Hi, yes you can use 3dmax or whatever you like. My tool does not do rigging, you'll have to rig with max, charfx, milkshape or something like that. My tools simply compiles all the tree data so the engine can understand it. You can change things within my tool to tweak your tree the way you like it. Basically it allows you to modify your import so you dont have to model 1000 tree models just to get tree variation.
You may use mesh terrains all you like, in fact I use them to build the engines, just the demo uses a heightmap.
As matter of fact, this screen shot
http://www.blitzbasic.com/gallery/view_pic.php?id=1615&gallery=hr&page=1
shows most of the systems in their early stages. See there, hard mesh for terrains. :)
Im actually going to be combing the weather and sky engine into a single package, it'll handle all weather effects, rain, snow, heat shimmers, and it handles degrees of each level. Combine that with a dynamically lit sky with ever changing cloud formations and smooth transition from day to night. The weather/sky engine will handle a 24hour clock format and display all transitions throughout. Grass system is still a major work in progress, as I have made some advancements to it this week, it still needs alot of tuning. Probably another week or so. Again you dont have to use heightmap for the grass system either. It'll be able to handle litterally millions of placeholders, grass spots, without much slowdown as Im developing a grid system to handle the stress of looking up distances and what not.
You can't see it in that shot, but the Elemental engine places things like cricket,s bees, butterflies, frogs etc throughout the scene and they actually interact with the other engines IE: butterflys spawn from grass piles etc.. crickets come out at night time only, elementals vanish during thunderstorms etc..
You may use mesh terrains all you like, in fact I use them to build the engines, just the demo uses a heightmap.
As matter of fact, this screen shot
http://www.blitzbasic.com/gallery/view_pic.php?id=1615&gallery=hr&page=1
shows most of the systems in their early stages. See there, hard mesh for terrains. :)
Im actually going to be combing the weather and sky engine into a single package, it'll handle all weather effects, rain, snow, heat shimmers, and it handles degrees of each level. Combine that with a dynamically lit sky with ever changing cloud formations and smooth transition from day to night. The weather/sky engine will handle a 24hour clock format and display all transitions throughout. Grass system is still a major work in progress, as I have made some advancements to it this week, it still needs alot of tuning. Probably another week or so. Again you dont have to use heightmap for the grass system either. It'll be able to handle litterally millions of placeholders, grass spots, without much slowdown as Im developing a grid system to handle the stress of looking up distances and what not.
You can't see it in that shot, but the Elemental engine places things like cricket,s bees, butterflies, frogs etc throughout the scene and they actually interact with the other engines IE: butterflys spawn from grass piles etc.. crickets come out at night time only, elementals vanish during thunderstorms etc..