Quake Army Knife
Encyclopedia
QuArK is a free
and open source
program
for developing 3D
assets for a large variety of video games, mostly first-person shooter
s using engines
similar to or based on the Quake engine
by id Software
. QuArK runs on Microsoft Windows
, and is considered to be one of the more newbie-friendly level editor
s.
editor, featuring an interface
similar to Windows
with respect to selection and manipulation of items, with flyover hints and other forms of in-program documentation, and is released under the GNU General Public License
. It has the ability to edit
maps (either directly or through an intermediate compiler process), and can import, export, manipulate and convert models, sounds, textures and various other game assets, or create any of these assets from scratch. It is also possible to move or change dynamic game objects without the need to recompile the whole map which makes the fine-tuning of details quicker. QuArK uses external compilers (like Q3Map2) to produce the actual level-file used by the game. These compilers can be fully configured using their command-line
parameters, and once done, QuArK remembers these settings so they can be used every time.
QuArK also offers multiple editor layouts, including 2D wireframe and 3D textured views
, where it is possible to see how the map or model will look in-game. This view can be rendered
with a built-in software
, Glide
, OpenGL
or DirectX
renderer. Views have three modes: wireframe, solid color
and textured
, and supports transparency
and lighting
in OpenGL mode.
QuArK has many features, including constructive solid geometry
functions such as brush-subtraction, support for Bézier surface
s and a built-in leak finder.
Along with support for most games based on engines developed by id Software, QuArK also has support for other game engines such as Source, Genesis3D
, 6DX, Crystal Space
, Torque
, and Sylphis 3D.
It is possible to add plug-ins, written in Python
, to extend the capabilities of the editor, or to make changes to the official Python files to alter the way QuArK's functions work. More information about this can be found in the QuArK Infobase.
QuArK itself has very low system requirements, although a lot of additional resources are taken up by the loaded game data. That amount depends on the game-mode selected and the size and complexity of the map or model being edited. QuArK supports the Win32 platform
, including Windows 95
, NT
, 98
, ME
, 2000
and XP
. It also runs on 64-bit operating systems (in 32-bit mode), Windows Vista
, and it can run under Unix
-based platforms by using the Wine
compatibility layer.
, GtkRadiant
being the other. QuArK is the most popular tool to access WAD
files. QuArK is probably the second most popular tool for level editing for Half-Life, after the official Valve Hammer Editor
. QuArK is also used as a mapping tool in scientific studies.
program called "Quakemap", written by Armin Rigo in 1996, which could only edit maps for Quake 1. It soon expanded to support Quake 2 as well, and around 1998 Python
support was added for plugin capabilities. At this point it was renamed to QuArK, which stands for "Quake Army Knife", named so in reference to the game engine series it supported, the Quake engines, and for Swiss Army knife
, because it could not only edit maps, but included a model editor and texture browser as well.
The latest final version of QuArK was 6.3, released in January 2003. However, since then many new alpha and beta versions have been released that have many new features, and include support for many new games. A small (and incomplete) overview of the major releases since 6.3:
version of QuArK (called QuArK++) and plans to port the program to Mac OS
(under the name of Trino), but development on both projects has stopped.
:
There are several unofficial packages available:
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
and open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
for developing 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
assets for a large variety of video games, mostly first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
s using engines
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
similar to or based on the Quake engine
Quake engine
The Quake engine is the game engine that was written to power 1996's Quake, written by id Software. It featured true 3D real-time rendering and is now licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License ....
by id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
. QuArK runs on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, and is considered to be one of the more newbie-friendly level editor
Level editor
A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...
s.
