TrueSpace
Encyclopedia
TrueSpace is a freeware 3D computer graphics
and animation
software developed by Caligari Corporation
, bought-out by Microsoft
. As of May 2009, it has been officially discontinued, but with some 'unofficial support' up to February 2010, at least.
led to the incorporation of Octree Software in 1986. From 1988 to 1992, Octree released several software packages including Caligari1, Caligari2, Caligari Broadcast, and Caligari 24. Caligari wanted to provide inexpensive yet professional, industrial video and corporate presentation software. In 1993 Octree Software moved from New York to California and became known as Caligari Corporation. In 1994 trueSpace 1.0 was introduced on the Windows
platform.
In early 2008, the company was acquired by Microsoft
and trueSpace 7.6 was released for free.
As of May 19, 2009, Ormandy announced that TrueSpace had been discontinued:
Elsewhere he thanks everyone, urges people to download all the free software as soon as possible.
Caligari has enhanced the modeling, surfacing and rendering capabilities of TrueSpace, and the latest version TrueSpace7 allows all aspects of real-time design, modeling and animation within a virtual 3D space shared by remote participants over the broadband internet. The TrueSpace7 collaboration server enables multiple participants to connect to a shared 3D space to create and manipulate shared content in real-time.
for creating custom scripts, tools and plugins. trueSpace7 introduces the use of VBScript
and JScript
as scripting tools for developing plugins and interactive scenes. trueSpace is also known for its icon heavy interface which was drastically overhauled for version 7 onwards. While staff at Caligari had originally made them 'inhouse' during the creation process of earlier releases, trueSpace 7 had a new set of icons made by Paul Woodward, a freelance designer and illustrator.
Capabilities of the software include creating visualizations and animations with realistic lighting (through the use of radiosity
, HDRI and Global Illumination
) and organic modelling using NURBS, subdivision surface
s and metaballs
.
The software has several native formats: RsScn for scenes, RsObj for objects, RSMat for materials, rsl for layouts, RsLgts for lighting, etc. Older formats native to trueSpace6.6 and earlier are also supported, e.g. one for standalone objects (with the file extension .cob), and another for the scenes (with the file extension .scn). Objects in trueSpace can be embedded in Active Worlds
. In addition to its native formats, trueSpace can also import and export several additional model types.
TrueSpace7 also includes support for the VRay rendering engine.
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...
and animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
software developed by Caligari Corporation
Caligari Corporation
Caligari Corporation was founded in 1985 by Roman Ormandy. A prototype 3D video animation package for the Amiga Computer, which led to the incorporation of Octree Software in 1986. From 1988 to 1992, Octree released several software packages including Caligari1, Caligari2, Caligari Broadcast, and...
, bought-out by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
. As of May 2009, it has been officially discontinued, but with some 'unofficial support' up to February 2010, at least.
History
The company was founded in 1985 by Roman Ormandy. A prototype 3D video animation package for the Amiga ComputerAmiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
led to the incorporation of Octree Software in 1986. From 1988 to 1992, Octree released several software packages including Caligari1, Caligari2, Caligari Broadcast, and Caligari 24. Caligari wanted to provide inexpensive yet professional, industrial video and corporate presentation software. In 1993 Octree Software moved from New York to California and became known as Caligari Corporation. In 1994 trueSpace 1.0 was introduced on the 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...
platform.
In early 2008, the company was acquired by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and trueSpace 7.6 was released for free.
As of May 19, 2009, Ormandy announced that TrueSpace had been discontinued:
Elsewhere he thanks everyone, urges people to download all the free software as soon as possible.
Overview
TrueSpace is a modeling/animation/rendering package. It features a plug-in architecture that allows the user to create tools to enhance the core package. TrueSpace is currently at release version 7 (also known to its users as tS7). Point upgrades have brought it up to version 7.6, and have added new modeling features. It also has an interface that beginners will find easy to learn.Caligari has enhanced the modeling, surfacing and rendering capabilities of TrueSpace, and the latest version TrueSpace7 allows all aspects of real-time design, modeling and animation within a virtual 3D space shared by remote participants over the broadband internet. The TrueSpace7 collaboration server enables multiple participants to connect to a shared 3D space to create and manipulate shared content in real-time.
