Quick Start! Even if you have never programmed before, you can install 3Impact on your system and compile a mini-game in minutes! 3Impact isn't just a great game engine; it is also an amazing tool to learn game programming, step-by-step!

3Impact API Functions Reference

Modeling for 3Impact. The 3Impact engine can interactively play your own 3d models as bodies in a space that obeys physics laws. And you can model any scenery by using your favorite modeler and directly use it in your games as a solid environment. Dungeons, race-tracks, entire planets, anything can be rendered as a collision-capable body. Learn, step-by-step, how to bring your 3d objects to life!

Volumetric Shadows. A couple of lines of code will enable accurate and hardware-rendered volumetric shadows for your 3d models. Learn the ins and outs!

PostProcessing, SkinnedRagdollShaders.
Programmable shaders! Write your own per-mesh visual effects and per-camera post-processing effects by writing HLSL shaders.

Ragdoll, SkinnedRagdoll, BreakableRagdoll.
With minimum coding you can apply ragdoll physics and breakable joints to your own human models. It applies to classic hierarchy-based and skeletal animated (skinned) models! Commented source code provided with complete ragdoll models and a companion step-by-step tutorial.

SkinMeshBoneControl.
Directly import and interactively control your own skeletal-animated 3d models! Pre-defined animation play/stop/reverse. Independent per-bone control (e.g. mix pre-defined animation with interactive or runtime computed movements, mix ragdoll physics with pre-defined animation, etc). Commented source code provided with boned 3d models.

SimpleCar, SimpleCarCameraman.
Implementing a realistic car with working suspensions is easier than you think! Commented source code provided with 3d models and a companion step-by-step tutorial.

NetBallGame, NetChat, NetFileUpload, NetBallArena.
Multiplayer Games! How to run your game simulations in synchrony on multiple connected computers, remotely control them, enable runtime network chatting, share data, transfer files... Commented source code provided with 3d models and a companion tutorial.

BumpMapping, BumpMappedEnvironmentDynamicMap.
Render highly detailed meshes at the speed of light with hardware processed per-pixel lighting. Classic height-maps and automatically generated normal-maps are supported. Yes, you can use those professional normal-mappers to convert high-detail models to low-poly-count, fast-rendering, bump-mapped meshes! Commented source code provided with artwork.

GlassEffect, TintedGlass.
Make your solids look like they are made of glass, water, etc! Adjust the index of refraction and blend transparency with main texture colors, to simulate tinted crystal. Commented source code provided with 3d models.

MeshWarp, TextureAnimation.
Vertex location, normal, texture coordinates can all be altered runtime. Vertices and faces can be generated and destroyed real-time too. Movie-like texture animation is also possible. Full animation power! Commented source code provided with 3d models.

EnvironmentMap, EnvironmentDynamicMap.
Reflections! Classic environment mapping and dynamic environment mapping that reflects the actual, changing, environment that surrounds your objects. Commented source code provided with 3d models.

TrueMirror.
A polished, decorated surface that reflects the whole environment, including translucent meshes, particles and shadows? It's easy to implement with 3Impact. Commented source code provided with 3d models.

AlphaTexture, AlphaTextureUnlimited.
Transparency Effects! Alpha (transparent) texture mapping is an incredibly flexible and powerful rendering technique. 3Impact supports all available blend methods and allows for advanced management of transparency sorting. Commented source code provided with 3d models and a companion tutorial.

Cameraman.
Implementing smooth chase cameras isn't trivial, especially if you also want to prevent the camera from passing through solid scenery features. But with 3Impact... Commented source code provided with companion helper class.

SimultaneousViews.
Add split-screen, dynamic secondary views and multiple rendering windows functionality to your projects, easy! Commented source code provided with 3d models.

FirstPerson.
Classic 1st-person character fully integrated with environment physics. Ready to use as your 3d shooter game backbone! Commented source code provided with 3d models.

Particles, ParticlesDust.
Smoke, fire, liquids, energy clouds and any other effect you can dream for your games. 3Impact particle system is blazing fast and totally flexible. Source code with six pre-made particles. Commented source code provided with artwork.

Trails.
3D trails allow for a wide range of nice effects like spaceship trails, tracers, course markers, virtual grids and so on. Extremely fast to render! Commented source code provided with artwork.

Joint.
Constraints, stops and angular motors in action to show you, with a simple example, how to link bodies together, limit relative rotations, apply joint torques. Commented source code provided with 3d models.

SpringyBug.
A little demo performing an articulate vehicle that can both move on wheels and fly in a radial-gravity system of planets. Commented source code provided with 3d models.

SoundMusic, SoundEffect.
3D sounds & music! Sound effects that are consistent with the simulation. Game coders know that even the audio of a simple bouncing/rolling ball can be a nightmare to achieve, but with 3Impact... Commented source code provided with sound samples.

TextStrings.
How to manage strings and print texts. A simple example to put basic programming concepts into practice. Commented source code provided with companion step-by-step tutorial.

MouseCursor.
Learn how to implement a mouse cursor that works both in full-screen mode and in windowed mode. Commented source code only.

GammaEffects.
Black/white fading effects and gamma correction options can be easily added to your games. Commented source code only.

InputOutput, InputOutputASCII.
How to save text strings and values to a file, either binary or standard ASCII, and retrieve them from it. Commented source code only.

Troubleshooting. Solving problems and avoiding common mistakes.

Programming Basics. Guidelines, if you have little or no coding experience and want to program the engine in C++.

It's All About Vectors. Some say that being able to visualize vectors is the key to game developing...

Font Creation Utility (300k) A must-have utility! It automatically converts any Windows TrueType font to 3Impact graphics fonts. By Damian Rajkowski (WeirdPumpkin).

3Impact Font Builder (270k) Another great tool to create 3Impact fonts from Windows TrueType. By Fully Awake.