Overview
QuArK is a brush-basedBrush (video game)
Brushes are used in some 3D video games such as games based on the Source engine, its predecessor the Goldsrc engine, Unreal Engine's tool Unreal Editor, etc. to construct levels. Brushes can be primitive shapes , pre-defined shapes , or custom shapes...
editor, featuring an interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
similar to Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
with respect to selection and manipulation of items, with flyover hints and other forms of in-program documentation, and is released under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
. It has the ability to edit
Level design
Level design, environment design or game mapping is a discipline of game development involving creation of video game levels—locales, stages, or missions. This is commonly done using level editor, a game development software designed for building levels; however some games feature built-in...
maps (either directly or through an intermediate compiler process), and can import, export, manipulate and convert models, sounds, textures and various other game assets, or create any of these assets from scratch. It is also possible to move or change dynamic game objects without the need to recompile the whole map which makes the fine-tuning of details quicker. QuArK uses external compilers (like Q3Map2) to produce the actual level-file used by the game. These compilers can be fully configured using their command-line
Command-line interface
A command-line interface is a mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks...
parameters, and once done, QuArK remembers these settings so they can be used every time.
QuArK also offers multiple editor layouts, including 2D wireframe and 3D textured views
Viewport
A viewport is a rectangular viewing region in computer graphics, or a term used for optical components. It has several definitions in different contexts:- Computing :...
, where it is possible to see how the map or model will look in-game. This view can be rendered
Rendering (computer graphics)
Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
with a built-in software
Software rendering
In the context of rendering , software rendering refers to a rendering process that is unaided by any specialized graphics hardware, such as a graphics card. The rendering takes place entirely in the CPU...
, Glide
Glide API
Glide is a 3D graphics API developed by 3dfx Interactive for their Voodoo Graphics 3D accelerator cards. Although it originally started as a proprietary API, it was later open sourced by 3dfx. It was dedicated to gaming performance, supporting geometry and texture mapping primarily, in data...
, OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
or DirectX
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
renderer. Views have three modes: wireframe, solid color
Shading
Shading refers to depicting depth perception in 3D models or illustrations by varying levels of darkness.-Drawing:Shading is a process used in drawing for depicting levels of darkness on paper by applying media more densely or with a darker shade for darker areas, and less densely or with a lighter...
and textured
Texture mapping
Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...
, and supports transparency
Transparency (graphic)
Transparency is possible in a number of graphics file formats. The term transparency is used in various ways by different people, but at its simplest there is "full transparency" i.e. something that is completely invisible. Of course, only part of a graphic should be fully transparent, or there...
and lighting
Computer graphics lighting
Computer graphics lighting refers to the simulation of light in computer graphics. This simulation can either be extremely accurate, as is the case in an application like Radiance which attempts to track the energy flow of light interacting with materials using radiosity computational techniques...
in OpenGL mode.
QuArK has many features, including constructive solid geometry
Constructive solid geometry
Constructive solid geometry is a technique used in solid modeling. Constructive solid geometry allows a modeler to create a complex surface or object by using Boolean operators to combine objects...
functions such as brush-subtraction, support for Bézier surface
Bézier surface
Bézier surfaces are a species of mathematical spline used in computer graphics, computer-aided design, and finite element modeling.As with the Bézier curve, a Bézier surface is defined by a set of control points...
s and a built-in leak finder.
Along with support for most games based on engines developed by id Software, QuArK also has support for other game engines such as Source, Genesis3D
Genesis3D
Genesis3D was a project by Eclipse Entertainment to create a real-time 3D engine for Microsoft Windows. It was released as source code in 1998. The first released version supported hardware acceleration and a software renderer...
, 6DX, Crystal Space
Crystal Space
Crystal Space is a framework for developing 3D applications written in C++ by Jorrit Tyberghein and others. The first public release was on August 26, 1997. It is typically used as a game engine but the framework is more general and can be used for any kind of 3D visualization. It is very...
, Torque
Torque Game Engine
The Torque Game Engine, or TGE, is a 3D computer game engine originally developed by Dynamix for the 2001 FPS Tribes 2. The Torque engine and its many derivative products are available for license from GarageGames, a company formed by many members of the Tribes 2 team at Dynamix...
, and Sylphis 3D.