Features
One of the most distinctive features of trueSpace is its interface, using mainly 3D widgets for most common editing operations. trueSpace can also be scripted, using PythonPython (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...
for creating custom scripts, tools and plugins. trueSpace7 introduces the use of VBScript
VBScript
VBScript is an Active Scripting language developed by Microsoft that is modeled on Visual Basic. It is designed as a “lightweight” language with a fast interpreter for use in a wide variety of Microsoft environments...
and JScript
JScript
JScript is a scripting language based on the ECMAScript standard that is used in Microsoft's Internet Explorer.JScript is implemented as a Windows Script engine. This means that it can be "plugged in" to any application that supports Windows Script, such as Internet Explorer, Active Server Pages,...
as scripting tools for developing plugins and interactive scenes. trueSpace is also known for its icon heavy interface which was drastically overhauled for version 7 onwards. While staff at Caligari had originally made them 'inhouse' during the creation process of earlier releases, trueSpace 7 had a new set of icons made by Paul Woodward, a freelance designer and illustrator.
Capabilities of the software include creating visualizations and animations with realistic lighting (through the use of radiosity
Radiosity
Radiosity is a global illumination algorithm used in 3D computer graphics rendering. Radiosity is an application of the finite element method to solving the rendering equation for scenes with purely diffuse surfaces...
, HDRI and Global Illumination
Global illumination
Global illumination is a general name for a group of algorithms used in 3D computer graphics that are meant to add more realistic lighting to 3D scenes...
) and organic modelling using NURBS, subdivision surface
Subdivision surface
A subdivision surface, in the field of 3D computer graphics, is a method of representing a smooth surface via the specification of a coarser piecewise linear polygon mesh...
s and metaballs
Metaballs
Metaballs are, in computer graphics, organic-looking n-dimensional objects. The technique for rendering metaballs was invented by Jim Blinn in the early 1980s....
.
The software has several native formats: RsScn for scenes, RsObj for objects, RSMat for materials, rsl for layouts, RsLgts for lighting, etc. Older formats native to trueSpace6.6 and earlier are also supported, e.g. one for standalone objects (with the file extension .cob), and another for the scenes (with the file extension .scn). Objects in trueSpace can be embedded in Active Worlds
Active Worlds
Active Worlds is a 3D virtual reality platform. The Active Worlds client runs on Windows. Users assign themselves a name, log into the Active Worlds universe, and explore 3D virtual worlds and environments that other users have built. Users can chat with one another or build structures and areas...
. In addition to its native formats, trueSpace can also import and export several additional model types.
Modeling
- Polygon modeling
- NURBSNonuniform rational B-splineNon-uniform rational basis spline is a mathematical model commonly used in computer graphics for generating and representing curves and surfaces which offers great flexibility and precision for handling both analytic and freeform shapes.- History :Development of NURBS began in the 1950s by...
- Subdivision surfaceSubdivision surfaceA subdivision surface, in the field of 3D computer graphics, is a method of representing a smooth surface via the specification of a coarser piecewise linear polygon mesh...
Rendering and surfacing
Currently TrueSpace has two native internal rendering engines and also support for DX9 pixel shader output quality images alongside the traditional style Render engines. These engines are:- LightWorks (from LightWork Design Ltd)
- VirtuaLight
TrueSpace7 also includes support for the VRay rendering engine.
Rendering
- HDRI
- CausticsCaustic (optics)In optics, a caustic or caustic network is the envelope of light rays reflected or refracted by a curved surface or object, or the projection of that envelope of rays on another surface. The caustic is a curve or surface to which each of the light rays is tangent, defining a boundary of an...
- Multi-pass Rendering for Lightworks rendering engine with output to Photoshop layersLayers (digital image editing)Layers are used in digital image editing to separate different elements of an image. A layer can be compared to a transparency on which imaging effects or images are applied and placed over or under an image...
integrated into TrueSpace7 - Hybrid radiosity, ray tracing, Phong shadingPhong shadingPhong shading refers to an interpolation technique for surface shading in 3D computer graphics. It is also called Phong interpolation or normal-vector interpolation shading. Specifically, it interpolates surface normals across rasterized polygons and computes pixel colors based on the interpolated...
- Image-based lighting
- Non-linear tone mappingTone mappingTone mapping is a technique used in image processing and computer graphics to map one set of colors to another in order to approximate the appearance of high dynamic range images in a medium that has a more limited dynamic range...
editor - Post process editor
- Advanced shaders (color, reflectance, transparency, displacement, background, foreground, post processing)
- Volumetric, anisotropic reflectance
Surfacing
- DX9 (SL2.0) pixel shaders and HLSL editing
- Procedural shaders editable in Link Editor
- Normal mappingNormal mappingIn 3D computer graphics, normal mapping, or "Dot3 bump mapping", is a technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents. It is used to add details without using more polygons. A common use of this technique is to greatly enhance the appearance and details of a low polygon model by...
- Shader trees
- Modeless UV EditorUV mappingUV mapping is the 3D modeling process of making a 2D image representation of a 3D model.-UV mapping:This process projects a texture map onto a 3D object...
- Advanced UV Editor with real time UV mapping controls
- Unwrapper with Slice
- Breaking and welding of vertices in a UV map