New BIS service available

[manzilla 1]

Since they haven't decided about a public release I'd say the specifics haven't been decided yet. I'm wondering the same thing as you so I look forward to an answer, if possible.

That vegetation looks pretty wicked.

[Dwarden 1124]

very nice to see more public info about Linda and official pages ...

for jerryhopper ...

Linda is 'very' (that's weak word) complex toolset

and i think i not overshoot if i say it's maybe worth more than whole game engine in terms of license fees ...

and maybe in future we see 'lite' variant for upcoming games which map makers can use ...

[jerryhopper 285]

and maybe in future we see 'lite' variant for upcoming games which map makers can use ...

thanks dwarden,

That is a the information i was looking for.

Although i know the answer isnt a solid promise, the fact that there could be a possibility is a reassuring(*) thought.

Thinking back on what Suma said when i interviewed him, when we talked about his love for creating realistic terrain & enviroment, things are in a complete different proporsion now, then what i thought back then.

My last question:

Can we have a high-res (1280x1024) version of the first four images for our desktopwall paper collection to drool on?

(*i cant find the right word in english,i hope you know what i mean.)

[opteryx 1562]

Wasn't Linda and LandBuilder listen in the Biki as unreleased modding tools a long time ago?

[mr.g-c 6]

Is LINDA standing for something? In other words is it an abbreviation?

Can you maybe in future show a short video/slideshow of such a "randomized" real-time grow of a tree?

[Lou Montana 101]

It's based on Lindenmayer algorithm if I have it right ; check this link to know more

[raedor 8]

Speech ended. Even a short A2 live show. Cool stuff. Thanks, ohara! Was interesting to hear.

[jerryhopper 285]

Speech ended. Even a short A2 live show. Cool stuff. Thanks, ohara! Was interesting to hear.

We want the details!

was nobody around with a phone-cam or voice recorder?

[raedor 8]

Speech ended. Even a short A2 live show. Cool stuff. Thanks, ohara! Was interesting to hear.

We want the details!

was nobody around with a phone-cam or voice recorder?

No.

I made some pics, to be posted later (maybe).

It was about 90 minutes, ohara first showed a pps explaining what Linda does (BI's motivation behind it, etc), then he demonstrated Linda and the last minutes he showed some nature of Chernarus ingame.

He's been talking about biology, technical problems in its implementation (and different POVs on nature from programmer's and biologist's side), the workarounds and tricks they're using, technology used, etc. Linda seems to be highly modifyable, from the parameter windows offered down to the scripts behind it. He's been explaining e.g. the LOD system. He also mentioned future plans, e.g. "LODs in LODs", i.e. you see high detail on the front side of the tree, but parts of the tree which aren't as close will be in lower detail.

In the Linda demo, ohara made three birches with the same trunk model but with approx. 100,000, 30,000 and 1,000 polys and answered questions which came up (it is possible to create trees for different seasons and of different age, "mass-production" of trees of the same/similar type is possible, etc). Linda is able to create nearly all types of trees you can find in central europe. It can also make view and collisionGeo LODs.

Ingame, he was walking through a forest, nothing fancy, just nature.

I saw somewhere that people think A2 has forests with 1000s of different trees: This is not yet possible when you want playable framerates, he said, in A2 forests have 3-4 different models.

[raedor 8]

And pics, part I:

[raedor 8]

Part II:

Thanks to Jan for the lecture, BIS for the tool, BIA for letting me go there, TU Vienna for giving the possibility for the lecture, Uni Vienna for the webspace, Daddl for the photo tool, Canon for the camera. No thanks to the crappy JPG-format and the 100kb rule.

[jerryhopper 285]

Well, at least the vegitation looks better than 2 yrs ago.