It is possible to add plug-ins, written in Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
, to extend the capabilities of the editor, or to make changes to the official Python files to alter the way QuArK's functions work. More information about this can be found in the QuArK Infobase.
QuArK itself has very low system requirements, although a lot of additional resources are taken up by the loaded game data. That amount depends on the game-mode selected and the size and complexity of the map or model being edited. QuArK supports the Win32 platform
Windows API
The Windows API, informally WinAPI, is Microsoft's core set of application programming interfaces available in the Microsoft Windows operating systems. It was formerly called the Win32 API; however, the name "Windows API" more accurately reflects its roots in 16-bit Windows and its support on...
, including Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
, NT
Windows NT
Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
, 98
Windows 98
Windows 98 is a graphical operating system by Microsoft. It is the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on 15 May 1998 and to retail on 25 June 1998. Windows 98 is the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid...
, ME
Windows Me
Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me , is a graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft, and was the last operating system released in the Windows 9x series. Support for Windows Me ended on July 11, 2006....
, 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
and XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
. It also runs on 64-bit operating systems (in 32-bit mode), Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
, and it can run under Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
-based platforms by using the Wine
Wine (software)
Wine is a free software application that aims to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like...
compatibility layer.
Usage/Popularity
QuArK is one of the two most popular editors for Quake IIQuake II
Quake II, released on December 9, 1997, is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Id Software and distributed by Activision. It is not a sequel to Quake; it merely uses the name of the former game due to Id's difficulties in coming up with alternative names.The soundtrack for Quake II...
, GtkRadiant
GtkRadiant
GtkRadiant is a level design program developed by id Software and Loki Software. It is used to create maps for a number of video games. It is maintained by id Software together with a number of volunteers.-History:...
being the other. QuArK is the most popular tool to access WAD
Doom WAD
Doom WAD format is default format of package files for the video game Doom or its sequel Doom II, that are containing sprites, levels, and game data. WAD stands for Where's All the Data?...
files. QuArK is probably the second most popular tool for level editing for Half-Life, after the official Valve Hammer Editor
Valve Hammer Editor
Valve Hammer Editor, formerly known as Worldcraft and now commonly called Hammer, is Valve Software's map creation program for their game engine, Source. Old versions of Worldcraft also supported Quake and Quake II. Versions prior to 4 supported exclusively GoldSrc, Source's predecessor. The...
. QuArK is also used as a mapping tool in scientific studies.
History
QuArK initially started out as a DelphiBorland Delphi
Embarcadero Delphi is an integrated development environment for console, desktop graphical, web, and mobile applications.Delphi's compilers use its own Object Pascal dialect of Pascal and generate native code for 32- and 64-bit Windows operating systems, as well as 32-bit Mac OS X and iOS...
program called "Quakemap", written by Armin Rigo in 1996, which could only edit maps for Quake 1. It soon expanded to support Quake 2 as well, and around 1998 Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
support was added for plugin capabilities. At this point it was renamed to QuArK, which stands for "Quake Army Knife", named so in reference to the game engine series it supported, the Quake engines, and for Swiss Army knife
Swiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....
, because it could not only edit maps, but included a model editor and texture browser as well.
