Wednesday Paris-based developer Darkworks announced that its TriOviz 3D technology was accepted into Epic Games' Integrated Partners Program for Unreal Engine 3.
For developers and gamers alike, this means that UE3-powered games may now have two options to achieve a 3D effect--the current method using Nvidia's 3D Vision (for PC), expensive shutter glasses, and 3D HDTVs and LCDs, or the cheaper method of using 3D glasses with colored lenses (similar to the old-school blue-red) for those who haven't purchased the required hardware.
According to Darkworks, the TriOviz for Games SDK uses existing three-dimensional graphics information in-game to "greatly" enhance depth-of-field (DOF), geometry volume and position as well as characters within a scene.
"This approach negates the need for rendering multiple images, so TriOviz for Games runs at full-frame rate on consoles, enabling developers to maintain the resolution, performance and game play integrity of their AAA console games while running in 3D stereoscopic mode," the company said.
The two studios previously collaborated on Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 using Darkworks' technology. The game came packed with two pairs of 3D glasses using TriOviz proprietary filters, creating a more pronounced effect than the typical red-blue setup.
"TriOviz proprietary filters are not red and blue, neither exactly magenta and green, they are TriOviz filters, and are meant to complete our offer toward consumers who do not own 3DTVs yet," said Darkworks production manager Alexis Arragon in an email.
Arragon added that the technology has evolved since Batman: AA GOTY, and has been announced compatible with 3DTVs since E3 this year, with Epic showcasing Gears of War 2 using this particular feature. Still, despite the specs using two different colored filters, Arragon stated that the tech is not anaglyph--this would mean rendering multiple images to create a 3D effect and that's not how TriOviz works.
"What I like about the latest version of TriOviz is that, with their offering, our engine can support not only the highest quality solution for customers with the latest 3D TVs, such as a PlayStation 3 with a Sony Bravia 3D TV, but also a colored-glasses 3D solution for customers who don't have a 3D-capable TV," said Epic's Mark Rein. "This means users of TriOviz-licensed games can experience stereoscopic 3D on consoles no matter what their budget, and the effort that developers put into making great 3D experiences with it isn't limited to a small audience of early 3D TV adopters."
The SDK will be available for developers in November. Darkworks said that it can be integrated into games rather quickly, taking at least a week to enhance titles with 3D.
UPDATE: this article was revised to reflect notes provided by Darkworks production manager Alexis Arragon.
