Jump to content

Ultra Software Company Blog

  • entries
    185
  • comments
    1,247
  • views
    563,101

Contributors to this blog

Leadwerks Game Engine 4.4 Released


Admin

6,939 views

 Share

 Leadwerks Software today announced the release of version 4.4 of their topselling game engine on Steam.  This version adds a new GUI system, support for inverse kinematics, and enhanced visuals.  The free update goes out today to over 20,000 paid users on Steam.

Leadwerks Game Engine 4.4 sees the introduction of Leadwerks GUI, a system for creating resolution-independent in-game menus.  Custom GUI elements can be created with Lua script, or an item can be selected from a number of pre-built GUI scripts including buttons, tabbed panels, slider controls, and more.  Leadwerks GUI is designed for the future, with support for 4K and 8K displays, as well as VR menus of any resolution.

Screenshots_screenshot261.thumb.jpg.7dcfff75c87b0cbb2de0b29a6cc353eb.jpg

Inverse kinematics are now supported, with two new joints that provide fine control over the orientation of physics bodies.  These can be used to control the end effector in an IK setup, or for precise control of moving objects.  The Leadwerks physics system has been updated to the latest Newton Dynamics 3.14.

Screenshots_screenshot260.thumb.jpg.4f38884321d5acfcc722e70cb98ef1fd.jpg

Post-processing effects have been updated to enhance visual quality.  Bloom, HDR iris adjustment, SSAO, and fog have all been updated for improved graphics.  A new shader has been added to the vegetation system that scattering millions of rocks across a landscape to make terrain more detailed and realistic.

Screenshots_screenshot259.thumb.jpg.7fe75bab83a6be87c1aa01f197efa93a.jpg

The Leadwerks learning materials have been converted into an all-new documentation system.  This allows easier searching and browsing of tutorials, API documentation, and examples.  A new series of tutorials has been added to teach the basics of C++ programming, in addition to the existing lessons on Lua scripting.

Leadwerks Game Engine can be purchased at a discount during the Steam summer sale.  All Leadwerks games have Steamworks support integrated out-of-the-box and are ready to publish through Steam Direct.

  • Upvote 12
 Share

6 Comments


Recommended Comments

Great update as always.

Any chance to put a fullscreen/windowed option in the options menu of the new GUI?

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment

Really nice, lots of great changes/additions in this update.  Now it's time for me to rewrite Hunt For Food with the new GUI, change lots of shaders, and add IK joints to stuff!  :D

How do I use the new Fog?  I couldn't find how to set it up anywhere and now I feel dumb.  There is no fog shader in a newly created project, no graphics option for fog, or a checkbox under world for fog (like there is for water) so I'm totally lost.

Also the GUI system could be explained better; more usage examples or even tutorials would really really help.

Link to comment
Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...