The latest final version of QuArK was 6.3, released in January 2003. However, since then many new alpha and beta versions have been released that have many new features, and include support for many new games. A small (and incomplete) overview of the major releases since 6.3:
| Version | Last Release Date | Most Notable Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 6.4.1 Alpha | September 2003 | Support for Doom 3 Doom 3 Doom 3 is a science fiction horror video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. An example of the first-person shooter genre, Doom 3 was first released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004. The game was later adapted for Linux, as well as being ported by Aspyr Media for Mac... and Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear... . |
| 6.5.0 Alpha | July 2006 | Ability to display HL2 Materials. Fixed light entity dependency for OpenGL transparency to work feature. Added Quick Object Makers, to quickly create simple geometric shapes. Support for Quake 4 Quake 4 Quake 4 is the fourth title in the series of Quake first-person shooter computer games. The game was developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. Raven Software has collaborated with id Software, the creators and historical developers of preceding Quake games... . |
| 6.5.0 Beta | December 2007 | OpenGL rendering available in all editor windows. Fixed the Software & Glide lock-up and smearing problems. OpenGL lighting and transparency support. Fixed a whole load of memory leaks. Added QuArKSAS. Initial support for Star Trek: Elite Force 2. Ability to save .md3 MD3 (file format) MD3 is a model format used by the Quake 3 engine as well as its many mods. The format is used mostly for player models and non-structural geometry although it may be used for structural uses. The format does not support skeletal animation... models. |
| 6.6.0 Beta | May 2011 | Support for Team Fortress 2 Team Fortress 2 Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows... , Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² is a third-person shooter video game made by Ritual Entertainment in 2000. A sequel to the Heavy Metal 2000 animated movie, the game stars Julie in her quest to save her home planet of Eden from GITH, an ancient entity seeking to conquer the universe... , Prey Prey (video game) Prey is a first-person shooter video game developed by Human Head Studios , and published by 2K Games. The Xbox 360 version was ported by Venom Games. The game was initially released in North America and Europe on 11 July 2006... , Nexuiz Nexuiz Nexuiz is a free first-person shooter video game developed and published by Alientrap Software. It is free and open-source software and is distributed under the GNU General Public License . Version 1.0 of the game was released on May 31, 2005. The current version, 2.5.2, was released on October 1,... , Warsow, Portal and American McGee's Alice American McGee's Alice American McGee's Alice is a third-person action game released for PC on October 6, 2000. The game, developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, is set in an alternative universe of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland... . Major support improvements for Star Trek: Elite Force 2. Ability to load and save .ase, load .gr2, load .md5 models and load Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 2015, Inc. and created by Steven Spielberg. It is the 3rd installment of the Medal of Honor series... models. |
Ports
There were plans to make a C++C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
version of QuArK (called QuArK++) and plans to port the program to Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
(under the name of Trino), but development on both projects has stopped.
Utilities
QuArK comes with several stand-alone utilitiesUtility software
Utility software is system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility or tool....
:
- QuArKSAS: The QuArK Steam Access System, or QuArKSAS, is a command-lineCommand-line interfaceA command-line interface is a mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks...
program that allows the user to extract files from the Steam filesystem. - grnreader.exe: Used to convert .gr2 files into QuArK-loadable .ms files.
- NVDXT: NvidiaNVIDIANvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
's DXT converter, used to create .ddsDirectDraw SurfaceThe DirectDraw Surface file format , from Microsoft, is a standard for storing data compressed with the lossy S3 Texture Compression algorithm, which can be decompressed in hardware by GPUs and consoles like the Playstation Portable, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
files.
Packages
The official package can be downloaded from the main website.There are several unofficial packages available:
- 3D Development Pack is a custom installer to allow people to quickly and easily develop a 3D game using QuArK. It combines QuArK, LazarusLazarus (software)Lazarus is a free cross-platform IDE which provides a Delphi-like development experience for Pascal and Object Pascal developers. It is developed for, and supported by, the Free Pascal compiler. Since early 2008, Lazarus has been available for Microsoft Windows, several Linux distributions,...
and GLSceneGLSceneGLScene is a free OpenGL-based library for the Delphi programming language. It provides visual components and objects allowing description and rendering of 3D scenes....
.The version of QuArK used in this package is not up-to-date. - Quark For GLScene is an install for QuArK that includes OpenBSP as the default compiler and doesn't need Quake installed.
- The Garage GamesGarageGamesGarageGames is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, where it was moved after being acquired by IAC in 2007. As the makers of Torque game development technology, they have provided cross-platform technology and tools since 2000...
website offers a custom installer, which will install QuArK with some additional files so it's ready to go and configured for Torque: Torque Game Engine Documentation.