now)
If i got a LinuxPPC box running it will be easy to compile for it. (as you said the endian-wise stuff is incorporated).

MESA/OPENGL
note: from the programmer point of view Mesa = OpenGL.
Woof3D is simpler for beginners you almost never use pointers (except arrays) so your C source will look like as simple as a basic one

Mesa and OpenGL have much more functions (lots of useless too) and possibilities
Woof3D is not intended to be concurrent with those colossus but only to allow to add 3D stuffs to your home-made programs

Alain Thellier

PS: BMAP file is also included for basic developpers