More of the same, but 2 yrs earlier :

http://www.video.muni.cz/public....ace.wmv [170MB]

[wipman 1]

Hi, that Chernarus vegetation looks very good and that software

looks very promising at least in graphic quality for the ArmA 2, but

how it handles the fallen trees?, what happens if there's an explosion

near a tree or trees or when something big enough colides againist

a tree or trees?; the fallen tree or trees keep offering any kind of

physical cover againist the bullets for the on foot units?, do it or

'em keep offering visual cover from the OPFORs eye, enabling the

concealment of the soldiers?. Do the branches that fall againist the

ground get smashed and flattened when the trees fall?. I miss this

kind of reactions from the current ArmA's vegetation and with the

info that i've readed about that vegetation creation software, ain't

got clear that this supouses happen (in the ArmA's 2) with the trees.

Could someone from BIS tell us how the trees and vegetation in

general will act under this supouses?. Let's C ya

[rundll.exe 12]

That has verry little to do with linda Wipman. I think this tool only creates the model (maybe the config) but thats all

Its down to the engine where it would be used to define collision etc.

[itim_tuko 0]

Linda is able to create nearly all types of trees you can find in central europe. It can also make view and collisionGeo LODs.

Was it only Central Europe or also vegetation from other areas like southeast Asia or desert?

[raedor 8]

Linda is able to create nearly all types of trees you can find in central europe. It can also make view and collisionGeo LODs.

Was it only Central Europe or also vegetation from other areas like southeast Asia or desert?

We didn't see much content and what we saw was this central european stuff. Dunno what it takes to make other trees, but as it seems Linda was relying heavily on scripts, it should be possible to add more different types.

[ohara 0]

Its possible to create everything except some special species like some kind of cacti, this will need to add some new type of geometry components.

[kegetys 2]

It would be nice if BIS could release a set of various types of tree and bush models for modding use (for ArmA or ArmA 2) for the community, they could at the same time serve as samples of what the tool can do for possible commercial deals... I'd guess that the development and demonstration of the tool requires doing various kinds of trees even which are not actually needed for ArmA 2 or other products. It would help alot with making custom islands that do not look like copies of the existing island(s).

[Uziyahu--IDF 0]

The screens look BEAUTIFUL!

Why would I want to set such a beautiful place on fire?

[opteryx 1562]

It would be nice if BIS could release a set of various types of tree and bush models for modding use (for ArmA or ArmA 2) for the community, they could at the same time serve as samples of what the tool can do for possible commercial deals... I'd guess that the development and demonstration of the tool requires doing various kinds of trees even which are not actually needed for ArmA 2 or other products. It would help alot with making custom islands that do not look like copies of the existing island(s).

I concur!

[Lepardi 0]

That pine tree forest doesn't look that realistic. It's too scattered.

[Dwarden 1124]

That pine tree forest doesn't look that realistic. It's too scattered.

on how many tree samples from real life You based this upon ? 10, 100 or 1000 ?

i'm pretty sure i saw such looking pine tree at least once

[Przemek_kondor 13]

It would be nice if BIS could release a set of various types of tree and bush models for modding use (for ArmA or ArmA 2) for the community, they could at the same time serve as samples of what the tool can do for possible commercial deals... I'd guess that the development and demonstration of the tool requires doing various kinds of trees even which are not actually needed for ArmA 2 or other products. It would help alot with making custom islands that do not look like copies of the existing island(s).

I concur!

It would be great invitation/impulse for islandmakers (and some kind of advertising of linda).

(Official) pack of winter/summer/autumn plants would be very helpfull.

[Lepardi 0]

That pine tree forest doesn't look that realistic. It's too scattered.

on how many tree samples from real life You based this upon ? 10, 100 or 1000 ?

i'm pretty sure i saw such looking pine tree at least once

no, the trees are fine, but they're scattered too much.

[Perun 0]

That pine tree forest doesn't look that realistic. It's too scattered.

on how many tree samples from real life You based this upon ? 10, 100 or 1000 ?

i'm pretty sure i saw such looking pine tree at least once

no, the trees are fine, but they're scattered too much.

there is another screenshot with dense vegetation. I agree that it would be nice, if there will be dense forests. But for playability its better if it is more scattered. I heard it in one video where someone from BIS commented it.